☁ 001 | Under an Endless Sky

[azuresong]

Who: Lyria and YOU
Which: ( Opened ) Passive + Interactive Dream
What: Lyria is experiencing a dream she's had many, many times before.
Warnings: Dark themes including slight mention of torture and imprisonment.



** [ OOC Note: Anyone is welcomed to interact with either parts of the dream, be it the passive or interactive! Should you choose to be apart of the interactive, you will have the option of appearing as your younger self or remaining the same. That is entirely up to the player! ]

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The sound of arguing opens the dream. At first there is muttering coming from an echoing room, and as the vision clears, the scene opens to a vast building of looming towers and dark infrastructure. The voices seem to be getting louder— more demanding.

Three figures stand prominent here, along with a line of soldiers blocking the entrance and exit. The man standing in the room overlooks it from above on a large pedestal, while a woman, her face hard, stands at his side.

"Go on, do it again."

"Stop this, Captain Pommern, she's had enough—!"

"—I said again!"

There is a flash of light from the man's hand, and a young girl screams from below, barreling over and cradling something at her chest. There is a sudden commotion of armor clattering, but eventually the noise goes quiet when Pommern raises his hand above his head, threatening to activate what appears to be a floating crystal cased within a tube. "This is for the Empire, lest you forget! We need these powers! Now, if you please..."

The girl on the ground hesitates, but wordlessly struggles to her knees. She turns her attention to the woman above, who only nods slowly yet solemnly. A frown appears, but eventually with the reluctant coaxing, the small girl will begin to close her eyes.

Suddenly a bright, omnipresent light suddenly glows from her chest, nearly encapsulating the previously dark room. The image of the girl is shown clearly now, as long blue hair appears mangled and unkept at her sides. She seems shuts her eyes tighter, extending her arms out in front of her, and through her sobs she mutters:

"Come forth and grant your power to me... Ifrit!"

The ground beneath her quakes, and as the light begins to dissipate, a large flaming beast appears at its center. Its chest bellowing with fires only to let out a hideous roar that shakes the entire room.

Lyria is seen to be struggling for control underneath, her hands trembling and eyes fluttering with a fresh new layer of tears. Eventually, exhaustion gives in completely just as the flames of Ifrit begin to lash out onto the floors and ceiling. The summon's body flickers with her consciousness dwindling, and soon completely fades out of existence as her body tumbles to the ground once again.

"Huh!? That was it!? Wake her up, we aren't done here!"

"Lyria? Lyria...!!"

And slowly... everything becomes dark.

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[ Darkness.

A cold, barely lightless room greets you as you step into this dream. Glancing around you quickly discover there is nothing to this place; no doors, no furnishing cept a small cot lying on the floor, and only a small square cut out from the ceiling with the night sky in full display.

There is a death-like silence here. The kind that crawls against your skin and slowly takes control.

And on top of all of this, you cannot seem to move from this place. Attached to your ankle is a cold, hard chain connecting you to the floor.

This place isn't without its visitors though, for seated a small distance away is Lyria. Her knees tightly pressed against her chest with arms wrapping around herself protectively. She doesn't seem to notice at first, as her eyes as cast upwards, staring up at the stars above.

Whether you are in the cell next to her, or perhaps in the same one, you soon you may realize ( should you have met Lyria in this world ) she seems younger, her features depicting a child no more than ten years old.

Eventually her gaze breaks away from the stars as she looks towards you, lifeless and void of emotion. When she speaks her words are soft, almost a whisper: ]

Who... are you?

Comments

[starshower]

[Tifa smiles, letting Lyria reach out to touch the materia as much as she wishes. For as much bad as Shinra has done to the Planet and to her, she can't exactly say that these materia are terrible. They've saved their asses a hundred times, so they at least stand for something else that isn't evil corporate greed.

And hearing Lyria's words, Tifa can't help but feel a swell of pride in her chest. It's an odd thing—she's only known the girl for a short time, but hearing her talk about this, being open about it and knowing that her intuition about Lyria had been right, it's a warm, happy feeling.]

That's the difference between you and a lot of other people.

[Including the man Tifa saw in her dream, and she hopes that she gets that point across without having to bring him up.]

You use their power to help people. To help them when they're hurting.

[Her hand rests over hers.]

That's what makes you special.

[azuresong]

[ Her words linger in Lyria's heart and she takes a moment to soak it all in. There are small tears forming on the sides of her eyes... but she's happy. ]

It's because people like you...

[ Without her friends, she could still be in that jail cell. ]

You've been there for me since I came here, and protected me.

[ Without those that cared for her and went out of their way to rescue her, she would never know what the outside world looked like. What the stars, the clouds, or even the sky.

She moves her palms to take hold of the woman's hands gently in her own. She gives them a small, yet firm squeeze. ]

I'm not sure if I will use this power in this world, but if I do... I want to use it to help you. I want to protect you, Tifa. Just... like you have for me.

[starshower]

[Tifa nods gently, her fingers curling gently around Lyria's hand as it rests over hers.]

We'll protect each other, okay? Whether you use your powers or not.

[She wouldn't dare let anything happen to her, and she trusts Lyria with all her heart that the girl would do the same. Though, she hopes that it will never have to come to that. She hopes that between herself and Eustace, they can protect this small family that's formed in this tree. Lyria, the dogs, Eustace... they have all become special to her. Special enough that Tifa would do whatever it took to keep them all safe.

Funny how it all worked out in the end.

A small hum of laughter finds its way out of her, and Tifa nods to Lyria's plate of half-finished food.]

But you can't do that without looking cute, so finish up your food and we'll head out.

