(Untitled)

[favorthebold]

Characters: Ilyigan (favorthebold) and Mona Lisa (vile_queen)
Date/Time: Backdated to April 20th
Location: Let's say Mona's house? (Jackie?)
Rating: Likely up to PG-13
Summary: Mona gives Ilyigan her vial of dream dust for testing. One cocoon nap later...

Comments

Mona's house works! Sorry, I hadn't realized this was up.

[vile_queen]

She'd read the journals, noted that others were in the cocoons, but that didn't change her mood. It wasn't at all relaxing to know that Ilyigan was not alone in being trapped. He was stuck, imprisoned, unable to escape. There was an edge to her anger that was close to fear, and she couldn't completely control it

NP! <3

[favorthebold]

Ah - there. Sand or no sand, Ilyigan was aware of it as soon as Mona entered, turning toward her even while still rubbing his eyes. Ideally, this meant that hardly any time at all had passed, since she was still there, but it was probably better not to be too optimistic if at all. Gratefully he accepted the glass and emptied it. "It's a fine mess I've made for you," he answered with a chuckle, clearing his throat a final time. Getting all the sand out of his hair would be a chore.

His senses were still on edge as he looked at her now, saw her anew. So you dreamed of me running at your side. It was clear in his memory now, along with a dozen other things. It didn't mean much, to be sure... it was a sort of power over her, he thought, but then thought that no, not even that. Her dream had been very different from his. It had not been one solid memory.

So: more questions than answers again.

"We should sit," he said after a thoughtful moment. "But first, how long?"

<3

[vile_queen]

"I am employed by housekeeping. They have objects available for my use. The mess will be attended to." Mona was tempted to suggest he help with it, but it was a mild temptation, easily pushed away. The vial had been given to her, it was her mess to clean up. And they did not need to address his sexism at this point in time.

She nodded, taking a seat on the couch. It was near him and yet not too close. There was no telling what he thought of being trapped, of his offer of protection being relied upon so soon. "One day. It has been twenty-four hours," she glanced at her watch, "precisely, I believe, since you were taken by the sand. And you were not the only one. A few were reported on the journals, though I did not reply. Most, it appears, kept their vial. Thus it was assumed that I was cocooned, and I saw no reason to disabuse them of this notion."

What would it have been like, being trapped inside that for so long? "Were you aware of the time passing?"

[favorthebold]

Almost despite himself, Ilyigan raised an eyebrow. She was employed in housekeeping? But then he thought of it again, and thought, of course - who else had access to every house in the Sphere, his own included? It was almost as though she was not capable of saying anything that would not surprise him. Every last thing about her was a twist and a turn

[vile_queen]

Mona smirked at the eyebrow, having a guess as to what he was thinking, and the answer his mind provided. She could get into and out of every house here, no small feat. And it was such a simple thing that everyone relied on. No one thought about others in their house, learning of them as they cleaned and observed.

She shook her head in answer. "No. It has been implied that people have been cocooned before, all together, and that they emerged at similar times as well. So those who were also trapped have not yet had time to write anything." There was no way to keep from frowning. There had been, so far as she knew, no gain. How was one supposed to start a revolution if following the instructions garnered nothing? Was all of this a trick? A delaying tactic?

"Experience. So there was something that happened? You were not trapped for naught?"

[favorthebold]

"It's been implied, has it." Ilyigan grumbled under his breath. "Did only the unknowing get this gift, I wonder, or did wiser men simply think it all good and nice not to give any warning?" Her answer didn't relieve his suspicion, and a fear rose from it that made his temper short. He couldn't say that he would have chosen to warn others, himself, but all that was on his mind now was the question of who else might have seen Mona's dream. Who else might have shared in that most... intimate of things, there was no better word for it. He knew the feeling, though he couldn't properly name its source - it was possessiveness.

It occurred to him that she was definitely not going to like that.

"No, I was not, doma," he answered, his tone quiet in a way that surprised him as well. "Something did happen. I dreamed while I lay in there - and I know that the dream was not my own."

[vile_queen]

"Instead of the reactions I would suspect, one posted seeking someone to watch the cocoon while he worked. This seemed a very calm response, and there were mentions that lead to my suspicions." Mona shook her head at his question. "It appears that some who knew what it was recieved and did not choose to warn. Even though the note with each was the same, and thus they knew that one who was unaware of the purpose of the vials, at least, had one."

There was a great deal of frustration to this. They were all lacking information, and yet needed information simply was not shared.

She raised an eyebrow at his partial answer. The obvious reply would be to ask what the dream was, but she had to wonder if he wanted that question. It was a strange sort of way that he spoke, oddly soft and not very much like him. Mona resisted the nearly overwhelming urge to ask and instead replied, "And I am sure that if you feel it important, you will illuminate me further." ...Oddly enough, she was sure, even though she had no reason behind the feeling.

[favorthebold]

Wretched place, Ilyigan thought as Mona told him of her own observations, but he knew that that was merely frustration speaking. Both of them knew the essentials: there was danger here, it was firmly tied to knowledge and information, and they had only the barest concept of it yet. There was a reason for every bit of secrecy. They could expect nothing to be given freely. These things were natural, and the thought of them calmed him, paradoxically. There was sense behind others' behavior. Tree in a glass bowl and all, men were the same everywhere.

