SHSL Perfumer

Adeline Koyama, SHSL Perfumer, DR OC affiliated with Song of Dissent

[songofdissent]

Spark II Adeline II Chapter 1: START

This place fascinated Adeline. The prospect of real magic was enough to excite her, and the fact that she could observe and interact with it was thrilling, although the rational parts of her mind continued to doubt the situation. It seemed too good to be true, and there was so many dubious implications and unanswered questions that the girl couldn’t quite relax.

She was only sleeping lightly when the sounds of fighting broke out, and she started getting up warily, but quickened when she heard others heading towards the noises as well. She didn’t know exactly what she expected to find, but it certainly wasn’t the strange elf-eared girl being attacked by a supernatural wolf. 

Adeline definitely didn’t like the feelings that washed over her at the sight of the wolf, and she definitely didn’t like watching it beat up the one who seemed to be on their side. When the wolf shifted into a smaller size, a part of the girl’s mind had to admit he was kind of cute, but those thoughts were quickly squashed by the words he was speaking. She tried to hang onto every word, listen carefully and understand, but it was all so confusing. All these words she wasn’t sure the meaning of, and… being told to kill each other for a wish? Even the magic couldn’t lighten the feeling of dread that was tightening a knot in her stomach.

The small girl gripped her sleeve tightly, knuckles and face paling while the wolf laughed. She stared, frozen in fear, at the red threads that dangled ever so close to her, to her fellow students. She could tell just by looking that she was powerless against this strange magic, and still, she found a part of her trying to analyze the threads, wondering what they were made out of and how they worked. She almost felt a small laugh in her throat amongst the fear and horror, at the fact that she could still have thoughts like that at a time like this while the rest of her brain was filled with panicked terror.

It was a small but relieving mercy that Kleis didn’t let them get killed right there. Adeline shivered as the wolf-mist flew past and wrapped her arms around herself, finally able to move again but forcing her shaking legs to keep her upright.

“Why…? This… is irrational. This can’t be right. H-hey… no one’s going to hurt anyone else, right…?”

She spoke to no one in particular; it was more of a mutter, as she stared at the ground trying to pull her thoughts together, but Adeline wanted someone to hear. Wanted someone to affirm that the wolf’s proposal wouldn’t hold any power over them.

She’d already accepted that the situation was real, but now, she wished it was only a dream.

[songofdissent]

Glow II Adeline II START

When Adeline woke up to warm lights floating in front of her face, leaves crunching with a pleasant sound as she shifted, she was certain she was still dreaming. A strange, lucid dream.

She sat up in a daze, barely getting a chance to examine her surroundings before the dancing lights brought her a strange fruit. Still rather disoriented, she mumbled her thanks, examining the odd food before deciding to take a bite. The delicious taste surprised her; so realistic, but fantastical at the same time.

Her tiredness had vanished from her body, but with the appearance of a strange elf-like girl, Adeline’s confusion only grew. She paid close attention to what was said, and slowly, the realization began to dawn on her– maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t a dream after all.

When the elf(?) left her and the other students behind, Adeline decided to test the reality of the situation with a tried and true scientific manner; she pinched her right arm sharply, and let out a little yelp at the sting.

External image

“T-this… this is…”

A strange garden full of mysterious lights, an elf, mass memory loss, a giant castle-like building, strange shadows, the sensation of pinching flesh.

External image

“This is real…!”

She instantly became more animated, looking around her surroundings with fascination and excitement. In such a short span of time, she’d already seen so many things that she didn’t know the explanation of, by scientific standards. It would take some more investigating, of course, but this was the closest she’d gotten yet to encountering real magic, and her small body practically radiated her joy.

But, still, this was a strange situation. The perfumer’s initial excitement began to drop and her brow furrowed as she realized the gravity of where she was. A strange place she’d never heard of, told she had memory loss, and surrounded by a group of other teenagers who (after looking closer) seemed to be her fellow Hope’s Peak students.

It was then she realized how strange she must look, jumping around like a child at Disneyland before suddenly stilling and, in her opinion, looking rather gloomy. She turned to the nearest student, hoping to have at least one of her many questions answered.

“Um, hello… would you happen to be from Hope’s Peak? Oh– I am, and I think I recognize a couple of others, and I was wondering if that had any correlation with our current situation… And, on that note, do you really not remember anything? I mean, I don’t. Er, sorry, am I talking too fast?”

[cat-empress]

height chart!! in two forms, grapha and chart.

