Sweet dreams are made of these...

[thespaceopera]

[ Calibration Rooms ]
( for A-M characters )

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ROOMS BY CHARACTER

A Abigail Hobbs Aiya/Gray Nightingale Adrasteius Anor'thalion Ahsoka Tano Alex Russo Allen Walker Anders Anthony Crowley Asteffiel Axel

B - D Belthazar Spellscry Beverly Crusher Bran Stark Caesar Zeppeli Cayde-6 Cheese Sandwich Clay Terran Coil Cole Davesprite Duke Pantarei

E - I Elecman.exe Elena Gilbert Elize Lutus Felix Harrowgate Fenris Finrod Haruka Tenoh/Sailor Uranus Imperator Furiosa Isabela Issac Lahey

J - M Jade Harley James Barnes/Jim James Barnes/Winter Joseph Joestar Katara Katniss Everdeen/Nova Kirito/Kazuto Kirigaya Kurt Wagner Leanne Loki Maladict(a) Max Caulfield Megaman Mordin Solus

Comments

[save_the_souls]

GAH- [When Allen realizes he's floating, his first instinct is to flail in an attempt to grab for something. He's never free flown before- the only times he's come close is holding onto Lenalee's hand- and half the time he spent fretting about about falling. So it takes him a moment to get the hang of it and go through the initial panic where you think you're going to fall and die]

[But, when the inevitable crash landing doesn't happen- he blinks and stops the flailing, starting to take in the sight around him. Which holy hell- what a sight it was- all those stars. It was impossible not to be mesmerized by the views around him. This was completely different from looking outside the spaceship as they flew.] Wow...

[Testingly, he tries to move himself forward- it's uncharacteristically clumsy and slow, far too used to being with gravity for moving. It's going to take him awhile to get used to this. It's then he hears the sound of Clay's voice talking to himself, and he turns his head to look]

Clay?

[Only, when he turns to look, he doesn't really fully make it to see Clay just because he's completely distracted by Earth. It even takes a moment for it to sink in what planet he's looking at, but when it does? Something inside him pulls heart at his heart. A longing, of the home he hadn't seen in over eight years...right there in front of him.]

[Without realizing it, his hand reaches out towards the planet. Only then does the sign with "I'M FINE" written on it moves near his hand- shaking him out of his daze] Huh? What's- [What the hell is a sign doing out here? With it being so near, he reaches out and grabs it- to try to get a better look]

[geonomy]

[When Allen touches the sign, the space around him fades in a bright light. When the light recedes, he'll find himself with his feet on the ground and gravity working once more. Upon looking around, he'll see that it's night time, and he appears to be in a school courtyard. Towards the front of it, he'll hear the sound of someone crying. It's not quite a child, and not quite an adult. It sounds like someone who's just hitting their teenager years.

Will Allen:

A. Go towards the sound
or
B. Be a total dick and walk away from it]

A

[save_the_souls]

[What the... He had to cover his eyes from the bright light, and when it fades he's..no longer in space? He looks around the area, completely confused as to what's going on. Though..he sure was getting an impeding sense of deja vu here.]

[Still, he is not a total dick, so when he hears the crying- he'll follow to investigate.]

[geonomy]

[Congratulations, Allen! You're not a total dick!

Soon enough, he'll see someone curled up on a bench in front of the school, legs pulled up with his arms wrapped tightly around them and face pressed to his knees. Judging by the visor pushed up on his and the unruly hair, it looks like Clay. But he's smaller, his hair's not quite as messy as it is now, and... man, he's skinny.

Probably the most important part, however, is the fact that his shoulders are shaking, his hands are clenched in his clothes, and his breathing comes in gasps as he cries. He doesn't seem to notice that there's someone there.]

[save_the_souls]

[Yeah this...this is definitely pinging his feeling of deja vu somewhat. Not completely since it's not like he's seen this memory before but...there was something weird about this kid that was wearing that visor he's seen a lot with that same unruly hair.]

