Dream Training: Cogsworth

[bffsonotherside]

Who: Dr. Facilier and Cogsworth
What: dream training
Where: Dr. Facilier's creeptastic office
Warnings: none

Facilier's office door was already partially open, and a faint orange light seeped from within. Maybe it was just typical gas lighting (not that the rest of the school was lit the same way, but since when did Facilier do anything the rest

Comments

Sorry I'm so late!! D: >

[t1ghtly_w0und]

Cogsworth hadn't heard any news of previous dream sessions, but he was nervous none the less as he stepped toward Facilier's office. As the dim orange light of the torches outside surrounded him, he felt a strange sense of dread. The faintly opened door beckoned him inside, and it was as if he was at the gates of destiny. Would he be able to handle what ever was on the other side? He paused in the hallway, uncertain.

As it was, Cogsworth feared magic. The voodoo festival had proven to him that good things can come of it, but it was still an unnatural and unpleasant mystery to him. Being of an enchanted nature, he was a little more sensitive to things of the magical sort. It always felt like there was an alarm going off in his head the few times he'd been in close proximity to the strange counselor. But.. he had no real reason to fear the man. The only voodoo Facilier had used on him was extremely positive- the chance to be temporarily human. And besides, these dream training sessions were supposed to be for the better... To help him face his fears! That's one of the things Cogsworth had come to this school to do..

But taking those next few steps would suddenly make them all very real. He steeled his nerves, taking in a deep breath. If he was ever going to do so, it would have to be now. Cogsworth cautiously stepped into the office, knocking lightly on the door as it creaked open.

"Good evening, Dr. Facilier. I believe I have an appointment with you?"

omg ur ded 2 me. nahh, it's fine, haha

[bffsonotherside]

"Ahh, yes. Come in, come in." Facilier's voice rang clear from the opposite end of the long, narrow office, and to someone as small as Cogsworth, the office looked very intimidating indeed. Enchanted trinkets and baubles towered over him on high stacked shelves, and a huge glass cabinet filled with all sorts of bottles seemed to be glowing with a faint light.

Facilier himself was already seated at the round table at the back of the room, his fingertips steepled together. "Y'all ready to go?"

okay XD

[t1ghtly_w0und]

Cogsworth walked deeper into the room, staring in fearful wonder at the strange office. He was overwhelmed with a sense of "you should be panicking right now", but he held it back.

At Facilier's question, he finally breaks his gaze from off of the dubious looking trinkets on the tall shelves, gulping quietly. "As ready as I can be, I suppose."

Stopping himself before the table, but from a vantage point where he can still see Facilier, he asks quietly, "H-how will this training take place, exactly..?"

[bffsonotherside]

"Well, first of all you're gonna... hm. Pardon the reach," Facilier interrupted himself, plucking Cogsworth straight off the ground and depositing him gently on the tabletop. He sat down in his usual seat facing the clock, leaning casually back in his chair. "There, that's better, always best to meet the client on their own level," he laughed. "But the gist of what we're gonna do today is prepare you for somethin' you might encounter with the Mist to get you ready. If you've been through it once, you're more likely to realize what's goin' on when it plays tricks on ya, an' if there's one thing we do know about the Mist, it's that its effects lessen once you realize what you're seein' and hearin' isn't real."

He reached into the pocket of his waistcoat and drew out a purple salt shaker, filled with a glittering powder. "I'm gon' use this to put you to sleep, and it'll make your mind all nice and malleable so I can get in there an' show you somethin' similar to what the Mist would target. Get through this, an' should you be taken by onna them Strangelings, it jus' might not be so bad."

[t1ghtly_w0und]

"I- I see...", Cogsworth stuttered, gulping a bit.

The description wasn't the best thing to calm his nerves, but it helped him get a good idea of how this could work out. He knew how bad his nightmares had been during the last invasion of the Mist, so he had a faint image of what was in store.. but that was the thing that made him most uneasy. There was a reason he didn't get any sleep around the Mist, he just had so much trouble handling it.

B-but that was what he was here for, now! It's always better to get these things out of the way sooner than later... Oh, that advice was so much easier to say than do.

"What happens if we.. aren't successful in overcoming these dreams?"

[bffsonotherside]

"Well, I'll do my best to get you outta there before you die," Facilier said easily, waving a hand. "The worst that can happen is that the next time the Mist comes aroun', you won't be much better at fendin' it off. Maybe a touch better though, every little bit helps, even if you technically 'fail' this training."

[t1ghtly_w0und]

Everything helps.. Even failing would leave him better off than before.. Aside from the possible damage to his nerves and psyche, he tried to remain positive.
He really, really tried.

"That's.. promising, at least. I'm certain that anything would be an improvement.", Cogsworth said, taking in a small inhale.. and exhale.. to feel one final sweep of comfort.

[bffsonotherside]

"There ya go, that's the spirit!" Facilier smiled encouragingly -- or rather, what he took to be encouraging, Cogsworth probably saw it as something closer to the edge of foreboding -- and shook a bit of the purple powder into his hand. "Close your eyes, now..." He drew a deep breath and blew.

But what hit Cogsworth's face wasn't a handful of strange dust, but rather a cold, winter breeze, scented lightly with pine. At once the room feels colder, and if Cogsworth were to shiver and open his eyes, he'd find himself not in Dr. Facilier's office, but rather a room in shambles, broken furniture scattered everywhere, torn wallpaper and curtains strewn across the floor and hanging in tatters on the walls. Take a step back, and he'd feel himself hit the foot of a tall wooden table, and it rocks dangerously as he hits it. The West Wing.