[songofdissent]

Welcome…to Community #387. Please enjoy your extended stay here. Remember to follow all rules and carry out your roles as students diligently.

Ame Akiyoshi, SHSL Comic Book Collector

Keisha “Q-BALL“ Deering, SHSL Insomniac

Saiko Edano, SHSL Prankster

Momoe Furugawa, SHSL Lolita Fashion Model

Sparrow Hayashi, SHSL Birder

Hikaru Hoshi, SHSL Darts Player

Harumi Kaneko, SHSL Mathematician

Ōken Kōtan, SHSL Lapidary

Adeline Koyama, SHSL Perfumer

Emile Martinez, SHSL Let’s Player

Takumi Minatoya, SHSL Dog Groomer

Kaede Sakane, SHSL Cheerleader

Rémy St. Valentine, SHSL Paranormal Investigator

Tomoko Tachibana, SHSL Virologist

Kyohei Takahashi, SHSL Paperboy

Takiji “Teddi” Tatsumi, SHSL Plush Maker

Aimi Yokota, SHSL Hacky Sacker

Shin Yoshida, SHSL Good Luck

And remember…

You may only leave when I want you to leave.

[fashionpaulette-blog]

Lalique fragrance ❤ liked on Polyvore (see more Lalique)

[freiheit-hat-vorrang]

Musste das teilen: @WeHeartIt http://weheartit.com/entry/244259432/via/kiwihome

[childishheart23-blog]

Women’s Angel By Mugler ‘Gravity Star’ Eau De Parfum ❤ liked on Polyvore (see more eau de perfumes)

[shsl-perfume]

Inori No Tou (Reaction/OPEN)

Everything was a roller coaster of emotions.

It started with the anonymous messages. Adeline didn’t get a chance to reply before they were gone, but the cryptic, corrupted text spurred both confusion and hope in her. There was someone out there on the students’ side, and that was a good thing. It meant that they had a hope of getting out without anyone dying. But who was it? What was really happening here? What did they mean by “someone you know and someone you have never known”?

It is best to figure out who you are instead

Then there was the motive. This one sent chills down Adeline’s spine that the others had failed to. It was different. The others so far had held no candle to her resolve, given her no reason to be truly perturbed. The first was simply tempting desire, showing her something she wished to achieve, but she didn’t need to kill to get it, nor did she want to. The second had made her open up and learn to trust the others more, as well as earning the trust of some-- and even in the end result, Tsukiko hadn’t killed over secrets. But this one was physical. While the others had never threatened to hurt, this motive had a one in twelve chance of severely crippling her.

Or wreck Adeline Koyama’s sense of smell?

She couldn’t even imagine that. It would be incredibly difficult to mix perfume without being able to smell it, and while other things could be easily replaced once they got home, but smell? Could that be fixed? She hoped so. For even though this motive scared her more than any of the others, she still didn’t want anyone to die for it.

The fact that no one killed gave Adeline a small hope, that maybe they could escape without losing anyone else... but those hopes were quickly dashed. Her heart dropped the minute she realized that MonoMANU was making good on it’s threats, that Neo-- or Shinno-- was going to be crippled. 

But nothing could prepare her for their death.

“N-No... Shinno-san!”

Adeline cried out helplessly as the android’s body hit the floor, instinctively outstretched hand falling limp. It was different from seeing a human death. Shinno’s eyes were simply... empty. Completely lifeless. Drained. She was unsettled almost as much as she was upset. If anything, this demonstration had proved the true mortality of their situation, that the motives were true and they would be punished regardless of whether the students followed them or not.

She’d liked Shinno, even though they hadn’t talked much. They were nice to talk to, and she was glad that they had told her their real name. At least she had that to remember and respect them by.

It almost shocked her that there were no tears falling from her eyes. Sure, they were a bit wet, but before the water would be pouring out by now.

As much as she didn’t want to admit it, and as much as she though she never fully could, maybe she was somehow starting to get used to this.

[shsl-perfume]

Recovering from the Wildfire (Shou)

[superdupertap]

Shou tilts his head slightly, eyes still a bit bleary from sleep- but Adeline’s were bleary in a different way, of course. She must have been crying. And with that realization comes the fact that… Shou doesn’t really know what to do. Sure, he’d dealt with his sisters crying before, after they’d been yelled at, but was it the same for someone his own age? It was hard to tell. 

“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that, um… did you want to… ta-talk about it? I’m happy to, erm… listen.”

