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

Firo thinks of calling her bluff and continuing his attack, but he knows how cheap his life is. It’s almost a wonder she didn’t already go ahead and do it. Scowling fiercely at her, he stops his clawing. For now. "Fuck you, you--"

He clutches the bag close to his chest; he's not giving up his only bargaining chip so easily. She'll probably just let him drop as soon as she has it. "Put me down on the roof and I'll give it to you!"

"Fine."

She almost sounds as petulant as the child whose life she's holding in her grip.

Still, she does as she's asked, bringing him back onto the roof so he can land his feet on something solid. But she doesn't release her hold on his suspender strap.

That's when Rey extends her other hand, silently demanding her stolen property's safe return.

Could he wrench away and make a break for it? Firo leans away a little but feels the strength of her grip.

He huff and shoves the object at her. "Fine, take the stupid thing. I bet I couldn't fence it for shit anyway!"

But he didn't actually get a look at it. Curious, he spares a glance as he hands it over--what did he take, anyway? As soon as he gets a peek, though, his eyes are back on her. He doesn't get caught much, but he knows that the blows come next. He doesn't intend to make it easy for her.

Rey can sense that he's definitely wanting to get away. She tightens her grip to ensure that doesn't happen. Not only because he took something of hers, but because he's the only clear thing in this strange and hazy place, and that had to mean something.

So even when she takes back what was stolen, she doesn't let go. "Don't run."

She takes a moment to peek inside the bag to make sure he hadn't damaged anything.

"What is this place, anyway?"

What's in there? Maybe it was something valuable--damn it!

He no longer intends to run, just to cause as much hurt as he can when she comes at him. He doesn't tell her that, though, as he glares resentful lyrics up at her from under his scraggly mop of hair.

"What, are you stupid?" He folds his arms over his scrawny chest, an impatient teacher with his slow student. "It's Hell's Kitchen. Everybody knows that."

Contrary to his expectations, Rey doesn't lash out when she finally releases the boy's strap. She just takes the bag into both hands, pulling it close as she shoots a look down at him.

"Didn't know that," she admits. Hell's Kitchen also fails to ring any bells, but that's a minor detail in the grand scheme of things.

For now, she just peers into her bag and extracts the item that the little thief had pilfered.

"Today's your lucky day -- you didn't break it."

What priceless treasure had he taken that she was willing to chase after him for it?

...

A silver harmonica, of course.

He sniffs resentfully. "Then you are stupid." It's not particularly clever, but he doesn't need it to be; he's just blindly lashing out.

His cheeks puff out in anger when he finally sees the object. "Are you kiddin' me? That's not worth anything!"

And yet, he feels a bit of relief--this is a huge waste of time, but if he has to lose a prize... Might as well lose some stupid piece of scrap metal.

The insult isn't much of a burn. Rey has heard far worse, so she just shrugs it off and accepts things for how they are. She's in a strange place called Hell's Kitchen, wearing clothes that aren't hers, with a kid she's pretty sure she's never met and nothing about this situation seems normal.

Must be a dream.

"Suppose not. But it means a lot to me."

And that's what matters.

The fact that she doesn't get angry has him curious--even if he finds that he's not any less upset. Why's she so okay with this? Are all out-of-towners this dumb? If she had any sense, she'd throw him off the roof anyway, but she wouldn't have wasted time chasing him down over that in the first place.

He levels a skeptical gaze at her. You can't even eat that thing. "It just looks like junk to me."

He could try to scamper off, maybe... But to what? There are always more pockets to pick, and he should wait until the people who saw them running are gone--they'd be far too wary to risk robbing now.

This is weird. But he needs something to amuse himself, he supposes, and if she starts getting angry, he can always try to run again.

A few years ago, Rey would have been the type of person to toss a tiny pickpocket off the roof, no reservations. She's changed much since she had been that person, though. A lot has happened. As such, she feels more for the boy than she does resent him. It's not his fault he fell into this life.

"It's true, you probably can't hock it off for much. But you should hear my brother play it."

