reverielogs | [open] ACTION

» WHO? Haruto Saitou and you
» WHEN? The first 3 weeks of September
» WHERE? All around the station
» WHAT? Haruto's programming has been corrupted somehow and he is hallucinating, disoriented, and blind
» WARNINGS? cw: hallucinations

i. I've got time to think about the beauty of 1000 variations

It starts slowly, with Haruto heading back to his room from the mess hall, or from his room to the library to do more research. Suddenly, he has to pause in walking, not knowing where he is or where he was headed. The station isn't very big, he knows, and he has a map of all the areas they have access to downloaded to his internal systems. So, logically, he shouldn't be getting lost. But he is. He might find himself in the bar, or in the chapel, or in some unfamiliar person's room that happened to be unlocked. He won't even realize where he is or how he got there. He just knows he's trying to get somewhere...

ii. And I'd like to get to know you, but you're talking much too slowly

Even worse than winding up somewhere not knowing where he is or how he got there, is not being able to see where he's going at all. Haruto's vision becomes blurred, unable to focus on anything, for periods that last anywhere from five minutes to hours at a time. He stumbles his way to press a hand to a wall, knowing that at least if he can feel his way along the corridors, he won't fall and hurt himself. When he thinks he sees motion nearby, he turns his head in its direction, calling out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

iii. I've got time to think about my past as I dodge between the bullets

Finally, weeks into this mess, Haruto thinks he understands why he's been plagued by disorientation and blurred vision. Because one day he comes out of sleep mode in his room, and sees around him... His old apartment, back in Tokyo! He's home. He rushes out the door, heart racing, fearing that it's just a daydream he's conjured for himself. But outside his room is the same familiar hallway, with Mrs. Horikoshi coming up the stairs with her grocery bags in hand. And there, running around the corner are the children he's used to seeing play in the hallways. They laugh at him, calling out to him, "おはよう、Mister Roboto!"

He laughs back, waving a relieved hand at the young boys as they run away. Or, rather, waving to no one as he stands outside room 9 on deck 3, because he isn't back in Tokyo. He's just hallucinating his old apartment building.

iv. Do you think you can imagine anything so lonely

Something is obviously wrong. And unlike the music that wouldn't end, or the random paralysis, this seems to be affecting only him. His first thought is that his core programming has gotten corrupted somehow. A virus, maybe? He isn't sure how he would have picked one up; he's kept his firewalls secure ever since he arrived on Reverie Terminal. Still, probably best to run some internal diagnostics.

One may run into Haruto, then, sitting in a corridor by a terminal, cable running from the wall to the back of his neck as he borrows some processing power from the station. He's seated with his legs folded underneath him, hands gently resting on his knees, eyes open but unfocused, reading the Heads Up Display only he can see. He probably won't notice anyone approach until they're right in front of him.

[ ooc: will match prose or brackets, hmu on plurk at

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