This most certainly wasn’t like dealing with children, where you could just play a game with them and let them win so they’d feel better.

“Oh, me? I’m doing well. I guess… as well as I can be, what with the current situation… I was just coming to check out the new areas and stuff, haha… I slept past the annou-annou….announcement.” “But, um… I’m no-not a therapist or anything, but… I think it’s better to not deny how… you’re fe-feeling… or it’ll happen again, right… ? Because no one will know- wait, that isn’t making sense… ssssorry! If you want we can… um, look around here some mo-more… there was a music store a bit back…”

Nice effort!

[shsl-perfume]

Adeline gives a small smile, shaking her head and letting out a weak chuckle.

“Eheh, no, it’s okay... I just... said some things I shouldn’t have. It’s... not that big of a deal, really.”

She thought about it, but... there isn’t much to say, is there? She just messed up, and Yukiko got angry. Sure, maybe that level of retaliation was unnecessary, but Adeline still considered herself at fault. Besides, Shou got along with Yukiko, right? It would feel kind of rude to talk smack about his friend behind her back.

“Um, that’s understandable... and, uh, yeah, It is important to be honest with yourself, and with others... well, that’s what I think at least.”

The girl seemed to perk up a bit with mention of looking around. Sure, most of the area was more depressing than cheerful, but the music store seemed rather nice. Maybe some uplifting tunes would brighten her spirits. And Shou was a tap dancer, right? It would be fun to dance a little!

“Uh, ok! If you want to... The music store looks interesting, eheh... let’s check it out, then!”

[kingofthecarps]

Sweet Adelines & Bitter Coffee [Takashi/Adeline/Hideki]

[baristashsl]

Alright, this was already awkward with Hideki stumbling over his words and acting like a nerd, but the awkwardness level went from 6 to 10 when Adeline went reeling back from Takashi blushing and bumping into things. What. Uh. Okay. He’s going to pretend that didn’t happen. He turns from Adeline to Takashi. Yeah, just don’t comment on it, Hideki…

“…..”

  Just, please be honest with me about anything else in the future —

…honest, huh? What, is he supposed to admit if the motive is “tempting” when it comes around? “Honesty” seems to be one of the best things to break trust, from his experience, and his predictions lead him to believe that being completely honest will do exactly that — break their “trust.” It’s actually funny, someone who accused him of murder preaching about trust….

“…that goes two ways, right, Koiwai-san? You’re going to trust me? I’m sure I’ve said this before, but… trust has to be mutual. It’s probably going to completely destroy any trust I have for you if you’re just going to go back on your word and accuse me of… ah, being a murderer, again…”

That actually sounded like a threat, but it wasn’t intended to be one. Takashi seemed intent on preventing another casualty… let’s just hope he actually could…

[kingofthecarps]

Aha! Free at last. Takashi felt bad seeing Adeline bang herself up against the lockers in response to his seemingly eternal wiggling. He stretched his legs out and stood to help and apologize, but Adeline had already composed herself. Already, the chipper girl had returned to brightening spirits in a serious conversation; Takashi understood that was a difficult feat.

“Yes! It’s good to know somebody agrees with me. You may tell me your secret if you are comfortable doing so, Adeline. Only if, though. I would hate to see you spill into the lockers again. Ha ha ha!” That was the first time he’d laughed in a long while. It was more of a jovial response to his own statement than a genuine chuckle - the situation they had just exited from was nothing to laugh at after all - but he felt the same pleasure from doing that.

Hideki, however, wasn’t smiling. The contrast in expressions from Adeline to Hideki was so jarring that it wiped the smile from Takashi’s face. Now Takashi looked almost concerned, and listening to him didn’t reveal a hidden glint of joy. In the second after he had finished, when it would be proper to respond, a bold decision was made and Takashi took just a couple of long steps to reach Hideki.

Takashi threw an arm around Hideki and pulled him into a side-hug by the shoulder, a smile returning again.

“You know, I’m going to take a page out of my brother’s book, which I don’t do often, and say yes. With full confidence!” He patted and occasionally rubbed Hideki’s shoulder as he spoke, like a friend. “You can trust me. That time of blindly throwing accusations at others is over! Mostly because there will not be another murder. I know trust is half of it, but I’ll be much more vigilant regarding suspicious going-ons around the-”

“-the complex.” 

His mood an tone of voice suddenly changed. No Siberian permafrost could defend his happy mood from the guilt of Moe’s murder. It drilled right through, and suddenly the thought of enjoying himself at a time like this felt wrong, and Takashi gave Hideki two pats on the back before casually strolling more to the middle of the two.

