Persona REM Story

"Next?" said Abel. "The hell's that mean? Next I'm gonna go take a piss, maybe shower, and get to bed. So a couple people dreamed the same thing, who gives a damn? Or do you wanna know what I plan on having for dinner, too?"

Glancing around the room nervously, Mark sighed deeply and let his shoulders sag forward. Dragging his hands down his face, he looked back onto Daisuke's visage.

"Fine. Yes, I did see some kind of odd man in my dreams last night. I saw plenty of the people I have met today there as well. Everything else was the same as usual, there were just actual people there too. Now how in the world did you know about this?"

Abel glared at Shin. "I told you already, I don't know a damn thing, and I don't really give a shit. What I do know is that I hate answering the same question more than once. So shut the hell up or we can head right back out the damn door." He emphasized his final statement by pointing.

"I had the same dream, Mark." Daisuke sighed.

"So, you've had the dream before? Repetitively?" Daisuke stopped suddenly.

"Sorry, I shouldn't be asking so many questions. I don't want to overload you." Daisuke said plainly, "It's just that people at school have been falling into comas. And the dream might have a connection."

"Don't just go accusing me of shit!" said Abel, his voice starting to rise. "No, I didn't have a damn thing to do with it, I don't know who did, and to be perfectly honest, I don't care. But." Abel took a second to pause, a smirk forming on his face, one that could only be described as downright malicious. "But, I might just feel like giving you a hand. Sure beats the hell out of schoolwork, and if I get an actual target to hit, all the better."

Mark's expression slowly shifted from a look of resignation to one of confusion.

'You seriously h-had that dream?' Mark asked incredulously, 'It's affecting o-other people?'

Glancing down in thought, Mark looked back up after a few moments. 'If what you are saying is true, I guess I'll try to help.'

Daisuke let out a sigh of relief, "Good to hear that you're on board."

"I'm not willing to jump to any conclusions yet, but everyone having the same dream is just too coincidentally to ignore." The young man explained calmly.

"So, you said you've had dreams like this before, Mark?" Daisuke asked slightly intrigued.

Abel smiled as well, but in contrast to Shin's, it was cold and borderline mocking. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm only doing this because it sounds like fun. If you want to call that a 'team,' go right ahead." He shook Shin's hand, though it was more like a slap followed by an attempt to tear out his arm.

Sighing under his breath, Mark rubbed the back of his head and spoke up, "Yeah, ever since I was a little kid. The dreams were always different though. Different surroundings sometimes, different... creatures, but always the same feeling while I'm having it."

Shuddering for a moment, Mark added, "I've never seen other people in the dreams, but I would never confuse that kind of nightmare from any other."

Daisuke nodded, "Well, maybe we'll be able to help you with that. I know I wouldn't want those nightmares myself."

He offered a hand to Mark, "So, will you join our cause? Finding out what's behind the dreams?"

Shin jerked his head in the direction of the front room where Mark and Daisuke were. "Wanna go tell them you're joining up, get a plan ready so we can skip the semantics and get straight to kickin' it?"

Mark glanced down at the proffered hand before slowly reaching out and shaking it gingerly. "If something has been causing these things, then I want to help stop it, if I can."

"Good to hear it, the more the merrier, right?" Daisuke laughed uneasily and sighed, "Who knows if this is even the right thing to do?"

"Thought the plan was just beat the shit out of 'em, but whatever," said Abel, before hollering out at the other two, "Yo! I'm in too! Whatcha got for ideas?!"

"Would you pipe down?" Daisuke responded a little irritated, "We don't need Nishiwaki-sensei in on it, too."

"Don't need me in on what exactly, Daisuke-kun?" The faculty had suddenly appeared behind Daisuke, a playful smirk on her face.

Daisuke froze in place for a moment, "She's right behind me... Isn't she?"

"You've got it. Now, spill. What're you hiding?" Yuko got straight to the point of the discussion immediately. Her arms were crossed giving a slightly cross appearance despite her friendly expression.

"We're talking about a... um, study group, yeah." Daisuke fabricated a lie quickly, "The kouhai thought I could help them with their studies since I'm older."

"Oh, alright. That's a great idea!" Yuko smiled, clapping as if closing the discussion, "I'll clear out a meeting room for you upstairs."

Without continuing the discussion further, Yuko bounded up the stairs, excited by the fact that her dorm pupils had shown such an interest in her studies.

Daisuke frowned, "Ah, I feel bad lying to Nishiwaki-sensei like that. But, I doubt she'd believe me..." He pinched the bridge of his nose, "At least we have a place to meet up and talk about all of this."

Yuko called to the gathered students from downstairs, "Boys? Mind giving me a hand with these desks?"

-----Timeskip-----

The room had been set up after a bit of bickering between the boys about who would be doing the hard labor. Now, they all sat in the former top floor lounge, now converted into a small meeting room. While they had worked, the other students had made their ways home or to the dorm, whenever someone came into the dorm, Daisuke roped them into the chore of organizing the meeting room.

"Alright, first order of business, we need to gather what everyone remembers from last night." Daisuke spoke up to the others gathered there, "It may sound strange to those of you not in the loop yet, but we all had the same dream last night. And it might be the cause of the strange comas that you probably heard about at school today."

<So, basically, this is an opportunity for anyone that was part of the starting party (the small list in the first post) to join the group proper without us muddling through their entrance to the dorm and such, if you want to go about it the regular way, you can. But, this event is to shortcut the majority into the group if possible.>

Yoshiya was slumped against the surface of the table in front of him, exhausted. I can't believe I actually moved into the dorm on a whim like that. What possessed me to do that? Ugh... "You could've at least let me put my stuff into my room first." He muttered.

"Quit complainin'," said Abel. "You shoulda got here earlier. Anyway, I don't remember much. We were in some room somewhere, we did some introductions. That's all I really got. Everyone else prob'ly has more than me, so I figured I'd go first. Who's got somethin' to add?"

Daisuke sighed knowing better than to try and correct Abel's rudeness, "Sorry, Yoshiya-san. It's just we're trying to throw together what we know and it was rather short notice. It is a bit convenient that you moved in today though. It makes me wonder if there might be some sort of connection..."

Yoshiya straightened up when he saw her come in. "Oh, it's Yumiko-san. You think this is all connected, too? I still think it's kind of crazy. Hm..." Suddenly more attentive, he pitched in what he recalled. "I remember that the room was blue. I remember a bunch of names... hold on a sec, I'll be right back."

He stood up and ran out of the room, stubbing his toe in the doorway on the way out. After a brief second to nurse his hurt foot, he continued on his way.

Shin currently had his hands pressed up against his forehead like the bill of a cap, fingers laced together and the cruxes between his forefingers and thumbs cradling his head nicely. Every now and then, he seemed to sniffle, despite not having a cold earlier. "Ahhh... I remember... something, I think. I remember impressions strongly in dreams, never what I see... I remember feeling something coming from my chest, and being enclosed in something safe... I was falling at the time, and others were falling with me... and we were being chased. I hate running from something, and I never forget the sensation." He paused for a moment. "It's a feeling that sickens me."