[Action/Video] First dream

[charcoalfeather]

[The recent "request" from Thundercorp still echoed in Rakka's ears. And as ridiculous as it sounded... it was hard to refuse - more manipulation, sure, but what could she do about it? Not go? As much as Locke City showed scorn to the Numbered now, it used to be Rakka's home for the hardest year of her life. In the end, it wasn't a difficult decision to make.

She was going to fight some snakes... whether or not that meant agreeing to Thundercorp's offer. It's the hero thing to do, like in anime!

Which eventually lead to her jumping onto the Network with her phone, sometime later in the day. The screen was small, but at arms length it easily captured Cure Feather's face, filled with determination. Some of the buildings of the business district sat behind her, along with the remains of a newly destroyed snake.]

Hey, it's Rakka, back in Locke again. [She brushes some static-y hair back.] I've been fighting snakes all morning and I'm pretty sure the snakes here are just like the old ones. They look like the old ones did, and I think they fight the same, too.

[She smiled, giving a little laugh.] This is a lot easier then using a stick, though. Hehe....

[....And then she paused. Her gaze slipped away from the screen to look off at...

A path made of little stones, the metal lines - tracks - running up and past her and off into the distance. The dark, windy sky overhead... Everything was gone. There was no Locke City anymore, only this... familiar place.]

W-what.... Oh no...!

[There she was, just standing there a few meters away. There was no other person in the world with those clothes, and those dark, sinbound wings. Rakka's voice caught in her throat and she looked ready to cry.]

Reki! Look out, Reki!

[And before anyone can ask, she's rushes off to tackle some unfortunate person to the ground. Her phone is dropped without a second thought, and fortunately ends the feed there.]

Comments

[dragon_blossom]

[ If it wasn't for others heading to Locke City, Marina might not have gone at all, if only to avoid dealing with Thundercorp. How could she bail on her friends, though? Even if they were all so much stronger than they'd been at the time, these snakes are still unpleasant to say the least.

Fighting them had been going well, though, at least until she hears Rakka yelling something about a Reki, and then there's a cinnamon roll barreling into her.

Marina is not a Precure. She's not as strong as Jasmine, Lily, and Winter, for example, are, when they've transformed, and definitely not as sturdy as Raye, so, yelling and flailing, she ends up totally toppled by Rakka, slamming her hand into the ground while trying not to slam both their faces into it. ]

What the... who... why... uh?!

[charcoalfeather]

[Rakka had much of the same idea. If her friends wouldn't have gone, she may not have either. Then again, she couldn't let the snakes run around without doing anything either. It was a tricky conundrum, but in the end she was glad she wasn't alone on it.

Unfortunately for Marina it's hard to dodge a Precure running right at you. It's not the full force of a punch or a kick though... just one very worried Precure freaking out and flinging herself at the nearest person.

And as if things couldn't get any stranger, Rakka just... stays where she is, arms wrapped around Marina's middle.

She's crying a little.]

[dragon_blossom]

[ So here she is, pinned by a crying Rakka. Not where she expected to be today, especially when she cannot even begin to fathom a reason why. Slowly, she reaches out to pat Rakka's head. ]

...um. Wh-what's... wrong?

[charcoalfeather]

[Some people might be happy to be tackled by Rakka. Not when she was in Precure form, at least. But this was hardly a time to be happy, considering how Rakka was clinging to Marina, tears slowly falling from her eyes.]

Reki... I-I'm sorry....!

[She's not here right now, Marina.]

[dragon_blossom]

There... there...

[ Whatever's up with her, Marina's not getting through to Rakka, so she just... she's gonna get comfortable and hope no one comes along and thinks something weird is happening.

Something different weird. ]

[charcoalfeather]

[It's weird, no doubt about it. But as soon as this strange turn of events seem to transpire.... it seems to come to an end. Rakka sobs and hiccups for a little bit, slowly pattering off until she looks up at Marina.

Really looks at her, for the first time.]

...M-marina. What....

