{ Moon's Haunted }

[dreamposts]

MOON'S HAUNTED

Elimei, the female winged kirin twin from the Tree of Stories, was suddenly taken by a large, gruesome figure wielding a butcher's knife with a bear at its side. They appeared from a black portal and everyone in the room at the time was unable to move due to a sudden increase in gravity and heavy weight of nightmare energy. The figures disappeared into the black portal leaving behind no trace—except Elimei's feathers tinged with nightmare energy. Using Elimei's feather, researchers in the Observatory were able to pinpoint her location within a foreign moon. By this time, the moon mirror created by the fae has collected into its glass the stories of various moons gathered by Madhuri. Powered by this enchanted mirror and with dreamotion energy, they are able to create a dreamscape-like gateway to this foreign moon.

Unfortunately the power was so great it acted like a dreamshift and sent in everyone. Now everyone finds themselves on the surface of this strange moon, but fortunately they have allies in the form of lunar wolves to help guide them. To help combat against the noctasers, which are an evolved form of Erasers that have consumed great amount of nightmare energy, the special potions that were created back from Halloween and are effective against Erasers will be available. They will work in conjunction with dreamotion energy and other items useful against nightmare energy; perhaps a new solution can be made.

For more details on the event and to ask any questions, please refer to the Game Notes. Reminder that this is forward dated to the end of the month.

I. MOON PHASES

At random intervals, the moon will change between full and new phases. When the moon is full, the moonscape becomes ghostly white; when it is new, it becomes pitch back. There are both advantages and disadvantages for each phase, and everyone needs to be mindful as it will change without warning. Although we have some generic prompts for each phase, the phases and effects carry over through all the prompts, they can be used at will.

A. Darkest of Nights: New Moon. Whenever the moon phase changes to the new moon, it becomes so dark it's almost difficult to see. Light sources will need to be found to help traverse through the moonscape unless one uses dreamotion to help guide them. The new moon phase is also when nightmare energy is at its peak, the ground seemingly seeping with it and noctasers lurking. Some characters might find themselves transforming into some nightmarish creature in response to it. Perhaps into something that reflects their greatest fears or anger; some may even start to relive or have nightmares. Those who are easily influenced by nightmare energy should take caution, but must also remember that nightmare energy can also be harnessed here. For those who want to try and control it, the new moon phase is the best time.

B. Light of the Full Moon. Whenever the moon phase changes to the full moon, it is almost blindingly bright in some places. During this time, dreamotion is at its peak and it'll be easier to fight off the noctasers should they be encountered; of course during this time the noctasers will go into hiding. The black goopy puddles scattered around will be most suspicious, and this is the perfect time to clear them up with dreamotion. Just be careful not to get trapped in them or it'll be like quicksand. Anyone who was transformed during the new moon phase will slowly begin to transform back but will still need assistance; otherwise they'll just remain and continue transformation when it changes back to the new moon phase.

II. LUNAR WOLVES

For those who wish to help the lunar wolves that inhabit this moonscape, they live in a brightly lit temple that is impossible to miss. With a unique "wolf blessing," characters can transform into a wolf to help blend in with the environment as well as gain temporary powers: ability to conjure moonlight to use against noctasers; powerful howl attacks capable of knocking back small objects and creatures; ability to see clearly in the darkness during new moon shifts; increases speed and other heightened senses; ability to see the leftover "moon dust trail" from the moon fragments to track them down. Appearance of the wolf form can be whatever the player or character wishes and while partial transformations are allowed, whole transformations will be stronger. The blessing will last for up to an hour, and characters can willingly change back at any time. However, they'll need another blessing to turn back into a wolf unless they can do so on their own through their own dreamotion ability. The wolves will also be around to help give aid when they can.

A. Defend the Temple. Noctasers are becoming more aggressive as they attack the temple the lunar wolves are based in, aiming for the collection of corrupted moon fragments the lunar wolves have been guarding in hopes of later purifying. Some may even notice the moon fragments depict certain images or have unique characters that may look like the moon from their own world. Maybe that fragment is from their home world. Characters need to use everything they have to help protect these fragments and fight alongside the wolves.

