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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I'm sorry, but I can't. You aren't mentally stable right now Giles and this isn't safe.

[The vampire reaches down and snaps Buffy's neck.

The scenery around them changes, to an empty street in another town, more modern with no snow where it's not quite so dark. Giles forcibly and finally succeeds in yanking his arm away.]

I am not crazy, thank you.

[She lets go of his arm as he pulls away and lowers head at that. Dammit Giles that isn't what she meant.]

...I know that. You think I don't?

[It was painful to hear those words again, but she knew it was worse for him. She was just acting as Atsuko would have and snapped.]

Apparently, you don't. Or you...changed your mind. I have no idea. I can't read minds - that was just Buffy, and just the once.

It's an unfortunate ability.

[He glances over his shoulder. There's another Paprika and another Giles standing at the end of the street. They're not making any sound as they talk, but, judging by the looks on their faces, they appear to be arguing.]

[Her eyes wander to the copy of them before going right back to Giles.]

I wasn't myself at the time. I was someone I didn't want to be. Believe me - I wouldn't lie to you, Giles.

What a coincidence.

Neither was I. Seems that was going around. [Helios and Frederic walk down the sidewalk together. Neither of them look...entirely themselves. Giles starts walking off in the opposite direction, but then he pauses, glances back at Paprika, and gestures for her to follow. He sounds calmer, at least.] Very disconnected, after all, when no one's on the same page. Chaotic. Messy.

They did exist, you know.

[She looks at the two, but shrugs them off to look at Giles again.]

Do you mean Kendra and the others?

Yes. I knew them, in this life. Circumstances had just changed for the experiment.

Kendra was the Slayer who was called after Buffy's first death. She, however, was eventually killed by Drusilla. Larry was a football player with an unusual fondness for tormenting Xander. He died on Graduation Day. Oz was a werewolf who dated Willow for a while before he left Sunnydale. Tara is Willow's girlfriend.

So they took the place of the people you knew in Luceti? [She can only assume as much if he said Kendra is the one she gave the clipboard to.]

Close. They took the places of Buffy and the others. People I knew from Sunnydale.

You probably got a lot of people confused. ...But I think the one who got the worst off was you in the end.

It wasn't an especially pleasant other life, no.

And mourning for people who were never here was not at all productive. But we were all dead when we weren't in Luceti, and so mourning seemed the only appropriate thing to do.

...I think I may have misinformed some people on that score, actually. When they listened at all.

You believed they were and that's all that mattered at the time. ...I'm sorry for calling you crazy. My head was in a different place and I wasn't myself.

[Giles was evidently not expecting that. He stares blankly at Paprika for a second, but finally he smiles.]

Thank you.

I eventually realized that that had probably been the case [because the alternative was horrible] but, um, thank you.

[She shoots him a smile back.] Don't worry about it.

Giles, don't blame yourself for what happened. If you want to ask for forgiveness you need to make sure you forgive yourself first.

That seems a bit...backwards, doesn't it?

How so?

Who am I to decide if I deserve forgiveness? When I'm the one who caused the harm?

Seems selfish, really.

[The scenery changes again - now they're back in the village. The vampire stands a short distance away, its fangs buried in a girl's neck, trying to lap up the last of the blood even though the girl is clearly already dead. With a growl of annoyance, it pulls away and lets her tumble to the ground.

And then they're standing in front of House 7, and Giles is holding someone by the back of their shirt, all but dragging it through the snow. It's also bleeding heavily, but Jack Sparrow is still alive.]

You can at the very least decide for yourself. The most important person who has to forgive you is you.

[She watches the scene changes with varying interest. Because even if this is a dream, she can tell that those things actually happened.]

I'm sure they understand that you didn't intentionally do this.

[They did - these scenes are clearly memory more than dream. When Giles starts dragging Jack the rest of the way towards House 7, he doesn't even seem entirely aware that he's doing it.]

One doesn't know me. One is well aware that I thoroughly despise him.

She was in the wrong place and the wrong time. And he...still didn't deserve this. I'd hurt him enough.

I did intentionally do this.

...but I wouldn't have, if the Malnosso hadn't done this. It's all to do with souls. Very important things, souls - I see that, now.

[He reaches the porch and dumps Jack there. The pirate collapses without the faintest sign of resistence.]

That's what I'm saying. You wouldn't have done this if it wasn't for that experiment. You can regret what happened, but you have to forgive yourself and then ask for forgiveness from others. If they don't give you it then that's their choice, but you can't keep blaming yourself for the actions of the scientists.

[Giles backs away from the front door, and settles down to wait.]

At least I'll have the chance to ask Mizuno-san's forgiveness.

And Buffy is one of the very few people who knows where I am at the moment, so discussion is probably unavoidable. [Not that he wants discussion to be avoidable. Giles really, really wants the chance to explain, and it shows.]

[She walks to him, a look between concern and blankness on her features.]

Giles, if you let this hang over your head you're going to ruin yourself. Then you really will become crazy. It won't do you any good.

[Library. Unlike last time, it's bright and the bookshelves are whole. There's an upper level and a lower level. Paprika and Giles land on the upper one, and six teenagers sit crowded at a table on the lower, chatting and laughing.]

[Giles takes off his glasses and starts cleaning them, not quite managing to meet Paprika's gaze.]

...well, we can't have that.

Can't get anything done when you're insane, unless you're trying to end the world. And there are still people I'd worry.

[As he cleans them Paprika looks over the side to the lower level, observing the six briefly before turning back to Giles.]

People who try to end the world aren't insane. They just think everything else is inferior, swelling up their egos and obliterating all signs of reason that says otherwise. Which is everything around them.

You're still trying to avoid my point. [...] Unless you don't want to forgive yourself.

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