songerein | Half My Life's In Books, Written Pages

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Half My Life's In Books, Written Pages

Who: Soldier: 76 &anyone
Which: Open Interactive Dream; Quest #0901(Baby Tapirs) || Open Log
Where: Dream || Edge of forest and fields
What: The task of feeding baby tapirs within a dream || Recovering after a run in with some red caps, but also there's a fairy cow covered in blackberries.
Warnings: Weirdness that dreams can take on, especially ones edging bad. || Injury.

A.Tapirs

A rich orange sky with yellow clouds and streaks of blue as if it couldn't decide if it was daylight or sunset, fields and corn stalks well over six feet high. Went on for miles, stretched out as far as the eye could see. An old barn, farmhouse- all too far apart to be normal. Smoke rising in the distance but whatever fires they had to be coming from out of sight.

Quiet, with a man standing near some fencing just beside what looked like the start of a corn maze. A scowl on his face, one that didn't fit the young face just by the look of him- "Of course it's one of these," muttered, aware of what was happening to some extent. These were the types that could pull him in, but something had interrupted that.

There was a baby tapir by his foot, gnawing on an ear of corn that looked as if it was glitching between yellow and multicolored. Another wandering a little.

Sounds of groaning machinery was keeping it's distance, at least.

"How many of you got in here?" Little punks.

notice; replies for this prompt will be coming from statued

B. Blackberry Bramble

Had it been the smartest idea to take up the redcap iron hunt from the board alone? Possibly not, but he'd needed to do something, and why not take up one that would have had him fighting? Didn't imagine it would have been like stepping on a fire ant nest the moment he'd gone in to the ruins and brushed against some vines within. Gotten out, gotten some of the farm tools back along with some scrap he'd stashed away.

Currently? 76 was seated on a fallen over log, jacket set aside and already patched up, instead checking over bandaging on his arms. Not alone, however.

Grazing just beside him was one of those Fairy Cows, green leaves and ripe blackberries adoring it. He'd found it on his trip back-

"The moment this is re-wrapped?" A grunt, winding a bit of fabric around his forearm, talking to the cow, "You're going back. Probably safer for you back in your field with your friends." Hell of a day, really.

(ooc: feel free to tag in brackets, I'll match! Want something different? Just shoot me a PM or something and we'll discuss it.)

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[It's a bit like babysitting, figuratively and literally.

He'd squatted down after a moment, just to get a closer look at the colorful tapir that still had spotted coats. Righting one back up on to it's feet as it rolled over after trying to jump after what almost looked like a grasshopper, but most definitely was not. Not with the way it looked, but had the thing and was- well.

Better eaten than not?

Rustling in the corn did give him pause, standing up as a hand settled on the top of the fence. Eyes narrowed—]

Hey!

[A bark of a shout. Either it was something that would hear and answer or- well.]

[A voice. Friend or foe is the real question. He doesn't have a chance to think on it as the tapir makes the decision for him and runs in the direction of the voice.] Ah, wait!

[Head towards the voice it is then. The field of corn will eventually clear and for a split second, 76 will see someone else before returning to an image of Kazuma leaving the corn field. He'll notice 76 when he sees the baby tapir run to him. With how he looks right now though, there's no recognition.]

[Fingers dug in to the wooden fence, weight shifting as if he was about to launch himself over it at that flash- but then it wasn't- Wait, what?

The flash of Hyde had been familiar, but then again so was Kazuma himself in a way, and at least it and the tapir running towards him was enough that hands eased up. Stepping away from the fence for a moment.

Seriously, how many of these things were running around?]

Might want to avoid the corn. Easy enough to get lost in when it's not nightmarishly tall.

[... At least it wasn't as bad as it could be. Whenever he walked in....]

Well, I didn't expect to suddenly be in a field of corn after leaving the treehouse. [It's all Kazuma except...his eyes were yellow. He doesn't seem to have noticed though.]

Where is this place...? [He watches the tapir join the others, appearing to be communicating with them. They all look at Kazuma with intrigue.]

[76 looked like he was in his early thirties again, who was the judge about yellow eyes—]

You're either still asleep, or dreams work pretty damn weird here. [He was not sleeping again as far as he could help it. Not if this was the result. Privacy only a small part of his issue.

Did watch the tapirs for a moment before huffing a sigh, arms resting in a fold just under his chest.]

Warped nightmare version of a farm somewhere in Indiana. [Very mild nightmare at least. Doubted the baby tapirs would be having a good time otherwise.]

You doing alright?

I don't believe I was asleep. [He's not known to sleepwalk. There's a distant sound of thunder, eventhough there's not a single storm cloud in the sky. The tapirs have started to approach Kazuma while he continues to converse with 76.]

So this is supposed to be your nightmare...? [He has no idea what or where this "Indiana" is, but in comparison the nightmare he had not long ago...this was relatively tamed. It was just for a moment, a shadow crosses him and his appearance shifted to something Hyde-like and then back. The tapirs start hopping about excitedly. Kazuma does not seem to be aware of this, so their sudden excitement puzzles him.]