Her mouth curves into a faint smile when she thinks about what her brother would say to this kid. It isn't like he's never been in a similar position before.

After a moment, she glances to the boy. "You look hungry. Are you hungry?"

What would Orion do if he were here? she thinks. Feed the damned kid that tried to rob her, of course.

Her brother? He wants to roll his eyes to show his contempt for such things, but he's actually a little envious.

He blinks, eyes widening. She's talking about food! Food is good.

The walls are soon back up, but they're not as sturdy as before; that is, his walls have already been weakened. For all that he wants to appear tough and aloof, he's watching her too closely and eagerly for it to be convincing. "So what if I am? Th-that's none of your business."

That look in his eyes doesn't go unnoticed. Her smile almost grows, but she remains sincere for the time being.

"So, take it you don't want me to buy you dinner, then? That's too bad..." She glances back to the bag where she had the harmonica, finding a wad of cash that hadn't been there before.

Damned dream logic.

This time she does smile, pulling it out to show to the boy. Looks like the little thief's potential haul would've had some worth, after all.

Damn it, damn it! He can't see quite how much is in there, but he's sure it could've kept him fed for weeks if he were smart with it. Maybe even got him a coat for winter or something. He tears his eyes off the money to frown at her with even more resentment.

"I'll go. You owe me for givin' it back to you." Never mind that he did so under duress.

He hops back a few paces away from her, anxious to get moving. "You're from outta town, aren't you? Do you know where to go? I can show you."

How in the hell all this damned money wound up in her bag is beyond her, but Rey isn't complaining. It seems to have the kid's attention, and that's good.

"I owe..." She sighs. "Fine."

Whatever. Have it your way, kid.

"Not a damned clue. You know any good places to eat around here?" Hopefully someplace good since she has all of this money, apparently. She blinks at the cash and finds it odd, because it isn't like anything she's ever actually seen before. Plus paper currency is... pretty damned dated.

The kid juts his chin up for the sole purpose of looking down his little nose at her. He assumes the air of a worldweary expert. "Sure I do." He doesn't. He's never been allowed in them. "Follow me."

He hops off a few paces before looking back to make sure she's following. If she is, he'll race back down the fire escape.

"It's close!"

If they continue walking, he'll eventually stop at what looks a lot like a saloon. Of course, it can't serve liquor (openly) anymore, but it's still rundown and full of tough-looking customers. This is, apparently, Firo's promised good place.

[ooc: Tell me if this is too much; I just wanted to make sure you had enough to respond to.]

Such a tiny connoisseur of all things indeed. It's hard to tell what to expect. Whether this kid is going to hassle her or take her down an alley to get jumped or actually follow through with his word.

Despite all possibilities, she does go with him. He's fast, but she has little trouble keeping up, even in the strange clothes that she's been wearing.

As they stop in front of the saloon, Rey graces it with a wary look. Not that the tough-looking customers trouble her any, being rather tough-looking herself.

"This is it?"

She's never seen anything like this before. Everything feels like something out of one of her brother's favored old movies, but... different. More real, despite how oddly unreal this all seems in a much different way.

He would like to just lead her into another alley and mug her, but he felt that grip when she was holding him. She’s strong, and it’d be hard to trick her now.

So he’s stuck, but at least he has a chance to get something if he plays along. As they walk, he wonders what her angle is—why help him?

He frowns at what he thinks may be skepticism in her tone. “Yeah, this is it. You got a problem?”

The closer they get, the more detail comes into the building. Firo doesn’t seem to notice this discrepancy with the others as he nonchalantly walks in. He was kicked out of here the one time he tried to come in, but now that he’s with somebody who can pay, hopefully it’ll be different. Besides, ragged as he is, he’d definitely get the boot if he went in any place nicer than this.

There are stools along a long counter, and Firo scrambles up onto one.

For someone who is used to places that are trash on the outside but serve amazing food within, Rey isn't one to judge a book by it's cover. She shakes her head, folding her arms before entering. "No, not at all."

