hadriel_logs | Event Log: Dreamwalker

Entry tags:

Event Log: Dreamwalker

Who: Everyone!
What: The Dreamwalker event
Where: In your comfy bed and your sleepy head.
When: May 16th-26th
Warnings: Good dreams, weird dreams, bad dreams, straight-up nightmares. Please remember to tag for warnings in the header if things are going to be bad!

Have you been having trouble getting a good night's sleep? Tossing and turning, unable to rest those tired eyes? Or maybe you don't sleep at all, and never have. Not to worry! For a little while, you'll have no trouble at all falling asleep - in fact, as night falls, you'll find yourself overwhelmed with exhaustion whether you want to sleep or not. Lay down and rest your weary head, friends. Everyone could use a little extra sleep.

But what will your dreams bring? Something happy, images of a perfect day? Something hopeful, something you've wanted for a long time? Maybe you'll dream of anger, of the face of your worst enemy. Or maybe - just maybe - you'll have a horrific nightmare, and wake screaming, covered in cold sweat.

Not before others have time to see it, though. As you sleep, as you dream, the other residents of Hadriel, friends and enemies and people you've only met once, might find their way into your dreams. Or you might find your way into theirs - and then have to deal with someone's else's nightmares, or hopes, or anger. For the next ten nights, you'll find yourself either a host or a visitor, and no matter how you try you won't be able to stay awake once night falls.

Sweet dreams, Hadriel. Don't let the asshole fear gods bite.

► This log covers May 16th-26th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well!
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► You can't die in the dreams, but if you somehow manage to trip and fall and kill yourself getting out of bed, please report it on the death post.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Her world is a cage. There is nothing beyond these four glassy walls, with the exception of a few blurred movements from outside. Casual observers that come to watch her while she waits, but they're distorted figments, often shifting in and out of existence.

So what is she waiting for? To die, of course. Her termination papers are being finalized, she knows. They don't think she does, but she knows, and yet there's nothing she can do about it. Nothing but sit in her Glass House, on the single, neatly-made bed with the empty walls, where all of her belongings have been removed. Not that she is deserving of such things, anyway.

At first glance, it's almost impossible to recognize her. She is different now. Her long, flowing blond hair has been burned off, leaving her mostly bald. The blemishes that distinguish her identity are absent from her face.

When she opens her eyes, she catches a blurred shape on the other side of Glass House. Something that doesn't share in the warped faces of her watchers.

No, this is someone else entirely. Someone who doesn't belong...

"The hell is this place?"

It's like nothing Firo's ever seen, even including the pictures in the memories he inherited from other alchemists. They flow to his mind more easily in dreams, but he doesn't yet realize he's dreaming. This place is strange, but there are strange places here.

Firo glimpses the shape on the other side of the glass, too, and he moves closer to get a better look at whoever it is. He gets as close as he can without quite pressing his face against the glass. That is another person, right? Thank goodness--it's creepy out here. "Who're you?"

She squints, peering at the stranger behind the glass.

Slow, she rises from the flat, uncomfortable mattress. The vessel makes her way across Glass House, getting a better look at the figure on the other side of the glassy surface. This is an observer who she's never seen before, but strangely feels like she knows...

"Who are you?" she says, and then her eyes widen. She slaps her hands over her mouth, and then drags her fingers down to her throat.

She can speak? Even though they had taken her words away, she can speak. That isn't right...

"Firo Prochainezo." She seems unsettled somehow, but he supposes he would be too if he were in a weird box. That's why he gives her a pass for answering his question with a question. "Come on, tell me. What's your name?"

Before he even gets a response, he adds, "What's wrong?"

Somehow, she knows that name. A quiet little echo inside of her says she does. But the figure on the other side is a foreigner to her. An outsider.

"They took my voice, but now it's not..." She shakes her head, her throat scratchy and raw when she speaks. "My designation is FREYJA, but my m... my mother, she... she liked to call me Fiona."

Though she wasn't supposed to ever tell anyone that, she's telling someone now.

Took her voice? Should he even ask? This is all seeming fishy. "Is Fiona the one you like better? I'll use that." He watches her for confirmation. What the heck does a 'designation' mean, anyway?

As he waits for that answer, he tosses out another question, "How come you're in a box?"

That just seems sketchy. Definitely the weirdest prison cell he's ever seen.

Both of his questions merits silence, as she stops and lingers before the translucent wall. She wraps her arms around herself, her bright eyes peering at the stranger.

She doesn't answer his first query. Only nods once. 'Fiona' is good. 'Fiona' is fine. What's in a name? they always say, but there is love in that name. Something which FREYJA lacks.

