promised memory .

garry  –   ❀ *;                       ib!

just a regular guy who’s Seen Some Shit

do you ever go for a leisurely stroll at the art gallery and get sucked into another world? same!

has been chased by paintings and almost killed quite a few times as of late. he’s going to need a little bit of time to adjust (this doesn’t seem to be the place for it though, does it)

will protect you (and especially ib) with his life

“your dad looks gnc as heck”

a fairly ordinary person, aside from his strange sense of fashion

can be a bit rash at times, but he always means well. he’s very kind, but.. very easily startled

mary dni

dolls dni

Eiden snaps awake to being stared some ikemen with pretty purple hair plus some seaweed at the top of his head… Seaweed? Huh? No, it’s probably just hair.

 “ ….dozed off a little “, he mumbles still half asleep.

“ No, I mean like testicles – is that your hair? “

“Oh! I beg your pardon, I-- ... ?!?!”

“E-excuse me?!” well, that certainly wasn’t what Garry was expecting-- and to be answered so blatantly like that, either! “Why on earth-- no, forget that I asked at all, please, I regret inquiring in the first place!”

Although, it seemed he had caught the man while he was dozing off.. perhaps that was why he was airing his strange thoughts so easily, and why he suddenly seemed to get distracted on another subject; prompting Garry to stop mid-step as he tried to hastily leave.

“ Balls. “

“... ?”

     ► Oh, so it seems he understands her sentiment well… Or at least somewhat, anyway. Though Jolyne doesn’t wish to divulge fully into her worries for her (seemingly) only alive and well ally, the stranger seems to at least understand the concern of leaving someone so young behind. It’s not as if she thinks of Emporio as incapable because he, quite frankly, is the direct opposite of that, but… He is still someone who is young and looks to those older than him for guidance.

     And it really creates a wound in her soul to know that she can’t be there as a guardian for him… Not here and certainly never again back home.

     ❝ Huh? Oh, no, you’re fine, ❞

     ❝ I’ve known people to talk way more than you and never shut the f– hell up, even when they’re told to, ❞ she now adds, already looking annoyed at the mere memory. Soon enough though, she shakes her head and instead offers the man a more neutral look.

     ❝ Jolyne Cujoh. Just Jolyne is fine, though; no need to be so formal with me especially when I can be kind of crass, ❞ just kind of?

Though he could see that Jolyne was a little rough around the edges, given the way she carried herself and how she spoke, Garry hadn’t quite expected the young woman to point out her own behaviour; causing him to blink in surprise until a quiet, steady chuckle managed to escape his lips. Even if their personalities seemed quite different, her tendency to use foul language wasn’t something that offended him in particular-- especially when she was being so upfront about the kind of person she was.

“Ahah.. well then, I’m glad. Despite the fact that we clearly miss those who are not here with us, I have been enjoying my conversation with you thus far-- I’d hate for it to end because I do not know when to.. er.. ‘shut up’. I have only met a handful of people on this island, and, well.. it’s quite comforting to find someone who is experiencing the same things as I.”

Alice would have loved this place - she would watch with the intense wonder and curiosity in her small little eyes. She would ask perhaps millions of questions or perhaps be quiet, watch in wonder. Or perhaps, she would enjoy having conversations with the other guests over tea, while talking of the planetary system. With much limited knowledge she had — she was only a child after all.

A child who deserved happiness, not sadness. Not to be entangled into a war of survival — when she was barely just a ghost hanging onto nothing… Hanging onto her only friend, twin… Servant.

( failure of a friend, twin, servant )

And Caster can’t imitate what they don’t know, cannot see, nor will be able ever to. But they think to themselves, perhaps Alice would have liked this — the whole reason they came to enter the activities of this festival… was to give away for Alice to enjoy the pleasantries of life.

Even if she wasn’t here — Caster would do it for her — in fact they were doing it only for her, only for her. Their one and only.

They could only wonder if it was enough, and were quite very distracted to not notice the human man hovering over them — only for their senses to be triggered immediately at being picked up.

“Are you quite daft sir? You dare pick me up, call me ordinary, without even bothering to ask— or even give much thought to leave me alone?” Their voices projected loudly, as they floated out of his hands. “I think however your greatest sin is calling me ordinary! How cruel can humans be! Ordinary? I’m a story book for children— I ought to believe that’s something special!”

