songerein | { Moon's Haunted }

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{ Moon's Haunted }

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Tifa had expected him to take it for himself, so she does jolt with surprise when he swipes the honey over her lips instead, and it only turns her cheeks pinker as she purses her lips, her tongue subtly sweeping up that little dab of it, and her brows arch when the flavours settle in.]

... Got a little bit of a flowery taste to it, but it's sweeter than I thought.

[Even still, she's much too embarrassed to look at Eustace now, and instead moves her eyes to the door as if to make sure they have no visitors, but it's been shut tight the whole time they've been in there.

So, once the coast is clear, it's her turn to dab her finger into the honey, scooping up a small glob of it, but...

Now that she has it, she looks unsure of what she wants to do...]

[He just smirks a little as he watches her, that blush and embarrassment exactly what he was aiming for. And once she's gathered some honey and hesitates....

He answers for her by taking her hand to bring to his lips, slowly licking off the honey with his tongue.]

...Yeah. It's sweet.

[Said with his eyes locked on hers.]

Ah—!

[It's only the tiniest squeak of surprise when she feels his lips take the end of her finger, and he'll feel her tense in her hand, like she's about to pull back, but the moment her eyes lock onto his, she's frozen, and she watches, almost as if she's stuck in an odd stupor, a spell under his gaze, as he takes the honey from her...

He always does this, but...]

We shouldn't be, um... doing this here...

[What if someone walks in! And yet, she hasn't pulled her hand away from him.]

...Just a little bit.

[His lips brush against her skin, taking in more of that honey before his teeth lightly nips her.]

...You're what I need right now.

[While there are certainly suggestive undertones in his words and actions...given what he just went through Tifa really is what he wants right now. Not physically, but just her very presence, her warmth, and seeing her reacting like she is. All parts of her that again proves that the hand he's holding and teasing is real. That the flush of her cheeks is her blood flowing through a racing, beating, living heart. The heat radiating off her skin as opposed to that deathly chill.]

[He always has a way of making her self-restraint crumble. And while she'll remain vigilant against those suggestive and incredibly alluring hints in his words and even in the rumble of his voice, Tifa understands what he means. It reaches so much deeper than that physical connection they share. She still has no idea what he saw out there in the forest, but she doesn't need to know to realize what he needs from her now.

After everything that's happened today, all she really wants is to be near him, too.]

Then you can have me...

[Although he always has.

Her words are as tender as the kiss she offers him. She leans over to press her lips to his, and she can taste the sweetness of the honey on them. Already, she can feel her heart racing for him, a thrill jolting through her that feels like it reawakens every single nerve in her body and chases away all the heaviness she's been carrying around with her today.

She lays down on the cushions fully again, and just like before, she takes his unhoneyed hand and lifts it to her chest, where he'll feel her heartbeat sending her blood and her life roaring through her veins. Beating for him. It's a silent reassurance that everything is okay... That whatever he fears, it's over, and they got through today just like they do every other day.]

[At first his eyes close in sweet bliss at her kiss, feeling that tender warmth and love rippling from their lips down to his chest where it helps soothe his still aching heart. He hadn't lied when he told her his condition had improved, but it would take a lot more time for him to really fully heal from the emotional trauma he went through, one that dug deep into one of his deepest fears and weaknesses. One he had tried most of his life to guard against only to have it ripped out to remind him that no—it's still there. And now he has someone important inhabiting that small, vulnerable space.

Yet, regardless how terrifying it can be, he wouldn't change it. He had already lived most of his life with his heart sealed off and in isolation. Now he's able to live this life filled with love, joy, happiness—peace. That's everything Tifa and all his friends and connections have given him.

So when she lies back down, his hand over her chest, he can stare down with warm fondness, knowing what she's trying to do. Knowing she's trying to reassure him that she's still here safe, alive. How strong her heart beats beneath his hand—for him. How precious it is, how much he treasures it.

Leaning over a little closer to her, a soft gaze in his eyes, he reaches out with his other hand—the one that's now bare with his sleeve and glove still gone—to lightly caress her face, wanting to once more trace those beautiful lines and curves. Yet just as his fingertips brush against her skin, instead of warmth he feels a strange chill and the hand he sees is not his own but of that cursed claw that had once dug into her flesh. And Tifa...