» BONUS: DEFENSE BARRIERS. Shoring up defenses and creating dreamotion barriers to help keep the noctasers at bay will also help. The wolves will inform of special flower that needs wishful based dreamotion energy to make it grow large enough as a shield that can help repel the noctasers.

B. Retrieve Moon Fragments. Some of the noctasers still manage to break in and steal several moon fragments, scattering them all over the forests surrounding the small temple the wolves dwell in. While some have been dropped and can be found a little more easily, others are still in the clutches of the noctasers that must be destroyed, especially if a noctaser consumes it. While safe to handle, the moon fragments must be collected into small glowing jars to ensure their protection.

C. Save the Wolf Cubs. In the chaos, a few wolf cubs got separated from their families and ran into the forest, with some having the bright idea to try and find the moon fragments on their own. This is a disaster waiting to happen, so they need to be brought back quickly! Wolf transformation will be mandatory as the cubs will be wary of anyone else who approaches. They are also clever cubs and will hide in deep thickets and tree hollows. Luring them out with mooncakes will help win them over.

III. ITEM COLLECTION: ELIMEI

Certain items are needed to help defeat the Mutton Man and its Bear steed, as well as to find and heal Elimei. Thankfully they won't be going in blind and Baba Yaga will make an appearance to inform them of what they'll need. Although primarily to be collected and given to those who will go out to find Elimei, all items can also be collected for personal use to be against noctasers and other effects. There's plenty to go around! All items will be found in the swamp area.

A. Follow the Moonflies. In the outskirts of the swamps, there are special fireflies called "moonflies" where they produce pure moonlight from their bulbs. They are attracted to darkness as they will absorb it to produce their light. Gathering these moonflies in special jars will allow those seeking Elimei to help track her down as the moonflies will fly towards the darkest area of the swamp where she is being held. They will also be useful in blinding the enemies as they will fly up to them, attracted by the darkness the nightmare energy brings. They are also great to use as lanterns during the new moon phase.

B. Lunar Honey. The petals of this flower can be crushed up to create a delicious sweet honey that can help soothe any tormented soul. While not a cure all for nightmare energy, they work similar to the Glowing Dawn flowers back in Songerein and will be valuable for those affected by nightmare energy and monster transformations. Although ineffective against the Mutton Man, the Bear may find the sweetness irresistible.

» BONUS: KEEPSAKES. Collect the flowers to eventually bring back to Songerein so they can be used for additional treatment.

C. Moon Crystals. Special crystals which illuminate in the darkness and turn black during the full moon phases. They will absorb nightmare energy and convert them to potent dreamotion energy to a poisonous degree. Thus those afflicted with nightmary energy will be good sources for these crystals but must be handled with care. Anyone who is punctured or cut by a crystal risks becoming crystalized and will need to be taken back to the wolves to be cured. The crystals will serve as the main "weapon" against the Mutton Man and the Bear, and can be deadly against noctasers as well.

D. Swamp Threats. Beware: the swamps are filled with not only noctasers but also hostile moon creatures, mostly of the reptilian side, such as snakes and alligators. At least the latter can be soothed with dreamotion unless they have started to corrupt from nightmare energy. Be careful not to follow the red wisps as they will lead unsuspecting rescuers deep into the swap to black pools where kelpies in them, ready to pose as Elimei and drag them under.

IV. ITEM COLLECTION: KAGUYA

To help get Songerein's moon fragment back, certain items will be needed to help evolve the moon mirror and purify the corrupted Rabbit Kaguya. All items can be used for other purposes and will be found around the bamboo forest.

A. "Holy Hand Grenade." This has a few steps as the "grenade" needs to be made. First, a golden bamboo stalk must be found and cut down. The crystals that pour out of it must be quickly collected in a crystal globe provided by the wolves. Dreamotion must then be channeled into it to melt the crystals and then the globe must be capped off. To use, one must count to three and then throw it at the target. This only has a purification effect, but it's very potent. It should only be used on anyone who is fully corrupted and is either close to or has become a noctaere. Even then care must be given as it will knock them out completely. Using it on someone with only a small amount will cause them to have too much dreamotion energy and make it more of a poison, requiring the excess dreamotion energy to be drawn out or counter balanced with nightmare energy. Handle with caution.