[But still, he's trying to earn that "Not a total dick" trophy, so he'll approach cautiously. Maybe this isn't the same- and the kid is clearly upset. When he's close to the kid, he'll try talking to him]

Hey...what's wrong?

[geonomy]

[That trophy will be as good as yours if you keep that up!

Even though... that question doesn't get a response. Clay might have heard it, judging by the way he tightens his arms around his legs as if he's trying to shrink away, but he doesn't answer him. Allen might also notice that the emblem on the visor isn't the same, not the one from GYAXA, but a gold emblem of sorts. After a moment, though, he does say something, muffled against his legs.]

Why... why did you have to...?

[save_the_souls]

[A Gold Emblem...he wonders what that's supposed to mean. Then again, he's not all that sure what GYAXA means in the first place. He really really did need to ask Clay one of these days.]

[But he'll try again. This time, reaching out to touch the kid's shoulder lightly to get his attention]

Hey...

[geonomy]

[The sensation Allen gets is a strange one. It's tingly, but not in a terrible way. Almost like he's touching something ethereal, something that shouldn't even be there. Or maybe it's Allen that shouldn't be there.]

Mom... Mom...

[There's something else that's starting to become apparent, though. There are footsteps from behind Allen, first quiet, then louder as they come closer. Clay sure hears it, having quieted down just slightly, and it makes him lift his head, and look towards it... which means looking past Allen and a bit above him. Brown eyes, a fresh band-aid on his nose with just the slightest hint of the very new scar beneath it at the corners of it - it's definitely Clay.

And the sight he sees makes his eyes widen, and he hastily wipes at his tear soaked cheeks as he tries to shuffle away, at least getting to the point where he turns away, ready to take off.]

Get away, Apollo! Don't come over here!

[Something different happens now.

The world slows down considerably, with Clay starting to lift up from the bench and, if Allen looks behind him, Apollo, the same age as Clay, opening his mouth as if to call for him and slowly lifting up his hand to try to stop him, even though he's too far away to touch him. At this point, Allen will feel the heavy sensation that there's a choice to be made.

Will he:

A. Reach out to stop Clay
B. Tell him to stop
C. Wait and see]

B...ish.

[save_the_souls]

[The moment he feels that sensation, he pulls his hand back like he just touched a hot stove. He's felt that sensation before, back when he had been forced into the memories of another person thanks to the Noah. And if that wasn't enough to confirm Allen's suspicions, young Clay lifting his head sure was enough to confirm who he thought it was. Clay- years younger than when Allen met him. This must be a memory from his past.]

[Which boy. Does this ever piss him off.]

[ Was this the game that Atroma plan all along, bringing them to the Marsiva? Showcasing each other's memories to one another? Over television? This was clearly a personal memory to Clay, and here Atroma was- using it for their own personal gain.]

[Uuuuuuugh. His foot stomps into the ground as the world starts to slow down and he glares at everything around him. He is really not interested in playing along]

Clay stop!

[Maybe he's calling out to the young boy, or to the man who this memory belongs to. It doesn't matter, either works]

[geonomy]

[Well. However Allen meant it, the memory reacts as if he did it the way he was supposed to. Apollo calls out at the same time as Allen, and that makes Clay freeze in his spot. One hand presses to his face while the other grips tightly into his knee, enough for his knuckles to stand out, as Apollo gets close enough to set his hand on Clay's shoulder.]

Clay? Clay, hey...

[Clay turns his head away, but he doesn't move. So, Apollo sits beside him instead, hand still on his shoulder, and gives a sympathetic smile as he leans over to get a better look at him.]

Clay, listen to me. I don't have a mother, either...

[... The crying quiets for a moment as Clay finally looks at Apollo, the hand at his face lowering slightly.]

Huh...?

[If Allen tries to move at this point, to walk away from the scene and really not play along, he'll find that he can't. It's like his feet are glued to the spot.

Meanwhile, Apollo takes his hand away from Clay's shoulder and looks down at the ground, his fingers lightly tracing the bracelet. Which, if Allen cares to look closer, is clenched around his wrist; it's the very reason why he was drawn here to where Clay was crying in the first place.]