It's all just a brief hallucination, like a series of static filtered memories that flash before his eyes before it corrects itself. There's no change to his hand, it's all in his mind. Even though he knows that Tifa is alive, in that moment he could only see her lying on the ground, cold, lifeless, bloody, torn apart—and eventually disappearing from his helpless grasp.

Immediately the air around them chills, the flowers that had started to bloom like they usually do around them slowly frosting over as he stares down at her wide-eyed, his breathing quickening as his fingers over her chest suddenly curl in, digging in as he tries to fight off that ripple of terror and anguish that threatens to overwhelm him. A part of him realizes what he's seeing isn't real, telling himself that he can feel her heart right there. But another part, that part still affected by the nightmare energy that still lingers around him is recalling that terrible moment and twists the sensation to it stopping cold. That moment he thought he found her lying so still on the ground like this, how his heart seemed to stop, how he couldn't breathe— ]

[She can see the shift as it happens. She can feel it in every muscle of his body—how he tenses up and how his fingers grasp at her chest where, only seconds before, he'd felt her heart beating. She can see the light leave his eyes and that shadow of fear flickering over his face. Where there was once a tender, loving warmth, it's now filled with a chill that scares away the sweet scent of the star flowers as their petals begin to dim and wither.

Even with all those crystals and the honey, was it really not enough? What exactly did he see out there, and is there more going on than Tifa even knows about...?

She can feel her heart sink, and her own breathing stops as she stares up at him, wondering where that softness in his gaze has gone. Why it still isn't enough to keep the nightmares at bay long enough for them to at least have a moment of peace... She wishes that she could see what he's seeing, feel what he's feeling if only so that she can understand him better, and how to help him through it, but all she can truly do is hold him, and wait for it all to be over.]

Eustace...

[Her hand clasps tight over his at her chest, taking it in hers, while the other brings his head down until he's resting it in the crook of her neck where she'll hold him like she intends to never let him go again. Tifa turns so that she can face him, so that they can curl up together in each other's warmth, and if he'll allow it, she urges Eustace to look at her.]

Eustace, please... talk to me...

[Tifa's voice is heavy, shaky and laced with fear that she tries to steady. She knows it will be hard for him to talk about it, but how else can she help him if she doesn't know...?]

[He gasps when she moves and reaches out to him, the warmth of her breathing, living body chasing away the horror that plagues him. It's frustrating to still be caught between reality and nightmare, of knowing that by now it's all in his head and he shouldn't be letting it get to him. And it's frustrating as it's becoming more of a sign that his will and resolve is weakening, his mental strength becoming more vulnerable than it should.

He had always prided in himself in being able to remain clear minded, the steady rock that can keep even the most reckless in line. But if he can't even control himself and his own thoughts, then how can he maintain that position? How can he continue be strong enough to protect what he lives? Who he loves?

And when Tifa pleads for him to speak up, Eustace can only answer with a shaky breath before pursing his lips, his grip on her hand tightening as he can't bring himself to look at her. As if afraid he'll once again see that terrible image instead of her beautiful face. Again he knows he's being irrational, but perhaps at this stage it can't be helped.

After all, this isn't just baseless imagination.

He had already seen it before. Twice.

One near death. The second in his arms by his own hand.

It's not something that anyone can easily forget, if ever.

Feeling a strange burn in his eyes, he closes them tightly as he presses his face against the crook of her neck, desperately feeling and her pulse.]

...I can't.

[His voice, usually so strong and steady, so reliable, is quiet and hoarse. Frail. Vulnerable.

How can be tell her? How can he tell her without making her upset? Without making her worry and fret and in turn risk her safety? It all only makes him cling to her that much tighter.]

[It breaks her heart seeing him like this. Having to watch the man who had been her rock, her steady, calm pillar of strength who had held her when she needed someone, who wiped away her tears when she cried them away, be brought to heel by mere imaginings shatters the ground she tries to stand on. He deserves better than this—he did nothing to earn the ire of this world's magic, so why...?

When he clings onto her tighter, she allows him, her own arms wrapping so tight around him that she's afraid she might squeeze the air out of his lungs, but she doesn't know what else to do. She thought that it had been over, at least for the time being, but if Tifa, with the help of the crystals and the honey and whatever other magic is available to them, can't do anything about them, then what else is there...?

Her fingers brush through his hair and she holds him fast against her as his voice crackles and breaks into her neck, and her legs thread through his in an attempt to breach whatever space is remaining until there is none left for these nightmares to fill.]

