Let's See What's In The Cards (Mmhm)

[missrecalled_mods]

The weather was still bitterly cold, and the snow was still thick on the ground, but it was finally possible to at least go outside by the front doors. The King and Queen have still forbidden anyone from staying overnight at the museum district in case it started snowing again. But the King could be seen outside trying to shovel snow enough to make a path to the castle at the least.

The snow was still too thick to get easily anywhere not shoveled, and the snow was so heavy that even beasted out, Ben needed to take constant breaks inside to sit down and dry off. This wasn't going to be a fast task.

It was only made harder when it started. For those who slept, it would start after they have fully awoken for the day. For those who don't sleep, they'd find that they had fallen into a pleasant daydream, even if it wasn't normal for them to do so. When they came out of it, that was when it would start for them.

But what is it, exactly?

Small snippets of memories, playing for anyone who was with the person remembering to see. But the thing was, these memories... were memories the person had not yet made. Memories of the future.

Not enough to give answers, probably not enough to give reassurances for much other than "oh hey, I do have a future after all," but generally pleasant, and short. Hey, it will give people a thing to talk about, at least. Especially since this will go on for the next two weeks or so.

Comments

Kyoko Mogami | Skip Beat | OTA

[souls_of_roles]

Saved By A Foe

Kyoko had been enjoying the cold air outside... by opening a window and leaning so far out of it she almost looked like she was about to fall outside of it. Until she heard a voice from behind her.

"She's going to retire from showbiz."

"Wait, who is?" Kyoko asked, spinning to face the scene as it formed in the public room she'd wandered into in her quest for air.

Kyoko stood by some railing, a thin blond man with glasses beside her. There was a girl in a wheelchair behind her and a man in a suit talking on a cellphone. What he said couldn't be heard anymore, however.

"Oh? Hmm. This isn't as high as I thought. Are we on the third floor? I might have survived a fall from here."

"No!" the blond man said, sounding horrified. "You'd be dead! Don't be stupid! You would have died depending in how you hit the ground!"

"Well, I freaked out cuz I thought I was on the tenth floor... But now I think I might have just broken a couple of bones.." she said with a small laugh.

"You're right," the girl in the wheelchair said. "The video would have been more effective if you had actually fallen... So I wish you'd gone over the side like a victim in a murder mystery."

"Exactly!" Kyoko said as the scene faded.

"What in the world.... I know I said I'd help her but... I don't remember saying I'd let myself get hurt like that.... then again...." if it meant defeating that horrid Morizumi.... maybe it would be okay. Rage on Kyoko's face as she considered that. To think that horrible little miserable cheater was the girl that...

Rage twisted in agony into deep sorrow.....

Flower Ring Daydreams

Kyoko was in a field of small flowers. The kind you'd find on a lawn that are probably weeds but too pretty to pull. a man was kneeling, picking flowers and weaving their stems together. For those who have been in her room here or in Avalon, they might recognize him as one of the people she has a poster of up. then again, half her curse dolls are of him, so he'd be familiar to most of her friends by now.

"Excuse me for picking you," he said, seemingly to the flower he was picking. "You can reinforce the stem with this one..." he added, still looking at the flowers he was weaving. "And use this one to tie them together."

"I see...." Kyoko said, seeming fascinated as she watched. "I'm surprised you know how to make flower rings, Mr. Tsuruga! When did you learn? Can geniuses do everything from the moment they're born?"

"Come on," he said with a laugh. "My dad used to make them for my mom. I learned by watching him. I wasn't as good as him, but I would still make them for her too. This is an easy way to make one. Dad's got amazing skills. He's as good as a floral specialist."

"Oh." Kyoko got a dreamy look on her face. "He sounds like a wonderful dad...." she said, dreamily.

"Ms. Mogami... You're imagining my dad looking like director Ogata."

"He doesn’t?!" she asked, stunned out of her fantasy. "Birds don't start singing and flowers don't start dancing when he talks to them?!"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," he said, standing up. "Dad's slender but macho. He's got muscles. He looks like...."

The scene faded with Kyoko looking like her brain was melting with confusion and the man looking sheepish.

"Looks... like... Who? LIKE WHO? LIKE WHAT?! GET BACK AND TELL ME THE REST, MR. TSURUGA!!!!!"