B. Bamboo Slicer. To get through the corrupted bamboo thicket to chase after Kaguya, special tools will need to be made. Cutting silver bamboo stalks well produce various metals to pour out, and with these metals blades can be forged via dreamotion. The blades can be of any shape and form, they just must carry enough fortitude, strength, and tenacity to cut through the stalks. Blades lacking that kind of dreamotion will remain dull and brittle.

C. Mooncakes. One of the easier items to collect, the mooncakes can be found growing off the leaves of the bamboo stalks. The trick is being able to climb high enough to get them; alternative cut or shake down the stalk to reach them. Just beware the lunar bees—they find the mooncakes delicious and will angrily attack anyone who gets in their way.

D. Don't Get Lost. Everyone will be warned to avoid entering the bamboo forest until everything has been gathered and designated groups are set, but should any accidentally further than necessary or get lured in somehow, they will need to find stone lanterns and light them up with dreamotion to help guide their way out. It will be relatively safe during the full moon phase, but during new moon there is higher risk of those trapped to hallucinate their worst nightmares and be lost in them until someone helps them.

Comments

[starshower]

[He leaves her kneeling on the ground when he wrenches back, and she wants to go to him—she's pushing herself up to follow after him, but the lightning that strikes only inches from her feet sends her falling back again, putting a distance between them that feels wider than it actually is with the barrier that it creates, but she's learned not to fear it. It's a part of him, and she's accepted it all, but when Tifa reaches out, her fingers graze the static wall and she jerks back, a pain tingling from her fingertips all the way up to her chest where it leaves a white-hot ache that spreads.

One foot comes forward, planting firmly on the ground.]

Eustace, what is it?

[She takes a step towards him, biting down on the inside of her lip, jaw tightening, as she forces herself through the current and extends her hand out to him again in an offering, even if she doubts he'll take it.]

What is it you're seeing?

[It isn't just the clawed hand, is it? There was more, and she dreads hearing the answer... but if she can get him to tell her, or even acknowledge that she's there, then it will be a step in the right direction. A step towards pulling him out of whatever this place is forcing him to suffer through.]

You can tell me.

[flamekthunder]

[Her voice is like a lifeline he desperately wants to latch onto, but he just shrinks back instead. Even if he sees her, one moment she looks safe and unharmed but in the next she's covered in blood, her neck torn.]

I said stay back!

[He feels the pain spiraling up his arm, both cold and hot as his thoughts and vision continue to fray. He clutches his arm with his other hand, but it's trembling, as if fearing it will start to change as well. Will his body change again? Is he going to become a lindworm again filled with rage and hatred and despair?]

If you get too close... If I can't control—

[He's desperately trying to keep the nightmare energy from spreading further, but its claws have already sunk in deep and he can feel his thoughts and emotions twist and turn towards a darker place.]

I don't want to kill you again!

[He almost sounds unhinged as the black shadows start to converge upon him, the nightmare energy growing ever faster. He already lost his arm to it, at this rate it will only be a matter of minutes, possibly seconds before he completely loses himself.]

[starshower]

[She doesn't listen to him. Even as he warns her not to approach, Tifa pushes forward slowly, her hand stretching out further for him. Her eyes remain fixed on his face, but she doesn't miss the way that the shadows are drifting over him, enveloping Eustace as if to take him away from her. They move quickly like snakes, and she doesn't know what it means or what will happen, but she doesn't want to find out. All she knows is that she's running out of time...

Tifa's about to offer him some words of comfort, to reassure him that she isn't going leave him, but then...

"I don't want to kill you again!"

And she finally understands. The claws, the cries, the tears falling freely over his face, and the ice and the panic... Her heart shatters into a thousand pieces for him, because she finally knows what it is he's seeing—the end of the script. The end of the dreamscape...

Tifa looks around them, still seeing nothing but the spreading ice and now the black, shadowy wisps of nightmare energy that creep towards him. She knows her time is limited, and... she doesn't know what else to do...]

You won't, I promise. Because you're better than this. Stronger than this.

[With that, she lunges at him, and the moment her body crashes against his, her arms wrap around him, tight, and no matter how much he struggles or tries to push her away, she holds on...]

