01. recollection

[shuutaa]

[ play.

it feels too real to be a dream.

in fact, it isn't. these are memories; real events that happened in the past. real events that she forgot all about up until now.

rock's body shivers, and she side steps to avoid being hit by embers; there's a fire growing, circling her and trapping her inside.

her face contorts into an expression showing confusion. fear.

and she swears, she can hear the word disappear resonating in her ears, it echoes and it takes over her mind.

her legs bend and she ends up squatting, arms curled around her legs and her face pressed against the fabric of her cloak.

she sobs as quietly as she can. hopefully no one comes around. ]

Comments

[ryuusei_subaru]

"Is that so? I wonder why you're dreaming about it, then..."

He can't help but jump a little and make a soft noise when any sparks from either the fire or the sign come near him, but he gets better at controlling those reactions soon enough.

[negotiators]

...if I could, I would offer you a wish right now.

[shrug] Unfortunately, it seems that I've lost that power. A shame; I'm sure you have potential.

[shuutaa]

It's... more like a memory.

[ stops at a split path -- they can either go to the left or to the right; she turns her head over her shoulder and looks at him ]

Pick a side.

[shuutaa]

... A wish?

[ryuusei_subaru]

"Ah..."

"Oi, oi! Pick left, pick left!"

And then Subaru turns to face War-Rock, putting the Visualizer down over his eyes even as he's fervently whispering to the alien. That doesn't look too insane, does it, Rock?

"War-Rock, why?"

"Dunno, left was the first thing to come to mind!"

"..." And then Subaru looks back, still wearing the green-tinted lenses over his face. "Right, I suppose."

"Subaru!"

[negotiators]

Yes. I'm a messenger of magic. I can grant wishes.

Well - not after arriving in this world, though. It seems to have taken my powers.

[shuutaa]

[ ... she doesn't question him about the sudden mumbling and whispering, but she nods her head and heads right. ]

I'm not sure what we'll find here so just... be careful, Subaru.

[ryuusei_subaru]

"Mm! Understood!"

And now he's wearing a serious expression that one doesn't often see on children his age.

[shuutaa]

... Ah. I see.

[ glances up at him ]

I suppose there has to be some sort of payment in return for wish-granting, right? [ she's seen scams like this a bunch of times back in the Threshold, so she's not really new to the whole ordeal with outrageous claims of magic and then it ending up being only a scam for money. fess up, coobie. ]

[shuutaa]

[ surprisingly serious all of a sudden, hm. a slight smile makes its way to her lips, but it's gone in a brief second.

and now it's a quiet tread as they journey on; rock's not very good at conversation... ]

[negotiators]

Of course there is. [blandly, as though it's a fact of life]

Anyone who is granted a wish gains powers, and then must use them to defeat Witches. Witches are the cause of negative emotion. They must be eliminated.

[ryuusei_subaru]

[That's fine. Subaru's just looking through things with his Visualizer and looking for anything funny. Does he spot anything, though?]

[shuutaa]

Sounds like a heavy bargain.

[ purses her lips together and looks back down ] All of that for one wish... [ and just for a small moment she thinks, and maybe if he still had his powers, she would've thought about giving in. ]

[shuutaa]

[ nothing really exciting -- it's an empty building, similar to some sort of science lab and is pretty run down. there's a draft here and there...

and then a dead end. ]

... Maybe we should've gone left.

[ryuusei_subaru]

"Uh...un."

"See, I told you!"

"War-Rock!!!"

[negotiators]

It could be anything. Even a miracle.

...you would, I think, need a miracle to escape that wall of flame. [ssssome kind of twitch around his lips that might be amusement, but probably isn't - right?]

[noplaidshirt]

[At this point, crying kids in the middle of nowhere aren't really so weird anymore.]

Hey, kiddo, you okay?

I SHOULD BE ON HIATUS BUT THIS IS JUST PERFECT

[tm_83]

[Flames.
Flames everywhere.
Was this death? Or had he survived, only to be taunted and destroyed by his other brother?
This was the first dream Cilan had entered, after all - garbed in his black Shadow Triad clothes. He'd appeared... like, just behind Rock, trapped in the ring of fire.

He could only chuckle, darkly.]

[shuutaa]

... War-Rock?

[ have a raised eyebrow, subaru ]

[shuutaa]

[ she doesn't need a miracle -- not to get out of these flames, anyway.

to prove him wrong, she stands up, dusts off her clothes and steps through, squints slightly -- tries not to let her fear of fire be noticeable.

when she's through, she turns back to face him ]

[shuutaa]

[ a sharp inhale of air, a small cough and she nods her head against her arms. ]

M'fine.

[shuutaa]

[ the dark chuckles make it to her ears and she goes stiff; her eyes widen a bit, and she turns her head slightly to look behind her ]

... Who are you?

[negotiators]

[expressionless.]

Tell me - can you defy fear?

[ryuusei_subaru]

"Eh? Oh...he's my friend. He's made out of Denpa, so nobody can really see him unless they've got a Visualizer-" and here, Subaru fingers his green-tinted glasses. "-or they can see Denpa..."

[tm_83]

...
...I'm... nobody. [A traitor. No longer one of the Shadows. Most likely dead. AAAANGST]