| Logs |
2006-08-06
| Dreams |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
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Welcome to My Nightmare
Two weeks later things are pretty well wrapped up for departure. The inside of the Airstream is comfortable and cozy, which pleases Diana. She and her mother have carefully selected the things she should take along from Dante's -- from cushions and bedding, including clothing from various time periods, through some sentimental knick-knacks. Mike curiously mentions that he got the oddest feeling they were supposed to see Beatrice tidily packing a large selection of jewelry up for Diana, as well.
Diana checks to be sure it's all right with her pets, then happily spends another day with Croaker, which makes him inordinately happy -- and causes Jason and Mike both to receive rather overwhelmingly 'huggy' thank you's from the big bull man. Joe is quietly pleased, watching everyone run around getting things ready, especially since Beatrice has been almost glowing with pleasure recently -- her new pets seem to be doing very, very well by her! There's no sign of BJ, but Rita does tend to turn up when she can. She's a little wistful as the departure date advanced, but seems to brighten up any time Di will spend a little time with her. She's even more thrilled when Mike gallantly suggests a night at the ballet for them all!
Jason takes a moment aside with Diana at some point. "What is going on with Rita? Is she just... I don't know, enraptured with you, love? Or does she know and doesn't care?"
Diana smiles, "Well, as far as I can tell she just thinks I'm attractive, lollipop. Um... why? Did she say something to you about me?"
Jason shakes his head. "No. She said nothing, I just... want to be sure I have the facts straight." And then he kisses her to assure her that everything's okay. Diana's slight worry vanishes in the kiss, which she returns with great pleasure and enthusiasm!
The suggestion to go to the ballet is received with great enthusiasm by both Rita (who loves ballet), and Diana, who's delighted to try something new! Rita excitedly suggests they attend "Sleeping Beauty," which is what the San Francisco Ballet is currently performing. She also brings over both the libretto (so to speak), and some CDs of Tchaikovsky's wonderful music. Jason quickly realizes 'cultural events' take on a whole new meaning when he can practically taste someone else's pleasure and joy in them!
It's easy to tell both Mike and Rita love the music, and Diana falls in love with their enjoyment. Frankly, it's hard to tell sometimes where sensuous pleasure in beauty ends, and sensuous pleasure in pleasure begins, for Jason -- the emotional 'washes' are quite wonderful. Jason just smiles... he's getting quite used to the experiences over their link, and it only makes him feel more at home with Diana.
The ballet itself is a wonderful affair. Mike and Jason are nicely dressed for a night out. Rita arrives in relatively casual wear, but her jaw drops and she seems somewhat sheepish about her clothing choice when Diana sweeps into the bar, ready to leave and dressed to the nines. She looks quite stunning, and Jason can feel Mike also take a few slow, deep breaths to keep from falling all over himself too at how lovely Diana looks. Jason tries to be casual about it, but he's as floored as Mike. "Maybe Di can loan you something that looks as good?" he murmurs to Rita.
Rita gives Jason a rueful look, murmuring only, "In my dreams maybe, guy!" She sighs, turning back to watch Diana. People recover as best they can -- Diana does tend to accidentally knock folks' socks off -- and Mike treats them all to a pleasant dinner out. The ballet itself is lovely and magical, transporting them all away for a moment into a beautiful fairyland of light and graceful dance and sparkle and gravity-defying wonder... Diana's excitement and pleasure make her almost glow with delight, to the extent that Mike whispers at one point to Jason, "Do you ever wonder how people could possibly not see her?"
Jason shakes his head. "People see an incredible woman without ever even suspecting she might be more than just an extraordinary human." He spreads his hands. "For all we know, they do really see her, but it's so outside what they are willing to see that they edit it out. I still don't know how this power of ours works."
Having been prepared ahead of time, Diana's not shocked or startled at the wicked fairy Carabosse. Instead she watches, eyes shining with delight, as the Prince Florimund defeats Carabosse and rescues his lovely Princess Aurora from her century-long sleep. Diana's practically in tears of happiness by the final wedding kiss, and Mike simply silently hands her a handkerchief. Jason can feel it strongly too -- her curiously innocent-feeling rapture at how utterly, breathtakingly beautiful the entire performance is. She sniffs slightly as she wipes her eyes, then whispers to Jason, "Mortals are so... so wonderful! How can they be so mean to each other, and yet create such beauty?!"
