byakkoyagirl | Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Second Dream Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Forwarded to late night

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Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Second Dream Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Forwarded to late night

[Around the afternoon, Paprika was released from the experimental alternate universe and went back to being her cheery dream girl self. And, like most others, she thought she was spared from the continued experiments.

Oh how wrong she was.

Like on the first night she arrived in Luceti, Paprika is going to be dropping into people's dreams through teleportation. Prepare to get your dreamspace invaded citizens of Luceti. Please don't kill her for this - she really doesn't want to imagine the crazy stuff you dream of.]

[ooc: please read this and fill out this (if you haven't already) before posting here o/]

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[Paprika enters the church and looks around the flowerbeds with a small smile.]

They look lovely. You do a wonderful job tending to them.

[Aerith looks up at the speaker, smiling.] Thank you, but it's not really me. [She stands up, brushing the dirt off her clothes and straightening her bangs briefly.] The flowers are tough on their own. It's because this place is holy.

So this church is what makes them live. How strange. I bet if you showed this place to someone and said that, they would call you a liar. It all looks really nice though.

Hey, aren't you calling me a liar with that? [She looks indignant for a few seconds, putting her hands on her hips.

But then she relaxes and turns back to the flowers.] It really isn't just me. If I'm not here, the flowers will still grow. They won't die. [She frowns, briefly, and then faces Paprika.] You're from the village, I think. Right?

Of course not. I know things like that are possible. [Well. In dreams at least.]

At least you won't need to attend to them often. [A small chuckle.] I am from the village. My name is Paprika.

...So I'm not home. Ah, well. [She looks up at the ceiling, shaking her head as it continues to rain.] I'm Aerith. Nice to meet you, Paprika.

Sorry. It's a shame, but at least you get a fond memory to come back to. A pleasure to meet you too, Aerith.

[Paprika walks into the church more, admiring the scenery.] Is this where you visited the most back home? I can see why you would.

Mm. No one really comes to church anymore. After the accident, they didn't bother to repair it. [Though really, it looks like it's had multiple accidents, judging from the holes in the roof alone.] It may seem like a waste, but it gave the flowers their own place to grow.

We have visitors, sometimes. [The rain falls harder and faster. Aerith ignores it, smiling at Paprika.] They're usually special people.

That's a shame. It must have been some accident to make them not want to repair it. [Although that's obvious alone from the way the place looks.] At least the flowers seem at home.

...So why are you here then? Keeping watch of a deserted broken church is a bit odd.

Do you think it's odd? People have said I'm a little strange, so maybe it's just how I am.

...But this...is a quiet place. A safe place. No... it's really not safer here than anywhere else. [There's a man in a dark suit standing at the entrance. He doesn't look like any particular person, just a man in a suit, arms held stiff and hands clasped in front. Aerith turns her head to look at him, sticks out her chin, and stubbornly goes back to taking care of the flowers.] But it feels safe, and that's what matters.

...Just ignore him. He's being rude.

That's not a problem.

I'm guessing this area is prone to crime then. A shame that the church had to suffer.

[She turns her head around to the man at the entrance and then back to Aerith.] Who is he?

[She won't correct the supposition about crime. It's rampant enough in Midgar and the church has been affected by it... it's just not what she finds scariest.]

[At the question, she peers over her shoulder again, frowning. Who is he? She's not one to limit people to just their job. But sometimes, it's the most important thing in a situation.]

...He's from Shinra. One of their thugs. [She shakes her head.] I don't want to talk to him, so why don't we leave out the back? [As though it's just a suggestion--but she stands up and runs over to the backdoor, her boots splashing through the rainwater. It's pooling more and more, spreading over the whole floor now.] Over here!

Shinra...[Paprika only mutters that to herself before sprinting to the backdoor, following Aerith behind.]

[In the backroom, it's very apparent why the church was abandoned: there's a huge rocket crashed through the large staircase spiraling up to the top. It looks like it's been there for years, old and rusted. It's made a huge hole in the roof, one easy to walk through if you just climb up to the rafters. To Aerith, it's so familiar that it's just another part of the dream scenery, and she moves to head up the (mostly) intact stairs.]

Sometimes they don't do anything. Sometimes it's dangerous. This is a dream, so it shouldn't actually hurt us...but it's better to avoid the unpleasantness. I wish you hadn't got caught up in this.

[She follows behind, not too shocked by the scenery oddly enough.]

Don't worry about it. Dreams are unpredictable in nature after all. If you don't feel comfortable then it's okay to avoid it in here.

[Aerith nods in agreement, though she doesn't fully turn around on the stairs as she continues heading up.] Here is my own place, after all.

[...That thought makes her pause, looking back at Paprika.] It is, right? But how did you get here?

[The water continues rising, swallowing up the bottom of the stairs.]

I...just sort of teleported in here. It's complicated.

[She stares down at the rising water and then back at Aerith.] We should save questions for later I think.

[Aerith looks down then, her mouth forming a silent "oh".] It's still rising... Midgar doesn't get this much rain, the plate should block most of it--unless... it's gone.

[Her voice is hesitant and somber on those last words, but she doesn't wait any longer and keeps moving up the stairs. There's a gap in the stairs that requires a long jump across; she takes a deep breath before jumping across, her hands planting themselves firmly to catch her when she lands. She moves toward the side of the walkway, her eyes look back down at where they entered.] He can't follow us now. [The doorway itself has nearly disappeared underwater. She stands back up, looking to see if Paprika's made it across all right.]

[Paprika doesn't jump, but rather summons up a cloud to ride her across and lands by Aerith.]

Unless he can swim. ...Can he swim?

[Aerith giggles at the suggestion.] Oh, he probably can...but they're Turks, not sharks. He wouldn't go through the hassle. [With that, she starts moving again--they're very close to the rafters now.]

[She follows Aerith to the rafters, still a little curious as to why everything is flooding. But questions later!]

[It takes a careful walk across the old rafters, but they're sturdy enough; a leaning piece of wood leads through the hole to the exterior of the roof.]

[Anyone who knows Midgar would know immediately what's wrong: the darkness outside the church is the natural darkness of early evening, and the water around the church, finally calmed, reflects the sky like a smooth mirror. Aerith automatically tilts her head back, staring at where there should be a huge plate.]

It's gone... the city's gone. Just scrap left. They look like little islands, don't they?

...I keep forgetting. [She turns to face Paprika with an uncertain smile.] I'm sorry. I was thinking we could go to my mom's house, but-- ah. [She makes a small, helpless gesture with her hands, turning them palm-up.] It's not here. Pretty silly of me, not remembering! I know I can have better dreams than this.

[She tries to make a reassuring smile, but it falters.] ...Aerith, why are you dreaming of a city being flooded from the ground up?

...It really is gone. It wasn't flooded, though. I guess I just can't imagine what Meteor did at all.

I feel--stuck. It must be this place. Luceti, and the Malnosso... we can't go home when we want to. I can't... ["at all". Newly dead back home. She bites her lower lip and turns away.]

[She gets that unnerving hint that something is definitely wrong and nods.]

I'm sorry to hear about it. But, you don't need to have such sad dreams like an entire place flooding. Why not dream about happy times. Maybe the ones you had recently.

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Second Dream Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Forwarded to late night

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