[OPEN] Another Day, Another Week, Another Month, Another Year...

[lonelysmiles]

Who: Alastor and you
Which: Interactive Dream, OPEN
Where: A warped version of Reverein that looks like Hell and Reverein have merged together.
What: Alastor has a legitimate nightmare for the first time since arriving, and it’s of a version of Reverein where him going noctaere led to him becoming as much of a social pariah as he is in Hell.
Warnings: It’s Alastor, and he’s not having a very good night’s sleep.


Reverein sat quietly beneath the glowing red pentagram that turned the sky purple. Demons, fairies, and others went about their business, going in and out of shops, sometimes pausing to chat on the streets. However, there was a nervous tension that buzzed in the air whenever the breeze caught the edge of one of many posters put up around town, prompting some people to glance at the sketch of a terrifying demon with wicked antlers, terrible claws, and a horrifying fanged smile.

BEWARE!!!!!! HIM!! THE RADIO DEMON!!

Wandering into the Residential District, there eventually came a sudden abandoned gap of treehouses and apartment buildings. Things had become overgrown, all of it leading up to a blackened tree that seemed to be slowly scaling a radio tower.

Anyone who attempted the front door would find it unlocked. Not at all surprising given nobody wanted to come anywhere near the occupant or anywhere he might haunt. The door opened to a black void so cold that it froze the very soul, the emptiness stretching into eternity.

And somewhere inside was Alastor.

But Things lurked in the endless dark, patches of blackness darker than the rest of the darkness that moved out of the corner of one’s eye and watched with unseen, unblinking gazes.

Dare you risk it and rouse the tormented dreamer? Or will you move on to the next person’s dream and leave the demon to his demons?

Comments

[lonelysmiles]

Alastor's frost-laden ears twitched somewhere in the dark. He heard her despite the dampening effect of the void.

Why was she here? Had someone pushed her to do so, hoping to catch a glimpse of Alastor's disappointment when she ran away, too?

The void was Their home, not his. He had no right to invite her in after They had been kind enough to give him a place to rest and let himself go numb before facing the world again with his usual cheery smile that sent others packing.

And yet...

The door opened a crack of its own volition. Foolish man. He should know better...

[lethechained]

Perhaps she'd become accustomed to his talent for hearing her, for knowing she was there - it would have seemed stranger to find no response at all, in light of the fact this was his dream. The lack of a verbal reply, though, was cause enough for her to hesitate as the door opened a fraction. Lips parting, the lass tilted her head, eyeing the gap for a moment. Some might have taken that as a cue to reach for the handle themselves, but instead - after a moment, the blonde edged to one side, gaze searching as she tried to peer through the opening into what lay beyond.

"Hello...?" Her voice was softer, now, gentler; it happened unconsciously as the silence gave her cause to question what emotional state he might be in, nightmare as this was. Eyes still searching, she tried a careful, "... May I come in?"

[lonelysmiles]

What lay beyond was the void.

Darkness so absolute that it swallowed the light filled the treehouse and went on into eternity. And it was bitter cold, cold enough to freeze the soul.

From somewhere in that darkness, unseen eyes regarded her curiously.

[lethechained]

Even a glance inside, coupled with the cold seeping through the gap in the door, was enough to make her feathered wings puff and tuck in, her shoulders jumping in an abrupt shiver. All at the same time, Naminé was both more convinced and more worried to believe that Alastor was inside there, somewhere in the void. Why else would this place be so different entirely from how it was in the real world? Having visited it before, she knew the view she ought to have seen from here of a cozy little home, but now, she couldn't even make out the floor.

Drawing back, the girl hesitated. Not because there was ever any doubt that she'd step inside, but because she had to consider the best way to do so. Soon enough and despite any misgivings, she took a deep breath and reached out to grasp the door and pull it open, shifting as she did toward the center of its frame. The chill was quick to seep into one's bones, and she grew still for a moment as it washed over her, her eyes squinting momentarily shut.

"I'm coming in," she informed the darkness, in the absence of a proper invitation. Still, she gentled it with a quieter, "I hope that's alright."

But to do so unprepared seemed unwise. Lifting her free hand, she glanced at it a moment with curled fingers, then flicked them out. Provided this dream still allowed her her magic, a lingering ball of Fire would be quick to spring to life above her palm. (Still, she had the feeling that even what warmth and light it provided would do her little good.)

[lonelysmiles]

The heat and light of the flame didn't travel far.

The Owners of the eyes were displeased by the intrusion of the flame, but it was so small that They allowed it. For now.

Namine would be able to walk for quite some time, the entrance disappearing into the dark. She would see dark shapes darker than the rest of the dark in her peripheral vision, only the barest hints of What lurked in the void.

