tw: suicide mentions in comments

[thesettingsun]

hey quick question
anyone else remember a (near) death experience and keep feeling like they're dying
even after the memory is over

it's not a panic attack mine are different

Comments

[sleepingknight]

Nnnnooo

Not exactly that

I felt like hanging around by trees for a while after I got my first memory though

Hey, are you okay?

[thesettingsun]

not really
feels like my heartbeat's slowing down and i'm about to pass out
haven't passed out yet though so it's probably just a feeling
but it's not a fun one

[maidofmistakes]

Weird stuff has been happening with memories lately, but not that... that's pretty scary.

[thesettingsun]

yeah
remembering almost dying is bad enough normally

[sleepingknight]

That's awful

Do you need someone to stop by and hang out with you for a while?

[Suffering by yourself just... makes it all the worse, or at least, that's how she always felt.]

[thesettingsun]

that'd be nice
thanks

I'm at the jp national library, the one that showed up recently

[sleepingknight]

Ok

Hang on a sec and I'll be right there

Oh wait - anything I should pick up on the way?

[thesettingsun]

a movie maybe?
if you want

[sleepingknight]

I can bring my laptop to stream something!

Unless you want a physical copy?

On my way though!

[thesettingsun]

either works
thanks

[Whenever Yuuki arrives, she'll find Shuji just sitting in the lobby, phone in hand but not really looking at it or at anything.]

[maidofmistakes]

Do you think you got sick along with it?

[sleepingknight]

[It's a petite girl who walks into the library. Long purple hair cascades from a cute pompom hat hiding away elfin ears, and her eyes are notably red - the shades she normally wears have been pocketed already. Sure enough, she's got a backpack along with her, packed with her laptop and charging equipment.]

Hey... Shuji, right?

[thesettingsun]

no
i had someone check my heartrate and it's normal
even though it feels like it slowed to a crawl

[thesettingsun]

[Shuji raises his hand in greeting.]

That's me. Sorry our first meeting in real life isn't under better circumstances.

[sleepingknight]

[She shakes her head, walking over properly.]

It's okay! I think these memories have been messing people up. I knew someone else who had a pretty bad aftereffect, too.

[But she leaves it at that, instead glancing around the library curiously.]

Where should we get set up? Oh, and what kinds of movies do you like?

[standalonehuman]

[Nope. Nope. This is going to a phone call. This is not a text message conversation. Shuji. Shuji.]

[thesettingsun]

Oh, we can use my dorm.

[He'll lead her to a side hallway with a line of similar-looking doors, one of which he opens up into a pretty standard dorm room.]

Comedies sound good right now.

[He's not in the mood for anything serious, after that memory.]

[thesettingsun]

[moshi moshi shuji desu]

Hello?

[standalonehuman]

“Shuji.” Relief. “Are you all right? I saw your message, and-“

And he needed to hear that Shuji was there.

[thesettingsun]

"I'm okay." He sounds a little like he has something caught in his throat, but not like he's dying. "I had someone check my pulse and it's normal. It's just a feeling, not something that's actually happening."

[sleepingknight]

Comedies, comedies...

[She's already taking out and booting her laptop, zipping her backpack enough to ensure nothing falls out and then proceeding to type as she walks. We're just going for Netflix because that's the easiest option.]

Looks liiiike we mostly have romcoms, some super hero movies, and stand up comedians.

[And there's the room! Perfect timing, it gives her a chance to stop and show him what's available.]

[thesettingsun]

[The super hero movies are tempting because a good action sequence might make his heart race - but he already knows his pulse is normal and it just feels like it isn't.]

Stand up comedians. I might not be able to follow a plot so well.

[Given his continual state of feeling like consciousness is about to slip away from him.]

[standalonehuman]

Togusa’s voice stays gentle, but with a concerned tone. “That’s not okay, Shuji. I’m so sorry.”

“Knowing you’re okay and feeling that you’re okay are two totally different things. I know this is Retrospec. But it’s okay to not just shrug this off.”

[thesettingsun]

It's second nature to reassure people that he's okay, that these are just memories. That he's dealt with them before and he's not really hurt. With Togusa calling instead of responding in text, he assumed that Togusa was concerned that he really was dying.

"...I'm not okay, but I'm not dying."

The words come out hesitantly.

[sleepingknight]

O-kaaay.

[She'll set up one of the stand up comedians that's probably this game's Mulaney counterpart, I don't know, my stand up comedian knowledge is close to nil. It's a nice hour long special, so there's plenty of time to just settle down and watch, although Yuuki does throw the occasional glance his way to see how he's doing throughout.

She's worried - hard not to be, with an effect like that - but Shuji pretty clearly wants a distraction, and she knows how that is. So she'll just content herself with doing what she can to keep watch for now.]