[azuresong]

[ Lyria was going to do everything in her power to make sure this found family of hers was safe, too. They all would, and it was their strong bond with one another that would further deepen and spread into a field full of starflowers...! ]

Ah— the food!

[ Oh goodness, there was still breakfast in front of her, wasn't there?

She gasps when a bit of realization hits her. They had been so caught up in the moment that the food had only been a fleeting thought in the background at this point. But she didn't want it to go to waste, not after Tifa had taken the time out of her day to do something special for her!

So Lyria will nod, digging back into the food with a sudden burst of enthusiasm. She'll eat fast, but not that fast, and soon the entire plate was empty (much to the dog's dismay). ]

I'm finished! Thank you again! [ Leaping out of the chair now!! ] So we can go now? We can go shopping now, right!?

[starshower]

[Don't eat too fast!!! Meanwhile, some of the dogs whine at her side when she has no scraps left to give them, and Tifa instead leans over and offers Idris, who has been waiting patiently, the last bite of her bacon, but everyone startles when Lyria jumps out of her chair.]

Yes, we can go now!

[And Tifa's getting to her feet, too.]

I was thinking... some dresses? Since the weather is starting to warm up a little earlier than it did last year.

[azuresong]

Yaaay![ Lyria cheers with the approval, and some of the dogs begin to bark happily at her side, feeling the contagious emotions of excitement swirling around her. ]

Dresses as a great idea! [ It's what she normally wore, after all! ] I'd love to see you in a cute summer dress, Tifa! Maybe we can find a couple to try on!

[ She motions at her own sleepwear she was currently wearing before asking Tifa to wait for her as she hurriedly gets dressed for their outing. The usual outfit, of course, but this time with little slippers as the behest of Eustace's light scolding for her choice of footwear. ]

I'm ready!

[starshower]

[Of course Tifa is going to wait, and while she does, she's going to leash up Aerona and Briallen as well to get them ready. Did she mention that it was going to be all the girls? Poor Rhonwhen, though... she's been feeling a bit on the tired side lately. And of course Eria would rather stay behind with Eustace, so...!

So, when Lyria returns, Tifa will be waiting by the front door with the two of them.]

Me, too! And so are the girls.

[Both dogs bark happily, their tails waggling as they leap on their paws for her.]

I know just the shop. It's a cute boutique in the marketplace that sells all kinds of cute outfits. It's my go-to place whenever I need something for a date.

[And out they go into the crisp but surprisingly pleasant morning air.]

[azuresong]

[ Oh goodness, it really was a fully girl's day out!!

Lyria is both surprised and excited when she spots who is going to accompany them, but is eager to go along with the plan! ]

That sounds amazing, I can't wait! [ Her smile completely washes away the feeling she was having only a few short moments ago- as if the dream she experienced had never existed.

She aids Tifa and the two dogs out the door by holding it open, and soon they were on their way...!

However, a question still lingered in the back of her mind. ]

A date? Do you and Eustace go on many of those?

[starshower]

[As they walk along the path towards the rest of the residential district and to the plaza, Tifa hums contemplatively, her smile fading a touch.]

We used to go on more back in the summer but haven't really had much time to do it since. We're trying, but with the café opening soon, it's hard to find the opportunity, you know?

[It's not like she minds, per se! Her life is fairly good at the moment, and they have so, so much to do and take care of that it keeps them both very busy, but she would be lying if she said she didn't miss getting dressed up and going out into town together a little bit.]

I'd like to again... once things are settled.

[azuresong]

[ She notices it quickly- that small smile shifting into something else- and Lyria was quick to move to the defenses! She wouldn't help Tifa feel bad... not when she had done her best to cheer her up in the first place! ]

Ah! But the cafe is very important... and something you two have been working on! Couldn't spending time together be considered a date? [ Not like she knew much about them, but- ] I think when you're with the people you love, even in those tiny moments, they're special! You can make anything a date as long as you're with each other!

[ She'll walk closer to Tifa, giving her an encouraging smile. ] But I'd like to help when it's all opened... to make a special day just for the two of you!

[starshower]

That's true. Eustace is really good at that...

[At making every moment with him special, whether it's something as mundane as doing chores on Sunday mornings, or spending time on an actual date, but Lyria's words touch her more than she could likely ever put into words.

So, it's a blessing that there are starflowers that do it for her that bloom in the trees that they pass, as well as along the ground, lining their path forward in the direction of the town, all of them a vibrant blue to match the young girl's hair.

She does quirk a brow and a brighter smile, however, at her suggestion.]

Oh? A special day just for us? What exactly do you have in mind?

[azuresong]

[ She could only glance around her in pure awe as the flowers began to appear around them, noting the difference in closer. It causes her cheeks to flare up with pink, a stark contrast to her skin tone, before reaching out to grab one of the falling petals. ]

Hmmm...

[ Lyria will begin to hum as they walk along and with a smile skip forward a few feet away from her before twirling around, her dress catching the small breeze outside. ]

... That's a secret!

[ She wasn't the best at keeping them, but this time she was determined to! If only to make it so the two of them could have a special night together. The wheels in her mind were already beginning to spin... ]

[starshower]

Ahh. [Tifa lifts a finger to her lips.] I know better than to spoil a girl's secret.

[And she claps her hands together.]

Alright. But... that just means Eustace and I will have to plan something special for you to make up for it. A special day, just the three of us. A date.

[azuresong]

This is my treat for the both of you! Please, you don't have to worry about it!

[ They've already done so much for her, especially considering Tifa had made her breakfast and was taking her out to clothes shop! ]

But I do love when we all spend time with each other...!