practicality

The scene opens on a wood-beamed room, with tatami mats and paper-screened walls. It looks a lot like the interior of the Dojo, actually, though not like any room in particular. From the current vantage point, it looks like a number of women are seated neatly around a low table - you see the backs of long-sleeved, flowery kimono, and fancy up-dos. Some of the shoulders inside those kimono look rather broad for women...


A few steps, and then the angle changes slightly, as if you were seated at the table as well - and it becomes rather obvious some of the people rather decidedly aren't women. No amount of make-up can disguise the jawline on one of the two people at the head of the table. He's not a Sphere resident, but his face is familiar from Souji's previous dream, and he looks pissed. Next to him is Tian, clad in flowing white and red silk and pulling off his fancy up-do and make-up with far more aplomb than his tablemate - even if he keeps glaring daggers in the other man's direction. Samehada takes up most of one side of the table, and while the cresting wave pattern on his kimono is certainly pretty, the flower ornaments stuck into his short hair look rather ridiculous. Next to him is... a real woman, it seems? Sen, to those in the Sphere who know her. She looks faintly annoyed, while Samehada is simply bored. Opposite them Sniper, who looks a little silly but seems to be taking everything in stride, and Peacemaker, who... looks like he put his make-up on withoug a mirror.

Someone speaks, next to you: "Vice-commander-san, what are we going to do about this situation?"

The voice is Souji's - he's dressed up rather nicely, too, and unlike many of the others, actually makes a fairly convincing girl. If you hadn't met him in plainer dress before, the distinction would be almost impossible to make. The others seem to take his statement as a cue to start chiming in, all at once.

"Yes, vice-commander-san!"
"We must take care of this at once, vice-commander-san!"
"Yeah, vice-commander-san!"

The grumpy man at the head of the table slams a palm down, shaking the entire table, and roars, "STOP CALLING ME THAT!" And then, abruptly, you awaken.