That Elevator Scene

Again, the man she had the poster and curse dolls of was with her, this time he was standing there, looking down at her with an intense look on his face that Kyoko in the memory didn't see, because that version of her was staring at nothing in the general vicinity of his shirt. Clearly from her shifting expressions her mind was moving a mile a minute, but she was flushed dark red. Her eyes kept changing in how wide they were, as her mouth moved through various thoughts rapidly.

After a moment his expression changed as well, going all but blank.

"Ms. Mogami..." he started, voice almost monotone. "Um." Now he looked a little awkward. "I'd like to verify why you look so flustered..."

Her flush got worse. She looked panicked. And cornered. "I'M SORRY! Y-YES Of... OF Course..." she stumbled over her words, volume and pitch changing wildly. She looked panicked still, and didn't look up at him at all. "I can't believe I WAS SHAMELESS ENOUGH TO MISUNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SAID! MR. TSURUGA ALWAYS ACTS SLIGHTLY AMERICAN!" she all but screamed, hands on either side of her head. She looked like she was about to pass out.

"WHAT?" he asked, almost matching her for volume, leaning as sh started to collapse inward on herself.

"This was your best American joke!" Kyoko said, desperate.

"What? What?" he looked so confused now.

"I'M SORRY! AMERICAN JOKES ARE DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND! I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THEM, SO I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS A JOKE RIGHT AWAY. I WAS FOOLISH ENOUGH TO DELUDE MYSELF THINKING OH, MAYBE MR. TSURUGA IS"

And the vision cut off there, withi him looking almost as panicked as she did.

"MR. TSURUGA IS WHAT?!" Kyoko yelled at the spot where the image was. Mr. Tsuruga is what?! And why did he look so panicked? He was Mr. Tsuruga! HE didn't get panicked! Not like that!

Exchange

Kyoko and the same man. He was sitting on a chair staring at the stone that Kyoko calls Corn in his hand. She was sitting on her knees on the floor at his feet. He was looking at the stone in confusion.

"Uh... Maybe... you've forgotten who he is?" Kyoko asked, panicked sounding, but not as bad as in the scene before.

"What? No." He said, then laughed, smiling at her. "Of course not. I remember him. But.. Won't Corn hold a grudge... if I keep it?"

"IF YOU WHAT?! GET BACK HERE?!" Kyoko yelled at the vanishing image. Why did this keep happening?!

And why would she ever give away Corn to anyone?! Even Mr. Tsuruga?!

Invitation

Kyoko was sitting on a sofa looking thing as she opened an envelope. The post mark on it was 3/13. There were two things inside. She pulled out the first, a note card. Pretty stationary. The note on it was written in a neat hand.

"To Ms. Mogami

Thank you for the delicious jelly you gave me on Valentine’s Day.

This return gift is a very simple one, but I hope you still enjoy it.

Ask Ms. Kotonami to go with you.

Ren Tsuruga"

She stared at it a moment then pulled out the second item. A very sparkly and ornate ticket. No, two of them. To Dayjowey land. There were little ticket looking things on the bottom of each ticket.

Kyoko was flushing and staring at the tickets, seeming overjoyed. She curled in on herself, pressing the tickets to her face as she curled into a shaking ball.

A woman walked up behind her. "What are you doing? Why are you here?"

Kyoko screamed, shocked and surprised. It could have been a perfect jump scare from her reaction. She turned to face the woman, and she seemed to be sparkling, face shining.

"Dayjowey land. With Moko?!" Kyoko squealed and started dancing happily in place.

First WHAT?!

Kyoko stopped like she had just walked into a room. She was wearing nicer clothes than usual. A nice blouse, a skirt, nice shoes with a bit of a heel and decoration on them. She was holding a small purse, rather than her usual bag. She saluted, flushing and beaming happily. "Now... Kyoko Mogami... Is going..." the flush and the smile got brighter "...on her first ever date!"


"First ever WHAT?! WITH WHO?!"

Princess Promise

Kyoko was on the ground before an ornate fence, sobbing.

A woman crouched down beside her. "Kyoko. Hey, Kyoko. What's the matter? Is the castle closed today?"

"Saaaaraaaahhhhhhhhh" Kyoko sobbed, looking up at her.