I always think, everybody else has a mom. Why am I the only one...?

[He looks at Clay again, and this time, he has a brighter smile.]

But, you know, when I start to feel that way, I yell at the top of my lungs. I holler, "I'm fine!" and then, you know what? I start to feel like maybe I really will be fine.

[Clay blinks, unsure how to really take that. Apollo, however, turns forward, hands turning into fists in front of him, takes in a deep breath, and:]

APOLLO JUSTICE IS FINE!!!

[save_the_souls]

[oh, he did try to move- only to find his legs glued down. Crap...it was just like the memories with Kanda. It's hard not to watch the scene unfold in front of him, even though he doesn't want to. Apollo doing this...no wonder Clay thought the absolute world of him...]

[...]

[No. He shouldn't be viewing this memory. If Clay wanted Allen to know about it, he would tell Allen. Simple as that. He fidgets in his spot, feeling increasingly uncomfortable at this scene unfolding in front of him. Not anything about the context, just that he shouldn't be viewing it- just like all the audience that might be watching them. Clay didn't deserve that]

Clay, come on. Atroma's trying to use you- stop showing this.

[geonomy]

[...]

[static]

[Apollo opens his eyes after that, looking at Clay with a big smile. Clay, meanwhile, looks absolutely bewildered. What on Earth just...?]

Okay, Clay. Now it's your turn.

[static]

[And Clay blinks again, his tears having almost stopped now due mostly to how weird this whole experience was... but he'll go along with it, shifting slightly and loosening the death grip on his knee.]

Um, okay... [He glances at Apollo, holding his fists out in front of him as well, then takes in a deep breath and:] Clay Terran is... is FINE!

[... He's not as loud as Apollo. Not yet, anyway. But it's so ridiculous - he can't help smiling afterwards and letting out what sounds like a mix between a laugh and a sob. Apollo doesn't seem to mind any of that; he laughs, leaning over to bump Clay's shoulder with his own.]

There you go! Now we're both fine!

[static]

[save_the_souls]

[The static startles him a little- that was new. There's no way that happened in the actual memory, especially as it's playing out like they hadn't noticed in the slightest (you go Apollo you go).]

Clay...?

[Maybe he was trying to stop the memory himself? His chest tightens a little at the thought.]

Come on-! [He glances at his left hand to see if he could use his powers to help stop this- but nope. The light on the back of his hand is completely dark so there's no punching his way out of this one] - Dammit.

[WAY TO REMOVE HIS DEUS EX MACHINA ATROMA. But oh well, guess he can take a page from Apollo's book and try shouting his way out. So he glances at the scene again, before looking up at the sky and yelling. Maybe he's not as loud as Clay can be, but hey, he's still got some lungs]

COME ON CLAY TERRAN! DO YOU REALLY WANT TO SHOW YOUR MEMORIES TO AN AUDIENCE?!

1/2

[geonomy]

[And Clay just. Laughs, and he's not even sure why he's laughing. Was it Apollo bumping him, was it him shouting, was it just letting out stress? He's not sure, but he laughs along with Apollo, again shouting to the sky like he doesn't even care.]

We're fine! WE'RE FINE!

[Apolllo has a case of laughter just as bad as Clay's, and he keeps their shoulders together as he grins over at him.]

What are you laughing about? Haha! See? We're fine!

[static]

[Clay nudges him right back, still feeling like he could just burst with laughter.]

You laughed first! I'm fine! You're fine! We're both fine!

[And they both laugh at that, Clay nearly doubling over while Apollo leans back.]

[Static]

[And after a moment, when the laughter subsides a bit, Clay leans over, wraps an arm around Apollo's back, and leans his head against his shoulder to express his gratitude.]

Thanks, Apollo -

[STATIC]

2/2

[geonomy]

[And very suddenly, Allen's back to floating in space again. There's no gradual fade like when he entered the memory, but a sudden shift, as if he was yanked away.

