tabularasa_rp | 004 - Lucid Dreaming

004 - Lucid Dreaming

Lucid Dreaming Event Info Pt.1 ▲ Event Info Pt.2 ▼ Comments Please see the two info posts linked above for details on the nature of the event, the nightmares within, and the setting it takes place in. You may ask any unanswered questions in either post. If your character dies at any point during the dream event, please leave a comment in the death report thread to notify the mods.

As a final reminder, all characters will fall asleep for the full duration of this event whether you decide to take part or not. You may continue tagging threads that take place before the event, but everyone will fall asleep simultaneously.

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Falling Asleep, Waking Up
The shift happens without warning, much like the first time people appeared in the world. Perhaps you remember what you were doing in the last moments before a strange feeling of exhaustion overwhelmed you - or perhaps you remember nothing at all. Whatever it may be, you've appeared somewhere new. A seemingly ordinary train station, if not for the bizarre walls of flesh blocking the only exits. The only path forward is down into the pulsating depths, a humid breeze pushing at your back.

There may be others here with you, or you may be alone. Could there be more people trapped in this strange place? You won't find them just by standing around.

Nightmares
The screeching of a distant train will echo through the tunnels on occasion, shadows flicking through the translucent flesh of the walls. Sometimes, however, instead of fading away the noise will only grow louder, closer, until it sounds like the train should be upon you. It never appears, but something else always will.

The train is a siren call for nightmares, and you're unfortunate enough to be their victim. The shadows turn alive, twisting and growing as they rise up from the ground and begin to transform. What form they take varies, but the shadows of the mind know the true fears of those who walk among them. Are you prepared to face the darkness?

Volcanic Panic

The shadows congeal at the edges of the floor, and soon after a hot orange glow begins to fill the room - molten lava is pooling in from the other end of the tunnel. It rolls slowly forward, devouring everything it touches with an unquenchable searing hunger, leaving behind only the charred bones of its victims... although, strangely, the tunnels themselves appear to be completely unharmed.

Outrunning the flow of lava shouldn't be a problem, but there seems to be no end to it. How long can you run from something that never stops? Or worse, what happens if you find yourself surrounded? You'll need to find a way to higher ground before that happens.

A Radiant Plague

The shadows rise up into familiar shapes, and at first glance it'd be easy to mistake them for people. They may even share the faces and voices of people you know, stumbling towards you with wide, open arms... and empty, glowing eyes filled with an orange light. Something smells sickly sweet, and it's only once they're close enough to grab you that they begin to attack.

These are not your friends, and they'll do whatever it takes to make you one of them instead. Unfortunately, it's not an experience you'll be able to survive. Your only hope is to fight back before the plague can take hold, lest you become another mindless husk that knows only to further spread the infection.

Trust No One, Not Even Yourself

The shadows stretch and fill the air, choking everything in a thick blanket of darkness... before dispersing just as quickly as they'd appeared. A few moments pass and nothing else seems to be happening. You must've gotten lucky this time!

... Or did you?

Surely it can't be that simple. Nothing else here has been, so something must have happened just now. It's only you and the person you're currently traveling with... but are you sure that's really them right now? How do you know they haven't been possessed by another nightmare, waiting until you let your guard down to stab you in the back? Should you interrogate them to be sure, or start with restraining them and ask questions later? Wouldn't it be better to just kill them before things get out of hand? The sooner you strike, the safer you'll be when their true form emerges.

Yes, that must be the real explanation. It has to be them that's been possessed by a nightmare. What else could it be?

Joker’s Wild

There’s no limit to what form the shadows can take. The world may have its own perception of fear, but your nightmares are something only you could understand. What darkness lurks in the depths of your heart?

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It's not her field. The flowers are all pink, rather than the mix of colors to which she's accustomed, and there's far more of them than she expects, the grass between them almost hidden by the bright-colored petals. The structure in the distance is not a ruined orphanage, but an ornate tower. And there are trees where there shouldn't be.

But there are similarities, too. The sky is bright and blue, sunlight pouring through the clouds, a sharp contrast to the dark gloom of the tunnels she's just made her way through. The bright scent of flowers tickles her nose. And perhaps most importantly, pink petals drift through the air, easily caught in her hand.