"Oh dear," Sarah said. "Hey... Kyoko. You should come over to the U.S. Someday. I'll take you to the American DWL. Let's wear... sparkly dresses together... And go to the Masquerade!"

Kyoko's tears stopped in an instant and she stared at the woman with an expression that was clearly not daring to even hope. "MASQUERADE?!" she asked, as hope won.

"YES!" Sarah said, clapping her hands as Kyoko flushed happily.

"Uh... but... I'm a commoner..." Kyoko said, reality crushing in on her. "I can't go to the Masquerade..."

"It's a Masquerade. It doesn't matter if you're a commoner or an aristocrat cuz no one will know who you are."

"OOH!!!!" And just like that, Kyoko looked thrilled again.

"Ooooooooooooh! That's a good point!"

Rare Princess

Kyoko dropped to one knee in front of a woman in a sparkling ball gown and her attendants who all looked like they stepped out of a fairytale storybook in their shining and perfect uniforms. Kyoko was crying with happiness as the woman in the gown helped her to her feet. She then got to take a photo with her and the dark haired woman from the other memory. Kyoko looked thrilled, the princess had a happy practiced smile. And the dark hared woman looked... awkward and unsure.

"SARAH! You join us too, Sarah!" she called, reaching out.

The woman with the freckles and high ponytail flushed and begged an attendant to take photos with her cellphone before joining Kyoko and the others as they posed for another photo.

"That.... That was the mermaid princess in human form!" Kyoko gushed. "She rarely makes an appearance! And we got to see her?! Wait... but... if that didn't actually happen...."

Mood crash in 3... 2....

Eggs Benedict Arnold

A really nice looking plate with 2 servings of eggs Benedict on it. Kyoko and that man were looking down at them. "It's done?" he asked

"Yes, it's done!" Kyoko said, taking a photo of the dish with a cellphone.

"This is the first time I've made it, but it turned out great." Th man said, seeming pleased and surprised.

"Yes, looks delicious!" Kyoko said, encouragingly. "Eggs Benedict is high in calories... so heat them up and eat them for breakfast," she instructed, rolling down her sleeves.

"Huh?" he asked, puzzled. "I wanted you to be in charge of tasting too."

"No worries!" she said, "It's delicious!" She looked almost annoyed.

"How can you be so sure?" he asked. "You haven't eaten any."

"The sauce is difficult to make," she said, "But it turned out delicious. Everything else is easy, so there's no way you can fail. I was watching very carefully."

"I see, makes sense." a pause then he asked "So how do you eat eggs Benedict? May I eat them with my hands?"

"When I did my research the other day, people were eating them with knives and forks. I suggested you make Eggs Benedict because I thought the fancy dish would suit you. But you'd need a little technique to eat it neatly-"

He cut her off. "See, that's the problem. I don't have any preliminary knowledge of Eggs Benedict. I won't look comfortable eating it. Then the moment I actually eat it, people will know I've never eaten it before."

"The moment you actually eat it? But you shouldn't have to."

"What?" he asked.

"Mr. Yashiro told me he accepted the job because you only have to make it, not eat it."

"... Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"But... won't you eat it anyway?"

Her eyes narrowed and she looked stern. "Mr. Tsuruga. I get it now. You just want me to get rid of it. Because you don't want it. If you take your build into account, you should actually eat two of them. Especially because you need energy in the morning. So what if it's high in calories? It's perfect. You'll be able to finish it in three bites. So eat up. My mission is over."

She sighed heavily. "There has to be some better way to get him to actually eat real food..." she mumbled.

Dupe?

She was sitting across from him at a table, as they both ate Eggs Benedict.

"No," he said. "This isn't a spare."

"What?" she asked, startled out of her thoughts.

"You've been wondering about this," he said, lifting his necklace.

"I... I'm sorry..." she said, awkwardly.

He laughed. "Why are you apologizing? I was a little sad because you hadn't asked me about it yet. I thought maybe you didn't even notice. This isn't... well... um... a spare. It's more like a replica. I was rebuked for being careless and not thinking about your safety. I didn't know Mr. Yashiro was preparing this."

"Huh? HUH?" Her expression all but yelled HUH!?!?!?

What... did his necklace... have to do with her safety? What? Just... what!?