Natural Ambiance - Tokyo Apartment 2 (muffled talking, crickets, city)

On the bones and ashes of a place once called Tokyo, sat the City of Miyao; the Gateway to the West; the black sheep of the Imperial Free Cities; the birthplace of the Lesser Aidoji Movement; etcetera, etcetera. And to its people, it was the center of the world. Miyao was a proud city of glittering fairy lights and twisting alleyways, high towers and shantytowns, carefully-manicured parks and bustling industrial districts. In many respects, it was beautiful, in the way that many cities were.

Silas Yamigawa, a young boy in his middle-late teens, could see most of it if he looked out his window. Their apartment had a nice view.

He didn't like doing that, though.

His room was quiet, save for the whir of the ceiling fan and the hiss of his personal computer's internal cooling unit. And the occasional clicking from his mouse. It was also neat, with a tidy bed, dishes laid out to dry, comic books stacked, figurines meticulously organized in a glass container, video game cartridges tirelessly sorted alphabetically and by game console on a system of shelves next to his desk.

Most importantly, it was unchanging. Silas could rely on it. He didn't have to worry about outside-context problems while he was here. Which was why he barely left. He had no reason to.

Except…

He felt a pair of hands rest firmly on his shoulders. "You're putting it off again," his Big Sister said. It was not a question.

Silas sighed. "Maybe… y-yeah, maybe I am."

"Why?" Silas could imagine her smiling, in that passive-aggressive way she did.

He grunted. "It's too much… to think about."

"It's almost Spring, you know. You'll miss the deadline if you don't do the application now."

"I… I know. I k-know. Why are you being so i-insistent about this?" Silas squinted. One of the AIs in his game was trying to fund rebels in his territory. That could collapse the Southern Taihei theatre. He just needed to redirect the 22nd Infantry Division and…

He blinked, and realized Big Sister had moved her hand over to the mouse, minimizing his game. "Because you asked me to. And because you said, and I quote, 'if you don't m-make me, I'll never d-do it…!'"

"You don't n-need to imitate me." Silas chuckled awkwardly.

"You're still trying to avoid it."

Silas raised his shoulders, and sunk into his seat. "Alright, fine, fine, fine… heheh…"

The application to register to one of the local high schools had sat, unfinished, in one of his… fifteen, now… open tabs for at least a week. It was easy to lose track of the time. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Silas knew none of this was healthy, or… good. But he was good at suppressing things. It was one of his many faults.

He supposed that's why he'd asked Big Sis to make him do this.

"Come on now. I need to leave for work in an hour. When is this due, again? Do you remember?"

"Uh…" Silas touched his chin. "...the 5th?"

"Of what month?"

"...April."

"And what day is it today?"

Silas glanced at his computer home screen. He wondered if that counted as cheating. "...3rd of April."

"Mmmhmmm."

"Yes, I ge—I get it." Silas groaned. Why did his past self agree to do this to his future self again? This was such a nuisance. "I'll get it done, okay? Y-You can go… do the thing you always do, Big Sis."

"Alriiight~," she said. "But I'll be watching you. Always watching. If your hand idles back to your game before you're done…"

Silas waved her off. "F-For real this time. Do something mean to me if… if I… if I screw up again."

"Alright. I'll think of something." Her presence snaked away. "I'll see you around, Silas."

Silas heard the door open, felt a slightly artificial-feeling rush of cool air from outside, and then heard the door close once more. For a brief moment, he wondered why Big Sister bothered with such trivialities. He shoveled that errant thought to the back of his mind, though.

He felt oddly… cold, trying to work through his application into Yamaha Senior High School. It seemed like a decent school. Nice, open floor plan, bright classrooms, a well-paid-for cafeteria, a few breezeways and an internal garden. It wasn't the closest one to his apartment, but it's what he was zoned for, and there was an MR Train terminal five minutes from the gate. All around a… perfectly normal high school, at least as far as he could tell.

There was just something off putting about the name. But he couldn't put his finger on it.

After getting through the registration info, including his name, address, date of birth, social benefits number, and so on, he got to a section filled with… oddly personal questions.

Are you a refugee, former asylum seeker, or a member of a protected class as defined by City Ordinance § 5-1 (The Lighthouse Declaration)? (Click this link for details)

Well, no. Lighthouse Declaration? Was that a political thing?

Do you have any concerns regarding information provided by this form which, if shared with the Federal Governing Body of the Imperial Republic of Mihoku, may endanger the personal safety of yourself or your loved ones?

Obviously not. Nothing could hurt Big Sister.

Why are you applying for late-acceptance into Yamaha Senior High?

…huh.

The answer that he knew he had to give was "in order to finish my education," because that's the only answer that would make sense.

But that wasn't… all of it, right?

There was… more. But what was it?

