1619/Penultimate Dream: City of Sorrow

Penultimate Dream: City of Sorrow
Date of Scene:	19 February 2015
Location:	Terra Majora
Synopsis:	Visiting Elliana's nightmares again, a small group investigates her early life in Heaven's Victory
Cast of Characters:	12, 40, 92, 134, 168, 253, 331, Riva Banari, 570
Tinyplot:	New Blood

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Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    This time, entering the nightmare realm does not deposit the dreamtrekkers on a ship, or in a nice table. No, immediately the small group will find themselves just off the side of a busy street, underneath a marketplace stall. It looks to be market day at a fairly large city, with bustling citizens making their way about to buy various wares. The city itself is old, with a mix of ancient stone buildings and newer brick or wood, even here. This obviously isn't the nobles quarter... it is, in fact, kind of slummish. The entire place has a pall of gloominess, though it might be hard to pin down why. Perhaps it is the way everyone looks drab and washed out, or perhaps it is the slightly sinister glower on most faces. Or perhaps it is just the gloomy sky, roiling with dark clouds.

    Wrathborn is here, the slender man just leaning against a wall with some kind of fruit. It looks like an apple, but it's orange in color. He's munching it lazily while everyone pops in, the crowd avoiding both him and the new arrivals without thinking or even seeming to realize they are there. "Welcome back, everyone." He gestures to the city. "To the City of Sorrow. Aside from the boring temple that's always here, this is the only Nightmare she's having tonight that nobody has seen. But that's okay, because it's a two for one deal!"

    He produces a bag of fruits and holds it out to anyone interested. "Ask any questions quickly. Any minute now, you'll see a little blonde girl dash by. Don't worry, you won't have any trouble catching up due to the nature of this place, but she'll split off rather quickly. Two nightmares at once. Taking the left fork, you'll see a scene that will be hard to interfere with, and comes from before she'd killed, not long after being orphaned. Take the right fork, and you'll see a nightmare that can be changed. This one won't be an accurate memory, but a might-have-been. Maybe if you can help out, she'll have the dream the way it actually went. Think about it before you have to choose."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko arrives in whatever odd fashion is dictated by the dream. 'No one notices; you were always there; what are you talking about' seems to be that mode, with which she has no complaints. She takes all of a second to look around the city before Wrathborn starts talking, and that apparition then has her attention, as he tells her of another.

    "And what if we choose both?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Man, the lack of a ship is kind of a hinderance for Psyber. He brought a snack for Wrathborn. The half-angel is holding said snacks (sandwiches) in a brown paper bag that contains two sandwiches. One sandwich is quickly traded to wrathborn, "Here. I brought you some homecooked food from outside. Dunno if you can eat. Delicious. Enjoy." He thrusts the bagged lunch square into Wrathborn's chest (The contents of it will be paged to Elliana).

    "I know this Nightmare," Psyber says pretty definitively, "Or something like it. This is the first Nightmare of Elliana's we ever saw, when the Orb was first discovered. This is the one where she kills someone for the first time in order to survive. Over a..."

    Psyber takes the fruit out of Wrathborn's hand, "... piece of fruit."

    Psyber tosses the fruit up in the air and sighs heavily, "I'll go with the hypothetical." He says firmly, gripping the fruit in his hands. He looks to Wrathborn and echos Kimiko's question, "Can we divide and see both?"

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Wrathborn answers easily, "You personally? No. But you can split the group if you wish." He glances at Psyber, taking the bag. "Oh, thanks. Ah, but this is a different nightmare. Same time period, different events. A lot of bad memories here."