Yes, you can.

[Tifa's lips are right at his ears, her voice a tender but firm whisper in them.]

I know that you're stronger than whatever this is, so please... I want to help you.

[Again he feels himself breaking yet struggling to keep it together. And despite his best efforts, it becomes too much.]

...You were dead.

[The words choke out of his mouth, the memories of that moment returning but he tries to not lose himself to it.]

I was on my way out when I saw your body lying on the ground...

[And there's the explanation of why he didn't make out of the forest in time.]

You... Your body...

[His body seizes at the memory, of how his heart stopped at the sight, the way everything seemed to stand still, all sounds muted and replaced by a high pitched ringing broken only by his desperate scream. A part of him should have known the truth, that it wasn't real, and perhaps it did. But with it being so close to the shift and all the previous nightmare energy built up, the worst took hold instead, chasing away his ability to reason.]

It was all the same as... [He can't say it, it's too difficult for him. But she should already understand.] It all came flooding back and I couldn't do anything.

[His grip tightens as the tears he had been desperately trying to hold back break free.]

I was too late... ...I couldn't save you.

["You were dead."

The words shake her down to the furthest reaches of her soul... not because it's a surprise, but because it's just as Tifa thought. When she found him cowering over the ground beneath the storm clouds, when his cries drowned out the sounds of the rolling thunder, and when her fingers reached out to those silvery scales that had spread across his hand, she knew what he had seen.

Yet, even if she had fully prepared herself for it, it still strikes fear within her too. Not for her own safety or life, but for his. She's never dealt with this first-hand before—she doesn't know how much more of this Eustace can handle, or how much it will take before something even worse strikes him. Something worse than these hallucinations and nightmares... Something that neither of them will be able to stop. Tifa has heard the stories.

But she won't allow that fear to cripple her—she can't. The moment that she does, Eustace loses. If she can't keep the pieces of herself together, then how is she supposed to help him?

If she could just find a way to shoulder some of this burden for him...

When his tears fall free, it shakes Tifa out of those dark thoughts, and if she could hold him any tighter than she already is, she will.]

It isn't too late. I'm right here... [she reassures him in a whisper, her own voice starting to crack a little more as she tries to fight that ache in her chest and burning in her eyes, and she buries her face into his hair to hide it all.] You have saved me... more times than I can count. Remember...?

I know... I know, but—

[His words come out through clenched teeth as he holds her close, almost crushing her with his strength. As if any less would risk her disappearing from his grasp.]

It's already happened once...!

[Normally if he makes mistake he just takes it and learns from it to never happen again. Yet he can't apply the same thing here. Not when time and again something out of his control takes over. Of course does still do everything he can to prevent it and normally he doesn't dwell on it, focusing on moving forward. But when times like these strike, they strike hard and rattle him.]

And it won't happen again.

[Her response is firm and immediate, giving him no room to finish the thought even if he wanted to. While she can't promise him that she knows it for sure, she does have faith that whatever happens next, they can weather it together, just like they always do, and she wishes that she could somehow instill that same faith into him as well.

But Tifa also knows that it isn't going to be easy. That these nightmares and these fears have somehow managed to root themselves so deep within him that simply reaching in and reassuring them away isn't going to work. It's going to take some work, but it's work that Tifa is willing to do. That she wants to do, if it means helping him. Still, it hurts, not knowing what the right things to say are. She wants to help, but she feels helpless...

She hates seeing him like this, and her own grip tightens on him in kind—so tight that she's sure their bodies might mold together if they stay like this.]

... What can we do to make this stop?

[Just a shake of his head with an aggravated sigh.]

I don't know.

[That's the other infuriating part. He knows that this will never go away, that he'll be carrying this fear for the rest of his life. But it's one thing to have it as a little reminder to improve himself and another to have it bring him to his knees.

Slowly he lifts his head so that he can look at her, his eyes so withdrawn and helpless.]

...Tifa...

[Even just saying her name makes his voice tremble and he tries to steady himself.]

...I love you. More than I might fully realize. I know one day you'll return to your world and I'm made my peace with that. But losing you like...

[Another shuddering sigh as he can't bring himself to repeat it again.]

The chances are slim here...I'll make sure of it. But the number of times something has taken control over me, affected me in some way I couldn't stop...