I'm fine. [...] Am I suppose to know you?

Dreams working weird here it is. [Made as much sense as anything else. Why not, just why not.

He glanced up, observing the sky. How near the horizon it turned blood red where black smoke spiraled, where sounds of groaning metal broke the silence. Something else there, too. Sounds that 76 would rather no put a name to.

Wind caused grass and cornstalks to move, waves like some amber and green ocean. Nightmarish in a way that spoke of something creeping unseen under depths that couldn't possibly be there but gave the impression. Even the barn seemed stretched, something darker about an eerie perfection against the scene.] Mild one- could say I realized this wasn't real when I spotted these two roaming around.

[Before it could get worse- was he lucid dreaming thanks to them? Probably. Then he snorted, even if eyes kept on Kazuma with that change. How excited the tapirs seemed.]

76. [At least he sounded mostly the same-] This is what I looked like in my early thirties. Didn't always wear a mask.

Ah. [He's suspected from the voice, but he wasn't entirely sure. He looked so different than how he remembered 76. It didn't help that he looked part hell beast at the time too.]

So you made it to this world too. [He's careful to walk as he tries to join 76 by the fence without stepping on the tapirs. He blinks. For a moment he thought he saw streaks of blood on the fence, but it suddenly returns to a normal fence.]

...This is all a part of your nightmare, right? [One of the tapirs starts to nibble at Kazuma's pant leg.] Except for them.

[At least the blond hair and actual... visible face would knock out most putting two and two together. The only reason he relaxed a bit; at worst he could lie who he was with whoever else stumbled in here.

... Kazuma got a pass, with how much he'd worked with him and Hyde. Seen some shit, may as well share a little.]

Yeah, in one piece. Few other familiar faces. [Even the grass and corn stalks would look splashed with blood, the ground in viscera, but only for a blink. A flash of what it could be. 76 kept on edge, aware and- trying to control his thoughts. He was used to his nightmares, even if they could tear him down.

Leaned back against the fence.]

Mm, where I grew up. Always seems bigger in dreams, good or bad. [There were shadows that blinked in to existence. People walking. Silhouettes all. Blinked right back out, even if footprints as a mix of ash, oil, and blood remained before being swept away by a breeze.] Spotting them is what pulled me into being more aware of- this?

[Just a dream.]

Familiar faces, but not all of them remember their time in the Index. [Unfortunate or fortunate they don't? For him, it's troublesome to figure out who knows and who doesn't. He lifts his leg, frowning at the tapir trying to make a meal out of him.]

Aren't they suppose to be dealing with the dream...? [The tapirs like dreams, good and bad ones, right?]

Well, I didn't see one before coming in, so it looks like it's the same case as sharing a recording.

Noticed that, too. Some even talking about different worlds entirely. [Not just where they came from but- taken to. This not their first bump. With how relatively 'fresh' this Realm of Dreams was, it probably was still piecing together in a way.

Again, why the hell not. Entire thing sounded absurd, even after the Realm of Stories.]

Might be because you've got some Hyde clinging to you in here- maybe he's delicious.

[Disconnected from Essences, maybe he was more of a bad dream? Oof, rough thought with knowing that side.]

This is real time and you've waltzed in to my dream. [Falling silent at a scream of- metal. He was going to keep it firmly in 'metal', eyes watching the baby tapir. Focusing, even as parts of the scenery rippled for a moment.]

[He tenses. Laughter echoes in the sudden gust of wind that passes.] ...He's not here. Just a memory now.

[Gray clouds are starting to gather. He kneels down, shooing the tapirs away. Go deal with the actual dream, not him. The clouds and that metallic sound is concerning, especially when it sounded closer.]

What is that sound suppose to be?

[A memory that clung like a nightmare, but 76 wasn't going to say that. It might've crossed in a brief look, but that was Kazuma's business. He wasn't the one that had to live with that in his head, just worked with and for him; technically.

There was still a tenseness to his posture, and no missing the frown. Knowing what it was, and that it was still coming was- well. Didn't make it any more pleasant.]

War, and what comes with living through it.

[nicest, and vaguest way he could put it-] I'm hoping this ends before it hits.

...You're technically "asleep" right now, aren't you? I could just wake you up. [He doesn't know if that would actually work, but it's the first thing he thought.]

Going by some bit of logic in this mess, yeah. [Sounded like thunder rolling in the distance.

There wasn't a single storm cloud in the oddly colored sky. Just an increase of that foreboding black smoke, slowly taking over blood red and making the horizon all the more eerie.]

It'll either get us out of here, or make it worse. Betting man?

Hah. I've already lost at the party, but it's better than doing nothing. [The corn nearest to them have started to wilt slightly. Some dark wisp was coming out of them. The tapirs are still eating away, but some have started to get a little wary, possibly full.]