Jason smiles tenderly at Diana. "We are... we are capable of great beauty and great evil. Both. That is our blessing and our curse," he says slowly, squeezing her hand. Diana smiles a little tremulously at Jason, her fingers tightly intertwined with his, then gently presses her cheek against his as they walk out. Jason happily returns the affection, pondering to himself... about the things he said to himself the other day... and wondering what effects it might have on him to have abandoned his heritage. Has he also abandoned his mortality? Has he become one in the middle, like Diana? He wishes he had someone to ask.
It's much later, after the after-performance drinks and while Rita's off in the restroom, that Diana thoughtfully asks Jason and Mike their opinions. Do they think Rita's all right? Diana gave her a lovely dream, and has spent time like this with her... do they feel she needs a night of sex too? She seems, curiously enough, a bit... reserved as she asks. Jason looks at Mike. "Rita seems happy enough... she hasn't seemed like she was that first night, when she got stinking drunk," he ventures. He flushes faintly. "I... I mean, I wouldn't mind, I guess, if you spend a night with her. She's a good person. I just hope it doesn't create any issues... being that we're leaving and can't address them."
Mike considers, then tilts his head curiously at Diana, "What do you think, sweetheart?"
Diana, surprisingly, flushes a bit! She looks down, playing with the beaded edge of her layered skirt, "Um, well, I... I thought I'd ask you two...? What you thought, I mean? -that, um, I should do?
Jason reaches out and caresses the ridge of Diana's ear. "I think you should do what feels right, Di..." he murmurs, trying to push aside the semi-arousal he has at Diana being with another woman. Just another stereotypical male trait. "Your instincts are usually spot on. We trust you. We won't feel... you know. Jealous." He looks at Mike. "Will we?"
She looks up a bit uncertainly, "Do you... do you think I should? Would it be mean of me not to?"
Mike looks a bit puzzled, but nods silently to Jason. Jason shakes his head. "I don't think it would be mean, no... I just..." he measures out a tiny space between thumb and forefinger. "I'm just a little bit worried about how she'd react. She'd likely love it... but would she want more? And how would that affect our plans?"
Diana looks down again, a shining curl of sable hair hiding her face. In a small voice she says, "I... would you think badly of me if I... if I decided not to do it?"
Jason crouches. "Oh, Di, no... Di, Rita is happy. I don't know what's going on in her head, but... on the whole, you can't argue with happiness, hmm?" He brushes her hair from her face, kissing her cheek tenderly.
Mike takes one of Diana's hands gently in his and murmurs quietly, "You do not have to have sex with anyone, sweetheart." Diana blinks, looking up at both men, then smiles in slow relief, "Y-you don't mind? Oh... oh, good!" She reaches out and draws both of them into a careful hug, giving first one, then the other a gentle 'lick-kiss' from her tongue.
Jason looks at Mike, slightly confused. "Di... why did you think we'd be angry if you didn't have sex with her?" he queries, trying to keep the amusement out of his voice. Usually this conversation happens the other way around!
Diana adds softly, "Thank you both." She flushes a bit again at Jason's question, "Well, I just... I've never been with anyone I wasn't in love with, you know? And... well, Mother, um..." she trails off a bit, then hastily adds, "I mean, don't think I'm not grateful, you know? 'cause I am -- I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for her being willing to eat as necessary... but... well, unless I've got a child too, I... I'd rather not eat unless I really want to, you know?" She looks a little anxiously at them both, "That's not... not too greedy of me, do you think? Emotionally greedy, I mean?
Jason finds himself laughing helplessly, looking at Mike for his reaction. "Oh, sweetling, no... that's... that's not wrong at all," he assures the anxious succubus, nuzzling her. "Sweetie, you don't have to do anything you don't want to... as long as we talk about these things, it's just fine," he murmurs, stroking her face. Mike smiles with slow, quietly affectionate amusement.
Diana looks more worried for a moment as Jason laughs, but then relaxes, smiling at his response. She sighs with quietly mingled pleasure and relief, lightly stroking his face with her warm fingertips and enjoying his touch, "Okay. Thank you, lollipop."