FREYJA is just a machine. Fiona was supposed to be more than that, and now...

"Because, I'm d... defect... defective." She struggles with her words, as though she's choking on them. "They... decided I'm not... fffit to live. And they're not... w-wrong..."

Why she's saying this, she doesn't know. The fact that she can speak is peculiar enough, and her time is limited, anyway. She'll be dead soon, and things will go back to the way they should be.

Firo blinks--well, that's a major downer. And, judging by her difficulty speaking, she's not too happy about it either. He shakes his head, allowing less important thoughts to rise to the surface as a really important one percolates below.

"So this is what Death Row looks like now, huh?" This strikes him as weirder than anything else in the dream so far. For one, where's everybody else? And is this Sing Sing or somewhere else?

Probably doesn't matter. Anyway, he's decided. He leans in close again, pressing both hands against the glass. "Let's break you out. Come on--where do they open the door for your food and stuff?"

From the sounds of it, Death Row doesn't seem too inaccurate, though it may not be the same thing.

Before she can respond, Firo makes his proposal. Something in her expression twists into suspicion. Already she's close to the glass, but then she retreats a few steps away until she's in the center of her little room.

It's hard not to think about what happened with the last man who had helped her escape. What he had wanted from her. This much younger man doesn't seem to look at her with the same intention, yet it still begs to question--

"Why would you w-want... to do a thing like that?"

Not that she doesn't want to. She just can't help but question his motives for wanting to help her without getting anything in return.

Surprised, he leans back as well. "What? Why do I need a reason to help somebody out?" It's her life, for Pete's sake! Though he supposes suspicion does make sense--for all she knows, it could be a trap of some sort. Maybe he could even be working for her jailers.

He shrugs, keeping a casual tone. "Anybody who's gonna keep a lady like you locked up like this is probably a jerk. Who wouldn't wanna get one over on people like that?"

"Because everyone always wants something, and kindness doesn't just come without a price." Her eyes narrow, wary of what Firo may say. What lies he may give. "What do you want from me? What do you get out of this supposed kindness?"

She's been used all too often. It's what she was born for, really. But there's a breaking point she just won't give again.

Edited (what the fuck fingers) 2016-05-20 22:31 (UTC)

She has a point there--nobody's selfless. Well, very few people are. "I told you, didn't I? It seems like it might be a way to mess with whoever's holdin' you here. I don't have much else to do..."

And then it suddenly hits him. Of course she's nervous! His face turns red and he rapidly shakes his head back and forth. "L-look, I didn't mean to be forward or anything. I-I'm not gonna try anything, I swear!"

A muscle in her face twitches when Firo seems to be able to figure it out on his own. Despite his assurances, she still can't help but find herself doubtful of his goodwill. No one is just that nice. Well, she knew someone, and that person happens to be dead now -- because of her kindness.

"Good. Because if you do... I'll kill you."

Hopefully she won't have to make good on that promise, but she isn't holding her breath.

She glances to the door, which is barely visible. It's just an outline in the glassy wall. "Entry is there, but think you need authorization. Not sure how to bypass that, short of cutting off one of the staff's hand. Or force them to open the door for you. Would rather see you cut off a hand, though."

Firo shrugs, as if her reaction is perfectly reasonable—because it is, to him. “Fair.” That’s what creeps deserve, anyway. If it came to that, he'd do it himself or allow her to do it.

He moves to the door, listening as she lists their options.

Okay, Firo's kind of starting to see why she's locked up.

He wrinkles his nose in distaste at her gauche request. "Yeah, how 'bout we save the sicko stuff as a last resort? I can't just kick it in?"

He looks it over and readies himself to try just that.

The fact that he so readily agrees to his fate if he blunders earns Firo a few points already.

She glances to the barely visible 'door', and then back to him. He was the one talking about wanting to get a 'one up' on the people here. Does he have reservations now?

Because he probably should.

"Glass is made out of reinforced material. It won't break easily."

Despite this, Firo will have a surprisingly easy time breaking the entry down with his own strength somehow.

Seems she spoke too soon...

Firo goes for it anyway, beaming at the crashing of the glass as it yields. "Hey!"

They're not doing so bad just yet, but he's sure there are patrolling guards nearby. Luckily those guys are normally easy to hear from a distance--though he's thinking of the ones in his world.

He walks ahead; she can keep an eye on him this way. "Come on. You know the way out? Or should we pick a direction and try our luck?"

Almost taken aback by this unexpected turn of events, she steps away from the door, removing herself of Firo's path as he breaks in.

Either all this time she could've broken herself out if she had so wanted to, or something was seriously amiss here.