The saloon lives up to her expectations on the inside as much as it does on the out. Which isn't saying much, since she wasn't expecting a whole lot to start. Her mouth twists as she seats herself on the stool beside the boy, unaware but having somewhat of a good idea as to what he must be thinking about her at this point. She keeps her money close and from the boy's reach.

"What's your name, anyway?" Rey asks as she's deciding what to order.

Firo's definitely trying to stay aware of where the money is, just as he tries to take note of where her hands are and how she's moving. It's all important stuff, and he needs to keep track of his opportunities and threats.

He looks at her a moment as he considers how truthfully he should answer. But what difference does it make in the end? "Firo Prochainezo. What's yours?"

No shitting way.

"Firo?" She blinks, turning her head to look at the kid fully. "Wait, you're Firo...?"

Come to think of it, he does have the look, just... younger. It would also explain a lot about this place. He mentioned being from New York, a little after the Prohibition...

If she says anything, chances are he won't believe her. It'd taken Rey some time to work through some of her own dreams, so why would Firo's be any different?

"Um, I'm Rey. Just Rey," she says, trying to cover her initial surprise.

Edited 2016-05-30 16:42 (UTC)

It's not a common name in the least--his last isn't either, but especially his first. He's certainly not friendly enough with anyone for people to know of him in a good way... but maybe his criminal exploits have built up his reputation.

Maybe she's a cop--he'd heard they had some woman officers to look after kids in other cities.

Immediately, he's tense. Only the promise of food and his own curiosity keep him from trying to attack her or running right now. "How do you know my name?"

Rare as it is, Rey has a hard time believing that there could be anyone else going by that same name. It isn't a common one, even for the time period. And if the last few nights had taught her anything, it's that there are no coincidences. This is definitely the Firo Prochainezo that she knows, and this is his dream. She's aware of that.

Telling him all of this would only confuse him, make him run away. While that could be one way to put an end to this dream, she isn't certain if she is in such a rush. After all, her curiosity is piqued.

Now it's just a matter of figuring out an excuse.

"Might've heard a thing or two on the street." She forces a casual shrug as she pretends to pay more attention on what to order than the boy's wariness.

If Rey’s looking for a menu, she won’t find one anywhere. While there are other shadowy figures clustered at the other end of the bar, their plates don’t seem to have anything on them. The saloonkeeper—just as vague and nebulous as the other “people”—has his back to them, so it looks like she’ll have to summon him if she wants some food.

Firo, meanwhile, seems to have nearly forgotten about the food. Hunger is a constant to him, so now it takes a backseat to the more acute worry of possible immediate death or harm. She knows him? It can’t have been anything good.

Of course, he can’t ask for the names of her sources if she really is a criminal. That would just mark him as a nosy kid to be eliminated. So, instead, he decides to feel her out in the other direction. He frowns at her, “Are you a cop?”

Indeed Rey is looking for a menu, or some type of display listing the selection. She turns back to the boy, about to ask when he shoots her a question of his own.

Rey just stares at Firo, her brows furrowing. "A cop? Hell no. Far from it."

If she told him that she was a soldier, he really wouldn't believe her, would he? She thinks for a moment, and her brother suddenly comes to mind.

"I'm a professional gambler." Well, Orion had taught her enough that she could probably play off as one. People did that back in Firo's day, didn't they? It wasn't totally illegal or anything, was it?

...

Oh, shit.

Anyone can say they’re not a cop, so the denial doesn’t do anything to relax the skeptical glare he’s giving her.

…And it only intensifies when she tries to offer another profession. Still, there’s a hint of a smug grin somewhere—too mean to be called a smile. “If you were, you wouldn’t be dumb enough to say it straight like that.”

No gambler talks that way, especially not to a kid they don’t even know. Anybody truly involved in even the less violent corners of the criminal underworld would know to be more subtle ("eh, I do this and that" or "I get by") or would simply cuff him over the head and tell him to shut up.

Yes, perfect

i'm sorry i just can't unsee him as a little raccoon with little raccoon paws now

The cutest little thieving brat-monster with little thieving paws

such an adorable tiny fierce

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looks good, bro! :|b

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