For a brief, fleeting moment, Garry assumed another person was speaking to him; quickly turning his head over his shoulder in an attempt to face who had approached him.. but.. no one was there. It was not until the voice had pointedly said they had been picked up, that he had called them ordinary that he finally realized where it was coming from; blinking back towards the book just as it floated out of his hands.

“H-hieeeee?!” shock immediately filtered through the man, causing him to jump back and unfortunately fall on his behind; the entire time unable to pry his eyes away from the book now suspended in the air.

“Y-you can speak?! .. n-no, rather, you’re alive..?!” was it his destiny to be plagued by strange things like this? First the paintings that came to life, and now a book..? What on earth could be next?

“.. to be quite honest, I’ve never thought of a book as anything but ordinary..” though perhaps it was not wise of him to act sarcastic with how angry he had made the object before him, clearing his throat in hopes that the quiet comment had gone unheard. “E-erm, though, my intention was not to offend you.. I-I did not realize that you were here of your own accord, but I suppose.. this place has the ability to bring anyone here, doesn’t it..?”

That didn’t entirely bode well for Garry as he finally found the strength to stand again, dusting off his pants as he straightened.. just a fair bit back away from Nursery Rhyme.

Instead of a peaceful tour, Garry was now tasked with finding.. ghosts? And was given a toy hammer to hit them with?! It didn’t seem like he even had a choice in the matter, being shoved into what was called the ‘Dollhouse’ with little to no remorse-- and the mere sight of his surroundings was immediately enough to make him on edge. Though they weren’t as horrible looking as the last dolls he last saw, he could’ve sworn he could hear faint laughter filtering all around him; clinging onto his hammer tightly as he stepped backwards.. until he suddenly made contact with something.

“E--eeeek!!”

The scream left him almost instantly as he whipped around, ready to face whatever was there-- but.. it wasn’t a ghost. It was.. another person?

“..... ah? Y-you’re.. not one of them!” immediately, Garry’s entire demeanor changed, though it still seemed like he was trying to catch his breath. “M-my apologies, I’m afraid this place is doing terrible things to my nerves.. a-are you alright? I do hope I didn’t startle you too badly..”

Garry felt as though he could get lost in the garden for hours, entranced by the twinkling galaxies far above his head. He would have never expected the possibility of worlds other than his own existing; sprawling past the planets of Earth’s own solar system into places he couldn’t recognize, even if some of them had various similarities. Each place held its own story, its own differences to what he knew.. and while the revelation was overwhelming, he still found himself somewhat at peace; admiring all the newfound stars shining through the tips of his outstretched fingers.

Though, in the midst of his gentle observations.. something seemed to catch the man’s eye, sitting next to the various tea cups and foods placed out for visitors. It seemed out of place for the setting they were in, but perhaps it had something pertaining to the worlds above..? Though, the closer Garry began to look at it..

“.. it seems like just an ordinary storybook,” he mused aloud to himself, picking the object up into his hands to study it further. “I wonder if someone left this behind?”

“N.. no.. this can’t.. is this some sort of joke..?!”

Yet the more he looked at the flower, unable to pry his widened eyes away from it, Garry knew it wasn’t. He thought he was rid of this horrid thing for good when he was taken out of the gallery-- it was one of the things that kept him there, taunting him, making both himself and Ib so vulnerable in such a dangerous place. Though he would have preferred to be in his own home at this point, at the very least.. he never had to worry about losing his life so easily in this place. It was the one thing he held onto, felt relief for, despite his circumstances.

But now, the very thing tied to his life force was back. Every time it was damaged, a piece of himself would also be; remembering the terrible pain he’d endured when that painting began ripping out its petals, one by one.. almost bringing him to the end of his life.

.. he had to be certain it was the same as before. That it wasn’t just some.. prop, a fake that had been left in his apartment. Feeling his heart race, Garry picked up the rose by its stem; shaking fingers hesitantly reaching out to pluck a single blue petal from the bottom of the bud.

And almost instantly, a cut appeared over the top of his hand; red droplets of blood trickling in between his fingers as he winced.

“..!!”