[shsl-perfume]

Adeline let out a small laugh, rubbing the back of her head, slightly embarrassed. She really didn’t have to jolt away so suddenly. She just hadn’t realized how uncomfortable Takashi was, and as soon as she did she abruptly moved to fix it. Perhaps too abruptly, if the small bruise on her arm was any indication.

“Eheheh... well, it’s not nearly as... big as yours, Koiwai-kun. It’s just... I, um... I sort of accidentally caused an accident involving three cars when I was 10... it, um, it’s what gave me my bionic arm. I... still feel guilty, but... it’s in the past.”

She let out a sigh, realizing that she’d tensed up. She glanced over at Hideki with a small, sad smile, knowing he already knew. Still, it was so much different saying it out loud rather than through text. It somehow seemed more daunting, seemed to remind her more that people had been hurt-- no. It was a long time ago. She’d moved on.

Adeline had to wonder what exactly it was that had happened between the two boys. She still didn’t know the full picture. Hideki’s concerns were certainly reasonable-- especially considering how much he was accused in the first trial. She’d even accused him at one point, herself. She still felt rather bad for that, especially since it had been entirely wrong.

Still, as Takashi tried to ease Hideki’s worries, Adeline’s smile grew happier. He was right! If they put trust and hope in each other, surely things would go well. Of course... there was no way to guarantee that no one would do the worst. She knew that by now, since Tsukiko hadn’t even cared for the motive. But... she wanted to have hope in everyone. She wanted to believe that, if they tried hard enough, and found the way out, then no one else would have to die.

“Hideki-kun... I hope you’ll be able to put your trust in us. I trust you, too. Um, though... I am curious... uh, what exactly is it that you too were fighting about before...? Um, i-if it’s okay to ask... I mean, I have a rough idea, but...”

She stared down at her hands, worried that maybe she shouldn’t have asked. Perhaps it would be better to leave the past in the past... but then again, if they didn’t fully resolve that argument, then who’s to say it wouldn’t pop up worse in the future, like a vengeful zit?

[shsl-perfume]

Recovering from the Wildfire (Shou)

[superdupertap]

Shou hadn’t actually realized that there was a new area opened- he was taking a nap when the ID lit up. A nap, of course, in his own room. He wasn’t silly enough to risk getting destroyed for dozing off in the middle of the hall or on a desk, as he typically did. He drowsily sits up several hours later, hair smushed up on one side of his head and eyes bleary. It takes several yawns before he’s out of bed, hair still mussed, and shuffling across the campus to try and locate the new area. 

He doesn’t find it all that interesting once he does enter. The only thing that catches his eye is a music store with records inside- if he were lucky, there would be a player too. But he’d check it out later; for now, he’d finish his circuit of the area and then come back if he didn’t find anything else he cared about. As he walks along, he sings something nonsensical, translating it to Japanese as best he can as he goes. 

“Check your handbook, it’s no trick… put some chapstick on your lips… crack a smile- ah! Oh?”

His stroll comes to an abrupt halt as he hears someone say his name. With a gasp, he snaps his vision into focus, hurriedly smoothing down his hair with one hand and turning to face Adeline.

“Koyama-san…? What are you doing down there? I-Is everything okay?”

At the sudden realization that Adeline could be hurt, he gasps once more, scurrying over and crouching down next to her on the ground.

“Ar-Are you hurt? I think there was an infirmary a ways back… I ca-can get you an icepack or something!”

[shsl-perfume]

Adeline rubs her eyes, rather sure that they must be puffy after crying so much. She’d really done a lot of crying since she got here; much more than she usually would. She supposed it was a normal reaction to a situation like this, crying to express the sadness she felt over the loss of her classmates. But she also knew that she had to stop crying eventually. She wanted to be strong and help others... how could she if she was the one always needing comfort?

No, she doesn’t need comfort now. She was at fault this time. She shouldn’t have pressed Yukiko, should have just listened and let her speak. She probably wouldn’t understand, anyway-- Yukiko was right about that.

She offers a small smile at the boy, shaking her head. She slowly pushes herself up the wall and back on her feet, brushing dirt and dust off her new dress.

“Ah, no, um, I’m okay... uh, I was just... thinking. I got in an argument and, um, needed some time to be alone and... think.”

She tried to brighten her smile a bit, scratching her head under her cap.

“Um, sorry for worrying you... I’m fine, though. Er, How are you doing?”

