entrancelogs | And I won't forget you - at least, I'll try.

Entry tags:

And I won't forget you - at least, I'll try. | OPEN

Who: Tohru Honda [

breakthecurse] + YOU!
Where: All around Wonderland
When: 4/9 - 4/10
Rating: PG
Summary: Tohru wakes up from a bad dream, only to find that maybe she's having a different one! Then, once some things are explained to her, she decides to explore Wonderland a little.
The Story:

A. EVENING 4/9 (CLOSED TO SOUJI)

Tohru has never seen a house as big as the one she's standing inside now. Not even the Sohma family estate can compare. She feels so small, walking down the hallway of this huge home. Are dreams supposed to make you feel that way?

The sinking thought is creeping in though, that she isn't actually dreaming. It's a terrible, frightening thought. If she's not dreaming, then something is very wrong for her to not be in Shigure's house. Staying in her new room won't give her any answers though, and surely there must be someone else around who knows a little more than her...right?

It isn't too late in the evening in Wonderland, but late enough that things have gone relatively quiet. Except up ahead, there's a door with signage like a business or restaurant, and it looks like there's a light on inside.

"The Rabbit Hole?"

Like...Alice in Wonderland? That doesn't make this feel any less like a dream, but it does feel like her best option right now. So, she opens the door and enters the diner. It strikes her in that moment exactly how out of place she feels. She's still in her pajamas, but she's also barefoot. Hopefully whoever is here will understand.

"E-Excuse me?" she tries, and she bows deeply. "I'm sorry to intrude a-and I don't think I have any money, but...I was wondering if someone could tell me where I am? I-I don't know how I arrived here and if this is your house and I'm trespassing or something I'm really sorry."

B. MORNING 4/10 (KITCHEN - OPEN)

That was...a lot to take in. And that's putting it lightly!

Eventually Tohru goes back to bed, in what is now established as "her" room, and is a little bit surprised when she's still there in the morning. It really solidifies everything she was told the night before, and proves it isn't a dream. But if that's the case, then she should really do some exploring and learn about her temporary new home. If there's no way for her to return home, then all she can do is make the best of it, right? And Souji had been so kind to her and explained so much, so she shouldn't complain.

Everything is still extremely overwhelming, but she's sure getting out and about will help. Or at least, doing something that feels a little more normal might clear her head. Which is why she can be found first thing in the morning in the kitchen, making a traditional Japanese breakfast - and it smells pretty great.

If anyone walks in, she'll greet them with a bright smile.

"Oh! Good morning!" she says. "Were you going to make something? I'm sorry - I promise I'm almost done."

C. DAYTIME 4/10 (GROUNDS - OPEN)

After she has some breakfast, Tohru ventures out on the grounds, and she has never been somewhere so pretty before. Even though she knows they're trapped in Wonderland, it feels like the world stretches out before her. She thinks this must be what the English countryside looks like, with beautiful gardens and forests and large western homes...

She strolls through the garden and peeks through the greenhouse glass and all she can think is how much Yuki would love to see plants like these. It's a melancholy feeling, and one she's had a few times today. There are so many incredible things here, and according to Souji she knew them all and forgot them a long time ago. This must be what it's like to have her memories erased. She's not sure if it's exactly the same as what Hatori is able to do, but then again how could she be?

Still, it's a pleasant day, and so beautiful outside. She'll spend the rest of the day marveling over the plants and walking along the beach, and just meeting as many people as she possibly can.

D. EVENING - 4/10 (LIBRARY - OPEN)

It isn't long before Tohru is itching to do more though. Or, maybe more accurately, itching to not think about everything quite so much.

Thankfully, she does have something to do. If she's going to be helping Souji in the diner (the...the diner she...made? She still can't quite believe it, even though she's sure he's telling the truth) she needs to step up and relearn a lot of the dishes she made before, which means it's time for a trip to the magical library!

Except...she's having a lot of trouble finding exactly what she's looking for. It's almost as though the contents of the library are moving around - but surely they wouldn't be able to do that, right?

Eventually, she'll very gently start to ask for help. She doesn't want to bother anyone, but her head is starting to spin looking this hard!

"Um, excuse me...I'm sorry to bother you. I was wondering if you know if this library has cookbooks, by any chance?"

[ooc: Either prose or [action brackets] are fine, I'll match!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He nods and takes a seat too, facing her.

"There's no money here and I get all the ingredients and equipment free, so nothing costs anything for customers, either."

But that's more the nuts and bolts. He needs to give her the bigger picture first, which he gets started on. As he speaks, his explanation sounds very practiced. He's given this talk a few times in his day.