[t1ghtly_w0und]

The second that gust of freezing wind hit him, Cogsworth's mind flooded with old memories of the castle. When he opened his eyes, he was so overcome with shock that his ticking momentarily froze. He'd dreamt of this place many times in the past, but never in such vivid clarity. He blinked, uncertain if it was all really there or not. With the combination of familiar smells, the cool chill in the air, and the... unpleasant but never the less familiar sights.. he was certain he was back home.

"I-I don't believe this..." Cogsworth uttered breathlessly, staggering backwards.

With a light thunk, he knocked into the table, and frantically stumbled away from it. As it teetered, he reached out to stop it, finding further comfort in the solidity of his surroundings. Cautiously he looked around, and realized that he shouldn't be in the West Wing unannounced...

[bffsonotherside]

Luckily for Cogsworth, the West Wing was empty apart from himself. At first the lightly fluttering curtains gave the impression of another's presence, but they soon stilled again. The snow on the balcony outside was windswept and untouched -- either someone hadn't been out there recently, or the wind had been so strong that it obscured their tracks.

Almost on cue, the wind picked up again, harsh and violent, so much that papers strewn around the floor were picked up and sent scattering, and the curtains pulled on their rods. It even rocked the small table supporting the bell jar and enchanted rose, and it teetered dangerously despite Cogsworth's support.

[t1ghtly_w0und]

Cogsworth nearly fell backwards from the sudden blast of wind. He grabbed onto the leg of the table, struggling to hold himself upright and keep the table from completely knocking over. But it was vastly taller than him, and nearly slipped out of his slick metal hands.

If the rose fell.. they would surely be doomed, cursed, immortally trapped! He held on as tightly as he could, praying for the wind storm to desist for a mere moment... he needed to close the windows, or drag the table somewhere safe- do something productive!! But he was stuck, trying to pull the table back every time it rocked out of his grasp. He was powerless to the forces of nature, helpless to do anything to fix this disaster that was quickly rushing from bad to worse.

Cogsworth yelled out for help, hoping that someone would be out there to hear him and assist before the encased rose finally teeters to the floor. But his repeated echo traveling through the corridors isn't an assuring sign.

[bffsonotherside]

But Cogsworth's calls were lost to the wind, and however voiceless he might have seemed against it, the unmistakable crash of glass was near-deafening.

Behind him, the bell jar lay in smithereens on the floor, the enchanted rose among them, wilted and ordinary, its faint glow deadened in the chill air.

[t1ghtly_w0und]

"No! No, no, no!!"

Cogsworth rushed toward the fallen rose, shards of glass cracking under his feet. He froze before it, body trembling so violently that he could feel the gears in his chest chatter. Carefully, with hands shaking and vision blurring, he picked up the rose. He held it as gently as he could, trying to steel himself for the sole sake of keeping his shivers from shaking the last petals off.

It no longer held that ethereal pink glow that had both terrified and fascinated him for so many years. It's colors were faded, the flower itself wilting and dying against the cold winter air. He held it with the utmost care between both hands, as if it could crumble to dust at any moment.

Once again he trembled, barely holding back the sobs that were struggling to arise. A wilted gray petal picked up on a gust of wind and flew past him.
"No," he cried weakly, holding the rose closer to his glass chest.
Even though everything was beyond the point of hopelessness, he tried to shield the powerless flower from the chilling wind.

"Not like this, it can't end like this.."

[bffsonotherside]

Cogsworth's whispers didn't last long before they were interrupted by a deafening roar from deep within the castle. Perhaps the one most closely connected with the rose had felt its loss physically.

[t1ghtly_w0und]

Any grief he had been feeling before is entirely replaced with fear. He had mistakingly believed that he was alone in the Castle, and the fact that he wasn't filled him with a horrifying dread- the ugly reality of his surroundings was sinking in. Despite the fact that he had been powerless to stop this disaster, he knew that the blame would be placed on himself.. standing amidst the broken glass, with the dead rose in his hands.. it painted a very unfortunate story for anyone who would see it.
But the worst detail was that the Master would find this. The beastly prince's wrath would surely be unlike anything he'd ever seen before. He realized how much danger he was in, and the seconds before he could very well be destroyed were ticking away...

In a panic, he rushed out of the Master's room and down the West wing, as fast as he could. Every monsterous statue he passed made his terror increase, and it was only as he was halfway down one of the halls that he realized the rose was still in his hands. He slid to a halt, clutching it's stem tightly in his hand. He nervously glanced both ways down the corridor- he had to hide, quickly. Without another thought, he slipped behind one of the statues, hiding between the wall and the dark marble.
Holding his breath and shutting his eyes, he tried to remain as silent as he possibly could- but his ticking refused to stop.

[bffsonotherside]

The harsh scrabble of claws on marble sounded at the opposite end of the hallway, and the Beast stormed past Cogsworth within mere moments, hardly spotting the tiny clock through his rage as he dashed up the stairs to the West wing. He left gashes in the carpet from his nails in his wake, and no sooner had the door to the West wing crashed open to signal the Beast's entrance, another roar sounded, enough to rattle the suits of armor. Furniture crashed and splintered as the Beast ran out the length of his now eternal despair, and Cogsworth could only just perceive the faint tap tap tap of something hopping towards him.

"Poor Master, what's got him in such an awful temper?"
"Oh, Madame, if only I could tell you! I have not seen him in such a state in ages!"