[SCENE] [Flashback] June 2004 and February 2008
von Karma: *it's 2004, a late Saturday night in late June, and Manfred von Karma has finally deemed his work for the day complete. If he is tired he does not show it either in behaviour or on his craggy features--but he's been up since 5:30 AM and has been applying himself for well over fifteen hours in his office that day*
von Karma: *shutting the door of his office and dusting off the front of his jacket, he walks carefully up the stairs. The rest of the house is quiet and dark--the only lights lit being the ones on his pathway up to his room--his children are all abed, as they should be*
von Karma: *en route, he pauses momentarily in front of each bedroom on the way to his own--a nighttime routine. The doors are all open a crack, and his hearing is acute enough to gauge the sound of rhythmic breathing from behind each door. He treads softly from Josefine's room... to Franziska's, at which he lingers noticeably longer... and onward, to Miles', at which he stops as well*
Miles: *on the other side of the door, instead of the usual and now familiar sound of regular, fluting breathing through the nose, Miles' breathing is irregular. It doesn't sound like he's awake and crying, an occurrence that had slowed in frequency before stopping completely over a year ago, but there's something subtly different about it*
Miles: *the sound is very very quiet but easily enough heard by the man on the other side of the door: it's a low, hitched sort of panting, and a shuffle beneath the cotton sheets. After a few moments of this, a faint keening escapes the boy, though it's not clear exactly what the emotion is behind the sound*
von Karma: *is... actually surprised at the sound, and pauses there at the doorway for some moments more as if in confirmation-- and then he scowls in disgust. He has half a mind to open the door and shame the boy-and deliver him a beating for it too--but the cautious side of his mind instructs him merely to store the memory of the instance in his mind, to be addressed at a more fitting time. He marches off towards his bedroom, shaking his head as he leaves*
Miles: *just then, there's another shuffle from the room, and Miles cries out. His cry is unambiguous this time, but instead of being in any way indicative of the kind of untoward habit that the noises he was making before could be interpreted to be, it's quite obviously a strangled shout that verges on a scream of terror. His panting begins to sound something like sobs*
von Karma: *stops midstep by his own door--the shout is loud and illuminating, dispelling his earlier thoughts. There's a moment where he almost seems as though he's about to head back there, to the boy's room... but his expression darkens, and he makes no such move. There's no sign that either of the girls have been awakened by the sound, and he pushes open his door, enters, and shuts it tight*
~~~
Miles: *another night, another year. This time it's very early 2008, about two o'clock in the morning. Miles is in the throes of a nightmare, once again. The same nightmare as before, and he sounds much the same as the many nights since then he's had it. He clutches the sheets with white knuckles as he shudders and whimpers in fear*
Miles: *this one seems to be worse than the others, for whatever reason. His pants turn into a hyperventilation tinged by panicked moaning, and the volume increases until with each quick breath he's letting out a short scream, and finally he curls his body upward with a long, sustained, hoarse scream. He's no longer asleep, though he's not quite awake and doesn't have the presence of mind to silence himself as he screams out his entire breath and pants audibly for a few moments, eyes wide and bloodshot*
von Karma: *the house is quiet at first, as if no one has heard the bloodcurdling scream. Within the next few seconds, however, lights flicker on across the second floor, and there is the distinctive sound of footsteps in the hall*
Miles: *too out of it to even notice the noise at first, Miles then curls his hands into his hair and makes fists that tug at the roots and wake him up a bit. He's still hyperventilating as he stares at the door in fear, but a different kind, at the sound of the footsteps*
von Karma: *there's two booming knocks at the doorframe--Manfred's signature--and exactly five seconds later, he swings the door open without waiting for an acknowledgement*
Miles: *twitches his head down in shame, covering it with his hands. He swallows, but can't seem to stop himself from hyperventilating, though he makes a valiant effort to speak* S-S- *gasp* Sir! I-
von Karma: *though he was awakened by the yell--and is currently standing there in his robes-- exhaustion is not clear on his features, only the same stern disapproval as ever as he strides up to the front of the bed* Compose yourself, boy. Now! And tell me what the devil you are doing yelling out in my house at this hour.
Miles: *swallows convulsively, trying to slow his breathing, and he mostly succeeds* It was nothing, *another swallow* nothing, sir. Just a dream.
von Karma: *scowls, tapping a finger against his arm* When you wake others in this household with your screams it is not just a dream; it is a weakness and an annoyance.
Miles: I'm.... *manages to calm down, though there's still a wildness in his eyes* I'm sorry, sir. It was a very... frightening... It was a nightmare, sir.
von Karma: Hmph. You are not a child, boy. Be it dream or nightmare-it is not real.