[Hell, it goes all the way back to Halloween. From being a vampire, his memory loss, the nightmares, Shakespeare, the Bleeding Heart. What happened in the bamboo forest. What if he didn't recognize her form? He had initially seen the others as something else, what if he had done the same and attacked her? Or what if she hadn't found him in time and he had completely changed? Would he recognize her or attack her? Even back there he had been afraid that he would lose it right then and there and hurt her. It's all hypothetical...yet grounded in fearsome precedent. And as someone who always, always tries to prepare for every possibility to minimize damage, this problem has haunted him with no real good solution. Not yet at least.

And every time they think things are okay, it rears its ugly head, as if a forceful reminder that hey, don't forget; can't have that precious peace and quiet just yet.]

Is the same number of times we've beaten those things.

[Tifa knows it isn't much of a comfort because she's sure he's thinking more about how they happened in the first place, but she does take a little in remembering that no matter how many times this place has tried to throw them for a loop, they always overcome it. And she believes, with utmost conviction, that they can overcome this, too.

That Eustace can.

Her hand gently brushes back his hair, her eyes studying every crinkle of his brow, every tear glistening in his eyes, every twitch of his lip, searching for any flicker of the emotions that are tiding between them right now. He looks so broken and battered, more helpless than she's ever seen him. That calm, collected, gentle man that she grew to love so quickly... he's been tattered and torn apart, his very existence frayed at its edges and still, he's here before her, continuing to fight. The sight makes her choke back a sob, and then another when his words reach her, and her own lip trembles as she bites down on it.

A small stretch of silence follows while Tifa thinks back. All of those times when they've gone to war with the magic of this place, she remembers that there had been a better thing to come out of them all. His memory loss, the Bleeding Heart, Shakespeare, and even those times in Camelot. All of them had brought them one step closer to one another—had pushed them over those lines they drew between themselves and danced around for far too long. When they were afraid to take that leap, the world had done it for them.

It was scary at the time, but with each one, they came to understand the other better, and Tifa would like to think that in all of the darkness, there was still a light at the end of the tunnel. A light that should be cherished.

Those star flowers that had started to wither away are now budding and waiting to bloom again. She plucks one from between the cushions and holds it between them, twirling it between her fingers. Its petals quiver but it doesn't blossom yet, but as she watches the glow peek out from between them, Tifa realizes something.]

I love you too, Eustace. I can't even begin to tell you how much that sometimes it scares me...

[The flowers are proof that what they feel for each other is so much stronger than the things that are eating away at him... That even as they try to drain the life from them, they can still grow back as big, bright, and beautiful as before.

Her next words come a little slower as she chooses them carefully.]

I know it's hard, but you need to stop being afraid of it. Embrace it. Use it to fight against whatever this is...

[That wish to protect and keep her safe... to love and cherish and treasure her and what they have... Is it so much that that is what's been frightening him...?]

[His eyes shake a little as he hears those words.

He knows he's afraid of hurting her, of losing her, of not being able to protect her. But...is he afraid of loving her? A relic of his past when he closed himself off, afraid of being hurt again? Is...is that what's hindering him?

He didn't consider it as he been wanting and felt ready to embrace everything that their relationship would pertain, but perhaps a part of his subconscious is still afraid of loving too much because of the grief he might suffer again. Briefly he recalls the nightmare of seeing the wasteland of his home, the loss of his family. How much that pain had haunted him before he finally closed himself off.

...Could all of this stem from that?

Several seconds pass in silence as he just...breathes, thoughts swirling in his mind before he eventually closes his eyes and rests his forehead against hers.]

...You're right. I didn't even think of it that way...

[She affords him all the time in the world he needs, and Tifa patiently watches, almost in a revered trance, as the thoughts flash deep in his gaze. She isn't even sure if that's what it is, or if she fully understands what he's going through or what she meant, but these nightmares and the fears he has of losing her... It sounds all too familiar because she's terrified of the same. She remembers what it felt like to hear he'd been hurt, and she hadn't been there to protect him...

When his forehead comes to rest on hers, she closes her eyes, and a trembling breath flutters past her lips.]

I don't know if that's true, but I don't like what it's doing. It keeps twisting memories and uses them against you...

[Whatever force this is, it invokes the negative feelings associated with what he feels for her, and then feeds on those fears. It's a vicious cycle...]

You can't always be afraid of hurting me, Eustace. You never could.

[If only because she knows and trusts him that he would never mean to, even if he did, and this only cements that further.