So was this around the time you became a soldier? [Things are still relatively calm for now. Might as well stay calm too.]

Most lucid I've been during a dream in years, too. [Could help.

Changes that weren't missed, and of course 76 couldn't help the fact he was going don and sort of gathered the ones getting a bit wary closer to his boots. Let them take whatever they might be nibbling on with them. No getting hurt on his 'watch' here, kids.

Glanced up at Kazuma, shaking his head.]

I joined up when I was around 18. [Most of his life was spent as a soldier.]

Huh. And still going at your age? [Not, this age, his actual age.]

...I suppose fights inevitably occur, no matter when. [He glances to his left. He thought he heard someone whisper to him, but he sees no one.]

Could say that. [Vigilante on a mission.

There was a grinding noise that sounded like a scream and a roar all in one. Still far enough away a source couldn't be seen, but 76 was scooping up all the baby tapirs in sight in an arm. Could fit all three of them in the crook of his arm comfortably at least. Standing and glancing towards the farmhouse.

A straight path up a dirt and gravel walkway.]

Think we need to move. Last thing I want is something like a bunch of corn demons or war machine omnics leaping out of the corn at us.

[Only one of those might've been a joke.]

[He has no idea what an omnic is, but either way, none of those sound funny. He nods, deciding to help herd the tapirs. Easy when they are attracted to him.]

Where- [He freezes. Just beyond the fence, he could see him. With that unsettling toothy grin on his damn face again. Hyde. He had something in his clawed hand, something dripping with what appeared to be blood.]

...[Why isn't he going away? 76 may or may not even see Hyde standing there, but he could maybe faintly hear the sound of a heartbeat.]

[See it or not, the sound was enough.

Enough for him to get out a quick 'This is faster.' with the edge bleeding in more, scooping Kazuma up and over a shoulder and more or les hoping the rest of the Tapir follow their delightful snack rather than stay put.]

Speak up if something follows.

[Not the tapirs.

The grass was dying behind them, blood and ash smearing, places even looking completely burned. Metal breaking upwards, smeared with blood as well as oil. Those shadowed forms flickering in and out; some whole, some obviously missing body parts. Those roars in the distance easily turning to screams.

76 was heading straight for the farm house.]

!! [To be suddenly lifted up and carried, it jumbles his head enough to snap him out of the shock he was in. If something follows...? He blinks, trying to focus on their surroundings, but it's proving to be difficult. Faces, disembodied forms flash in and out of existence in the shadows. It's hard to tell if they're victims of the war or from his own doing. His grip on 76 tightens, shutting his eyes.

Get out of my head!

That heartbeat is getting louder as Hyde's laughter can be heard through a sea of screams.] They're everywhere. [No one can be seen following them, only those shadowy figures constantly blinking in out of existence. Although, they were starting to become more vivid each time.]

[Victims of a war, civilians and soldiers alike that came under claw and gun of the omnics manufactured from Omniums to kill every person they came across; men, women, child, elderly. None were safe when they were sent marching upon populated cities. The soldiers that gave their lives to save others, and just weren't able to stand-up against machines.

Bullet riddled, crushed, burned- all were horrific deaths. Those that he'd been too late to get to, had tried to get to. Screams and bloody faces that raced through his memories in even the mildest of nightmares. Appeared in random places, still going about their every day lives as if they still existed.

Or here, in the lucid nightmare that had Kazuma and himself in it. That laughter was echoed with screams and nonsense chatter, as if it was all feeding in to one another.]

Hold on tight.

[The tapirs following? Were quickly scooped up with the rest, never letting go of Kazuma, practically kicking down the door once up on the porch. Kazuma dropped in to an arm chair in the wrong place and tapirs on the couch as 76 slammed the door shut.]

Close the curtains is you can!

[This was definitely a lot, for a civilian who has not been exposed to war and has only known what it was like to kill not too long ago. He doesn't care how he even landed in the armchair, he just wanted everything to stop.]

I'm still here~ [A voice was speaking directly to him.] I'll always be with you. Hehe~

Curtains. [Curtains, curtains, close the curtains. Just focus on doing that, ignore everything else. He drags himself off the arm chair, staggering to the curtains and shuts them. As the interior of the farm house dims, his form shifted more and more into Hyde.

The tapirs were all huddled somewhere in the middle. This was getting a little too intense for them now. ]

[A blanket thrown over the back of the couch was pulled up and draped around the tapir, tucked around like a nest. As if that simple thing could act as some protection, and maybe it would considering the warmth it was suddenly generating. Some little golden sheen to the fabric.

A little dream of a shield that 76 hadn't even noticed he'd made.

Keeping his head together, pulling a more wooden chair to prop up under the door handle to further lock it along with a few deadbolts. Screams and even cries louder, pulling the curtains nearest to him-]

Still with me?

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CW: blood, body horror

The Ride Begins cw: blood, hints of gore and body horror

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