Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Second Dream Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Forwarded to late night

[byakkoyagirl]

[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/]

Comments

[fabrecation]

Paprika? [He hasn't heard of her before... At least, he doesn't think he has. Luke opens his mouth to introduce himself, then shuts it as he looks at the crowd of people who walk around him, covered in mud and staring with dead eyes, a smile forced on their faces as they talk to each other...

And that was all his fault.]

Look at all of this... You probably don't even want to know who I am. It's okay if you don't...

[byakkoyagirl.livejournal.com]

[She looks at the crowds for a brief moment and then back to him.]

Nonsense. If I didn't want to know who you were I wouldn't even introduce myself. Go ahead.

[fabrecation]

[... She wants to know who he is?

That makes Luke's head snap up, and it causes the crowds of people to waver as if a shock wave just occurred right where the two of them are standing and spread outward. The atmosphere grows brighter, but the dead stare right at him, daring him to say his name, to say the name of the one who killed them all.]

I-I'm... I'm Luke.

[The image suddenly changes, and instead of a city, they're standing on a slab of rock in the middle of the sea of the purple mud that covered the crowds earlier. The sky doesn't seem to know if it wants to be as bright as the day or as dark as the night, so it switches between the two of them at random intervals.]

[byakkoyagirl.livejournal.com]

[Paprika is unfazed by the change in scenery and only looks around with mild interest.]

Day and night, Night and day. You must be feeling uncertain about something, aren't you, Luke?

[fabrecation]

[Luke is unfazed, too, but only because this is his dream. He looks down at the rock slab with a touch of a sad smile on his face.]

Everything. I'm not even a real person. I don't know where I'm supposed to be or... why I'm here, or... everything. [He wouldn't reveal so much if he were awake right now, but... dreams are where he can escape, even if they torment him more often than not.]

[byakkoyagirl.livejournal.com]

Nonsense. You're real because you're standing right in front of me. If you weren't real then you wouldn't be right here.

[fabrecation]

[For a moment, the light lasts longer than the darkness, showing that those words did touch something in him... but then it fades, and the rock slab tilts slightly on Luke's end while it lifts Paprika up, threatening to dump him into the poisonous sea while saving her from such a fate.]

It's not like that. I'm just a replica... a copy of someone. I wasn't even born. And I've... I've done a lot of terrible things just because I was so stupid-

[Luke's starting to slip as the purple below him turns red, and he grabs onto the rough edges of the rock to try and keeps himself out of it. Most try to avoid death even when they think it's the best thing, after all. It's only been seven years since he was made and he's already covered in blood, and he's about to sink down in it.]

[byakkoyagirl.livejournal.com]

[As he begins to slip Paprika grabs onto his arms and tries pulling him up as well. She isn't the strongest person, but being in dreams allows her to increase her strength if only slightly. Throughout the entire time she looks down calmly.]

That doesn't change that you exist. You're a real person. Even if you might be a copy of someone that doesn't make you exactly like them.

btw you made me watch the movie and I LOVE IT 8|

[fabrecation]

[Just the fact that she saved him is enough to make the tilting stop and for Luke to stare up at her with wide eyes. In this dream, no one tries to save him, even if there's someone there with him. They just... watch as he sinks as if he deserved it.]

I'm... real?

[The slab tilts the other way, and as soon as Paprika's side hits the water, the scene changes. Thankfully, it's a lot more serene than the others; It's a big field of glowing light blue flowers, and even though it's night up above, it still seems well-lit between the two of them. Luke himself has much more ridiculous longer hair that sways about in the breeze.]

You're the first person who's ever told me that.

glad you did! ♥

[byakkoyagirl.livejournal.com]

Am I really? I highly doubt that, but if you say as much.

[She looks around the new field, a serene smile on her own face from the scene.] This place is really lovely. You should dream of it more often.

[fabrecation]

[Luke gives a little snort at that as he pushes his hair back - it really does get in the way often like this.] If I could tell my bad dreams to back off and let ones like this show up, I would. I guess I think about the other stuff more often... that's why these things show up, right?

[byakkoyagirl.livejournal.com]

[She nods.] Exactly. Dreams come from the subconscious and sometimes things like trauma can affect the mind enough that it leaks into your sleep, when the subconscious is the most active.

[fabrecation]

Dreams are kinda scary, huh... It's usually the first two I always see. I don't think I've been here very much. [He looks over at her with a sheepish smile.] H-Hey, I'm sorry you had to see all that. I didn't think I'd get any, uh... visitors.

[The glow of the flowers turns pink, as if to show the blush that doesn't show up on Luke's face.]

[byakkoyagirl.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry for dropping in. There are experiments going on and I'm being teleported through dreams because of it. [She looks at the glow with a soft smile before turning back to him.] Dreams are scary, but they aren't real. The thing that makes them real is the dreamer.

[fabrecation]

Teleported through dreams? [That sounds interesting for just a second, but considering his nightmare, and thinking about being in her shoes... Yeah, no thanks. Luke kneels down to survey the flowers - He can give Paprika one pretty sight, at least; the Selenia flowers that change colors according to his emotions.] I can't imagine doing that...

[And what she says next makes him go silent. That's true... but still.] Sometimes they look really real. I didn't even know I was dreaming until you said so...

[byakkoyagirl.livejournal.com]

It's a pain, but not something I'm controlling right now.

That's how dreams regularly are. You're in a subconscious state of mind and your conscious mind doesn't normally snap and make you realize when you're dreaming. Some people can, but normally people can't. Don't fret about it a lot.

[fabrecation]

Huh... [Normally, Luke would be more interested, but in this dream state, everything is so... well... dreamy. The flowers glow a soft red color, and a shadow, although its silhouette would be familiar to Luke, comes up behind him. Luke doesn't seem to notice as the shadow takes Luke's long hair and lifts it to hack it off at the base, then lets the wind take the long strands away.

Luke merely stares down at the flowers.]

[byakkoyagirl.livejournal.com]

[Paprika notices, but doesn't say anything as it happens.]

You should try not to think about things that can't be changed and look for the things that make you happy. Like the future.

[fabrecation]

The future...

[Suddenly the flowers disappear, and the sky turns to daylight as Luke finds himself walking with knight's armor around him towards an ominous cave in the distance, as if he's about to head out on a heroic quest to slay the dragon.]

I keep thinking about what I can do to help other people. I know I can't do anything about the past... but I have to do what I can for everyone alive today.

[byakkoyagirl.livejournal.com]

It's good that you realize that. Many people never do and always live in what could have been. They observe the hindsight, but never actually deal with it.