She brings his hand to her heart again, and it's beating faster. Stronger.]

Anytime you feel afraid, try to think of why that is.

[He can only sigh, still uncertain of everything....but what he does know is that she's helping to ground him back. He'll always have his doubts, but hearing her have so much faith in him... It helps. It also adds a bit more pressure, but in the end it does help.

...Still, he can't help but feel a bit guilty, too.]

...I'm sorry you have to deal with this.

[Always having to help pull him out of these strenuous situations. He just wants to give her happiness...not this.]

[Between them, the flower begins to bloom, its blue petals full and bright, the scent of it fresh as it opens up and washes its blue glow over them. And Tifa can't help the faint, if not slightly saddened smile when it does.

It's like it knows somehow.

Her look and her voice turns a touch scornful, but in that tender, loving way as she offers it to him.]

Don't apologize. I'm not dealing with anything.

[She doesn't see it like that. She wants to help in any way she can, though she's not quite sure what that way is yet beyond gentle caresses and platitudes. They are far from empty, but words can only do so much, she thinks.

After another moment of gazing at him, she leans in for a kiss. This one is more tentative than the others. Does it help? Or does it only make it worse...? And against his lips, she whispers.]

And I'm not going anywhere, you know.

Edited 2022-06-29 04:53 (UTC)

[He watches the way the flower blooms, how that blue glow washes over them. It's warm and comforting, yet at the same time bittersweet. He knows full well how Tifa feels for him, would do anything to help him just as he would for her. Maybe that's another thing he's afraid—that she gets hurt in trying to help him. And when she kisses him, his eyes close, her affection gentle and sweet.]

...I know.

[In his mind he knows. In his heart...it also knows yet it still holds that fear no matter how many times he's tried to rid it or lock it away.

He quietly repeats those words—"I know"—before returning her kiss, so light and soft, as if almost afraid to push further. But he does, a hand sliding over her cheek, fingers threading through her hair as it goes to cup the back of her head as he pulls her in, arm wrapped around her tight.

Whenever this dream ends, he will do this all over again—reach out to her and hold on like a lifeline.]

[Even if one of them were to leave tomorrow, she's sure that they've imprinted one another so deep into their hearts that they could never truly be gone. Eustace's stories of his dreams when he'd gone back is proof that no matter how many universes span between them, Tifa would always be there... maybe even trying to find a way to guide him back to her. She wonders then, if it will be the same for her if she were ever sent home...

Not that she wants to think about that right now. Especially so when he returns the kisses and renders her speechless and without breath, as if he's just taken all the air out of her for himself, and she's willingly given it all.

She loves him, more than she is ever truly able to comprehend, and she wants nothing more than to protect him and this thing that they have built together. But the way that this hurts him—scares him, she doesn't know what that's like. It's a terrifying feeling, yes, to be so overwhelmed by one's emotions, but this is different... Tifa doesn't know what this is, but it's not a happy, thrilling sort of frightful, and she wants to make it go away...

Even if she can't make it go away forever, she'll try for at least a little while...

As they lie there together, wrapped up in each other's warmth and the flower laying between them, she parts from him just long enough to breathe.]

... When can we go back...?

...Hopefully soon.

[He buries his face against her neck, her scent among the flowers soothing.]

[She lays a tender kiss on the side of his head where she can reach.]

I don't think you should go back out there...

[If he was planning on doing so, it's probably not going to be the best idea. Tifa knows how much he always wants to help, but sometimes, even the strongest like him will reach their limit...]

[He's silent a moment before there's a small laugh.]

You know me too well.

[He had indeed considered going out there to get this done and over with.]

...But I can recognize when I'm not in good condition and would be more of a liability than help. I trust the others will managed.

[He doesn't know who all will be involved, but there a lot of capable people. He believes it will be fine.]

[She curls up a little tighter with him, a giggle buried into his hair.]

I know.

[She's the same—she'd go back out there the moment she was feeling rested, and she did, but she's not about to leave him alone here.]

Everyone else'll manage things just fine without us. I think you've earned a little bit of rest.

[Tifa only wishes that she could take him back home so that he can get a proper one in his—no, their own bed. Which is silly to think about because that's where they actually are and this is just a dream, but they need to get away from here.]

Think if I wished hard enough, I could wake us both up?

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flamekthunder - 2022-06-29 14:54 (UTC) - Expand

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