[flamekthunder]

[He gasps when she crashes into him, his eyes wide in fear as he immediately tries to push her away.]

Don't—!

[But then he feels his claws digging into her arms and he has to pull back his arm as if it touched fire, face contorted in anguish.

He knows it's the real one, that the warmth he feels is hers. But now that just makes him all the more desperate to try and pull away from her.]

Tifa, please—

[His voice is strained before he buckles over in intense burning pain, gasping for air.]

[starshower]

[When his claws dig into her arms, she cries out with a strangled sob as they pierce through her skin, but she doesn't let go. She won't. She refuses. No matter how much it hurts, no matter how much he makes her bleed, she knows that this isn't his fault. It never was. This world is too cruel to him, and she isn't going to leave him behind to fight it all alone.

And when Tifa feels him buckle, she catches him with her arms tightening and buries her face in his chest. Her own tears streak hot from her eyes when she screws them shut.]

No.

[They promised each other that they would never. Through thick and thin... sickness and in health... They promised. He's told her that there are times when she would need to leave him, to get to safety, but she also reminded him that there would be times she wouldn't listen.

She readjusts, pulling him closer to her, and with a small, trembling voice, she begins to sing.]

How do we rewrite the stars...? Say you were made to be mine...

[flamekthunder]

[His breath catches in his throat, a sharp gasp as he hears her words.

Their song.

It brings up so many bittersweet and painful memories, especially at the end when he could only hold her cold body as his own life in that dream began to fade. It's soul crushing, how deep those words truly meant for them. A perfect reflection of their relationship and how it came to be. The difficulties they continue to face.

With what little strength he has left, his good hand grasps at her back, clinging to her. He still wants to shove her away so that she doesn't get caught in this, but at the same time he doesn't want to let her go.]

...Nothing can keep us apart... You are the one I was meant to find...

[His voice is a hoarse whisper, but Eustace feels so desperate, clutching her tighter.]

[starshower]

[His arm around her releases another sob from her chest, this one breathing some of that worry out of her. She's fought past the illusions. He knows that she's real, she's here, and she's unharmed, and that's a start in chasing away these nightmares of his. Ones she's sure have always been there, laying dormant in the back of his consciousness and waiting for the perfect time to strike...

As he sings back the song—their song—she doesn't, and can't, stifle a sad smile against his chest.]

It's up to you...

[A steady hand reaches for his clawed one, and she wraps her fingers over the scales, the warmth in hers igniting a warm glow around them as she continues the song, her voice carrying the weight of the words that she's sure were written for them.]

And it's up to me...

[Tifa rises on her tiptoes, and her hand searches until it finds his face, and she pulls him down to meet her halfway for a firm, desperate kiss, in a dire attempt to chase away the last of his nightmares.

She's had enough. She's seen him suffer too much. No more...]

[flamekthunder]

[His clawed hand flinches at her touch, immediately withdrawing to try and pull away, but the warmth igniting from her touch sends a strange tingle up his arm, different from the hot and cold pain he had been experiencing before. It's like a soothing like piercing through the darkness that had taken over it, giving him another rope to try and grasp desperately to keep his fraying sanity.

As such when she pulls him down to kiss her, he doesn't fight back this time. Instead he returns it in full, desperate for that reassurance that the body in his arms is alive and unharmed—safe. To feel her heartbeat against his. To know...to know he hasn't hurt her. That he hasn't fully lost control yet.

He doesn't want to lose her, ever, but he definitely doesn't want to lose her like this. By his hands. By failing. She's become too precious for him, and while some things are inevitable, not the nightmares.

With all his love and desperation for even a little bit of hope starting to push back against the fears and anguish that had once consumed him, the progression of the nightmare energy is at least slowed if not stopped completely. At the very least although the storm clouds linger, the lightning has stopped as well as the spread of ice.

He's suffered more than what Tifa herself or even Eustace can reverse, but now there is an opening. And an incoming full moon shift will help, too.]

[starshower]

[Desperately, Tifa clings to him when he returns the kiss with equal passion. She molds her body to his until there is no space left between them, so that he might be able to feel her warmth now that they're together, and the way that her heart beats—only for him. Even as he tries to take back his cursed hand from her, she holds his wrist tighter, not wanting him to run or push her away anymore. She would never forgive herself if she let him succumb to the nightmares again simply because he feared that he would harm her. She's strong, but not strong enough to watch it all happen again, to let him be hurt again.