Maybe “fine” isn’t the right word to use right now for her mental state, but physically, it’s true.

[kingofthecarps]

Sweet Adelines & Bitter Coffee [Takashi/Adeline/Hideki]

[baristashsl]

Just when Hideki thought he was done, it turned out Takashi was far from finished.

With the words ”let me tell you the rest of the story,” Hideki lifted his head so he could look at Takashi as he spoke. It was calm, at first, the way Takashi explained his story, but then he showed just how personal this secret was in the form of flurries of insults and shouting.

Hideki was no stranger to having the short end of the stick at work. He was used to having shitty co-workers who got everything for being patronistic “friends” with their customers. He knew what it felt to have a co-workers or the like he considered to be, well, in Takashi’s words… a “dick.” It was years ago, however, that he had co-workers that bad… but it was still a memory engraved in his mind.

That was as far as he could relate to Takashi’s story.

While he could feel sympathetic to a small part of the story, it was hard to feel as sympathetic towards him as Adeline did, considering the… lengths he went to get what he wanted. But, it’s not like Hideki didn’t go to extreme lengths to get what he wanted before, so perhaps he was the hypocrite after all…

At least Takashi had the courage to seriously explain his secret. The only time Hideki revealed his own was on a whim, towards Adeline, after he was exhausted of being asked his secret over and over and over and over. Takashi, while handling the topic of his secret (understandably) emotionally, at least managed to explain his story.

Hideki almost stood up to help Takashi onto his feet, but Adeline got to him first — leaving Hideki sitting there, speechlessly. …what exactly was he meant to say? This was so much to be dumped on him all at once… and why… him? Why was he being told?

“That’s… Takashi… why are you telling me this…? I… you didn’t have to. I wasn’t expecting an explanation…” 

But, perhaps Takashi felt so bad about his past that he believed he had to tell someone.

“It’s… in the past… I guess. I can’t say… what you did was… mhgm… right, but… whatever… I’m not going to yell in your face and call you a scummy person, if that’s what you expected… especially if you seem… remorseful, now. I’m not going to… add insult to injury… ahaha…”

Wow, he sure feels awkward. What he just said probably didn’t help Takashi feel better at all. He isn’t as great with this comforting thing as Adeline is, so he’s just saying anything he can think of and hoping it’ll be taken well…

[kingofthecarps]

It’s not that Takashi didn’t know how to feel about the sudden comfort provided by Adeline, as he was quick to make up his mind on most matters. That also may be the cause for a lot of trouble he had recently as well as two years ago. Takashi knew that he felt uncomfortable, despite how nice of a person Adeline was, he wasn’t use to anybody doing anything for him or providing this level of personal support from anyone, with the only exception being his mother. It was nice, but didn’t feel natural (perhaps another thing to take note of and learn to adapt for), so he struggled with the problem of not knowing how to respond to it.

“Oh, Adeline. Thank you for, uh, your comforting words.” 

Then Takashi wriggled a bit, but in a position as compromising as his, it got him nowhere. He remained in the embrace of Adeline until whenever she saw fit to release him, and eventually got used to it enough to talk again.

“It’s not the act itself, and what it got me, that I’ve felt guilty about. Not until recently anyways, while I’m stuck here and supposed to be in charge of the aquarium 384,400 kilometers from me.” He looked at it’s palms like the act had been branded on them. “It’s how easy it was for me to do it. How little I cared in that moment. It was for the best, I’m sure. That place wouldn’t be there today had I not done what I did. I just wish I hesitated, just a bit…” He tossed his head back down. “He died that night, you know. It feels like I signed his death warrant… Oh, Christ, I sound like some angsty teen.” He said, momentarily forgetting his age and overall attitude he’s had throughout the past two weeks.

He had almost forgotten Hideki was in the room. What he said, while not condoling, was pleasing to hear. Any sentence not yelled or spoken accusingly at him by Hideki felt like a blessing in these circumstances.

“Hideki, we are in a high-stress situation filled with murder and suspicion of classmates and their possibility that they may commit it. We need to trust eachother, not just us three. The rest of us students, if you think we can still call ourselves that, need to start being more cooperative and open with each other about circumstances which may lead to murder. You, I thought trusted me the least, and you also knew part of my secret but had no knowledge of the details. I think the two are related, eh? Another rhetorical question. Anyways, I’ll trust you, no strings attached regarding your secret. Just, please be honest with me about anything else in the future that will help keep any more of… this, from happening. I don’t want anyone else to die here.”