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
    This is, admittedly, the firstish time that Elle has been exploring someone else's dreamstate. She's usually more concerned with her own awful melange of psyches and existances that inhabit her soul. She's also following the lead of the others here. Though, Psyber's explanation of things gets her to perk up a bit. Loss of innocence is always a very... vital part of a child's and person's upbringing after all.
    She does accept the fruit though, symbolic as it is. "If this Nightmare has already been explored, why are we seeing it a-" And then Wrathborn completes his thought, and Elle purses her lips. "I'll take the left path."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    When Wrathborn replies, Kimiko says, "I would rather see the truth. But if that is not available, I would rather see what can be changed." giving what is possibly not an actual answer as to whether to go right or left.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Of course it was a lot of bad memories. This was the period that informed who Elliana Fairchild would some day become," Psyber notes, scowling. He sighs a bit, keeping the other sandwich (his sandwich) for himself. He places that in the pocket of his jacket (it's wrapped in butcher paper, don't worry), "I'll head down the Right Path. I think I'd be best suited to guide a malleable event rather than witness a set one."

Mordred (12) has posed:
    Blah blah Mordred blah blah tiny blonde bundle of nerves blah blah Dream Psyber's coat just to make a point. She will help herself to a fruit, and then when everyone's gotten one or two demand the rest of the bag from Wrathborn. Or take. Probably take. She's going to be eating these the rest of the time they're here.

    "I can't be two places at once so I'll go the way that can be changed to make sure you don't fuck this up. Guess there isn't much harm that can be done the other way."

    Trustworthy group or not that IS the purpose of her presence.

Himei (331) has posed:
    Huh. A bustling city right away? Himei quickly gets the idea when Wrathborn starts to explain. Saving time, maybe giving the group a better idea of things. She wasn't present for the original nightmare that the others are talking about, so this is all new to her. She listens carefully to the options, and the debate afterward, then nods her head slightly before taking a bite of the fruit.

    "I'll take the left path, see what I can find out," Himei finally decides. "Mordred, I'm going to need a moment of your time real quick. It's kind of important, I thought you'd want in the loop."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan is immediately very unsettled. The landing he makes is always uneasy and slightly nauseating, unsettling for reasons he can't place, but the environment is not one he likes, and that is rather a bit more impactful than just the transition.

    He remains silent in his reaction to Psyber's discussion of the cause, but he does visibly ponder. He then tilts his head at Wrathborn, seemingly recalling a past discussion. Wrathborn clearly knows what will be present on the left path. Nathan is looking for other insights. Something Wrathborn wants him to seek, but which he can't approve showing. Unlikely he'll find it here, but he has to try. "I will take the right-side path." He says, quietly, and there's little else. He takes an apple and bites into it with an uncharacteristically harsh crunch and scans the streets. He's got that look he gets when he tunnel-visions in on something and just hard-charges at it.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Sakura's a bit more uncomfortable than normal within the dream - no small feat itself - and she's rather studiously not looking at Psyber as she looks about the area. Welcome is one word for it, she supposes, though she largely stays subdued rather than commenting on the greeting.

    Unsurprisingly, she's not going to take the fruit that's offered. Instead, she'll slip her hands into a pouch, shaking her head. "No, I think I'd better stick to my diet." That may or may not be the truth, but either way. She'll drift off towards the left path, following not terribly far after the pint-sized version of Elliana. She's not sure what she might learn either way, but influencing things seems more dangerous.

Riva Banari has posed:
Oh look, a dream world! She's seen thes-OH WAIT THIS ISN'T LIKE THE OTHER ONE AT ALL.

Riva can tell instantly on contact that her assumptions can cause some Bad Things if she screws up enough. The entire environment is different. This isn't a comforting, welcoming feeling. Something about it makes her spine shiver as she looks over the old architecture, the expressions on the faces that pass by. Lady of Nightmares, indeed.

Nevertheless, she tries to bear up despite the pall that weighs heavily upon her. She smiles, leaning up on her tiptoes as she leans a little to the side, examining Wrathborn intently. "Hmmmmm." She emits, before she nods and waves. "Hi there. Nice to meet you. I'm Riva. I'm here to help out." She replies pleasantly, and then she shuts up and listens. It's amazing how much you'll learn when you do that.

The input from the others helps give her more context. "Ooooh. Oh. I see." She ponders for a moment. Most people seem to want to choose the more malleable option. But what to do...