Clay's there, floating upside-down in front of him, actually looking at him rather than ignoring him like he'd been doing. He looks worried, a bit distressed even, though he doesn't touch him. He'll just wait for Allen to get his bearings before he speaks up.]

I'm sorry. I tried.

1/2

[save_the_souls]

[Okay Allen wasn't fully expecting his shouting and tantrum to do anything. So going from having his feet glue to the floor to there being no floor at all? It's very much a jolt. He flails again and would've tripped if there had been gravity- so instead he more just does a spin in place face forward clumsy]

- Whoa!

[save_the_souls]

[And after that he starts to recover his bearings. Okay. So he's back in space again and microgravity is still awful to move in to him - how does Lenalee do this?!]

[But after that thought? He immediately goes to look for Clay- oh thank God, there he is. And as an adult. He looks so relieved.]

Clay! Are you okay?

[geonomy]

[He tilts his head a bit, the worry fading, but still remaining on his features. He's more confused now than anything, yet also tentative.]

You're not mad?

[Maybe he thought Allen was yelling at him and not Atroma, maybe.]

[save_the_souls]

[Welcome to life with a hothead Clay. Remember, you picked him.]

What? No, I'm not-

[Okay he should correct that]

I mean, I'm angry with Atroma, yes. But I'm not angry at you Clay.

[geonomy]

[YEAH, NO REGRETS HERE. He shuts his eyes and nods at that, relieved by it.]

Okay.

[And when he opens his eyes, that psych sign is between them now. Clay regards it, moving his hand to hover beneath it.]

Apollo and I knew each other for a while before that. We were classmates for a few years.

[The sign disappears then, one item down from the list.]

But that night, we became best friends.

[save_the_souls]

[He looks at the psych sign, making sure to keep his hands away from it. Yeah. He doesn't want to trip onto anymore of Clay's memories like that. It was a violation of privacy, after all]

[But when Clay starts talking about it...he offers a soft smile, pushing back his anger. He's still mad, but oh, it can wait until he can direct it at the proper people. But for now, if Clay's talking about it....he thinks back on the memory.]

...I can see why. He really helped you back then.

[geonomy]

Yeah. He did.

[There's a pause, some hesitation, but... it feels fine, and not without saying it just to make himself feel better. He's in a place he loves, he's with a person he - likes, and it's... fine. It really is.]

That was just a few days after my mom died.

[It's fine, but it doesn't stop him from crossing his arms and looking at the stars above him and nowhere else.]

It was my first day back at school after getting out of the hospital. Mom would usually pick me up when school let out.

But...

[save_the_souls]

[It's a little surreal- floating around while Clay hangs upside down in front of him. But at the same time, it's hard to care about that so much as he's listening to Clay open up about this. Which man, does he ever understand that sort of pain]

...She couldn't do that anymore.

[Just like when he realized his father couldn't carry him on his back when his feet got tired anymore. Or that he no longer could smile and tease as he cleaned up any scrapes or bruises Allen had managed to get from being...well, Allen.]

[No one warns you that it's usually then that the feeling of grief fully sinks in. Not when you're in shock, but...when the reality starts to sink in]

[He swallows and tries to reach up to Clay with his hand.]

...I'm sorry, Clay. I know what that's like, it's- [he pauses, trying to figure out what he's trying to say] It's not easy.

[geonomy]

[Allen will find that he's moved forward a bit, so that he can touch Clay if he wants to. He'd been off limits before, preferring to stay in his own mind and his own world.

But Allen's really good at snapping him out of that.]

It really isn't. It didn't hit me until right then, and... it's not easy.

He made it easier. And we've been saying that ever since then.

[I'm fine, you're fine, we're fine. There's really more to it than just a quirk.]

[save_the_souls]

It's a good expression.

[If it helps make things easier for Clay, then it's wroth it. Clearly, it changed a lot for him from what Clay told him once about when he was kid. Noticing that he's just out of reach, he pushes himself a little forward so he's more on Clay's level. Then he reaches out to take one of his hands]

You're Clay Terran, and you're fine.