"This place is called Wonderland. It's like a different world, separate from the worlds we came from. Time doesn't pass at home while you're here, and when you go back, you won't remember ever having been here."

Which he hopes she understands is why she doesn't remember ever having met him.

"A different world? So it's like another planet? I'm on another planet, how did this happen?!"

She has a gentle moment of panic, but eventually is able to collect herself and listen a little more carefully.

"I'm don't really understand, but...if someone was here before, and they were able to go home somehow...they really wouldn't remember anything?" she asks, gently. "Their memories of this world are erased?"

The wheels are turning, but she looks so unsure. Her sentence trails off.

"And if you recognize me...is that because...?"

...Because she used to be here?

Her reaction is exactly how he remembered and he makes himself not chuckle at it.

"Right. You were here before. You actually worked in the diner before I did."

Shock doesn't even begin to cover it. There isn't a word in any human language for the expression on her face.

"What?! That can't be right! Me? I really worked here? I mean, I do enjoy cooking, but that doesn't mean I'm qualified to work in a restaurant! I hope I didn't cause too many problems..."

She's likely imagining it to be much worse than it actually was, probably. She doesn't usually cook for such a large group of people...

"This is all so unbelievable...it feels like a dream." She pauses, thinking that one over. "...Wait. Is this a dream? I feel like that might make more sense..."

Now he does laugh a little, quietly. "It's the same for me. At home, I only ever cooked for my friends."

And now he's running a diner and does nothing else with his life...

"It's not a dream. Or if it is, it's a dream we're all sharing." He pauses, then nods once. "But there are a lot of things that go on that do make it seem like a dream. For instance, the closets will give us things that we ask for."

"Can people really share the same dream?"

She doesn't sound skeptical, just surprised. It never occurred to her that something like that might be possible, and it feels like her world just got a little bit bigger with that thought. Has she ever shared a dream with someone before?

Though...in some ways she really hopes she hasn't.

"Um, actually, never mind that," she says, waving her hands a little. "So...the closets give you anything you ask for? That sounds amazing! And you're right, it really does sound like something from a happy dream."

"Almost anything. Nothing too specific, like something you owned at home. But most other things."

He gestures toward the kitchen area of the diner.

"That's where all the food for the diner comes from. Or the ingredients anyway."

"Oh. That...actually makes a lot of sense," she says, sorting it out in her mind mid-sentence. "So, that lets you make everything for free...that's really kind of you, I think. It sounds like you really do a great service for the people here."

It sounds absolutely magical in the best sort of way. A diner that will make you food for free...it sounds like something out of a fairy tale!

"People seem to like having the diner here, so it would be a shame to close it."

Which he's been on the verge of for a while. Even with some help waiting tables, as the only one who cooks, it's pretty tiring.

But maybe with Tohru here...

Well, he's not going to ask her to join him right now. She just arrived and he's already overloading her with information as it is.

"I can tell you more if you want. There's a lot to learn. But it can wait, too."

"Close it...?"

Is the diner going to go out of business? Even though she's only just arrived, the thought still strikes her as sad - not because she used to be there, but because it's sad to see anything have to end - and tragic if people still enjoy the diner.

When he moves on though, she moves right along with him.

"N-No, it's perfectly fine! It's admittedly a lot to take in, but I can handle it, I promise!" She puts on her best determined face to go along with that declaration. "Besides, if I was really here before then I have a lot that I probably need to catch up on!"

"If you're sure."

He nods and thinks for a moment, trying to decide what else he ought tell her that she needs to know up front. It seems like there are too many things and he's not sure how to put them in a logical order.

"There are a lot of other nice things in the Mansion. There's a dining room where anything you want to eat will appear. There's a big kitchen, a swimming pool, magical tea rooms, a huge library..."

Okay, so he's leading with some of the more inconsequential things, apparently.

Tohru is incredibly easy to amaze. Just mention of those things is enough for her to be awestruck.

"This house really has all of those things? That's incredible! It's...it's luxurious!"

Even the Sohmas, who she knows have a lot of money, don't have things like pools indoors or big libraries. It's a level of wealth she can't even begin to comprehend, even though she knows nothing costs anything in Wonderland.

He smiles at her reaction. His family at home isn't rich by any means, but they're well enough off. Still, the Mansion really is beyond anything he would have imagined when he first arrived.

"Those are the nice things about Wonderland. There are also some not so nice things."

He takes a breath, deciding events are probably the logical next topic.

"Every two or three weeks, we have what we call an event. They're based on peoples' memories and they make changes. Wonderland itself might change to another setting, or we change somehow, or both. And whoever's memory the event is based on loses something related to that memory. A word, usually. And they can't get it back as long as they're here."

