By poppler demand

[lucetimods]

Who: Are you in Luceti? You are? Okay, good. Then it includes you.
What: More Luceti Valley AU shenanigans
When: Today! Or other times, if you specify.
Where: Anywhere your heart desires~
Summary: Today the beasties arrive. And more of that dream business. Or just some more slice of life?
Rating: Intended for Immature Audiences Only

Comments

27th

[soreplaceable]

[Everyone has strange dreams. Lately, it seemed as though everybody was having more strange dreams than usual and Ion was no exception. The first days were unsettling; like watching someone's life in fast-forward, only that someone was him... but it wasn't him. It was difficult to describe, living a fake life even in a dream. He was himself, but not himself.]

[Replica was the word his dream used. And as the days ticked by, the dreams became more vivid. Darker. And he couldn't shake this terrible feeling upon waking that he'd forgotten something... perhaps, the most important part of the dream? It was hard to explain.]

[But the dream last night... it was the most unsettling. When he woke from this dream, he couldn't fall back asleep. He sat up for hours until he finally gave up the notion of sleeping altogether.]

[He needed to talk to someone about it.]

[And so, after allowing a few hours past sunrise to go by, Ion seeks out someone to talk to about this...]

[cakeblocked]

[That night was the worst for Luke. He'd dreamed of standing in front of a large relic, of holding his hands out while a strange man encouraged him to focus on his power, and -

And then he called him a replica. Foolish replica Luke.

Everything became chaotic and dark for a while, but then the place he was in... Wasn't there anymore. Instead, there was a sickly purple mud and people who were at least familiar by now (and Guy...) were standing nearby, in various states of shock. A little boy was sinking into the mud, and though they tried, they couldn't save him. The boy sunk, pleading for help...

And then his... friends? They all surrounded him, telling him thousands of people died, that it was his fault -

Luke had woken up with a panicked cry and immediately found Asch.

A few hours past sunrise and after a restless sleep, Luke intended to go out to walk, just to get some fresh air. However, when he opened the door, he wasn't quite expecting to find Ion standing there.]

Ion... Hey.

[soreplaceable]

[When the door opened, Ion hadn't expected to see Luke right away. Somewhere in his mind, he'd been hoping for Paprika or Asch to answer. The last time he saw Luke, looking up at his face in that moment when everything was so strong and so vivid almost as thought it had really happened...]

[Luke. Don't look at me like that.]

[He stares up at Luke for a moment or two with a strange and rather sad look on his face before biting down on his lip and forcing a smile.]

Good morning, Luke. I hope it isn't too early to be dropping by unexpectedly like this...

[cakeblocked]

[It was the same for him - Ion was there, too, staring at him with the others... When everyone blamed all of that destruction on him and abandoned him, surrounded by all that poisonous mud.

"You're right. I'm powerless. But still..."

Luke doesn't both trying to hide the sad look on his own face, though he frowns a little from Ion's attempt at hiding his own.]

It's not early at all... Come on in. [He opens the door a little wider and steps away.]

[soreplaceable]

[With a nod, Ion walks past Luke into his home, turning on his heel to face him. Even though Ion was the one to come here for someone to talk to about his own problems (something he didn't do very often to begin with) seeing that sad look on Luke's face... well, it was concerning.]

[But at least with the way everyone has been acting these past few days, it wasn't too hard to guess the reason why.]

...have you been having strange dreams, too?

[cakeblocked]

... Yeah.

[He's already talked about it with Asch, and he's not exactly eager to do so with anyone else, not even his own mother. So, he locks it up tightly, and he focuses on Ion instead.]

You too, huh?

[soreplaceable]

[Ion nods, looking down at the ground.] I know it's most likely just another shift, but something about them is just so... unsettling. I've never had dreams that I could remember so clearly.

[His voice grows softer and his expression just a bit sadder.] ...I wish I could just forget them, but every time I go to sleep, they start right where they left off.

[cakeblocked]

They're just dreams. There're too many things wrong with them to be anything more than that.

[But... He still places his hand on Ion's shoulder and starts to lead him to his room.]

It helps to talk about it with someone. Believe me, I know. [He's got a dream psychologist for a mother, after all.]

[soreplaceable]

[Once in Luke's room, the first thing Ion does is take a seat on Luke's bed. Whereas Ion would usually ask before sitting (even though the answer was always the same) today he was just too tired for formalities. He'd been awake since before the sun was up, and hadn't gotten much sleep the night before either.]

I know they're just dreams, but... [He falls silent for a moment. When he speaks again, his voice is soft.]

...have you ever died in your dreams?

[cakeblocked]

[Luke sits down beside Ion, though his descent pauses at that question. With a little frown, he sits fully, resting his hands on either side of him as he looks at him with concern.]

Sometimes... I remember I dreamed about falling off of this really big building once. I woke up before I hit the ground... Dying in your dream can mean a few things, really.

[He's silent for a moment, but then tilts his head a little.] What happened in yours?

[soreplaceable]

It's a little hard to explain, really. I feel like everything I've been dreaming of these past few days has led to this.

[He takes a moment to recall everything. Even though he could see everything so clearly in his head, his desire to forget about it made some of the finer details a bit foggy.]

I was someone important. The leader of a large organization... a religion centered around reading the future. But at the same time, I wasn't really me. I was a copy of myself. I remember my dream used the word "replica".

[He glances down at his hands.] ...but I guess I was weaker than my real self. I was taken away by another man in power within the church and forced to read something he called "The Score". It told the future of the whole world from beginning to end and my body couldn't handle it. I had to stop before I reached the end.

It felt like I was just disappearing. It felt so real even though I know I was only dreaming it. [His shoulders are shaking.] There was a girl there apologizing to me, saying it was all her fault. I tried

[cakeblocked]

[The word "replica" makes Luke give a quiet little gasp and for his eyes to widen. That... was exactly the word that man called him. "Replica". At first, Luke had merely assumed it was because of his insecurities as the younger twin. But now, with Ion saying it... And he knew Ion didn't have a twin. So why...?

And the whole sequence of him dying... That's far different than Luke had ever dreamed of. He purses his lips, then reaches to wrap an arm around Ion's shaking shoulders. He's... not sure what to say at first. "Replica", "The Score", Ion himself... it all sounded so familiar. Luke isn't sure whether he should tell Ion that, or if he should focus on trying to comfort him and try to understand what the meaning behind that dream was. His mother was always better at that than he was...]

It's scary how real dreams can be sometimes...

[soreplaceable]

[Ion nods, trying to take a few breaths to calm himself down.]

...it's strange. It felt as if that dream was the end. As if... I feel as if I wouldn't be able to dream anymore if I fell asleep. [He stares down at the ground; his hands are shaking too. He grips the side of the bed to try and keep them steady.] Somehow that... it scares me. I have no reason to be afraid of something as simple as a dream, but...

[He shakes his head and takes another calming breath.] ...I'm sorry. I must seem like a real mess right now, getting so worked up over this...