“I won’t let it happen.”

[shsl-perfume]

Adeline didn’t seem to notice Takashi’s discomfort at first, remaining there hugging him for awhile.

“That’s understandable... um, I mean... I can’t say that... what you did was particularly right. But... you did it for the good of what you believed in. And... um, I’m sure you’ve done an excellent job running the aquarium... It’s not your fault that you ended up here. I’m a bit worried about Tageslicht, myself. Besides... aren’t we all sort of angsty teenagers here? Eheh...”

She wondered how her parents were handling the business without her. She couldn’t make any new scents right now, after all, and she’d been in the middle of perfecting one... It was then she realized that Takashi was rather uncomfortable. She quickly stood up and backed away, accidentally bumping into the lockers and stumbling back forward, face rather red.

“S-sorry!”

She turned her attention to Hideki. She was glad his reaction hadn’t been bad... then again, she hadn’t really seen him get mad. Even if he seemed a bit awkward, hey, she was feeling pretty awkward herself. And as Takashi spoke again, she found a smile coming to her face. He was pretty much stating her current philosophy, after all.

“I completely agree with you, Koiwai-kun...! Um, I think it’s really important that we all trust each other. I’ve already entrusted Hideki-kun with my secret, as well as a few others... I could tell you too if you want, Koiwai-kun. I really want to put my trust into every person here, and I hope that they can in me. Um, of course it... may not be enough to stop something from happening... b-but, it lessens the chances, and helps everyone get along. Um, so... yeah. Honesty and trust are crucial in this situation, and as friends.”

She goes back to playing with her hands a bit. She didn’t mention knowing Hideki’s secret-- it wasn’t her right, after all, to say anything unless absolutely necessary. She also seems to call the two “kun” now. Another sign of growing friendship.

[shsl-perfume]

Laterality (Purin)

[purin117]

Friends, fans… they certainly had the latter, but how many friends had they truly had? Though Purin was on friendly terms with most people they knew back home, they had hardly anyone they could call a friend. The only real relationships they had were acquaintanceships.

Luckily, Adeline brought up another subject before they could formulate a response. This they decided was good, since they were starting to feel sad. And though the new topic wasn’t much better, at least they could think back to the sensation the virtual reality chair had created.

“It was about my talent! I had my job back as a stunt double and was really happy! It was short but sweet. It ended after the director sat ‘Action!’ and I jumped…”

They trailed off, grinning beneath their mask. After a few more moments of reminiscing, they glanced over at Adeline.

“Why do you ask? Did you wanna share what your dream was about?”

[shsl-perfume]

Adeline smiled softly as Purin told their fantasy. It was nice... simple, rather innocent, and probably not unobtainable. Well, she didn’t really know the circumstances, nor much about the entertainment industry... but Purin would surely find work again, right?

“That’s nice... it sounds really cool!”

She let out a sigh, staring ahead with a somewhat wistful expression.

“Mine was... well, it was about my perfume. Tageslicht had a bunch of branches spread throughout the world, and I was visiting one in Berlin. Everyone greeted me in German, and it was really nice... all the smells mixed together in the air was really something. And... especially my favorite one, a special perfume. It was... nostalgic, I guess? I’m not sure that’s the right word, but... it was nice.”

She smiled to herself, lost in thought. It was nostalgic, she supposed, in the sense that it reminded her of childhood memories, of the MSS and all the time spent in the treehouse with Jo and Jayce... it was nice. Adeline knew that the dream she was shown was definitely obtainable-- with the rate her perfume was selling, it was only a few years down the road! But still, being reminded of that dream now, in a situation where she could die at any moment, and didn’t know if she’d make it back to Earth at all... it was somewhat melancholy. Oh, right-- she wanted to make a point! She adjusted her cap, snapping out of her reverie.

“Ah! But, um, the reason I brought it up... well, I think that... it’s important we hold on to those dreams. Not as motivation to hurt anyone, but... as motivation to get back home, so that we can make those dreams come true. Even if... you’re not sure there’s anyone waiting for you, there’s at least that dream, right? Something that you can work towards.

[shslautotune]

Reconstruct || Open

[shslautotune]

“Names are strange things, aren’t they?” they agreed with a nod, “They’re just a string of sounds, but we get so attached to them…” Or unattached. And then reattached. “Th-there’s no need to be sorry, Koyama-san, it’s all really neat! I think your own name is a good one, it suits you well.”