"Wonderland takes people's memories away?"

Tohru supposes that makes sense - it explains why she can't remember it. Still, that sounds like the most upsetting part to her, to have memories taken away like that. The thought of it breaks her heart.

"Um, what do you mean we...change somehow? I'm not sure I understand."

She's fairly sure what she's imagining as a mysterious change wouldn't be what Souji's talking about.

Edited 2019-05-16 15:06 (UTC)

"Right. Memories are kind of what keep it going. Like fuel. As for the changes..." He tilts his head, trying to think of an example. "Once everyone thought they were high schoolers and we had to get ready for the--"

He falters, unable to call the event what it is, and frowns slightly.

"Uh. You know. When each class comes up with an event and everyone goes around and looks at what everyone else is doing."

"Oh! A culture festival? We had one last year at my school."

That doesn't seem too out of the ordinary for her, though the fact that he couldn't remember it was definitely a little strange.

"...is that what Wonderland took away from you? The name of the school festival?"

She tries not to use the name word twice, so he'll know what she's saying, but she isn't sure what else to call it other than a festival.

The fact that he hears radio static instead of words coming out of her mouth is a good indication that she's got it right.

"Right. I can't even hear the words when you say them."

He pauses, but after a second, he continues.

"Individuals don't forget things on a regular basis. Some people go years being here without losing any memories at all."

Tohru can't even imagine. She's forgotten things about Wonderland, but she can still hear Souji when he speaks and understand the words he says, and learn it again. What Souji describes sounds more like someone stole the word from him, and now he can never have it back.

"...I'm so sorry. That must be really difficult. Maybe it doesn't seem that way all the time, especially with words that aren't used often but...it's like a million little bricks that make up a person. If only one or two are missing, it might not be noticed, but the more and more bricks that get stolen...someday there will be really big holes. It might not even be able to stand up anymore."

It hurts her heart to think about that happening to anyone, no matter how infrequently.

"Is there any way to undo it? Can memories be returned to people?"

Souji has...never really heard anyone describe it that way. Sure, people have been sympathetic when he's told them how many memories he's lost or how long he's been in Wonderland, but this is probably the first time someone other than one of his teammates has really expressed what being in Wonderland is like over the long term.

It's really a poignant way to look at it and it hits home, so it's a moment before he shakes himself and responds.

"Not that I know of. But I think, if I ever left, the memories would come back to me."

"I suppose that makes sense," she says. "I remember being at home, and I don't think I forgot anything that I would have noticed, like the Sohmas or mo--"

And then it hits her. She stops mid-sentence and pats the sides of her pajamas, as though she's looking for pockets.

"Oh no. O-Oh no, Mom! Mom's picture is still at home!" Tears start to well up in her eyes. "I-I was asleep so I didn't have her picture on me and now she's all alone at home! She's gone..."

She's just been told that that's not the case, that no one knows she's missing, but it spirals very quickly into panic at her mother, or rather her mother's photograph, being missing.

Souji at least remembers how important that picture is to Tohru, but he's never seen her panic like this over it. Then again, he'd never seen her separated from it, either.

He thinks quickly and comes to a solution.

"We can get her picture for you."

They would just have to take a little field trip.

"What?"

She looks up at Souji, absolutely shocked that this is a possibility.

"But...how? She's probably at home, and-- and you said that we can't leave?"

Despite that, he absolutely has Tohru's attention. She doesn't know how it would be possible, but the fact that it might be is enough to immediately get her hopes up.

He smiles, hoping to be both calming and encouraging.

"Behind the Mansion, there are a bunch of vendors who sell pretty much anything, even things directly from our worlds. I have a...I guess it's a coupon. We can use it to get the photo for you."

Maybe after she's put on some real clothes and settled in a little more.

Tohru looks like she's honestly about to cry. She's not sure she understands how the vendors would have something as precious as her mother's photograph, but the fact that Souji would do such a thing for her, that he would give something up to reunite her with her mother.

"Th-That's too much! I couldn't possibly ask you to do something like that. I..."

She says that, but. She doesn't have the steam to really argue. It might be her only chance to see her mother, so she doesn't have quite as much independent fight in her as she usually would. This is different. This is about Mom.

"...You would really do that for me?" she asks. "Even though I don't remember you?"

He's effectively a stranger to her, but he's still being so kind, even though this must be hurting him on some level.

It does hurt, though not sharply. It's more of a dull melancholy feeling. But he smiles as he nods.

"I remember, even if you don't. I know how important it is to you."

He'd do this for any of his friends.

And I won't forget you - at least, I'll try. | OPEN

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