She allows herself to deepen the kiss as her fingers card through his soft hair, because where words have failed her, she can at least show him that she's still there... Prove to him that he could never hurt her. Even if his claws struck at her again the same way they did in those fiery, war-torn fields, Eustace could never hurt her.

When she parts with a soft gasp, Tifa takes him by the hand and guides it to her chest, pressing it over her heart.]

Look. Listen...

[It may be beating fast, but it's beating.]

It's okay...

[She's here, and she's alive, and he has nothing to fear.]

[flamekthunder]

Tifa...

[Her name almost comes out like a sob as he feels that warmth, that life under his hand. How real it is. And it does help to continue bring his mind back.

However.]

...!

[He can see the nightmare energy starting to spread, inching towards her and he hastily pulls back. With his mind more clear he makes a more concerted effort to try and control it and pull it back, but he's so worn down it's difficult.]

It's too much... It'll spread to you if you're too—ngh!

[He grasps at his shoulder, the same one that had been wounded earlier, and tries to fight off the surge that came as a result of his fears.]

[starshower]

[Her name falling past his lips gives her that glimmer of hope that she needs, and with it, a bed of star flowers bloom, spreading from their feet and stretching outwards through the bamboo stalks. In the darkness of the new moon, it bathes them in their glow—blue this time, as if to serve as a beacon for him. A guide for him to tether himself back in this world rather than the one he's been stuck in.

But when she feels that trickle of cold on her skin, and him pulling back, the light of their petals dims as they slowly die away. The black, shadowy wisps drift over them as the nightmares seek their life, draining the flowers of it to take for itself...

Tifa follows him as he moves away from her, and her hand reaches to rest over his where it clutches at his shoulder.]

What can I do to help?

[There isn't much out here, and she doesn't think the mooncakes will do a whole lot for him. If only she had some of those damn crystals on her...

She will get him out of this one way or another, consequences be damned, though. If that nightmare energy dares to touch her, then she'll give it the fight it so desperately wants if it means pulling him free from the fears he's had to live with for too long.]

[flamekthunder]

[Again instinct wants to push her away, but he also realizes he can't keep this up. As much as he fears losing her, she's also the one who could save him right now. He can't keep denying her own right to help him, her partner.

So although he initially flinches away, he doesn't do much more than that as he speaks with shaky breaths.]

...Crystals... I have some crystals... In my bag...

[If they haven't already absorbed the nightmare energy around them maybe it will be enough to at least lessen what's there.]

Dreamotion also... Counter the spread...

[starshower]

[He can flinch and withdraw all he likes; Tifa will simply follow and press on.

It's as if he's read her mind, though, because her eyes immediately move to his bag for the crystals, but before she even thinks about reaching for them—]

Here, sit down.

[Gently, she guides him by the shoulder into the flowers, her presence chasing away the energy that still lingers among them as she lowers herself first. Those that have endured and are alive glow a little brighter, and he'll feel their warmth the moment he settles into them.

And the moment that he does, before she goes for the crystals, Tifa captures his lips into another kiss, although unlike the first one, it's less desperate. It's quick, but it's more tender, delicate. If dreamotion can help to counter the spread of the nightmare, then her love is sure to do something... She keeps her forehead to his, not allowing him to go far as her hand searches for his bag, where she reaches in and takes a single crystal from it.

Its glow is dimming now that the full moon phase approaches, the light slowly spreading and inching closer towards them, but she holds it out to him, urging him to hold it with her.]

[flamekthunder]

[He follows her down, but he's surprised by her sudden kiss, unable to move at first. But the warmth and love he feels from it warms him and he almost wants to chase her back. But he just refrains and as soon as she takes out the crystal, he quickly takes it into his hands.]

...Be careful while handling these...

[Even now, he'll never stop worrying about her, never stop showing concern and cautioning her. Though it's a valid one at least—if not handled carefully the crystals could drain her dreamotion energy instead and they do not need another reason for Eustace to spiral for his inability to deal with this and putting her in harm's way.