Miles: *stares at von Karma, his face openly fearful. It's clear from his expression that he's considering something--his eyes flick from side to side.* I... Well... Sir, what if... What if it was real?
von Karma: *completely without pity or patience* You mean to say what if it were real, boy.
Miles: *nods distractedly.* Right, yes, what if it were real, sir. What if I were dreaming about something that actually happened. *looks down and to the side, biting his lip*
von Karma: *is quiet for a moment, studying the teenager's features* I don't have time for games and interrogations, boy. What were you dreaming of?
Miles: *he's so quiet that his voice is almost inaudible* Th-that day, in the elevator. When my father died...
von Karma: *his eyes narrow, and hidden at his side, his right hand clenches into a fist* What of it?
Miles: I keep... dreaming of it. I-I'm in the elevator again... *he's aware of the expression on von Karma's face and how dangerous it is, but now that he's spoken the first word about it, the entirety of the dream comes bleeding uncontrollably out of him* ...and my father and the bailiff are fighting.
Miles: Then the bailiff attacks my father, and I see the... the gun... And I'm so confused, and I pick up the gun... *brings his knees up to his face and stares through them* I... throw it. And I hear the shot... And then I hear this... awful, bloodcurdling scream.
Miles: *looks up at von Karma, and his eyes are wet but there are no tears. Now that the story is out he feels more controlled, and he can't help but be terrified of von Karma's reaction. He knows what the man will think and... And how much he hates criminals*
von Karma: *is silent for a long, terrifying moment--his hand is clenched so rigidly the tendons stand eerily out* And what do you think happened?
Miles: *his voice is strangled.* I... I don't know. I don't remember anything about it... Not at all. It... It has to be just a dream, right? *gives a very faint, hysterical laugh*
von Karma: *without replying, he moves suddenly--from the foot of the bed, to right by the bedside where Miles is sitting. His hands are twitching--clenching, unclenching, and then clenching tightly again, starting to raise up from his sides*
Miles: *perceives some threat in von Karma's actions, sits up straight and meets the man's eyes* I.... I don't believe I could have- It's impossible, sir. I didn't... I couldn't have been responsible. There's no reason I would have picked up that gun, there's no reason I would have thrown it. I was a child, but I understood the danger present...! *sounds more like he's trying to convince himself*
von Karma: ............ *his hands cease their jarringly repetitive movements but his words have no less edge in them* You think you shot your father. *strangely enough... he sounds surprised, for once*
Miles: *the words coming from von Karma strike him with the force of a blow. His mouth immediately dries completely, though his eyes don't move from von Karma's face. Hoarsely,* No, sir. Of course not. It was just a dream, it's not real.
von Karma: *after a long pause-- his face is impassive* Indeed.
Miles: Yes, it's not possible. *buries his right hand in his bangs, letting a breath out* I... I apologize. The truth is, I've been having this dream frequently for many years... More than five years.
von Karma: *still rather flatly--though there's some unexplainable spark starting to form in his eyes* I see. This thought, then, has haunted you... the fear that you've murdered your own father.
Miles: *winces at the painful words* N-no, of course not, sir. I know it's just a dream... *his hand tenses* I know that.
von Karma: *smiles, a cruel smile full of intent* Of course.
Miles: *sighs* My sincerest apologies for waking you, sir. I... cannot stop the dreams, but I will do what I can to keep them from disturbing you or Josefine. It's usually not this bad, I promise.
von Karma: See that you do so. Destroy every weakness--that is the only way you will grow to become a perfect prosecutor. It is the only thing I will accept, from one of mine. *turns, already ready to leave*
Miles: *lowers his head, aware of the implications of the statement. He rephrases it into straightforward words... 'If you want me to accept you, get rid of this problem of yours.' Some part of him feels a stabbing pain. In a defeated voice,* Understood, sir.
von Karma: Good. *marches out the door, only pausing momentarily before shutting it* Goodnight.