Yeah. Names, and words in general, were definitely weird. Shinn had never thought too hard about it, since they weren’t exactly the philosophising sort - no, they were nowhere near smart of that. But little sounds made from vocal chords or voice processors strung together to make meaning… It was weird, wasn’t it?

They shook their head, snapping back out of their thoughts. No, that was far too weighty for them to deal with, it made their head swim to even approach that topic.

“Eheh, thank you- It’s, uh- my hair is synthetic, of course, but I like it a lot too.” They unconsciously ran a hand through the hair, locks of chemically constructed fibres, but it looked and felt like real hair. “Th-the downside is that if I ever want to change it, I have to get new hair installed, and it’s not super fun. I can’t just grow it out like you could.” Alas, the downsides of being made primarily of metal and silicon.

[shsl-perfume]

“Eheh, indeed... if you think about it, there’s a lot of interesting things about names and language. Like... names are legally binding, and one word can seal your fate it court. Words have the power to raise a man to his highest status, and bring him to his lowest point... have you heard the old phrase, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? Well, I think that words are more powerful than people give them credit.”

Adeline realized that she was rambling once again, and that it wasn’t the lightest subject material. Her cheeks tinged a bit pink and she scratched her head under her hat, laughing nervously.

“U-um, sorry, not to say that words should be used to hurt anyone of anything like that, uh, I just mean that there’s a deeper science and psychology to words and-- um yeah, eheheh... er, thank you, though!”

Ah yes, hair. That was much less philosophical and plenty pleasant to talk about. She ran a couple of fingers through her own hair. She’d always liked having it short, and couldn’t remember the last time it had been long. What was she, 8? Shinno’s hair looked nice long, though.

“Ah, I see...! Hmm, can you still cut or dye it? Well, I think it looks really nice as it is. I guess human hair is easier... although it takes a while to grow out, and you can just replace yours, right? Er, maybe not if it’s unpleasant, though...”

[shsl-perfume]

Her favorite perfume is currently unlisted for market. Estimated release in Summer 2115, assuming the company and its founder survive.

[shsl-perfume]

Laterality (Purin)

[purin117]

How melancholic this scene was. The sadness of the moment even got through to the dense Purin, who looked down at their shoes as Adeline wondered aloud.

Did they have anyone they missed? Their first instinct was to say no, but upon further thought…

“No! I mean, not exactly… um. Ufufu…”

They chuckled awkwardly as they considered the question. There was… who? Who waited for them back on Earth? Mayumi? Maybe. Broadcast Japan? Possibly. Their fanbase? Well, they hadn’t had much of one to begin with, being only a stunt double. And after the Hoshiko incident, they doubted they had any fans left.

“Adeline-chan, I don’t think anyone wants me to come back. My boss, Mayumi-san, probably just wants me back for the money. Same with the production studio. And… Juri Bando fans probably want me gone because I got actual Juri Bando, Hoshiko, fired. She’s probably glad I disappeared, too.”

They sighed, suddenly feeling weighed down by what could be called emotions.

“I guess I don’t wanna go home — or even need to. Ufufufu, it’s silly Osamu-chan— er, Hikaru-chan wanted to leave to restart his life. I understood his theory, but after thinking about it, I don’t think it would’ve worked. …I guess I wish I could start over, too. Or at least go back to doing what I love.”

They shuffled to the edge of the promenade, looking down. How solemn it was to be talking about this here, in the deserted section of the city.

“It’s stupid, but if I wanted to, I could easily do stunts here. There’s no need to go back home to do them.”

They didn’t sound too sure about that, though.

[shsl-perfume]

Adeline leaned on the promenade’s railing as Purin spoke, giving them a rather sad look. Ah, that was right... there had been some scandal involving Juri Bando, hadn’t there? Adeline didn’t really pay too much attention to pop culture, and certainly not Japanese pop culture, so she wasn’t sure what exactly had occurred. Still... it seemed sad. Surely there was someone who missed Purin?

“Um... I’m sure someone misses you, Purin-san... don’t you have any friends, or someone who admires you, or anything...? I’m sure that even if you don’t know it, you’ve probably got plenty of people who worry about you and your safety. And I’m sure you miss at least one person too, right?”

Maybe it was different for androids. Some of them didn’t really have families, right? But she was sure that there must be at least one person who cared about Purin enough to miss them while they were here. She thought back to everyone she missed. Mom, Dad, Jayce, Jo, even Allen... they must miss her too, right?

