In this illusion

[26th-31st]

[Siiiiiigh, why him? Vincent's journal greets him with two messages when he opens it, and this is all too familiar a sight from what he's dealt with in the past:
Your smile scares children.
Don't sleep, shriners want to eat you.]

...I suppose I won't be sleeping for a while.

[Vincent is trying to repress a freakishly terrifying smile as he goes about his normal routines, off to shoot things in the barracks and other random things in town. He's playing it safe and not sleeping, even if he's going to be looking very un-rested after no sleep for a few days... and by the 31st he's very much on edge.]

[1st-5th]

[More messages pop up for the second half:
You will have a chance encounter with romance today so take a bath for god's sake.
You will be asked to dance by a stranger wearing a sandwich board.]

Hello, ladies of Luceti. Your one and only darling Valentine is back and ready to make your most romantic dreams come true.

[Vincent DID take that bath, and why is that? Because the AU'd romantic man is baaaack, and is readying himself for a hot date. He's even located a sandwich board to help make this supposed encounter of love come true. Along with that he has a bouquet of flowers for some lucky lady... WHOEVER SHE MIGHT BE. Replies for these days will come from your_valentine.]

[Another day, another Hojo.]

[The shifting and often disturbing scenery has been bad enough. The way this whole thing started was bad enough. Vincent has been encountering his nemesis everywhere, but this time has gone beyond the bounds of sanity. There's the sound of water running in the background and then Hojo's maniacal laughter. Finally, Vincent speaks up, less than amused.]

What is the true purpose of this experiment? To revisit the past, or to irritate us with enemies we can't hope to defeat?

[A gunshot and a thud follow. THIS time, he had better not reappear.]

[Now appearing live in the town square... but also in voice format on the journals... it's Vincent, once again singing. His monsters are restless because of the messed up AU-ness, so what else can he do but sing about it? This time he's in a blue suit and shorter hair than usual.]

♫Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go
A little high, little low
Any way the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me, to me♫

( cut for LENGTH! not cut ICLY )

[ooc: Vincent is from an AU in which the modern-era Turks found him in the coffin and he went with them in a plan to take the company down from within. Replies will come from demon_turk.]

Does anyone... know what's truly lurking within that mist?

[Perhaps it's best unknown- Vincent dreads and yet needs to know the answer. Since... he's been having problems for a few days now.]

[At first, they were only in the corner of his eye and barely there. But now Vincent swears he's seeing his own inner demons everywhere he goes. As if they're lurking and watching him. Waiting. They're getting closer and more well-defined with each day that passes.]

[He's currently somewhere in town and will immediately draw his gun on anything- or anyone- that approaches him. Perhaps the effect will be spoiled since he's dressed like this, but the look in his eyes is deadly serious and more than a little bit unstable.]

It's been a trying time for us all. These events are far beyond my expertise to handle, although I've done all that I could. [A small sigh about that. This version still has his angst about the monsters, but he also has a way of distracting himself.]

In the meantime, while we have something of a respite... for any ladies who are lonely for companionship, I would be honored to provide that. To those I'm not acquainted with, I'm your resident Valentine. Vincent Valentine.

[Be afraid. Be very afraid. Vincent has actually combed his hair and has tied it back into a ponytail. He's also looking very... gentlemanly and polished overall, and has even set aside his old tattered cape for one that's in much better condition. He's in a mood to wander around town, so you can expect to run into him most anywhere today.]

[...and if you're a woman expect to be randomly given a single red rose if he should so much as glance at you.]

...Why am I...

[A somber expression on his face, Vincent-in-Train's-body heads out to find a tree to settle near and brood.]

HA! It seems I am immune to...

...No.

[Never mind. Say hello to the Hojocent, Luceti. Vincent has just been sentenced to a fate worse than death.]