Dream Training: Tulio [complete]

[hoooly_ship]

Where: Dr. Facilier's office
When: Evening
Who: Dr. Facilier and Tulio
What: Dream Training
Warnings: Orgy Angst and violence.

Comments

[bffsonotherside]

"Quite ready indeed, c'mon in." Facilier's voice sounded from the opposite end of the almost questionably long room -- did the walls of the building even extend that far? Maybe it was just an optical illusion from the way the shelves were placed, lining the walls and stacked full of the most peculiar odds and ends, some recognizable, some completely foreign, and all just slightly over the edge of sinister. Mismatched area rugs carpeted the floor beneath Tulio's feet, leading all the way up to where Facilier stood at the back of the room, right beside his card table. He gestured to the chair he usually occupied -- it was obviously more comfortable than the other wooden ones set at the opposite end, red velvet on dark mahogany, almost like a throne.

"You can have this one today," Facilier said with a little smile. "Wouldn' want you to fall out or anythin.'"

[bffsonotherside]

Unfortunately for Tulio, the winds don't last long. In fact it's not long until they die completely, leaving the ship and its tiny crew under the sun with little relief apart from the useless sails' shade. But with the sun positioned just so, and given their direction... yes, Tulio falls right in the path of the mainsail's shadow, a sliver of relief from the swiftly heating deck. No sound comes from either Chel or Miguel from below and, to put it simply, with so little to be done until the wind picks up, Tulio's got it made in the shade. Feel like a nap?

Of course you do. Let the water rock you gently to sleep. And don't worry, if the wind picks up, you're sure to feel it. No harm in a little shut-eye.

[hoooly_ship]

Tulio was so paranoid and wound-up it shocked him when a wave of fatigue rushed over his body. Should he blame the sun or the dream? He couldn't even focus as he sunk down to his knees and pressed his back against the side of the boat.

Closing his eyes he sighed, feeling comfortable in that shade. Too comfortable. There were so many alarms in his head going off, but he couldn't physically react to them. He could only sleep...

[bffsonotherside]

Night falls with an imperceptible change in temperature... surely you would have woken up cold, right? But if Tulio were to open his eyes, he'd see a dark sky scattered across with stars, his view inhibited only by the sails and the mountain of trea--

Wait. No sails. It's difficult to see in the darkness; perhaps Miguel thought to furl them? Look below and see... no treasure to speak of. Not a fleck of gold to be seen. Miguel and Chel couldn't have moved that much in such a space of time, least of all without waking you up, right?

[hoooly_ship]

The temperature didn't matter too much because it felt like someone had poured icy water over his head when he took in his surroundings. It was dark, the gold was gone, and where were the sails?!

"Miguel?! Chel?!" He stood up and yelled for them, then hit himself in the head when he remembered he was calling for figments of his imagination. "Wait, breathe." He obeyed himself and took in that deep breath he so desperately needed.

"C'mon, médico. Throw it at me already!"

[bffsonotherside]

No response. Just the gentle lapping of the water against the boat and--

A splash. Off to the port side, just visible in the moonlight, a rowboat tries to make its way off into the distance as silently as possible. If Tulio squints, he might spot Chel frozen in an almost comical pose, about to fall out of the dinghy in her attempt to keep another bit of gold from falling into the sea.

[hoooly_ship]

If this had been reality he would've felt an insanely sharp stab of betrayal go straight through his heart. As it was, there was only a little amount of pain because he reminded himself that it wasn't real so it numbed the rest.

He leaned his arms on the side of the boat, his eyebrow quirked up down at his little lady. She was close enough to talk to, but far enough that he couldn't hop into the boat after them.

"Hola, señorita. You know, that'll probably sink. And if you want to scare me you're going to have to work a liiiiittle bit harder then that."

[bffsonotherside]

"T-Tulio!" Chel looked distressed, and she flicked her eyes between Miguel and the gold to Tulio still on the ship.

"Tulio, I'm sorry, there wasn't enough room--" She pointed over Tulio's shoulder to the port side, just as the current began to take her away. Miguel snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her down beside him before she could fall over the side.

A dark shape was blotting out the stars behind Tulio. And it was approaching.

[hoooly_ship]

"Uh huh." He waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah right médico, that would never happen." Except that he always feared that it would. Chel running away with his partner? It was always a possibility that snaked the back of his mind. After all, Miguel did always get the beautiful women. It wasn't too paranoid to think that he'd steal the one that he got, especially when said woman was a con-artist thief like themselves.

He turned away from them to ignore that disturbing scenario, just in time to see the darkness approaching. His eyes widened as a cold chill ran down his spine. Was this the true nightmare coming?

[bffsonotherside]

The shape loomed nearer, and as it approached Tulio could see the outline of a ship, but one far greater and more menacing than his own. This one surely had a crew of at least fifty men, not to mention -- hey, how were they catching a breeze in this still air?

"Ready yourselves, men," came a rumbling voice that was all too familiar to Tulio. "He won't get away on his own."

Cortez.

[hoooly_ship]

He knew why -- because a nightmare wouldn't have any sort of disadvantage. He would be the one with the issues. And what issues they were! No escape boat, no partner, no lover, no gold and no wind. The Doctor really knew how to give it to him.

What could he possibly do? He didn't even have a gun! So really the only logical thing to do was freeze up in absolute terror.

[bffsonotherside]

It wasn't long before Cortez's boat drew alongside Tulio's, and the great ship dwarfed the other by comparison. Just its silhouette against the bright moon was menacing enough, but it was hardly before Tulio could even take that image in that several of Cortez's men had lashed ropes to the boom of their ship, using them to swing on deck. They landed with heavy thuds, one after another until six were closing in on Tulio, swords drawn.

"Hold, men." Cortez's order rang out sharp and clear in the stagnant night air, and there was the scraping sound of wood on wood as a gangplank was slid between the two decks. He descended, broad as ever and fully armored, to stand before Tulio.

"Well, well. We meet again, stowaway."

[hoooly_ship]

"H-Heh." His voice cracked harder then it had when he hit puberty. His throat was instantly dry as their boots hit the deck, and he stood there with his knees against the side of the ship.

Staring up into Cortez's cruel eyes he knew he only had two options; Stay here and be tortured, or jump overboard into instant death. There was an appeal to a quick death, but Tulio was stubborn and liked to hold onto life as much as possible even when it was agonizing.

It was time to try and talk his way out of it.

"Hola, Cortez. Uh... Well as you can see I have my own ship now, I'm not causing any trouble. How about we just call it even, okay?"

[bffsonotherside]

"Yes, I can see that." Cortez's eyes were roving over the ship. "A very nice one, indeed. What intrigues me, though, is what might have happened to all the gold you took from me. I cannot imagine you're keeping it below deck, with this little space."

It only took three strides to close the distance between them, and he leaned down to stare right into Tulio's eyes. "What have you done with my gold?"

[hoooly_ship]

That was his gold? He just wanted to sink through the deck right then and there. Maybe jumping overboard wasn't such a bad idea now.

"IF I had your gold wouldn't you think it'd be here?! Obviously I never took it in the first place. Go ahead! Look around!" Stall for time, stall for time. Thinkthinkthink-- ah ha!

"Er, Miguel! You know that blonde guy I was with? He took it! Then he left me, and I'm just sailing back to Spain. So you should go after him!" Sure. Give up his partner. Why not? It was only a dream.

[bffsonotherside]

Cortez arched an eyebrow, then chuckled lowly with a look up at Tulio's rigging. "Without any sails?"