But it's going to be quickly obviously that one crystal is not enough as it instantly flashes and sparkles in bright light, indicating that it's absorbed as much as it can. It will take all four crystals he had on him to finally absorb enough nightmare energy that his arm returns to normal.

However, while the storm clouds have mostly cleared and the electricity has faded to just a harmless buzz, the black ice around them remain and black shadows and mist persist. It's much less thick than before, more like a thin veil that flickers in and out, but it's testament to how close Eustace really had come to becoming a full noctaere.]

[starshower]

[She nods at his warning.]

I know. We got this.

[They always do. As they've proven time and time again, they can overcome anything together, and this time is no different than the other dozens of times they've had to find their way out of trouble. From the forests of Camelot to the dreamscapes here, there's never been a time when they couldn't. So, Tifa offers him her most confident, most reassuring smile as they hold the crystal together.

And when their first crystal is filled to its brim with the magic, she sets it aside and reaches for another, and then the next, and then the next, until all four crystal shards are shimmering with light. Carefully, Tifa places the last one on the ground with the others, and she holds a hand to the side of his face, her thumb tracing an affectionate line over his jaw.]

You feel any different?

[Besides absorbing the nightmare energy, she can't say she fully knows how they work, or if their effects are immediate, but now that the full moon phase has come and they've been able to gather up what they could of it, the air does feel a little less stifling...]

[flamekthunder]

It's...better.

[Which considering where they started from is a good thing. Seeing the number of crystals used and how much he feels remaining, however, concerns him. In fairness he only held onto the smaller crystals to donate larger ones for the team going out as they would need it more. Would larger crystals work better? Could they somehow bring these back to Songerein...?]

It was definitely effective...but not enough.

[He takes another trembling breath before he leans heavily against Tifa, clearly worn out from it all.]

...I'm sorry... I don't think I can move...

[And he knows they need to leave before the new moon phase hits and the cycle repeats.]

[starshower]

[She catches Eustace easily in her arms and allows him to rest all his weight on her, and she wraps herself around him, guiding his head to her shoulder.]

No?

[Tifa could try carrying him back, but even she's still feeling the exhaustion from her earlier efforts with her dreamotion. She tests the waters, carefully slinging his arm around her shoulders and trying to lift, but she hardly gets up onto her knees before she feels them giving out.]

Ugh... I don't think... this is going to work...

[And suddenly, as she deflates back into the flowers, she feels helpless and defeated. The full moon offers them a brief respite, but it's not enough for them to be able to rest and recuperate before they head back, or for her to drag both of them to the temple in time for the next moon shift. Yes, she managed to pull him free from his nightmare, but now they are stuck, and what is there for Tifa to do for him...?

... Why does she keep failing him...

She opens her mouth to apologize, but a rustling in the bamboo startles the words away, and before she can do so much as balling her hands into fists to prepare to strike down whatever it is, a large black wolf unveils itself from the shadows and whines when it sees them.]

Wait, is that...?

[It looks like the mother of that pup they saved earlier.]

[flamekthunder]

[He can feel her frustration, and there's his own for falling for the trap and becoming like this to begin with. He can only blame himself and he wants to say something to her, but the wolf appears before them.

It is indeed the mother and she can quickly understand their predicament. Her ears flatten at all the nightmare energy that still persists, but she just quickly bounds over the ground, avoiding the ice patches before reaching them. She muzzles both of them in reassurance before lowering herself and looking at them.

Come on, hop on.

Eustace can get the idea, but he grimaces as he moves his arms to try and grasp the wolf's neck, feeling as if all his strength has left him.]

[starshower]

[Her eyes blink wide in surprise when the wolf lowers herself. Did she come all the way out here to get them? How did she even know to come and find them in the first place? There isn't much time to question it, because as soon as she sees Eustace struggling to get onto the wolf's back, she helps him, bearing some of his weight on herself until she's sure that he's on safely. Her fingers comb his hair back away from his eyes before she's hopping on behind him where she leans forward with both arms caging him on either side protectively.]

Thank you...

[She murmurs it to the wolf as she buries her face into the back of Eustace's neck, and there's only a small whine in affirmation before she takes off at a steady run, weaving through the bamboo to carry them out of the forest.]