Rita seems to be still quite smitten with Diana, but less in a self-destructive way, much to everyone's relief. She's happy to help out where she can at the bar, though, and she seems to admire Beatrice greatly also. It is she, in fact, who suggests a Lady's Night for the bar, to 'cover' the slow middle-of-the-week day. Alvin, the dance major who Beatrice has taken a shine to, has been a charmer as well. He cheerfully invites Mike, Jason, and Diana to come out for dancing lessons any time they'd like when he has free time. Mike and Di have had a few lessons already by the time Jason is ready to try it. It's actually not too bad, all things considered -- Diana is almost liquidly graceful in Jason's arms, and Alvin is very patient, taking things slow and easy.
It's late one night, and the trio are on the way back to Dante's from the university. They've been practicing dance with Alvin again, and Diana is still ebullient, whirling and laughing and beaming teasingly at Mike and Jason as she practically floats down the sidewalk ahead of them. Jason just watches with a big smile on his face... all the worries from earlier in the last couple of weeks just float away. How can anything go wrong when she's happy like that?
Mike chuckles, his own happiness a gentle 'feel' in Jason's mind, along with Diana's light-hearted joy. In the puddles of lamplight her hair shines like ebony silk and her skirt gleams with color, while in the passing shadows it's sometimes easy to mistake her for a normal, tail-less human woman. Admittedly, the brightly glowing crimson eyes out of the darkness aren't quite human, but aside from that... Diana turns to face them at the end of a pirouette, laughing, her mouth open to speak -- and something lashes out from the darkness of the alley she's passing. It slaps her aside as easily as Jason would swat a moth, sending her flying back towards the two men, where she tumbles limply as a rag doll by their feet.
Jason is jarred from his ebullient feelings, suddenly becoming rigid, alert, staring into the darkness. Mike gasps, "Di!" and drops to one knee by her, as shocked as Jason is.
Sliding out of the shadows of the alleyway is... a thing. Jason can see a large, hulking shape, its sides dark and sometimes roughly shaggy, sometimes gleaming like chitin. Light appears to be both soaked up by the matte-black fur, and shimmering across the chitinous parts in messy, colorful streaks, like oil on water. The thing's skin has an unpleasant tendency to appear to crawl or ooze slightly, reforming itself constantly in small, distasteful ways. Most disturbing is the odd way shadows writhe across the massive form, as if it were not truly all there. Several things flash through Jason's mind... one, that Mike may not be able to face this thing. It hits too close to home. Second, he doesn't have a license, but Mike does. Ergo, Jason doesn't have a gun... but Mike has his. He drops down to Mike's side without warning, fumbling for where he knows Mike carries...
Horrifyingly, there are alien thoughts -- or something like that? -- in Jason's head: hunt success eat goo- and then they cut off abruptly, followed by faint confusion. There's a wet sort of snuffling noise in their direction as a... lumpish sort of head shape rises towards them. The creature easily bulks 7 or 8 feet in the shadows, and Mike seems frozen for a moment, his eyes white in the darkness.
Unfortunately Jason reaches for Mike just as Mike jerks reflexively backwards from the thing, landing hard on his rear. There's a muttered, "OW!" from Mike -- but it seems to have shaken him out of his freeze. Jason can hear Mike's quiet, urgent whisper, "Jason! Can you see it too?!"
Jason fights his fear, fear welling up from memories of the young boy he was and seeing unholy creatures like these. "Give me your gun, Mike!" he hisses, fumbling at Mike's suit... between the two of them, the pistol's butt slides smoothly into Jason's hand. It's heavy and comfortingly familiar, oddly enough. Mike reaches for Diana, yanking her limp form towards them. The Giger-esque nightmare darts forward a few feet with disturbingly insectile swiftness. The low hanging, roughly mammalian-shaped head is suddenly partially in a streetlight's glow for a fraction of a second -- then it pulls back into the shadow. In that moment of light, however, Jason sees sharp, jagged protrusions spiking up from the broad, flat forehead plane. There's a dark glow from where the nose should be, and gleaming, jagged fangs in the impossibly wide mouth -- but no eyes whatsoever.
