[audio]

[jasminebloominginshadow]

Mn. I... I need to ask you guys something. I mean, this isn't about something that I haven't covered before. I get reminded I'm not my pre-incarnation all the time. I'm not a monster, I have people who love me. I have friends. I have a girlfriend.

But... has anyone else ever had a time when you look at everything, and even though you have every reason to be confident and rise above all the shitty stuff that comes and goes for us, you just feel... upset all over again? You get stuck repeating lessons you think you should have learned several times over.

I can't stop thinking about Dark Precure. I'm angry about having to leave my home. I'm scared of all the stuff lurking around us. I know someone'll come around and help me pick myself up, but...

[sighs]

It just gets exhausting, you know? You can rise above a challenge so many times, but a lot of them just keep coming back. And I just want to know if anyone else feels this way. I feel like a broken record.

Comments

Audio; private

[guitar_case_vagabond]

... Shitty Echo?

[She's just taking a stab in the dark here.]

Audio; private

[jasminebloominginshadow]

Shitty echoes more like it.

Audio; private

[guitar_case_vagabond]

Jeez.

What was it this time, or do you not wanna talk about it?

Audio; private

[jasminebloominginshadow]

I can talk about it.

Dark Precure... she used a new ability on the Precure. She was stronger than they were...

I got the same power, and now my eyes are the same color.

Audio; private

[guitar_case_vagabond]

Damn.

[She thinks that one over for a second. Having a power like that would probably come in pretty handy, but on the other hand, she knows that memories of Dark Precure are a sore spot for Jasmine.]

Getting a new power like that is pretty cool at least. I mean, the memory sucks but... like you said, you're not her, right? Just... y'know, use it better than she did.

[Audio]

[charcoalfeather]

[Rakka's voice came softly. The tone of her voice saying enough about how she felt about this.]

I've felt like that... a lot, actually. Especially back home.

[Audio]

[jasminebloominginshadow]

... I'm sorry, Rakka. I don't mean to remind you of stuff like this...

[Audio]

[charcoalfeather]

No. It's okay. [It wasn't, really, but she liked to think it was.] Things just come back sometimes.

[Audio]

[jasminebloominginshadow]

Still, I... I don't want to be the one that makes you remember that...

[Audio]

[charcoalfeather]

No, really. Please, it's okay.

[Her voice grew shaky.]

R-really. I hope you're doing okay.

[espigeonage]

Sometimes. Moods are really bad at listening to all the reasons you should be happy, and inspiring. [His tone is dry.]

[jasminebloominginshadow]

It's more than just a mood, to be honest...

[espigeonage]

Longer-lasting than that?

[jasminebloominginshadow]

Yeah, but then... I know why that is, I guess.

[espigeonage]

Mmm. Did a pulse just... make you more melancholy?

[audio]

[originaloddcouple]

Well...

With the past life stuff and everything else happening to our friends...

It gets tough.

[audio]

[jasminebloominginshadow]

...

You guys really do feel for others, don't you? Like... you're some of the most responsive when other people are feeling bad.

[audio]

[originaloddcouple]

Well, everyone deserves to feel better!

It might not be much, but we like to try and help.

Re: [audio]

[jasminebloominginshadow]

You know, I think you guys are some of the smartest of all of us, sometimes.

[audio]

[originaloddcouple]

Awwwwwww, why thanks buddy!

That's really kind of you to say!

audio

[dragon_blossom]

I'm better at burying it all than you are, I think, but that just wears me out differently in the long run. It's been a while since I've worried about, like, what Umi had to do, shit like that... but you know, it still makes me think about how I'd handle it.

Whatever happens I'll have you and everyone else, but it's hard not to linger on it.

audio

[jasminebloominginshadow]

... I still think that whoever put that responsibility in your hands is the one to blame for all that. But yeah, that is fucking heavy, isn't it?

[she sighs and just... lets out an aggravated noise]

You know... you can talk to me about it, right? You don't have to bury it...

audio

[dragon_blossom]

Well, I mean, yeah? But that hardly made it easier for her, and it... [ It was an oppressive, crushing despair, and she was pretty sure Umi took it better than the other two despite that. ]

I'll talk to you about it. Soon, I think.

audio

[jasminebloominginshadow]

... Yeah, I get that. Just like... knowing she and I aren't the same doesn't make it any easier.

And okay. I dunno, I just... feel kind of guilty that I'm always running to you when I'm upset about Dark Precure. I feel like I'm being selfish.

audio

[dragon_blossom]

Hey, like, if it was something that bothered me I'd tell you. I wanna be here for you, and when I'm finally ready, I want you to be here for me too, you know.

As fucked as this is, you're pretty amazing as far as I'm concerned.