Miles: *quietly* Goodnight. *turns over and faces away from the door, squeezing his eyes shut and willing the tenseness away, though he is still far too keyed up to sleep... and not sure he wants to*
Additional OOC text:
von Karma: ((you realize that vK at this point still thinks miles is thinking of the actual actual events of DL-6 :B))
Miles: [[OPh my GOD]]
Miles: [[HE IS GOING TO KILL ME]]
von Karma: ((did you just realize this?! XD HAHAHA)
von Karma: ((yes that's why))
Miles: [[SHIT]]
Miles: [[SHIT FUCK]]
von Karma: ((PLEASE CLEAR THIS UP BEFORE HE KILLS YOU))
Miles: [[DDDD: YES OR TIEM PARADOX]]
von Karma: *shutting the door of his office and dusting off the front of his jacket, he walks carefully up the stairs. The rest of the house is quiet and dark--the only lights lit being the ones on his pathway up to his room--his children are all abed, as they should be*
von Karma: *en route, he pauses momentarily in front of each bedroom on the way to his own--a nighttime routine. The doors are all open a crack, and his hearing is acute enough to gauge the sound of rhythmic breathing from behind each door. He treads softly from Josefine's room... to Franziska's, at which he lingers noticeably longer... and onward, to Miles', at which he stops as well*
Miles: *on the other side of the door, instead of the usual and now familiar sound of regular, fluting breathing through the nose, Miles' breathing is irregular. It doesn't sound like he's awake and crying, an occurrence that had slowed in frequency before stopping completely over a year ago, but there's something subtly different about it*
Miles: *the sound is very very quiet but easily enough heard by the man on the other side of the door: it's a low, hitched sort of panting, and a shuffle beneath the cotton sheets. After a few moments of this, a faint keening escapes the boy, though it's not clear exactly what the emotion is behind the sound*
von Karma: *is... actually surprised at the sound, and pauses there at the doorway for some moments more as if in confirmation-- and then he scowls in disgust. He has half a mind to open the door and shame the boy-and deliver him a beating for it too--but the cautious side of his mind instructs him merely to store the memory of the instance in his mind, to be addressed at a more fitting time. He marches off towards his bedroom, shaking his head as he leaves*
Miles: *just then, there's another shuffle from the room, and Miles cries out. His cry is unambiguous this time, but instead of being in any way indicative of the kind of untoward habit that the noises he was making before could be interpreted to be, it's quite obviously a strangled shout that verges on a scream of terror. His panting begins to sound something like sobs*
von Karma: *stops midstep by his own door--the shout is loud and illuminating, dispelling his earlier thoughts. There's a moment where he almost seems as though he's about to head back there, to the boy's room... but his expression darkens, and he makes no such move. There's no sign that either of the girls have been awakened by the sound, and he pushes open his door, enters, and shuts it tight*
~~~
Miles: *another night, another year. This time it's very early 2008, about two o'clock in the morning. Miles is in the throes of a nightmare, once again. The same nightmare as before, and he sounds much the same as the many nights since then he's had it. He clutches the sheets with white knuckles as he shudders and whimpers in fear*
Miles: *this one seems to be worse than the others, for whatever reason. His pants turn into a hyperventilation tinged by panicked moaning, and the volume increases until with each quick breath he's letting out a short scream, and finally he curls his body upward with a long, sustained, hoarse scream. He's no longer asleep, though he's not quite awake and doesn't have the presence of mind to silence himself as he screams out his entire breath and pants audibly for a few moments, eyes wide and bloodshot*
von Karma: *the house is quiet at first, as if no one has heard the bloodcurdling scream. Within the next few seconds, however, lights flicker on across the second floor, and there is the distinctive sound of footsteps in the hall*
Miles: *too out of it to even notice the noise at first, Miles then curls his hands into his hair and makes fists that tug at the roots and wake him up a bit. He's still hyperventilating as he stares at the door in fear, but a different kind, at the sound of the footsteps*
von Karma: *there's two booming knocks at the doorframe--Manfred's signature--and exactly five seconds later, he swings the door open without waiting for an acknowledgement*
Miles: *twitches his head down in shame, covering it with his hands. He swallows, but can't seem to stop himself from hyperventilating, though he makes a valiant effort to speak* S-S- *gasp* Sir! I-
von Karma: *though he was awakened by the yell--and is currently standing there in his robes-- exhaustion is not clear on his features, only the same stern disapproval as ever as he strides up to the front of the bed* Compose yourself, boy. Now! And tell me what the devil you are doing yelling out in my house at this hour.
Miles: *swallows convulsively, trying to slow his breathing, and he mostly succeeds* It was nothing, *another swallow* nothing, sir. Just a dream.
von Karma: *scowls, tapping a finger against his arm* When you wake others in this household with your screams it is not just a dream; it is a weakness and an annoyance.
Miles: I'm.... *manages to calm down, though there's still a wildness in his eyes* I'm sorry, sir. It was a very... frightening... It was a nightmare, sir.
von Karma: Hmph. You are not a child, boy. Be it dream or nightmare-it is not real.