Why couldn't he remember? He hadn't gone so dull to everything that he could just… not know why he was doing this, right?

Why go to High School again?

[] Because… he's lonely. He doesn't like people. But still, he wants… (+Charisma)
[] Because he's scared his brain will go numb if he doesn't do something. Anything. (+Smarts)
[] Because the melancholy of everything is starting to get to him. (+Imagination)
[] Because he doesn't want to die sickly and asthmatic. (+Physique)

The rest of the questions were relatively simple. Nothing too provocative, save for the occasional oddball that referenced yet another obscure clause in the Miyao City Book of Ordinances.

He'd have to look at that some time…

After finishing and submitting (he made sure to double check the page) the form, Silas suddenly felt like all the energy had been punched out of him. That was a lot of work. It was… distressing. Why? He didn't know why. He just felt distressed.

He probably ought to go to sleep. The clock was reading 11:57 PM, and that was also probably a bad thing. He quickly closed his active games, and shut off his computer. For a minute or so, he fumbled with the little chain for the ceiling fan light, before finally getting it to shut off, as well.

Even when his lights were off, it was never really dark. The outside world shone in, in spite of all his best efforts, through the corners of his window drapes and the little imperfections in the blinds. Distant lights, moving figures, car horns and helicopter blades and speeding trains. If he really paid attention, he could hear radio frequencies and the crackling of recording devices.

It was all so much. Part of him really hated the world outside.

But maybe that wasn't a good thing.

Sleep came… eventually. After an hour or so of fiddling on his phone. Once he finally fell into the sea of unconsciousness, the first sensation he felt was that of…

[] …cold. So cold.
[] A searing, bright light.

Silas Yamigawa

Some kid from nowhere. Gray hair, skittish, and a bit standoffish. He has a good heart, maybe, but also a big head.

Statuses:
None

Attribute Scores
Charisma: +
- Pride: +
Smarts: /
- Tact: +
Imagination: +++
Physique: +

General Information

Personality
Conformity: -12
-Base: -2
-Poor Charisma (-1)
-Embarrassing Smarts (-4)
-Poor Imagination (-1)
-Poor Physique (-1)
-Trait: Gray Gaikokujin (-3)

Habits
Daydreaming - Silas spends a lot of his waking hours imagining things: fantastical plots, military engagements, spaceships, tetris blocks, mahou shoujo… that sort of thing. (+Imagination)
Takes Walks - Silas likes to spend his free time pacing his neighborhood… just because. It helps calm his nerves. (+ Physique)
Attentive Listener - Silas seems to have a decent ear for paying attention to people, properly absorbing what they're saying. Sometimes this happens even for things people would rather he forget. (++Imagination, +Charisma)

Studying (4/6) - Silas has learned decent techniques for trying to re-acquire information learned throughout his classes. (On completion: +2 Smarts. Permanent modifier to midterms and finals.)
Strategy Games (0/6) - Silas has been re-learning how to play games like chess against human opponents for fun. They're a decent pastime. (On completion: + Smarts. ???)
Writes A Diary (1/10)- Despite vehemently refusing to admit to himself that it is a diary, Silas, in fact, now writes prolifically in one. (On Completion: ++Imagination, ++Smarts, +Charisma. Unlocks a new RELAXATION action: JOURNAL, which allows Silas to reduce ??? and imparts a positive status effect.)

Traits
Tabula Rasa - Silas is extremely maladjusted for a person of his age. He's gonna have trouble with… pretty much everything.
Stutterer - Silas punctuates his sentences with awkward mumblings and repetitions. (-1 to social checks)
Gray Gaikokujin - Silas has silver-blue hair, gray eyes, and an uncanny sense of hearing, all the traits of a foreigner not just to Miyao, or even Mihoku, but to the Known World. Nobody knows where people like him come from. They don't even have a name for him. This makes certain folk uncomfortable. (-3 to Conformity. Moodlets which reduce Conformity are twice as severe. ???)
??? - Silas has absolutely no idea why, but he has gained a reputation as someone who actively defies authority. But he hasn't even done anything! (-2 to Conformity. ???)
Mercurial - Silas hates it when things don't go perfectly the first time around. It starts to bother him until it's the only thing he can think about… (Intensified, and usually counterproductive, consequences for experiencing some sort of personal failure.)

Known Relationships

Associations
The Student Council (Clout: 0)

Unsure Relations
Yoshi Mikado (Trust: 1)
Tammy Aomori (Trust: 1)
Airi Hasegawa (Trust: 0)

Welcoming Relations
Sara Inoue (Trust: 2)
Kel Ibara (Trust: 2)
Kei Tachibana (Trust: 2)
Yuuko Takahasi (Trust: 2)

Friendly Relations
N/A

Tight-Knit Relations
N/A

Special Relations
Seraphine Yamigawa (Trust: 5)

Unfriendly Relations?
Yumika? (How would he know? Does he have to ask?)