... I'm sorry I couldn't do more.

[flamekthunder]

[It's so strange to be in this kind of position since it's usually reversed, but he's not going to protest as he just uses his remaining strength to hold on. To think not long ago he was the one who was carrying Tifa through...]

Don't be.

[He rests his head against hers, a hand finding hers to hold and thread his fingers through.]

...It was my mistake getting caught like that... And you still helped pull me out of it. That's the hardest part.

[starshower]

[She looses a quiet, contented sigh when she feels his fingers weave between hers, and she gives his hand a light squeeze.]

It wasn't your fault. ... It never is.

[It's not as if he ever has a choice in the matter. Things just always seem to happen to him the way they did today, and she still can't figure out why. Just when she thought their luck had finally changed for the better, this world finds something new to throw at him.]

Did you... see what I think you saw?

[flamekthunder]

[He's silent for several long moments, before he finally answers in a tired voice.]

...Later.

[That's all he'll say.]

[starshower]

[She wishes that he would talk about it with her, but she half expected that he wouldn't... Tifa is hardly ever one to push the subject, so she doesn't, and she only nods in understanding as her head rests against his back. And unless he has anything else to say, she'll remain silent the rest of the way back to the temple. Once she's sure that their conversation is done, the wolf picks up speed until she's breaking off into a sprint to get them back before the next new moon phase comes.

They manage with only a couple of minutes left to spare as the light is already starting to fade again, and when they arrive back, the pup is waiting just inside for them, barking and whining as she brings them up the stairs and into the safety of the temple. She nudges the pup lovingly but moves along, carrying them back to the same room they'd been in before, letting them down on the cushions before leaving to fetch anything they might need for him to heal. This time, however, she urges her pup to leave the two of them alone and carries him off by the scruff of his neck when he puts up a fight.

It's on the cushions where Tifa carefully lays Eustace down, fluffing the pillows up before letting him rest on them. She doesn't lie down, but she sits next to him while she waits to see if the wolf will return with anything for him, as well as waiting for him to talk when he's ready, or sleep, or move his head into her lap if he wishes.

Whatever he wants.]

[flamekthunder]

[Eustace remains silent as they race to the temple, and once back in the room he lets himself be lowered and settled onto the cushions. He's beyond exhausted, his physical and mental limits frayed to the very ends. He can barely stay conscious, and when Tifa is near him he just automatically moves so that his head is on her lap, arms fast around her.

And yet, although he feels so tired he could easily lose consciousness, he doesn't. He doesn't want to. Although he's mostly recovered, whenever he closes his eyes he still sees visages of that nightmare. Of finding Tifa's lifeless body and how real it had felt on that moment. Of how quickly he lost himself, overwhelmed by the surge of emotions that crashed into him, faster than he could rationally notice something was wrong.

Even just the thought makes him tighten his hold around her, face pressed against her abdomen. The only thing that soothes him is the sound of her pulse and her warmth, the touch of her hands. Even should Tifa call to him or try to ask him anything, he won't respond. A part of him really doesn't want her to know the horror he witnessed, to scare her or make her feel responsible somehow. But right now he just really doesn't want to voice it aloud, not ready to recount it.

So he will remain silent, his body still strangely cold even as the wolf returns. She will bring in a larger crystal that will be able to absorb most of the nightmare energy still lingering, and then flowers and honey to finish the treatment. The wolf can only stare at Eustace in concern before she turns away, leaving them to themselves.]

[starshower]

[Tifa lets him rest, adjusting her legs so that his head can comfortably rest in her lap. She comforts him with gentle strokes of her fingers through his hair and over his ears, and small little hums whenever his hold tightens around her. She wonders what he's thinking about each time it does, but she doesn't ask, instead keeping the silence so that he can rest and offering him a comforting squeeze on his arm or his shoulder to reassure him that she's still there.

When the wolf returns with the crystal and a new jar of honey left right at their side within easy reach, Tifa offers her a quiet nod in thanks and waits for her to leave before she leans over Eustace, brushing his fringe back so that she can see his face. She gives it a few more moments before her voice finally prods him, gently...]

Hey. Are you awake?