She hesitates, bringing her arms over her chest, almost hugging herself. So far, so good, but she isn't getting her hopes up yet. She still doesn't know if this person will be true to his word. Better keep an eye on him. At least this time she can actually do something about it if he tries anything sketchy.

"Listen, if you... keep doing this, you could get yourself killed. Just for trying to help. Are you certain this is what you want?"

It didn't seem to matter much before because she didn't think there was anything he could do about it. But now that she sees that he's being serious, things are different.

Firo looks over his shoulder at her. "I don't plan to die or anything. If they get us, I'm not givin' up without a fight."

He picks an empty-looking hall and starts heading down there. Despite his easy pace, he's alert for any noise or glimpses of other people.

"How likely do you think it is that we get caught?" NoW that she has him curious.

How much of that can she actually trust? He doesn't seem to have any weapons, and chances are the facility's guards will be armed with guns. So unless Firo has some sort of ace up his sleeve, she doesn't know how far they'll be allowed to progress.

Not unless she does something herself, that is. So she follows him outside of Glass House, quickening her pace to get ahead. She assumes she knows this place better than he does, after all. Just a little bit. The translucent hallway leading out of the glassy cell is darkened by red lights, softly glowing and dimming to reveal what appears to be absolutely nothing beyond the walls. If one squints hard enough, though, they may be able to make out vague patterns of what appears to be a cavern interior.

"Surveillance may have already picked up on what's happening, so... pretty likely."

Then again, that poses another question that eats away in her memory banks.

"How did you get in here in the first place?" Did he really come here with no escape plan? Who does that?

Edited 2016-05-22 00:27 (UTC)

Firo doesn't quarrel when she takes the lead--he does, after all, have no idea what this place even is.

Which he's reminded of even more at her question.

"How'd I--?" That is a damn good question. He pauses and scratches his head, then finally shrugs. Despite the gesture, he's hardly feeling casual right now--how did he wind up in a place like this? "No idea, I just woke up here, I think."

"...Something funny's definitely goin' on here."

While she doesn't want to stop, she slows down a little at what he says.

"What do you mean, you just 'woke up' here...?"

Did the researchers here mess with him, too? Was this all some sort of test? Letting someone in who would release her doesn't sound like something they would do, but then... how much does she understand anything?

She makes a turn, casting a cautious glance Firo's way. "This... This can't be right. None of this is right. This was a bad idea..."

Should she go back? What should she do?

He shrugs, though he hardly feels at ease with this revelation. “I don’t remember anything before we started talkin’.” There’s not much else he can say on that, obviously.

He starts, frowning at her sudden protests to the plan. "Hey, what do you mean? You don't exactly have many other options here. What, they're gonna kill you if they catch us? They're gonna do that anyway."

Thinking a little more, he bobs his head and adds, "Even if they torture you first, the risk's still worth it."

On one hand, he has a point. Her life isn't in any less danger now than it was when she was in that room.

Though, on the other hand, it isn't her life that she's so worried about. Far as she is concerned, Firo is an innocent in this. Or at least an uninvolved party. He doesn't deserve whatever punishment they would give him if they're caught.

"How? There isn't anything for me outside of this place. Nowhere I can go. I'm... I'm out of people that I can trust."

Someone sure as hell had made certain of that.

She also can't expect Firo to do any more for her than he already has. That's asking for far too much.

Just then, the lights flash red. Sounds of footsteps echo down the corridor where they're headed. Her eyes widen as she abandons her train of thought, grabbing Firo by the arm and pulling him along with her down an adjacent hallway, away from the sounds of marching footfalls.

"This way. May have remembered the exit." If it's still available to them, that is.

"You don't have to trust me. But there's a whole world out there--you can find a way." He says it firmly, because he knows it's possible. You either scrape by or you don't--isn't it better to die trying?

"Shit!" He's quick to follow as she pulls him around. "All right, let's hurry!" That 'may' isn't comforting, but what else do they have?

In a way, she had already died trying. At least, a piece of her has. A piece that she'll never be able to get back, or mend.

That's all in the past, though. Nothing she can do will ever make it right. Best to move on and learn from that, if she's allowed to live long enough...

"This way," she says, abandoning her previous line of thought for the time being to guide them through a downward slope into another tunnel. At the end is seemingly a dead end, except for a hatch in the ground.

The heavy steel looks like it'd take several people with substantial strength to move. For her, however, she pries it open with one hand. She throws the hatch open, revealing a man-sized hole to jump through, and looks to Firo.

"Down here. You first."

Several indistinct voices can be heard down the red-lit corridor where they had come from. They don't have much time.

Fear: Closed to Firo Prochainezo

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