He could have crushed it within his grasp in that moment if he had not known what the outcome would be. Thrown it onto the ground and destroyed it with the heel of his shoe, but.. instead, he placed it back down on the table gently; cradling his now wounded hand as a look of fear etched itself on his features.

hello!! while i still have every intention to get to my owed drafts, i wanted to put down a lil interest check for garry here! i have two things in particular that i’d like to do with him: one is for spiralefes, while the other is for dreamscape!

for spiralefes, i’d like him to participate in the following:

prop haunt: hey, he’s already been in like, the most haunted art gallery of all time, he can totally take these ghosts on! .. haha just kidding. garry will probably be a screaming mess for a bit, but putting him back in a very familiar situation might be fun (not for him though, for me). he’ll snap out of his fear eventually though and will do his damndest to find all the hidden shadows, basically so he can just get out of there as fast as possible

star-den tea party: some nice reprieve for the hobo man. he would really enjoy this sort of setting, and genuinely appreciate getting to relax with a nice cup of tea for once. he’ll also be really happy if there’s any macarons to snack on!!

and, for dreamscape!

does your muse know garry? have they ever wondered why he’s a little.. jumpy about a lot of things? well, you’re in luck! step inside into this seaweed head’s mind and take a peek at the horrors he’s endured during his time stuck in guertena’s gallery! yeah, dreamscape is about happy memories, and you might find some in there about a little girl named ib-- maybe you’ll get to see how brave she is, or when garry gave her a piece of candy from his pocket. but the real show will be watching him trying to escape a horrible room full of terrifying dolls, with a gigantic one crawling out of a painting just mere moments from almost killing him. he does make it out in one piece, but.. well, you won’t know that until he finds the key to get you out of there!

      ► ❝ Ah, well, ❞ Jolyne rubs the back of her head now, clearly a bit embarrassed. It hadn’t been her intention to sound as concerned as she did, but… Well, she couldn’t help it. Out of everyone she knew of back home, Emporio had been the only one whose fate had been unknown to her. Quite frankly though, the ex-convict takes that as a good thing; she’d almost rather take being uncertain about the young boy’s status rather than knowing for sure that he’s been killed or something of the like.

      ❝ He’s a good kid, so… ❞

      ❝ I just wouldn’t want him to get into any trouble. From what I’ve heard thus far though, it seems like he’s not here so… I guess I can rest easy, ❞ or easier, at the very least.

      ❝ Anyways, I didn’t mean to bother you too much. Hopefully you’re not late for an appointment or something else–? ❞

Blinking ever so slightly, Garry felt his smile growing more fondly at the way the woman seemed to fluster over her own outward concern; bringing the side of his hand up to rest against his mouth. He wondered if she was normally the type to keep things like that to herself, unable to hold them back now that she was here, away from those she cared about. .. at that thought, however, the man’s smile diminished ever so slightly. While it was nice to know someone had such close bonds.. it was also difficult to have them, while being away from those important people.

“I understand how you feel. I, too, left behind someone very important to me.. she’s quite young herself, though very strong and capable. While I’m glad it doesn’t seem like she’s here..” he trailed off, gaze travelling to the ground beneath his feet before he continued. “.. I often wonder if she’s truly alright where I left her.”

But as she carried on, Garry felt himself momentarily distracted from that thought; waving his hand absentmindedly.

“Ah, no, you don’t have to worry about anything like that; I’m quite new to this place, so I definitely don’t have any pressing engagements.. for the most part, I’ve just been trying to figure out what to do with each day that passes, really.”

While Garry might have been lamenting over how this place whisked children away at will, Shadow was more focused on something else.  He didn’t pull himself from the wood carving he had taken up, but, a quick glance at this man and he could just tell this man would be an easy target to mess with.

“You stop keeping track after awhile.”  Came a bored response from the teenager, “Not everyone is so nice here, I’d pick more wisely who you socialize with.”  Consider it a test, he wanted to see what his response would be, and if he could already get away with getting a prank over on him.

But for now, he’d entertain small talk.

“I see..” the curt response wasn’t entirely expected by Garry, clear in the way his expression shifted to one of surprise. He supposed that sort of reaction would make sense the longer this boy had been stuck here-- though he couldn’t help but wonder idly if that warning was meant for anyone in particular, or.. just as one in general. Still, he was a child, so Garry wasn’t going allow himself to be scared off so easily next; kneeling down next to the other as he passed a smile his way.