Objectives

Whom No One Sees II
Silas remembers happy days in summer. Snug days in winter. He remembers corny television dramas and trips on the rooftop. He knows he shared those memories with someone. He wants to find them again.
Objective: Find evidence of ???????'s existence.
LEADS: None. So far...

Rewards: Discover a new mechanic. The plot progresses.

Love is Hard for on Otaku's Onee-san
Sera-neesan is working very hard for the Miyao Municipal Intelligence Office. Silas should hang out with her every now and then, when they both have the chance. He owes her that much, right? And, he can't help but be curious as to what they get up to at her work...
Objective: Conduct SOCIALIZE actions with Sera-neesan 3 times. (1/3)
Reward: ??????????

Midterms I
Silas needs to make it through his first slate of midterms to avoid being compelled to join remedial classes. Midterms take place at the end of the second week of May.

Each of the following conditions will improve the chance that Silas has a satisfactory result.
Condition 1: Silas has completed the "Studying" Habit. (Add +4 to midterms)
Condition 2: ??? (Add +4 to midterms)
Condition 3: Silas has a Smarts of at least 6 (Add +2 to midterms)
Condition 4: Silas's Charisma, Smarts, Imagination, and Physique combined is at least 12. (Add +2 to midterms)

At the end of the week of midterms, Silas will roll a 1d20, adding his modifiers. If he rolls higher than 12, he will succeed.

Character Database (Current)

Aaaaand locked!
[X] Because the melancholy of everything is starting to get to him. (+Imagination)
[X] A searing, bright light

Pathologic2 10h Ambience - Theatre (Horn Indoor)

Silas tossed and turned in his sleep, trying to keep his eyes clamped shut. Something… hot, something red, was bleeding through his vision.

"Big Siiis…" he mumbled. "Why's the ligh-the light on? Turn it off…"

He was vaguely aware of the ceiling fan continuing to buzz above him, wafting a gentle breeze down. It was a soft, rhythmic sound. And it was getting louder.

Much louder.

"Sis?" Silas rubbed at his eyes, still trying to keep them shut. "Big Sis, what's going on?"

Eventually, the noise, the dizzying sensation, and the light interrupting his sleep became too much. Silas gasped; his eyes flitted open. He was staring at a single spotlight in a massive room, staring down at him.

He was hearing applause.

It was too loud. The room was too big. He reeled back, trying to clutch himself, and instinctively covered his ears. They were cheering. For who? For what?

"LADIES, GENTLEMEN, AND OTHERS!" A voice blared out over the room. "On behalf of the Nothing There Polytechnic Drama Society, I sincerely thank you all for coming out this evening. Today's play will be a farce, a comedy, and a story about love. I ask you to please offer a round of applause to the lovely cast and crew behind me, and the lovely orchestra below, all of whom are taking time out of their busy schedules to come together tonight and perform for you all. Come on, then!"

The clapping got louder. It was starting to burst at his eardrums. Silas wasn't quite sure where he was. He could see the Speaker at the periphery of his vision. She—he was pretty sure it was a she—was standing at the front. Though the spotlight was bright, it wasn't aimed at him. It was focused squarely on her. She wore on her face an elaborate mask of shifting colors, stuck in an expression of an ineffable smile.

The Speaker seemed to soak in the applause, gesturing magnanimously out into the crowd. Once the sounds subsided, she proudly declared, "Now, it is time for the show to begin. Please sit back and enjoy our play: 誰も見てない少女!"

The lights suddenly fell, and then, a moment later, lit again. The Speaker had… run off? Silas was now at the front of the… stage? He was at a stage.

Fuck fuck fuck, what was her line? His line. Her line? Who was he?

Wide-eyed, Silas stared at the audience. He looked left. He looked right. From a corner, he heard a chuckle. It rose in intensity, as more people started to laugh. His skin felt cold.

He spoke, "Uh—" and immediately clamped his mouth. That voice wasn't his.

From behind him, he heard the sound of someone slapping their own forehead. "Oh, for god's sake." The Speaker appeared next to him, and touched his shoulder. "We rehearsed this all night! Your first line is, 'oh, woe is me.' Go on."

She gestured at him.

Silas shook his head rapidly, stepping away. The audience was beside themselves with laughter.

The speaker slammed her left shoe on the floor. "Say it!" she growled.

"Uh… oh!" Silas… spoke, and that other person's voice came out. "Oh, woe is me, for my lover Haruna is away at war! You there, I beg you, lend a retainer your health, and grab me—grab thee? Wait, shit—"

The audience roared, and Silas noticed the Speaker suppress a little, genuine grin beneath her mask.

"Argh!" The Speaker roared. "You always do this! Why can't you stay in character? Why. Can't. You. Be. Normal?"