Besides, isn't it true that so far, everything in this Void has been a mix? Perhaps this is its manifestation of her field, just... joined with something else.

And if it's even partly hers, she has to try.

Rinoa's fingers curl around a petal as it drifts past, the magic flowing through her as easily as it did the first time. Her eyes close, her fingers open, and any onlookers will see the flower petal gone, a single white feather in its place. She pulls her hand back, letting the whirl of petals carry it away...

...to nowhere. Instead of traveling the way she wanted it to, it just joins the swirling wind of petals.

She wasn't meant to hope, but the disappointment weighs heavy on her heart even as it writes itself all over her face.

"Now, now, that's hardly a good look for such a pretty face."

The voice might be familiar, but the tone is not: unlike his largely unemotional affect of late, now Merlin's voice sounds gentle and teasing. Granted, that doesn't mean he actually feels such things, being what he is, but he's feeling up to projecting the right things for appearance's sake again, at least.

"It may only be temporary, but you should enjoy this dream while it lasts."

"Merlin!"

Her surprise is palpable, written all over her expression as she looks up at him. Not only did she not see him there, but the tone in his voice is so very different to the tone he used the last time they met. She offers him a smile, something somewhere between embarrassment, apology, and greeting.

"I'm sorry. I guess I got my hopes up again. This place is... a lot like something from my home."

Rinoa glances across at the feather still drifting amongst the petals, and pulls a face.

"But something's missing, I guess."

"It is a dream, you know."

A very well-crafted one, if he does say so himself, but it will never be quite the same thing as reality.

"Or would something else be more to your liking?"

He's quite happy about having his powers working again, he'll gladly show off a bit.

Rinoa nods. "Mm, I thought so. My memories are kind of fuzzy, but I think I remember falling asleep..." Plus, her powers are active, which is something she can't say is true anywhere else within the Void's grasp.

"It's beautiful, though. Perfect." She means it, too, even if the smile on her face hints at something a little different. Even if it's not quite hers, any flower field has the potential to represent something beautiful. Besides, she doesn't know if she can quite put into words exactly what she'd want to see.

Embarrassed at how visible her displeasure is, she offers him a small smile. "I'm sorry. It's beautiful, and you... you have so much talent, to make this, you know? It just makes me miss my boyfriend."

Though his friendly expression doesn't change, Merlin is most definitely pleased with all the high praise. It's a nice bonus to finally having access to dreams again.

"Oh?" He raises an eyebrow at her remark. "Well, this is a dream, you know. If you'd like to dream of him here, I certainly won't interfere!"

She blinks at him, surprised. "I could do that?"

But it would be rude, wouldn't it? And pointless. Dreaming him into this place will only work for as long as they find themselves trapped here. If she really is asleep, bringing Squall into the equation won't help her, not in the long run.

"...It doesn't matter, though, you know? I don't think it would help."

Rinoa takes a breath and closes her eyes, trying to steady her feelings. When they open again, the lashes are glistening, but she doesn't address it, instead just offering him a smile.

"Is this your power, then? You told me you're a mage."

"Within your own dreams, you can do whatever you want."

Though some people are better at it than others... and Merlin himself can alter other peoples' dreams, too. Or, in this case, envelope an area of the nightmare with his own dream, and allow for others to have pleasant dreams within that.

"It is, but not from being a mage. This is the power of an incubus."

Merlin is met by another confused blink.

The power to control dreams... it's not hers, but if she do whatever she wants... Any anxiety she felt in the Void itself is gone, her eyes alight with curiosity. She's already seen that her powers work both in the nightmare and in Merlin's much nicer dreamscape. What could she do, if she put her mind to it?

His answer to her question snaps her back to attention though, and Rinoa looks at him with confusion in her gaze.

"What's an incubus?"

Anyone can control their own dreams with lucidity and practice, really. It's influencing the dreams of others that Merlin has the special ability to do.

Her question, though, earns quite the amused look.

"A being that feeds on the emotions and magical energy of humans, through things like dreams and sex."

A-- oh. It might be a dream, but the heat in her cheeks is real, pink glowing beneath the skin as she stares at him with wide eyes. It's not like she's ashamed of sex, but nor was she expecting such a comment. It takes her a few moments to get her composure back, as a result, syllables stuttered meaninglessly for a few moments before she finds what she wants to say.