In his head Jason hear/feels, what - smell/taste - young/not-food/marked - pity/sorrow/sympathy -- Jason points the weapon at the creature in a crouch, breathing heavy, trying to keep calm... and damn, is it hard. Pointing a gun at a living thing -- even a thing such as this -- is not exactly easy. Plus all these empathic impressions -- empathic impressions from someone that's not Diana -- is disconcerting. He wants to shoot this thing, this inhuman thing... but the emotions washing over him make him hesitate. "You're not going to hurt her. Or any of us," he informs the beast, wondering if it can understand him, holding the gun at the ready... as he has no idea who these thoughts are concerning. The only thing he knows for sure is that it hit Diana without provocation, and he's not putting his guard down just because the thing seems hesitant or 'sorry.'
A huge... paw, maybe? shows clearly in the light. Fringed with jagged claws that look oddly like broken glass or mineral, the paw waves once sideways in a firm gesture, accompanied by a soft sort of growling grunt. In Jason's head there's the thought/feeling, Shoo/run - free/escape. A moment later he gets, eat/free/nutritious accompanied by a peculiar view of what... might be Diana? What he sees from the creature's perspective is a glowing tasty heap of dinner by his feet.
Jason does not lower his weapon... but those feelings do spark a response. "Mike, get her out of here. Now!"
Mike scrambles to his feet, reaching for Diana, careful not to get in Jason's line of fire. His voice is tight with worry, "Jase, don't play hero -- stay with us!" Even as he reaches for Diana, the creature seems to... go misshapen, pouring out into a lower, longer form that reaches jagged-edged antennae-like limbs towards Diana's body.
Jason's lips curl back into a snarl... he doesn't know if the beast can sense him, but he's putting out vibes like he would attack this thing with his teeth if he touches Diana again. "Stay back you fuckbag!" he snarls, finger trembling on the trigger...
The creature is astonishingly fast -- like a nightmare where you can't quite keep ahead of the horror chasing you. Even as Mike kneels next to Diana preparatory to scooping her up, he looks up almost directly at the thing! He throws himself back again with an incoherent, "AAAAH! -- but this time he drags Diana along with him. There's a soft tearing sound as one sharply pointed, jaggy limb snaps downwards, into the pavement, tearing Diana's skirt as it does so. There's a hint of confusion and exasperation in Jason's head, foolish/trapped/marked - what?! RUN! Free!
Jason suddenly lets out a bloody yell, his weapon joining him in harmony as he lashes out with all the fury he can muster... blood boiling in his brain. The gunshot cracks sharply, the pistol jerking in Jason's hands, instantly followed by the whine of a ricochet somewhere. The creature starts slightly, shifting and reforming into one lump. It almost looks like it... settles a bit? Mike scrambles to his feet, taking slow, deep breaths and shaking. He's still got Diana wrapped tightly in his arms, though, as he stands by Jason.
The feeling in Jason's head at this moment is mixed puzzlement, disbelief, and curiosity. The two men can hear that wet snuffling noise again. protecting attacker/consumer/killer?! damaged/overwhelmed intelligence? negation... health taste/scent... slavery decision/choice/preference? illogical/impossible!
Mike's voice is shaky but resolute, "Deep breaths, Jason... take a deep breath as you aim, then as you release it, gently squeeze the trigger. Remember your training."
Jason is having a hard time translating all these emotions, not comprehending entirely... but the creature is hesitating, which makes him do the same. "Goddamn it, Mike, run... this thing wants her!" he yells says plaintively, moving squarely between the beast and the two of them. "Leave," he addresses the abomination -- amazed that he's actually trying logic, when every instinct wants him to fire.
Mike rumbles quietly, "You know Diana'd never forgive me if I left you behind, guy. Back up with me. Let's try to just... leave." The creature shifts restlessly, various paws/hooves/claws touching the ground for a moment, then absorbing back into the dark, disgustingly liquid-seeming mass. communicating?! thoughts/sharing/understanding?! It's silent a moment... then rises up a bit, padding forward and to the side, standing in the dark street. Several glowing spots appear in the mass of darkness, disturbingly reminiscent of gigantic spider eyes, and there's a soft susurrus from it. The thought is very careful and clear, Drop/neglect/abandon/flee jailor/food/slaver/marker. The creature is immobile in the darkness.
