[ Waking up in an unfamiliar place is one thing. Waking up in said place in the middle of a downpour and without an umbrella is another thing entirely. How frustrating, how cruel...but Riku isn't one to really hang on to bitterness, for this sort of thing, even if where he's wounded up is in the middle of some kind of open field park. There's a tree in the distance that he starts making his way toward, but in the meantime, the only shade he has is his hoodless jacket. At least he can remove it and drape it over his head, which is exactly what he's doing now.
As he starts trekking over to the tree, he takes out his phone. There's no signal. No indication of where he may be. His clock is stuck on Japan time, so he's inclined to believe he's somewhere there still, but his surroundings don't look much like anywhere he's been, and the signs are all in another language. One he's never seen before.
Mmmm. Riku feels a bit uneasy, but he thinks that may be amplified by the downpour, too. ]
[ This isn't the first time Nirei's had such a vivid dream, but this might be the most realistic one. Droplets of rainwater drip down his neck, slip into the collar of his shirt. The wind isn't that strong, thankfully, but it's just cold enough that goosebumps dot his arms. Thunder rumbles in the distance, low and angry, and he starts walking faster from the foreboding feeling it brings.
He's headed for the same tree Riku is, but from the other side of the strange park, so Nirei doesn't spot him until they're both closer to it. Once he does, it's difficult to take his eyes off the stranger. His red hair is striking against the greenery and the gloom, and he's gorgeous even while trekking through the rain — Nirei wonders if he's some kind of celebrity — but the main reason he can't look away is the odd feeling in his gut at the sight of him.
Nirei knows too many people. He's never had a dream where he didn't recognize someone.
He furrows his brows and jogs the rest of the way. ]
Hey! Who are you?
[ It's probably nothing, he's probably overthinking it. It's just a dream, after all. Vivid and lucid, but still just something his mind is making up...but between the strange signs he saw on the way here and the slight uneasiness he can read on Riku's face, he can't be so sure. ]
[ Once Riku's done checking his phone, he ends up jogging over to the tree, because there's only so much rain his jacket can take before it becomes completely ineffective. This is so silly, he thinks, and he knows that once he finds shade, he'll try to pinch himself. Maybe then, he'll wake up, and everything will be as it should be. He'll be in his bed, in the IDOLiSH7 dormitory, and he'll wake up and either try to fall back asleep or go and get some food. Who knows what time it is in reality...
Either way, that sounds like a good plan.
...Or so he thinks. This is the furthest thing from a dream and a good part of him knows that, with how real the rain feels, with how the windchill makes a shiver run down his spine. In any case, the tree is here. Riku approaches and sees someone else on the other side of it – a boy with blond hair, also getting soaked by the rain. Someone he's never seen before. How could he dream of someone he's never met, he wonders?
But Nirei calls out to him, and Riku's eyes go wide. ]
W-who am I? Who are you?!
[ That's his kneejerk reaction. Sorry, Nirei. He realizes though that this was in poor taste, and he pauses for a second before laughing a little sheepishly. ]
Ah, sorry! I was a little startled...but, um, I'm Riku. I don't really know where I am or how I got here, so I hope I'm not in trouble?
Edited 2025-06-17 18:03 (UTC)
the wheeze I whuzzed at "who am I? who are you?!" lmaooo
[ Nirei startles too at Riku's sudden outburst, his hands going up and his body tensing. He isn't sure what he expected to happen when he called out, but it isn't that, and the shock has him frozen there with his mouth agape for a second.
Then the surprise passes and he lets out a soft, awkward heh and starts laughing as well. ]
No, no, I, uh...I should be the one saying sorry. I shouldn't have called out to you like that. I'm Nirei. Sorry for startling you.
[ He scratches the back of his neck, unsure of how to say this next part. ]
I don't know where we are or how I got here either. I thought I was dreaming, that's why I yelled. So you're not in trouble. At least, not with me. [ He realizes how that comes off and quickly adds: ] That sounds really bad, sorry. Again. I swear I'm not usually this awkward. I just feel like...
[ Nirei takes a moment to look around the park to gather his jumbled thoughts and words. The rain hasn't gotten any harder, but it isn't letting up either. He notes how there's no one else here but them. There are frogs croaking somewhere and other sounds of nature, but he can't see or hear any other people. Not even the noise of cars in the distance. It's unsettling and doesn't help with his brain going a mile a minute, so he just looks back at Riku and gives him the awkward smile of someone trying not to be scared. ]
I still kind of think this is a dream, to be completely honest. This all feels real, but... [ He gestures around them, at an unreadable sign a few meters away.] ...it doesn't at the same time, you know?
Ah, no! It's okay, Nirei-san. I think we're both startled?
[ They sure seem to be, at least, especially as Riku listens to his explanation. He's not the only one. Oh, that's something like a relief, but also a bit frightening. He doesn't dream of people he doesn't know, and if Nirei also thinks this is a dream, then...? Where are they? Where is here and where is everybody else?