She looked over at the flickering lights of the district as Purin did, tilting her head a bit and staying quiet for a while, even after they had finished speaking. There was something she was suddenly curious about, something the android’s words had reminded her of.

“Hey, Purin-san... can I ask, um... what did you see for the first motive? In the virtual reality chairs? What was your dream...?”

[kingofthecarps]

Sweet Adelines & Bitter Coffee [Takashi/Adeline/Hideki]

[baristashsl]

Hideki pulls out a chair from a desk when they enter, which he turns to face Takashi and Adeline so he could sit down while he listened.

I don’t want to know your secret.

Hideki looks at Adeline with that, hoping she won’t say anything. So far, she was the only one who knew his full secret… unless you counted E.L.L.A, who now knew his initials. With that short glance, he turns back to Takashi, a tired look on his face. However, he’s not the only one who’s tired. Takashi likely is, too.

“You openly called the secret you had scummy, of course I won’t trust you with mine.” And the secret Takashi received was very much like his own… “You’re pretty hypocritical, aren’t you? Why do you judge someone else’s secret when you’re worried someone will judge your own?”

He feels a pang of guilt after he says that. Takashi has been fine during this conversation, and now he’s being a borderline bully towards him. He looks up at the ceiling, resting the back of his neck against the back of the chair. There are a few beats of silence, before he began speaking again, much less hostile than before. “I’m… not going to tell anyone. You’re sort of the… one who let someone else know… you know, Adeline’s here…”

He’s not going to say his secret isn’t bad, but… he’s not going to tell anyone, either.

“…was that… it?”

[kingofthecarps]

Takashi was ready to react to what Hideki said as soon as he spoke it, but he waited his turn. Everyone deserves respect and all that whale shit. Yes, they all were tired, but Takashi had been disturbed tonight one too many times. With Adeline here there was certainty that this instance wouldn’t end with another dead student. 

“H-hypocrit? Far from it, Hideki. Did I not say something to the effect of “I won’t let this place change my perspective of right and wrong” the last time we talked? Do you not think I know what I did was scummy?” Takashi took a moment to wipe the imminent tears away, then stared down Hideki, differently than usual.

“Look at me, and tell me I don’t know how abhorrent my crime was- actually no.” Takashi was a mess, worried about the future, and what others opinions of him were. Especially now. How much more pitiful did his state make him look, though. Just for once, he let it go, and didn’t hold back his words. The expression he wore once again changed.

“Let me tell you the rest of the story, first.” He gave Adeline a glance, becoming a tad worried on the inside, but keeping a serious facade plastered. 

Read More

[shsl-perfume]

Adeline frowned a bit as Hideki spoke, not at him but rather his words. Takashi had called the secret he got scummy...? That wasn’t right, regardless of what it was. Well, maybe if it was something that involved purposefully hurting someone or the like... but by the sound of it, maybe it wasn’t something that bad, or perhaps it was similar to Hideki’s? She didn’t think anything like that deserved being called “scummy”. Of course, she didn’t know what it was for sure, and though she contemplated the right words for how to ask about it, she remained silent.

“...”

She continued to stay quiet as Takashi spilled the details of his past. Her expression grew sad, and she tugged her sleeves more as he continued. That... well, it... wasn’t as bad as it could be. Of course, it wasn’t right, and he could get in a lot of trouble for that, Adeline knew. But, still... 

She startled a bit when Takashi fell to the floor, but didn’t move until he was done speaking. She was rather shocked into silence for a few moments, but her motherly instincts kicked in stronger than her shock and she moved forward.

The girl dropped to the ground behind Takashi and gently wrapped her arms around him, softly resting her head on his back and giving him a small squeeze. She said nothing for a few moments, gathering the words to say in her mind.

“...Koiwai-san... it’s okay...”

She spoke softly, but loud enough for both boys to hear.

“Um... you... you were really close to the owner, right...? So... I’m sure you... just wanted the aquarium to be in good hands... and not someone who wouldn’t treat it properly... right? And... besides, you feel bad now, so... it... you’re not a bad person, Koiwai-san. Everyone has done things... that they’re ashamed of. Even if... it wasn’t something quite like that... you don’t have to think badly of yourself...”

She still didn’t know the full story, of course. She hadn’t been there, didn’t know anything... so maybe she never would. But that was alright, because all she needed to know was that Takashi knew he did something wrong and felt remorse, and that he wasn’t a bad person because of it. However, as she glanced over Takashi’s shoulder at the barista, she was a bit more worried about what Hideki’s reaction would be like.