But eventually she would come upon Alastor, curled up on an unseen cushion with his smile hidden behind his crossed arms. A thick layer of frost from the cold coated him. However, not even the frost could obscure the shadow collar with glowing red eldritch symbols around his neck and matching manacles on his wrists and ankles. All were bound with shadowy chains that disappeared into the void.

[lethechained]

After waiting a beat for any sign of resistance to her presence, Naminé drew in a deep breath and stepped forward into the darkness.

Her footsteps were careful, given how hard it was to see where she was placing her feet. Or-- anything, for that matter, especially when her occasional glances back at the door informed her that it was no longer in sight. This place went far beyond the limits of the physical space, that much was clear, but Naminé pressed on.

And... she wasn't alone, was she? It disconcerted her at first, realizing as much - aside from spotting the shapes in the dark, she did have certain talents that made her more aware of the presence of other creatures. But when no move was made to harm or even acknowledge her, Naminé elected to suppose that perhaps they were just more friends of Alastor's. Testing that theory, though, could have been imprudent, and so she kept her head down, holding her tongue other than one soft, polite, "... Pardon me."

By the time she neared her goal, Naminé was already shivering from head to toe, chilled to the bone by the cold of the atmosphere in the void. One hand still stubbornly held to the flame, but it warmed no more than her palm, if that, and her other arm tucked to her midsection did her no service, either. But all of that was easy enough to forget when the flickering, short-reaching light of her magic finally revealed a recognizable figure, prompting the blonde to suck in a startled breath and hurry forward.

"Alastor!" she called, the flame flickering as her concentration on it lapsed; only seeing the light on him start to fade reminded her not to lose hold of it. Cold as she was, she nearly tripped into a kneel not far beyond his closed arms, her free hand dropping to steady her after a heavier landing than she'd intended. "There you are...!"

[lonelysmiles]

Alastor's ears twitched, knocking some of the frost loose, as he opened his eyes. he forced a small smile onto his face as he lifted his head.

"Miss Namine, you came all this way?"

Then he noticed her shivering, forcing himself to his feet and removing his coat to wrap it around her shoulders. It wasn't much. It was ninety years old and well-worn, the edges a bit tattered. It was probably too long for her.

"This is no place for you, dear. We should get you out of here."

[lethechained]

Although it was a relief to see him move at all - with the layer of frost she'd be half afraid he couldn't - she might have been taken aback by his phrasing if she had the room left in her mind between all the worry. "Of course...! I've been looking for you."

Which seemed to leave her no other options, as far as where he might turn up. Her eyes were on the chains at first, still trying to make sense of them, but her brows jumped as he began to remove his coat despite the chill. It was too large for her indeed; she might as well have worn it as a dress, small as she was. Though her mouth opened to protest, she never quite got it out, and shook her head instead as she tried to process this situation.

"Me?" Her tone was colored with disbelief; she shook her head a second time, more broadly than before. "Alastor, you must be freezing...!" He was, after all, very literally covered in ice. "How long have you been in here?"

[lonelysmiles]

"I'm not sure," Alastor admitted as he started guiding her through the dark. His steps weren't as spritely as normal, frozen joints wanting to settle back into their previous positions. "It's not so easy to tell time here. Could've been a few minutes, a few hours, or even a few weeks. It's almost like time travel. You exit and it's 'such-and-such amount of time down...an eternity left to go'."

[lethechained]

'Not sure--?' the lass echoed, naturally beginning to trail along with him. Despite her earlier caution, she was less preoccupied now with where to put her feet, and kept her worried face craned up toward Alastor as they walked, one hand still clinging to her flickering flame and the other clutching the coat closed at her chest. (She would have tried to give it back, but she suspected she knew what his response would be.) Her quiet distress only became more pronounced as she watched how stiffly he moved, listened to the casual description of a broad spread of potential timelines. Weeks, even.

"But-- why?" His chains were obvious enough, yet their source, the reason for their existence... Well, Hell was all about punishment, and yet it had sounded like he'd always wandered free in it before. So of course she had to wonder, "Did someone put you here?"

[lonelysmiles]

"The only one who put me here is me." He paused. "Oh how did I put it to Miss Zelda? It was rather poetic. I was quite proud of that particular ad lib."

He paused as he tapped a finger against his chin in thought.

"Ah, yes. I remember: 'As a performer, I crave the attention of others but sometimes it's good to take a step backstage and take a break from the show.'"

Alastor started walking again, giving a hollow chuckle.

"And this is a show that never truly ends."

[lethechained]

"You?" Naminé echoed the word quietly, brow furrowed, though she held her tongue through his pause and the rest, listening intently as she tried her best to understand. The words themselves were sensible enough, perhaps; she of all people knew what it was like to need time alone, away from the presence of others. Still, despite her willingness to follow along at his side, the lass did not appear wholly convinced.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," she admitted, "but..." Turning her head slightly, the blonde peered into the flickering dark at what she could make out of of the chains that clung to him. "If that's the case, then why do you need those?"

