Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Third Dream Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Forwarded to late night

[byakkoyagirl]

[Written; Near night time (Paprika isn't visible as she isn't imposing her image)]

I hope everyone has a good dream tonight.

[It ends there. She won't be answering anyone who tries responding. If anything it's only a precaution, so no one can say she didn't warn them. Even if she didn't make herself obvious - it wouldn't be much of a surprise if

Comments

[mirrorbirth]

[Good dreams, what are good dreams? ...And actually, it does happen once in a blue moon. Tonight, Asch is experiencing a dream that's about as good as it gets- his child self, around ten years old, standing at a cliffside overlooking the ocean, with a pretty little blonde girl at his side, clasping his hand. She's smiling like it's the happiest moment of her life, and even he can't hold back a smile at the sight.

Someone he loves; someone he misses. He's promising her a lot of things now, and all of them broken.

"Someday, when we're grown up..."]

[byakkoyagirl]

[Paprika does come across the scene, silently moving up the cliffside to observe the two. For a moment she thinks the boy is Luke, their appearance alike, but...was it really? She had every reason to believe it was and yet all the reason to not.

She only observes for now, waiting to see how it unfolds.]

and I'm out of little!asch icons. I did not think this through.

[mirrorbirth]

[The little girl brightens and moves their hands to curve her pinky finger around his, beaming brightly despite the boy's sudden, unsatisfied expression.

"We'll change this country, together!"

And with a giggle, the girl scampers off, skipping contentedly, fading away in seconds. The scene shifts, twists into something new, something much darker- a cavern, much like a damp, unfinished basement, a massive, glowing machine in the background, humming quietly. The boy is now in a cage, but he barely moves or reacts, simply reaching out to clasp the bars as he looks out into the cave.]

pff XD; /pats

[byakkoyagirl]

[The change doesn't make her flinch, though the location does. It was such a drastic change from what she saw too. Paprika begins to walk forward, until she sees Asch in the cage and comes closer.]

...Who put you in here?

[mirrorbirth]

[Asch glances warily at her, uncertain and silent for a long moment.]

...Master Van...

[He says the name with an odd, quiet mixture of fear, sorrow, and respect.]

[byakkoyagirl]

[She thinks for a moment. She...doesn't think she ever heard that name before. Not from Asch or Luke. Though the weight it carries in his voice is quite noticeable.]

You don't want to be here, do you?

[mirrorbirth]

[Asch looks away, his gaze drifting briefly to the machine, then back to Paprika. She's familiar, for some reason. He can't quite figure it out.]

What I want has never mattered.

[byakkoyagirl]

[She shakes her head gently.]

Well it matters right now, because I'm asking you.

[mirrorbirth]

[Asch is stunned for a long moment, gazing at Paprika in a mixture of alarm and confusion. She's asking... what he wants...?]

N... no, I... I don't want to be here. I want to go home...

[byakkoyagirl]

[She nods. While she can't take him home, she can at least try to help him get out of these bars.]

Alright, I'll help you escape then. We just need to find a way to get you out of this cage.

[mirrorbirth]

If I leave, Master Van will get mad. [And Van is the only person he respects, so he can't disobey him, can he...?]

[byakkoyagirl]

...But is that more important to you than having freedom?

[mirrorbirth]

...I don't know. What's freedom like?

[byakkoyagirl]

Freedom is...well I guess the best way is getting the choice to do what you want, when you want to do it. No matter what it is.

[mirrorbirth]

No matter what? [Because that sounds like some kind of trick. Nothing could possibly be that good.]

[byakkoyagirl]

[She's about to say 'yes', but then she stops herself and clicks her tongue in thought.] Well, I guess if you want to obey laws, and other things like that, the term 'no matter what' might be stretching it. Though that is the general idea.