Oddly enough, Mike's reassuring presence and the creature's hesitation are enough to calm Jason just enough that he's finally comprehending what the creature is doing; what it's saying. The muzzle of the gun dips slightly, though his heart still pounds. But for agonizing seconds he has no idea what to do. Then he does what he does best: he gives in to that which makes him Jason. Without knowing exactly if he's doing it right, he tries to thrust his emotions at the creature. Not slavery. Not enspellment. Love. With every part of him, he tries to make the creature understand that he loves Diana, his would-be target. The intensity of the emotion startles him.
There's a heavy chuffing snort from the thing, coupled with startlement and shock! It rears back, several spiked claws and protrusions suddenly gleaming in the darkness -- then goes still again. Mike mutters, "Holy shit!" and inadvertently takes a step back -- then confusedly adds, "Jason...? What was... did you do that... that emotion thing?"
Jason is still trembling, watching the creature warily. "Yeah... I guess... I don't exactly know what I'm doing..." he murmurs. He studies the creature wonderingly... a predator that feeds on supernaturals, but not on humans? That would be contrary perhaps to what he's been told... that supernaturals get more nourishment from humans, and not as much from each other.
Almost wonderingly, the thing seems to flow back down into the more quiescent, settled lumpishness, feeling/caring/want predator/jailor - negation. There's a moment of complete silence, then a confused, not-jailor/consumer/slaver/marker?
Jason lowers his gun further, wondering if he's making a mistake. But it is not in his nature to be violent -- rather to protect, to heal -- and so his inclinations flow towards that goal. "No. We choose to be with her. We give to her, and she gives to us in return," he says, needing the words to form the thought, to form the feeling, as the answer to its question is not as simple as yes and no.
There's a long moment of quiet in the street, almost as if it were somehow separate from the rest of the city. It goes on long enough that Mike murmurs softly and nervously, "Jase? Talk to me..."
Jason says, "Just... be calm, Mike. I think... I think I've got a handle on this..." Mike nods, staring at the thing... then resolutely takes a deep breath and looks away from it. He's gently trying to bring Diana around, speaking to her softly. The creature finally, abruptly shifts -- causing Mike to draw in his breath a bit sharply -- and seems to sort of lean forward. A long, slender, shaggy appendage reaches out towards Jason.
touch/communicate/clarify. The limb reaches impossibly far towards Jason, seeming to shift in color and form a bit, oozing skin peeling back from the tip... which curiously seems to be a pale, solid substance like bone, that isn't shifting at all.
The way Jason sees it, it's an offer from the creature, not a demand. An opportunity. Jason's right hand lowers completely. "I'm taking a chance, Mike... but if I'm wrong, get her out of here..." he whispers, reaching out his left hand to make tentative contact with the reaching appendage... the image feeling oddly to him like Michelangelo's fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel... there's a moment where Jason can only feel what he's touching -- cool, firm, surprisingly dry -- and then it's like an electrical connection shocking through him, but via emotion: wonder, confusion, fascination, perplexity... truth/actuality?! defense of creature/marker/enslaver? How warmth/caring/desire/want?!
Jason blinks at the creature's thoughts, but is heartened by how clear it all seems now. He wants to explain, but words aren't enough, especially for this one to whom his speech is unnatural. And so, keeping contact, he instead tries to bring forth the best memories of Diana. Watching her sing. Dancing with her. Their first time in the arboretum, which he still remembers so vividly. All that and more, and the emotions that come along for the ride... the thing he's touching curls a little, forming to his hand, then remains still -- as still as the creature itself. Mike looks up startledly, then smiles at the feelings he's getting from Jason. He doesn't understand precisely what's going on, Jason can tell, but he puts a hand on Jason's shoulder, and their shared emotions flow to the creature.
There's mingled wonder, amazement, surprise... then a growing sense of worry and dismay, although it does not pull away. personal righteousness/justice/correctness in question... consumption/liberation/defense - correction - cruelty/unnecessary/assault?
Jason frowns, bemused. "I don't know," he says softly. But realizing that is not enough, he tries to visualize Diana the way it visualized her. Tries to think back at it in similar terms. Not enslaver/killer. No hostiles/tormentors present. Hostiles/tormentors elsewhere? Answer unknown/uncertain. Seek truth/actuality.