[lonelysmiles]

"They're reminders."

Reminders of what he didn't want to go into detail. He was just as much a prisoner of Hell as every other demon...just most demons seemed to forget that.

[lethechained]

Looking up at him, Naminé's expression suggested she had expected to hear some example of what, exactly, the chains were reminders of. When one wasn't forthcoming, at first she opened her mouth to inquire, then decided against it before actually speaking a word.

Flattening her lips together a moment, she hesitated. Then, a little softer and more cautious than before, "And the cold?"

[lonelysmiles]

"It's always cold in the shadows, my dear. It's why you seek out the shade on a hot summer's day."

He rubbed idly at one arm.

"If nothing else, it makes a good contrast to the flames of Hell."

[lethechained]

He had a lot of excuses to deflect with, didn't he? Although she couldn't deny them entirely (and offered a somewhat reluctant nod) Naminé wasn't convinced, either. As much as she believed in Alastor to take of himself, she had no illusions about the more... self-deprecating aspects of his nature. Studying him from the tops of her eyes, she was quiet for an even longer beat this time around.

"Then..." She had to ask, whether she'd believe the answer or not-- "Are you happy here?"

[lonelysmiles]

Alastor was a walking, talking contradiction, that was for sure.

He stopped at her question.

"I make do with the venue. After all, the show must go on."

He forced himself to brighten up as he reached out.

"And speaking of a show, it's about time we get back onstage, hmm?"

[lethechained]

Pausing along with Alastor, Naminé's expression was serious as she craned her neck to peer up at him. 'That means the answer is 'no', doesn't it?' she almost asked, but her parted lips stopped as he reached out to instead flatten back into a concerned purse.

Her look between that hand and his face made no secret of her worry - and yet acceding seemed like the choice most likely to bring about the desired result. So if that palm was meant for her, of course she'd reach out to take it with her careful, "I think so, too."

If it meant potentially getting him out of the cold and frozen dark, it was certainly worth going along with the charade.

[lonelysmiles]

"I'm fine, dearest," he told her softly in response to her obvious concern. "Nothing I'm not used to. Or at least wasn't used to. Perhaps Reverein did make me a bit soft before."

He gave a chuckle, still smiling, even though she'd likely figured out that it was just an act in the end. At least she left him that amount of dignity.

[lethechained]

Before, he said. Perhaps, then, this place really was meant to represent some altered version of Hell, rather than their current home - and given her own experience with her previous nightmare, it was just as likely that he didn't remember he yet remained in Reverein. Puffing slightly as she came to the realization, Naminé hesitated.

"Is it alright if... I want you to be more than that?" Better than fine, that was. Carefully, she brought over her other hand to grasp his as well, hoping to clasp it between both palms. Would dreamotion still work in the same way here? It was worth a try; focusing on the gratitude, the affection toward her companion that she could feel lingering in her chest, she sought to use it to warm her hands, whether by a small amount or a more substantial one. "Maybe there isn't much I can do to change your situation, but - as long as I'm here too, I want to help you how I can. Even if you're only a little more comfortable, it's worth it to me to try."

[lonelysmiles]

Alastor looked down at his terrible claws clasped in her far-smaller hands. It would be so easy to rend and tear through her.

"...If it becomes common knowledge you're an associate of mine, our neighbors will give you the same wide berth as me."

And as much as he wanted her to make that sacrifice, he needed to take his lumps. He'd earned the punishment, not her.

[lethechained]

Fragility was a palpable aspect of her nature, it was true; her fingers were small and pale and trembling from the cold, completely devoid of any of the natural defenses - natural weapons - that his boasted. But her gaze was resolute, her grasp unhesitating despite its gentleness. At his words, she didn't spare a moment before shaking her head.

"I'm not afraid." To be alone again... well, then they'd be alone together, right? And that was a far sight better than being alone all by herself. That was a past which she had no desire to revisit, but, "It wouldn't be any worse than the way things were before. Besides - there must be someone else who knows you better than that...! You've looked after so many people, like you have me."

So surely she couldn't be the only one to still speak to him, right?

[lonelysmiles]

She truly was a sweet little belle. And if anybody harmed her, he would slaughter them in a heartbeat.

His expression softened as they stepped out into the sunlight. Reverein had become basically another form of Hell to him, but perhaps it wouldn't be completely unbearable.

"Just know, sweetheart, that if you ever change your mind, I won't hold you back."

[lethechained]

The cold, at least, Naminé was happy to leave behind. Exhaling slowly as they moved out into the brightness of the outside, she blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted. Still, when she lifted her face toward Alastor, her features were fond.

"I know," she told him - because she'd never doubted that. "That's why I'm sure - that this is the right choice."

They'd already agreed he'd try not to worry her, so in the end, wasn't she just helping him keep his promise?