Riku lowers his jacket and twists it, trying to drain some of the rainwater from the fabric. It sure is rainy and makes the mood a lot more somber than it might've been if it were sunny. He can recognize Nirei's attempt to stay positive, though, with that smile of his - all Riku can do is try to match it. He gives a hesitant smile of his own. ]
I know what you mean... I've never seen a place like this before, but the rain is cold, and I can hear you so clearly. I - I don't know if we're in a dream because of things like that.
[ Riku moves to bridge some of the gap between them. He will take comfort in this complete stranger who seems just as lost as he is. He moves towards the trunk of the tree so he has something to lean his back on. ]
I think I want to look around once it gets drier. But...maybe we should stick together? I'll make sure to warn you if there's any danger...!
@dandelionheart
As he starts trekking over to the tree, he takes out his phone. There's no signal. No indication of where he may be. His clock is stuck on Japan time, so he's inclined to believe he's somewhere there still, but his surroundings don't look much like anywhere he's been, and the signs are all in another language. One he's never seen before.
Mmmm. Riku feels a bit uneasy, but he thinks that may be amplified by the downpour, too. ]
Ah...what a weird dream...
no subject
He's headed for the same tree Riku is, but from the other side of the strange park, so Nirei doesn't spot him until they're both closer to it. Once he does, it's difficult to take his eyes off the stranger. His red hair is striking against the greenery and the gloom, and he's gorgeous even while trekking through the rain — Nirei wonders if he's some kind of celebrity — but the main reason he can't look away is the odd feeling in his gut at the sight of him.
Nirei knows too many people. He's never had a dream where he didn't recognize someone.
He furrows his brows and jogs the rest of the way. ]
Hey! Who are you?
[ It's probably nothing, he's probably overthinking it. It's just a dream, after all. Vivid and lucid, but still just something his mind is making up...but between the strange signs he saw on the way here and the slight uneasiness he can read on Riku's face, he can't be so sure. ]
no subject
Either way, that sounds like a good plan.
...Or so he thinks. This is the furthest thing from a dream and a good part of him knows that, with how real the rain feels, with how the windchill makes a shiver run down his spine. In any case, the tree is here. Riku approaches and sees someone else on the other side of it – a boy with blond hair, also getting soaked by the rain. Someone he's never seen before. How could he dream of someone he's never met, he wonders?
But Nirei calls out to him, and Riku's eyes go wide. ]
W-who am I? Who are you?!
[ That's his kneejerk reaction. Sorry, Nirei. He realizes though that this was in poor taste, and he pauses for a second before laughing a little sheepishly. ]
Ah, sorry! I was a little startled...but, um, I'm Riku. I don't really know where I am or how I got here, so I hope I'm not in trouble?
the wheeze I whuzzed at "who am I? who are you?!" lmaooo
Then the surprise passes and he lets out a soft, awkward heh and starts laughing as well. ]
No, no, I, uh...I should be the one saying sorry. I shouldn't have called out to you like that. I'm Nirei. Sorry for startling you.
[ He scratches the back of his neck, unsure of how to say this next part. ]
I don't know where we are or how I got here either. I thought I was dreaming, that's why I yelled. So you're not in trouble. At least, not with me. [ He realizes how that comes off and quickly adds: ] That sounds really bad, sorry. Again. I swear I'm not usually this awkward. I just feel like...
[ Nirei takes a moment to look around the park to gather his jumbled thoughts and words. The rain hasn't gotten any harder, but it isn't letting up either. He notes how there's no one else here but them. There are frogs croaking somewhere and other sounds of nature, but he can't see or hear any other people. Not even the noise of cars in the distance. It's unsettling and doesn't help with his brain going a mile a minute, so he just looks back at Riku and gives him the awkward smile of someone trying not to be scared. ]
I still kind of think this is a dream, to be completely honest. This all feels real, but... [ He gestures around them, at an unreadable sign a few meters away.] ...it doesn't at the same time, you know?
LMAO i am so glad...finds a matching icon
[ They sure seem to be, at least, especially as Riku listens to his explanation. He's not the only one. Oh, that's something like a relief, but also a bit frightening. He doesn't dream of people he doesn't know, and if Nirei also thinks this is a dream, then...? Where are they? Where is here and where is everybody else?
Riku lowers his jacket and twists it, trying to drain some of the rainwater from the fabric. It sure is rainy and makes the mood a lot more somber than it might've been if it were sunny. He can recognize Nirei's attempt to stay positive, though, with that smile of his - all Riku can do is try to match it. He gives a hesitant smile of his own. ]
I know what you mean... I've never seen a place like this before, but the rain is cold, and I can hear you so clearly. I - I don't know if we're in a dream because of things like that.
[ Riku moves to bridge some of the gap between them. He will take comfort in this complete stranger who seems just as lost as he is. He moves towards the trunk of the tree so he has something to lean his back on. ]
I think I want to look around once it gets drier. But...maybe we should stick together? I'll make sure to warn you if there's any danger...!