[Eyes red from tears, she looks around, about as confused as Marina must have been.]

[dragon_blossom]

[ This is really kinda worrying, but Marina's pretty sure it'll pass on its own. It better.

...there we are. ]

Uh. You tell me.

[charcoalfeather]

[Everything was quite worrying.

Especially Rakka, at the moment.]

...I... Uhh...

[She'll just... back away a little.]

I don't....

[dragon_blossom]

[ What is she supposed to do? Marina just slowly waves at Rakka as she backs away. ]

Heeeey. I dunno... what that was, but uh, looks like you're better?

[charcoalfeather]

[Just keep backing up.... She's doing in part to remove herself from that horribly embarrassing situation, as well as look for her phone.

Man, it was probably broken. She had so much on that thing!]

I... I think so... maybe.

[She's looking more and more confused by the second.]

Uhh, sorry about...

[dragon_blossom]

[ Marina stands up, brushing herself off, still a little confused... ]

N-no, clearly something was... affecting you, so don't worry about it.

[charcoalfeather]

S-something was....! Oh no...! What did I say?

[Well, now she's worried. thanks for that, Marina.]

[dragon_blossom]

Hey, whoa, don't worry about whatever you did or didn't say Rakka.

[jasminebloominginshadow]

[Jasmine was back in Locke, and had been watching Rakka's little post on the network when something weird seemed to come over her friend. That told Jasmine she needed to get out and stop her, though she knew she couldn't do it the usual way by flying.

In any case, Jasmine is running around looking for Rakka, trying to find out where the hell she went. And trying to not draw attention to herself all the while.]

[charcoalfeather]

[She wouldn't have very far to look if she knew where Rakka was when she made the post.

By the time she arrives, she should eventually find Rakka around there. She's sitting - more like curled up - against a brick wall, hiding her face under her arms and generally not Being There right now.]

[jasminebloominginshadow]

... Rakka...

[Jasmine doesn't say anymore, she just walks forward and gives her friend a hug. She strokes the other girl's hair, comfortingly, sighing.]

[charcoalfeather]

[The contact seems to set her off like an electric jolt. One moment she's rather still and outwardly calm, but then her head jerks up, face suddenly revealed. Red, puffy eyes staring up at Jasmine.

She sniffled.]

...Jasmine?

[jasminebloominginshadow]

[Despite such an extreme reaction, Jasmine greets her with a smile, continuing to hold her.]

Hey Rakka. You're not doing so good, are ya?

[charcoalfeather]

[At least one of them was smiling, because it wasn't Rakka.

She shook her head, slowly conjuring words.]

No... I think... I saw something, Jasmine. She was there.

[jasminebloominginshadow]

[She frowned, and nodded.]

Who was it? Who was there, Rakka?

[charcoalfeather]

....Reki.

[The name made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. But she continued. Just breathe, in and out.]

Not my doppelganger... It was the Reki the other me knew.

[jasminebloominginshadow]

... I see. Rakka, you know I don't know much about her. But... I'm here for you, if you need to talk.

[And she hugs Rakka gently one more time.]

[charcoalfeather]

None of you do. [Which was mostly Rakka's fault, when it came right down to it. She didn't know much about Reki, the other her's Reki, to begin with. She was an odd woman, a smoker, with some connection to Rakka.

And sin.

She let her head rest against the Precure, continuing to sniffle.]

I don't get it.... she was there, Jasmine. I could see her. S-she needed me.

[jasminebloominginshadow]

...

[Well that confirmed things. Jasmine nodded.]

You were trapped in the memory, then. Rakka, please... let me in. Tell me everything that happened...

[charcoalfeather]

.....

[She made no movement, but still... she eventually began to talk.]

I was just fighting the snakes, and then I decided to make that video with my phone. It was all.... normal, everything was fine. But, but then I blinked, and I was in another world. Someplace... I remember from the other me. And Reki was there.

[...]

She was going to do something bad, Jasmine. I had to stop her.