Miles: *stares at von Karma, his face openly fearful. It's clear from his expression that he's considering something--his eyes flick from side to side.* I... Well... Sir, what if... What if it was real?
von Karma: *completely without pity or patience* You mean to say what if it were real, boy.
Miles: *nods distractedly.* Right, yes, what if it were real, sir. What if I were dreaming about something that actually happened. *looks down and to the side, biting his lip*
von Karma: *is quiet for a moment, studying the teenager's features* I don't have time for games and interrogations, boy. What were you dreaming of?
Miles: *he's so quiet that his voice is almost inaudible* Th-that day, in the elevator. When my father died...
von Karma: *his eyes narrow, and hidden at his side, his right hand clenches into a fist* What of it?
Miles: I keep... dreaming of it. I-I'm in the elevator again... *he's aware of the expression on von Karma's face and how dangerous it is, but now that he's spoken the first word about it, the entirety of the dream comes bleeding uncontrollably out of him* ...and my father and the bailiff are fighting.
Miles: Then the bailiff attacks my father, and I see the... the gun... And I'm so confused, and I pick up the gun... *brings his knees up to his face and stares through them* I... throw it. And I hear the shot... And then I hear this... awful, bloodcurdling scream.
Miles: *looks up at von Karma, and his eyes are wet but there are no tears. Now that the story is out he feels more controlled, and he can't help but be terrified of von Karma's reaction. He knows what the man will think and... And how much he hates criminals*
von Karma: *is silent for a long, terrifying moment--his hand is clenched so rigidly the tendons stand eerily out* And what do you think happened?
Miles: *his voice is strangled.* I... I don't know. I don't remember anything about it... Not at all. It... It has to be just a dream, right? *gives a very faint, hysterical laugh*
von Karma: *without replying, he moves suddenly--from the foot of the bed, to right by the bedside where Miles is sitting. His hands are twitching--clenching, unclenching, and then clenching tightly again, starting to raise up from his sides*
Miles: *perceives some threat in von Karma's actions, sits up straight and meets the man's eyes* I.... I don't believe I could have- It's impossible, sir. I didn't... I couldn't have been responsible. There's no reason I would have picked up that gun, there's no reason I would have thrown it. I was a child, but I understood the danger present...! *sounds more like he's trying to convince himself*
von Karma: ............ *his hands cease their jarringly repetitive movements but his words have no less edge in them* You think you shot your father. *strangely enough... he sounds surprised, for once*
Miles: *the words coming from von Karma strike him with the force of a blow. His mouth immediately dries completely, though his eyes don't move from von Karma's face. Hoarsely,* No, sir. Of course not. It was just a dream, it's not real.
von Karma: *after a long pause-- his face is impassive* Indeed.
Miles: Yes, it's not possible. *buries his right hand in his bangs, letting a breath out* I... I apologize. The truth is, I've been having this dream frequently for many years... More than five years.
von Karma: *still rather flatly--though there's some unexplainable spark starting to form in his eyes* I see. This thought, then, has haunted you... the fear that you've murdered your own father.
Miles: *winces at the painful words* N-no, of course not, sir. I know it's just a dream... *his hand tenses* I know that.
von Karma: *smiles, a cruel smile full of intent* Of course.
Miles: *sighs* My sincerest apologies for waking you, sir. I... cannot stop the dreams, but I will do what I can to keep them from disturbing you or Josefine. It's usually not this bad, I promise.
von Karma: See that you do so. Destroy every weakness--that is the only way you will grow to become a perfect prosecutor. It is the only thing I will accept, from one of mine. *turns, already ready to leave*
Miles: *lowers his head, aware of the implications of the statement. He rephrases it into straightforward words... 'If you want me to accept you, get rid of this problem of yours.' Some part of him feels a stabbing pain. In a defeated voice,* Understood, sir.
von Karma: Good. *marches out the door, only pausing momentarily before shutting it* Goodnight.
Miles: *quietly* Goodnight. *turns over and faces away from the door, squeezing his eyes shut and willing the tenseness away, though he is still far too keyed up to sleep... and not sure he wants to*
Additional OOC text:
von Karma: ((you realize that vK at this point still thinks miles is thinking of the actual actual events of DL-6 :B))
Miles: [[OPh my GOD]]
Miles: [[HE IS GOING TO KILL ME]]
von Karma: ((did you just realize this?! XD HAHAHA)
von Karma: ((yes that's why))
Miles: [[SHIT]]
Miles: [[SHIT FUCK]]
von Karma: ((PLEASE CLEAR THIS UP BEFORE HE KILLS YOU))
Miles: [[DDDD: YES OR TIEM PARADOX]]