"Perhaps knowledge is only shared with those who prove themselves trustworthy," he mused, something that had no doubt occurred to her as well. And how does one prove trustworthy? What answers do we give when we don't know the questions?Patience, he thought. Anger had no place here, even if he could not help but begin to imagine himself as a caged wolf. And not when there was this greater matter here that, in truth, she had more right to be angry about than he

[vile_queen]

"Perhaps." It was more than likely that those who were friends of previous recipients had been warned. It was how many operated. She was no longer entirely new; there was no reason to expect any out-of-their-way assistance.

"And yet one might think that they could use more allies here, when all are trapped prisoners. It costs one nothing, I would think, to warn of what happens when a vial is given. But there is no way to speculate usefully at this time on why no one spoke of it. I do not have enough information, and gathering such may well take some time." It was annoying, but she hadn't planned on relying on the good will of others anyway.

Mona's eyes narrowed when he explained. That was not just hers. It was hers. It and her hat were everything she had of who she was, and it had just been shown... If she was to be impartial, likely little harm had been done. He'd had it confirmed that he was in her dream, he'd already known she was ambitious. But the little girl was private. Personal. The little girl was her at what was likely

[favorthebold]

Without even trying to hide that fact, Ilyigan watched her like a hawk all while speaking. There was some judgement in that gaze, yes, and a profound interest. What will she do? How will she react? The dream had not actually told him much, not even the girl. There was no one who didn't have at least one crack in them, one weak spot, and if that was hers... then he didn't want it, he realized with a faint shock. He did not want to hold that knowledge of the line along which she could be broken. The idea of killing her had occurred to him before, when they had just met and he realized that this woman had some power over him. The idea of breaking her... no

[vile_queen]

He was watching at every moment, and Mona still did not know her exact connection to him. Nor did she know what all he was capable of. He was not what one would call 'good,' she was sure of it. And while she doubted her own 'goodness,' she knew his form was dangerous. He could turn on her. He could kill her, likely. Especially with the ice. Sometimes Mona wondered why she was trusting him at all, but seeing him reinforced the connection she could feel. There was something about him that made her not wish to avoid him, no matter how much safer she might be

[favorthebold]

"I..." somehow, Ilyigan hesitated. He could not lie, but he realized then that he could also not truly be sure of anything he had felt. Somewhere in the contact between his mind and her memories, the sense of 'self' blurred, especially when his own idea of who he was was as yet none too solid. The idea of being in her skin quite so thoroughly was disturbing, an alien sort of empathy. "I lived it," he finally settled for saying. "I cannot truly say what that means. It isn't mine." He had no wish to claim it, one way or another.

Suddenly, and very much despite himself, an intense feeling of relief flooded him: that it had not been the other way around, not her opening the vial to experience his birth-dream, assuming that this would have been the case. The emotion was so out of proportion to what he might expected that it utterly confused him. What was it about that memory that screamed to him never let another know? Ill at ease, he shifted in his seat, not really minding that she saw his discomfort with the situation. It was a

[vile_queen]

"Very well." It wasn't the exact answer she was looking for, but if he didn't have it, then he couldn't give it. She would not push for something more; it made no sense to do so. In fact, all it could possibly do was alienate him.

Mona wondered if she should have kept it, what she might have seen or learned. But it was done, and there was no reason to dwell. The past stayed in the past.

"I hardly want several people to suddenly have sympathy. But that is preferable to being looked down upon due to this. I wish to make an impact, but this is not the way I desired for it to start. Nonetheless I can only move forward. And perhaps there is a way to use it to my advantage. If there is to be sympathy, such a thing can be played upon." She was still not happy, but a small smirk played on her lips. Whatever the Tree had intended, she could turn it around.

[favorthebold]

Ah, yes, this was better - certainly better. Moving forward. He should not have had doubts, Ilyigan thought, if she was anything like he was beginning to come to terms with her being, then the doubts were foolish. If it was a game that she was set to play against the Tree, then it was a grand one: moves like this should only be expected, and a player who could not keep up with them would not last the first round. A touch of excitement rose over his unease. Whatever she did next, he wanted to witness it.

"Is that so," he said with a chuckle. "You fancy your chances, I see. Well, it's hardly unfair, seeing as no one here thinks it right to speak openly." Not that fairness was important, but the secrecy galled him. He did not like feeling like a fool of a newcomer.

"But you know, doma," he added after a moment, again thoughtful. "Somehow I doubt that this was the real purpose behind this exercise, whoever it was that initiated it. This colorful sand seems too rare a substance to use in a cruel prank."

[vile_queen]

It was a comfort to know that she seemingly hadn't lost respect in his eyes. That was rather important. He'd seen her vulnerable and hadn't returned to viewing her as just a woman again. While Mona was certain that the sentiment still lingered, that he would continue to look down on her for her gender, she could still hope to win her point one day

[favorthebold]

They were bold statements, he thought, but not uninspiring - not empty. In a sense, with a sort of self-knowledge that almost surprised him, Ilyigan knew that he had not yet quite stomached his situation yet - this imprisonment in so vast a prison, this dogged uncertainty that accompanied every decision. Perhaps he never will. And perhaps that was best. In his mind, he simply took it for granted that some breakthrough was possible. If not by knowledge, then by force