"No wonder you were so, you know, dramatic about the food. Hunger must be a... a new experience for you, right?"

Hunger of that kind, anyway.

Oh now that reaction is too perfect, and too funny. And the remark and question that follows it... Well, Merlin can't help but laugh.

"Well, something like that!"

If she's going to give him a convenient excuse for his theatrics, Merlin sees no reason not to take it.

She manages a smile, reaching up to fan at her cheeks. Seriously, how embarrassing...

Still, the curiosity outweighs her mortification, so she presses on: "You have this power over dreams because you're... Well, you said it's an incubus's power, but you also said you're a mage. You can be both?"

Then she pauses, her eyes drifting out over the swirl of petals, the feather still floating around in the midst of it all. It's embarrassing, a little, to think that she was so scared of herself that she hid it from him, when he's been so open with her from the start.

"I'm a halfbreed," Merlin replies simply. "Sired by an incubus with a human woman."

There's a lot of potential implications to be read into that. Merlin sees no need to bring up any of them.

"So, I can do a few things an ordinary mage can't."

Rinoa's brows lift. As someone who isn't familiar with incubi to begin with, there are no inferences for her to make. But she does understand what he means. She may not have been born half-human, but in many ways that's what she is now. That embarrassment is still there, and so with one last glance at the feather, she turns to him.

"When we met, you asked if I was afraid. I said no, but... I was lying to you." Her smile is rueful. "Where I'm from, the only person with natural magic is me. They call me a Sorceress. But less than a year ago, I was just a normal human girl, you know? Now I hold the same power as the woman who nearly destroyed everything. And that's terrifying."

Rinoa shakes her head, frowning. "Or was. Since we came to the Void, I've felt scared without it, too."

For his part, Merlin doesn't really look surprised at the revelation. He possibly had already suspected something along those lines, really; she hadn't exactly been super subtle.

"Then, what do you plan to do?"

She can interpret the question as she pleases.

"Right now?"

It's a question that comes as a surprise. With the Void having seemingly taken her powers away until this moment, Rinoa hasn't given a lot of thought to what she'd do if she had them back, at least in this place where they're all trapped together. She tilts her head, thinking. Plus, if they really are just asleep, then it's possible they'll wake without their powers again, right? It's not a thought she wants to entertain, but...

"All I've ever wanted to do is help people."

"Then why not get started?"

He could, if he wanted to, warn her about how that's easier said that done, that people still will be cruel and uncaring as often as not. But that's simply the reality of the world, and only her own resolve can overcome it, whether warned or not.

Once again, Merlin manages to surprise Rinoa with his words, and she looks at him, eyes alight with curiosity.

"What do you think I should do?"

This isn't home, after all. So far, the people she's met in the Void seem a lot more level-headed about the idea of magic than most. Perhaps because they don't come from a world where a Sorceress single-handedly waged a war against an entire continent.

"I think the question you should be asking, is what do you think you should do?"

Her safest bet would simply be to lie low and lead a quiet life, hoping to be overlooked by the world. But if she's not satisfied with that, well, she just has to decide for herself what she wants to make of things.

What does she think she should do? Rinoa shakes her head, a frown forming on her features. Her thoughts fall quickly along the same line as his - naturally, the safest thing for her to do would be to live quietly. But there's no way that that would work for her. She's a known Sorceress, one of the heroes that defeated Ultimecia, and the girlfriend of Balamb Garden's Commander to boot. The chances of her living under the radar are next to none.

But what should she do?

"I think the only thing I can do is show them who I am and what it means. And that it doesn't have to be scary."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

Oh, doubtless he could give myriad suggestions, he has been around for a while, but at the end of the day, this is a problem she needs to solve for herself.

She shakes her head.

"I really don't know. I guess just... keep living, right? Between who I am and who my boyfriend is, I'm kind of... naturally in the public eye, so... if I just live like normal, everyone will see anyway. You know?"

It's the best she can do for now; for a young woman, the rest of it just seems like too big a question.

"Well, since you already have your answer, there was no need to bother asking me at all!"

He says it in a teasing tone.

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004 - Lucid Dreaming

III.A

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