Silas reeled back, and so did his body. "...why would you say that?"

The Speaker seemed to freeze up. Her brows furrowed. "That's/I…" her voice was a lot softer. Like she was trying not to let the audience hear. "That's not your line/I didn't mean it."

There was a pause. Silas felt something… hot burning up in his gullet. His throat felt dry.

"Normal, normal, normal! Fuck you and your normal. I know I'm not normal, you bitch! You don't need to remind me!" Silas's voice was screaming. There were… tears? Falling down his face? His cheeks felt red and puffy. "I hate you!"

He ran off the stage. The audience kept laughing, and he ran off the stage.

He stumbled in the dark, a dizzying maze of… costume sets and props and faceless stagehands. Eventually, he collapsed to his knees, eyes against a wall. The Speaker was running after him. "Hey," she was saying. "Hey!"

Silas kept his body turned away.

"I didn't mean it. I really didn't mean it. I'm… I'm sorry, hey? I just… I…"

"You don't need to lie to make me feel better." His voice felt cold, and robotic. "You're… all… you all…" He pushed his face into his knees and let out a sob. "...The only thing I do is embarrass you like this. I bet you wish you never met me, right?"

She hesitated. "That's… not true."

"You're lying." He said it like a fact. "...go away."

The Speaker spoke their name, and rested her hand on his shoulder. She said something conciliatory. Silas couldn't hear the words over the audience, whose laughter reverberated from the theater all the way to the backrooms.

"I SAID, GO AWAY!"

He suddenly felt a stinging pain in his lungs. Oh god. He couldn't breathe. His hands instinctively clutched his throat and he gasped for air and flailed his limbs but he found nothing to latch onto and—

—he was staring up at his own room, drenched in sweat, hyperventilating. He was fine. He was fine.

Nothing but the gentle ambience of the city outside accompanied him.

…what the fuck was that?

New Objective: Discover the identity of the Speaker
Side Objective: Discover the identity of the Actor
(Silas has no idea how to accomplish this)


Silas continued having similar… nightmares, for a few more days. Always with the same kind of setting. A stage, a masked Speaker, and he taking the role of an actor. Some play, which he proceeded to screw up, on purpose? Or by accident? He came to expect it.

And as suddenly as the nightmares started, they stopped. His sleep became dreamless again.

He decided not to tell Big Sis about it, even though she started to express some concern about his sleeping habits.

His acceptance into Yamaha Senior High was mailed to his doorstep about a week after he sent the initial form online. It came with a voucher for a free uniform, redeemable at any wholesale clothes distributing office. There was actually one such place down the street. It also came with a little flipbook detailing the school policies, the map, and faculty roster, with some nice illustrated pictures of some of their school's past accomplishments. Apparently they won the Intracity Senior High School Mechanical Engineering Award of 2015.

He had two weeks until school started in earnest. He couldn't quite say he was looking forward to it. But at least it was… something. Right?

Something about getting started on things was oddly… energizing. He suddenly found himself having more time to do things. Not too much time. But… he felt like reaching out, if only a little.

It wasn't like there was any more time in the day for him to work with. It was more like… he was suddenly using it, for the first time in his life.

It was a strange feeling. He liked it.

Each turn is 1 week. Silas gets 1 Action per turn.

What to do this week?

(All dice are d20s.)

[] Find some internet cafe to play video games in, instead of playing at home. Change of scenery could be nice. (Build habits. Meet people. Charisma check.)
[] His apartment was organized, but it could never look to sort through all his old stuff. Maybe reorganize the minis, look through his old books, that kind of thing. (Build habits. Smarts check.)
[] There's this public lounge on the first floor of their building that has a bunch of desks and art supplies, funded by their Tenant's Association. Maybe Silas could find something to do with all those colors. (Build habits. Meet people. Imagination check.)
[] His street had a konbini, a minimart, and a couple different shops. There was also a… 'garden' on the roof of his apartment. He could always just… walk around. See stuff. (Build habits. Meet people. Physique check.)

[] Actually, maybe he should go pick up his uniform in person instead of letting Big Sis deliver it to his apartment. Would save a little bit on delivery fees. (Possible positive consequences. Smarts check, DC 10)

Small note: A "Charisma check" is not the same as a "social check."

Aaaand vote closed! Sorry for shutting it off early, but that lead seems strong enough. Called for:
[X] His street had a konbini, a minimart, and a couple different shops. There was also a… 'garden' on the roof of his apartment. He could always just… walk around. See stuff. (Build habits. Meet people. Physique check.)

Dice rolls might work differently than in other quests, because of how I write updates. For certain actions, I, myself, will not know how many times dice will need to be rolled until I have started writing.

Since we're in the Intro, however, and these updates are going to be rather short starting out, I already have these planned. You have rolled two dice: 18, (nat!) 20.

You'll find out what those numbers mean soon~