03 [Video]

[t1ghtly_w0und]

[Cogsworth has not exactly been in good shape since the Mist came back. Splitting headaches, loud clicking and ringing in his head, and the terrifying nightmares. Sleep was barely an option for the little clock.
Honestly, the only thing that was getting him by through this lock down was the company of Dolly, he hadn't left the Hoover Hall floor they

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[video]

[nocorsetsplease]

Good day, Cogsworth. [Elizabeth smiles into the camera, feeling a bit sorry for the way the poor clock looks at the moment. Cogsworth looks like he hasn't slept, and Liz can't help but hope that maybe some cheerful conversation will help ease the tension on his gears and coils. Poor guy.]

I know we haven't spoken since I first arrived, but I thought you looked like you could use some company, perhaps? I'd offer tea, but I don't think that would work very well...

[video]

[t1ghtly_w0und]

[He smiles pleasantly] Oh, hello Mrs. Swann! Yes, I would appreciate a bit of company.. Thank you.

[video] FOREVER

[nocorsetsplease]

I wish I could come over to your hall, but unfortunately this lock down prevents me from doing so. I'm afraid video will have to suffice for now.

How are you holding?

[She asks the question, expecting a melancholy sort of answer to the negative. She knew he wasn't doing especially well, but that at least presented the opportunity for him to talk about it, if he so desired.]

[permavideo]

[t1ghtly_w0und]

A video is perfectly fine, I think.

[He laughs weakly] I've been better, I must say. I'm not used to having.. nightmares so frequently...

[nocorsetsplease]

I can understand that completely. I have had many restless nights myself. I've considered going to Dr. Facilier to ask for something to remedy it. Dreamless sleep would be bliss.

I've yet to understand it all, but I'll be much happier once they leave our windows and we're able to enjoy fresh air again.

[t1ghtly_w0und]

Dr. Facilier? [He raises a brow, curious] The name sounds familiar, but I don't believe I've met him..

I agree wholeheartedly... Though.. if there's a positive side to all this, I suppose that we're able to understand the Mist a little better when it's at a safe distance.. I just hope it stays that way.

[nocorsetsplease]

[The suggestion that they are perhaps able to understand the Mist a bit better when it's outside the window takes Elizabeth by surprise. Not once had she felt as though anyone truly understood the Mist. What were they to learn from the dark and nightmarish gloom that seemed to hang over everyone? She's a bit taken aback. What exactly were they learning from this "safe distance?" As far as she knew, they hadn't truly learned anything yet. The only fact that was well established was this: the Mist was toying with all of their minds. That much was clear from the recent havoc it was wreaking on the various students.

Taking a deep breath, Liz decided against getting riled up over the issue. As the effects of the Mist varied between people, so would opinions. Cogsworth had his right to his own, and it was not her right to take that away, no matter how passionately she disagreed.]I'm afraid I don't agree with that. I personally believe we know next to nothing. My hopes is that at some point when we know we can provide ourselves

[t1ghtly_w0und]

[He rubs the back of his neck uncomfortably] Ah, yes.. I'm just trying to be a bit optimistic, I suppose..

[He looks away from the camera, debating a bit about whether or not to try and explain his reasons for seeing anything positive in this horrible situation.]
I- I mean- ...a-at least when the Mist is nearby.. it shows us our fears a little more clearly..
M-maybe facing our fears would help to stop the mist... somehow..?
Th-though this is all just speculation...

[Cogsworth means well, and honestly has been struggling to work past his fears for a while now, so he sees the Mist as something that simply took those terrors and intensified them all.
But then again, facing his fears hasn't been working out well at all, if his sleep-deprived appearance was any indication.]

[nocorsetsplease]

[After a bit of quiet contemplation, Elizabeth looks at him with appreciation.]

You may have a point there. Your speculation has given me a new set of eyes on the matter.

Please, enlighten me.

[tightly_w0und]

Oh!

W-well..
I've been suffering from.. recurring nightmares, lately... I know that all of the panic I've been feeling.. is about some.. er.. Well, I know what I'm afraid of, and these dreams show it clearly. Too clearly for my tastes, actually.

[frown] I feel like... if I could just stop being afraid of these things, I'd be better off.
But I.. can't..

[nocorsetsplease]

My nightmares come from things in my past. I don't necessarily regret them, but they are painful, nonetheless.

I will tell you what I told Miss Fa. The strangelings, causing all these nightmares, can be particularly bothersome to anyone. They have certainly had an ill effect on my own heart. Nightmares are troublesome things.

The thing with nightmares is that they are not real. Although they usually, at least for me, portray something very real, one can take comfort in one single fact. You are strong enough to face them on your own. Memories embedded in nightmares... are things you have already experienced. Take solace in knowing you have made it through every trial once already. That's why they are memories, nightmares. The evil has passed.

As I said to Miss Fa, count them as badges of victory. You wake up every day alive, do you not?

[t1ghtly_w0und]

That's very true... b-but.. the problem is, many of my fears are indeed about things that have happened in the past, but are not conquered yet..

It's about things outside my control, and I'm doubting that I can stop them..
At least nightmares end, but the real problems they stem from do not.

[nocorsetsplease]

This I had not considered. While many of my nightmares dabble in memories past, some of them do enjoy giving me devilish predictions of my future. Some of them relish in their ability to highlight problems that have not yet been reconciled.

Mister Cogsworth, you may be on to something.

[t1ghtly_w0und]

I- Really? [He smiles a bit, feeling a little more self-assured]

Perhaps the nightmares have some key elements that are similar with everyone! Though.. I'm not sure if intensity or frequency will be the same with each person... I'm sure it would be a case-by-case issue.

[nocorsetsplease]

For some it isn't nightmares. Miss Fa felt as though she was re-living memories from her own past.

All we know is that the Mist has a definite ill effect that varies slightly from person to person. Perhaps our ability to conquer these particular fears is a form of resistance.

[t1ghtly_w0und]

That's terrible!! Is she alright?

I believe you're right... As difficult as it may be, that is probably our best option.