Mike makes a small assenting sound at Jason's comments, then shakes his head, "I... I don't think all supernaturals are as kind and beloved as Diana." For a moment Jason gets a mental impression of terror, far too much blood, and screaming -- then it's hastily gone, and Mike draws a quick breath, adding, "B-but the ones in this city, at Dante's... please don't hurt them. They're good people." Jason gives Mike a smile, for his bravery and his support in the face of this 'boogeyman'.
The thing is still and silent for a long, long heartbeat... then the protrusion touching Jason's hand quivers slightly, pulling free to be swallowed into the inky black mass. The glowing red spots wink out, one by one -- and a moment later the thing shifts a bit. A moment later it's gone, as if it simply melted into the shadows, or the asphalt itself. Mike gasps and abruptly sinks to his knees, then down to the ground, Diana still held across his lap. Jason looks at Mike. "Well... that wasn't so bad, was it?" he says with a tremulous smile. And then he faints.
Jason wakes up rather pleasantly, actually... warm fingers gently trailing along his face, a soft voice calling his name, the scent of hot chicken soup, and Diana's anxious face when he opens his eyes. Unfortunately he has a tremendous headache, which makes itself known to him almost immediately. Jason smiles slowly at the vision he sees waking up. "Oh... hey there, angel," he murmurs, right before the pain hits and he groans in pain.
Diana's voice is a mix of relief and tears, "He's awake! Help me please, Croaker?" A moment later a strong arm braces behind his shoulders, and Diana murmurs coaxingly, "Sweetheart? Lollipop, can you drink something for me? Mike says you need to take some aspirin?"
Jason grunts. "Aspirin... or ibuprofen... or maybe just a new head..." he whispers, squinting a little as he tries to stem the pain by not opening his eyes so much...
Jason is soon better, although Diana's in no hurry to rush him or Mike out of her bed. She's feeling fine, although Mike's now drowsy and relaxed from feeding her. Further discussion between everyone at Dante's reveals that the supernaturals don't really know what the thing was -- Diana didn't even see it. She woke up shortly after it vanished, when Croaker and Joe turned up from Mike's phone call for assistance. Jason apparently hit his head while fainting, which was why he was the last to awaken.
Jason takes all this in slowly, between tending and cuddling from Diana. And he looks at Mike when there's a lull in the explanation. "Mike... could you sense its thoughts like I could, or did you just... sense what was coming from me?" he queries slowly.
Mike shakes his head, "I just got emotions from you -- very confusing for a bit there." He tilts his head curiously then, adding, "How well could you see it? It was... weird, to me. First it was a puddle of shadow, but then it sort of... formed? It turned into this sort of... alien chimerical thing?"
Jason shakes his head. "That about matched what I saw. It's like it was part shadow and part shapeshifter. Like some black goo beast," he mutters. "Have you ever heard of anything like that, Di? Croaker?"
Diana shakes her head slowly, her eyes wondering. Croaker frowns, considering but bemused. Beatrice, leaning against the seated Croaker, blinks and straightens a bit, "Oh. Yes, I know it, I think. It's the night hound, the nightmare beast driven by revenge. It -- it was... mistreated? Something? I... don't remember... but it slays the cruel, the ones that treated it so poorly." She pauses, then adds a bit confusedly, "I... think it used to?"
Jason shakes his head. "It still does... but I think I managed to convince it that Di... that none of you were... like that," he whispers. For just a moment the sheer strangeness of the scene bears down on Jason, and he can see it like another aware human might: his fellow human tired and groggy from having had a hungry, growing succubus consume part of him -- the same one which is curled up possessively against Jason himself, while over them both looms the huge bull man's head, and the flaring wings of an adult succubae. Then Diana smiles, gently rubbing her head under Jason's chin in mingled relief and pleasure, and Croaker rumbles quietly, "We are simply glad to have you back safe and sound, Seer." Beatrice smiles faintly, her crimson eyes bright, and nods once, and Mike sighs in soft contentment, his fingers curling slowly around Jason's. Maybe... maybe a 'real' human wouldn't see the entire picture even if they could 'see.'
Jason smiles at Croaker, but his mind is elsewhere. He wonders about his ability to understand the creature -- the night hound. It is clearly something Mike doesn't share. But was that a part of his power before the dream -- before he made his choice -- or after? He does not know, but on impulse he sends out a tentative thought to the ether, thank you... Grandmother...