“Well, I’ve been fortunate not to run into anyone quite so scary yet-- though I am not aware of all this world is capable of, it’s been nice to meet everyone who has shared the same experiences as me. It’s been making this whole thing a bit easier, I think.. though, certainly, I wish our circumstances were a little better.”

Ib was very quiet, though she was starting to open up to Garry the more that they spoke together-- perhaps this boy needed the same sort of gentle coaxing.

Despite everything Seiichirou liked to visit the museum. Seeing so many different artworks from so many different worlds was interesting. Occasionally there’d be even familiar things mixed in…. Sometimes it’d bring solace, sometimes something else. In that marvel it’s easy to miss others.

“ Ah pardon me… “ Seiichirou promptly apologizes turning to look at the painting. He can guess what’s going on. It’s not the first time and likely won’t be last either. It seems what this man saw was something he’d rather miss, something that’d cause the hair on his neck to stand.

“ ….there are may works here from another worlds. I guess this is familiar to you?  “

The moment he came in contact with the person behind him, Garry felt his heart all but leap into his throat; momentarily wondering if a painting had come to life without him realizing, taking advantage of his vulnerable state to get the upper hand on him. To his great relief, however, it seemed to be just another patron of the museum; the sight of the man instantly relaxing Garry’s nerves as his grip loosened on the front of his own shirt.

“N.. no, forgive me, I am the one at fault. Are you alright?” his fluster may have been enough to mask the innate fear in his eyes, although he couldn’t be certain if the other would notice just how startled he was; gaze travelling from the man over his shoulder, back to the beautiful woman staring down at them.

“.. very much so. Before I arrived here, I was at a gallery in my own world, visiting an exhibit for this artist in particular. Of all things I could have found here, I didn’t think I would ever come across his work..” but there she was again, staring down at Garry as if she would leap out of her frame at any given moment; the feeling of unease increasing the more he looked into her eyes.

“Hm..?”

A particular book on herbs catches Garry’s attention as he walks past a book shop, stopping mid-step to peer into the window. He noticed recently that the other person who lived with him seemed to be building a garden in their home.. would something like this be of interest to them?

⚔️ // “byleth  eisner.  and  it … was  a  bit  obvious  ,  yes.  but  the  truth  of  the  matter  is  i’m  a  recent  arrival  myself.  little  over  a  week  ago  now.  so… in  some  ways  ,  i  suppose  i  understand  more  than  most.”  she  had  no  reason  to  hide  this  truth  ,  so  out  the  truth  came.  not  being  one  to  waste  time  ,  byleth  gestured  for  the  man  to  follow  her  as  she  carefully  retread  her  steps  back  towards  the  bakery. 

            “do  you  live  in  the  cotes  ward  as  well?  or  one  of  the  others?”

“Byleth.. what an interesting name. Despite our circumstances, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Ah.. I see. Even so, you seem to be carrying yourself much better than I am,” though he was making a joke at his own expense, Garry managed to chuckle ever so slightly; grateful for Byleth’s kindness, despite the fact that they had just met. “It.. is nice to know that I am not alone, however. It certainly makes things a little easier when you find someone to share your experiences with, no matter how strange they might be.”

.. he fell silent for a moment at his own words, his expression changing briefly before following the woman towards their destination.

“Yeah, there is.” Fiala sounded so deadly serious about it, her grip on the coat tighter than one might expect from someone her size. And yet…

“Look right here. You’ve got a little hole in the fabric. See? It’s gonna get bigger if you don’t fix it soon, and I was gonna offer to do it for ya. But that bein’ said…” She takes a moment to feel the material of the coat again. “This thing feels so old it’s a wonder it ain’t fallin’ apart in my hands. ”

“Ah..?”

“Er-- yes, I am aware of the holes in the fabric.. but they’re intentional! This is a very stylish coat where I come from, I’ll have you know.. and it is ‘vintage’, not ‘old’!”

Perhaps it was her good intentions that simmered Garry’s temper somewhat, though he was still clearly perturbed by a stranger grabbing hold of him suddenly-- surprised that he couldn’t yank his jacket out of the woman’s hands. How was she so strong..?! .. well, the coat would rip if he kept trying, so for the time being, he seemed to give up on trying to get away from her.