She looks between Eleanor and Psyber, pondering for a moment, and then draws over towards Psyber. She will probably be more useful there.

She does, however, take the fruit and munch on one casually. Mmmm, fruity.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    "Wrathborn, pleasure's mine. I'm the monstrous demon god that lives in Elliana's head," says the man. He has sandy brown hair today, which is lighter than it was last time, and looks more like Nathan than someone fit to be a warrior. This is less athletic than he usually looks, but his appearance is always recognizeable no matter the minute changes he makes.

    The fruit, for those who take it, is like a crisp mango in taste, with just a hint of peach. He hands the rest of the bag to Mordred, still holding his sandwich. Looks like he'll wait to take a bite until after things are underway.

    "Get ready," Wrathborn says, though he makes no move himself. A moment later a small blonde figure in a ragged blue dress darts through the crowd, weaving and shoving her way through. She clutches a small bag in her hands, but her exact features and age are hard to see due to the speed. Those with vision capable of seeing such swiftness will note that it seems to change moment by moment, anyway.

    She is pursued by shouting men. The actual shouts are incoherent, but they are definitely angry. It's but a moment before the girl splits in two, one dodging left into an alleyway that looks like a dead end. This girl is perhaps six or seven years old, far too young to be stealing for a living. The other is much older, perhaps ten or eleven years of age, and does an incredible leap that no human should be able to do, over a cart and around a corner.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    RIGHT PATH:

    Those who make their way over to the right path, with the older Elliana, will come upon a scene of... oddness. She was always a Blooded, even before she gained her current power, but she hadn't manifested it as a very young child. Apparently, at THIS age, she had. The blonde girl is diving and dodging with ease, avoiding the numerous guardsmen that are trying to grab her. The girl is a blur of motion, moving much faster than anyone has a right to, and has already managed to knock a sign off of one of the shops to knock out two of the seven guards. She's /laughing/ as she does it, but matters change very quickly.

    Appearing as if out of nowhere, a young man who can't be older than twenty steps right into Elliana's path. His hand darts out with supernatural speed, pinning the girl's to the wall, while his other snatches at the free hand, barely managing to grasp it. It's clearly a struggle to keep hold of her, especially keeping Elliana from reaching that jagged and broken knife tucked at her side.

    "LET ME GO! UNHAND ME!" Elliana screeches, in a very undignified manner. She follows it up with very loud screams, but it seems like none of the civilians are prepared to go against the man.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    LEFT PATH:

    The alleyway is indeed a dead end. Or is it? Only two men are chasing Elliana here, and Elliana isn't nearly as nimble. This must have been before her abilities fully manifested. But she is not defenseless! In passing, she kicks a pole out from under an awning, causing it to tumble down in a heavy tarp into the way of the two men. This causes them to stumble, giving the child precious seconds to... head to the dead end wall.

    The alleyway's wall buttresses a larger building's wall, the newer construction built right next to the old wall that's much lower. Elliana scrambles up the low wall, rolls atop it, and then vanishes. It appears that there's a narrow gap there, though the coloration and height fool the eye into thinking it's seamless.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Mordred, himself, Riva and Nathan. Not a BAD combo. Three people that could feasibly rein in Nathan if he started prodding dangerously close to psychological damage.

    Much like Haruno to him, Psyber is pretty distant and deliberately non-acknowledging of Haruno's presence. Best to just avoid that landmine for the day, particularly when there are so many other, fresh landmines he can lose a foot and a leg to. He spares a glance her way, but then gets to following the Elliana and the Nathan in tow behind her.

    He puts a hand on Nathan's shoulder and says firmly, "Hey. Remember, we're a team. Keep me informed here," He says to the librarian before looking to the others, "Keep in touch. Keep each other appraised of what's happening."

    But then they're splitting up and Psyber is trailing after the Right Elliana. Of course, almost as soon as he tells Nathan not to go rogue, Psyber opts to get aggressive at the projected image.

    "HEY. PUT HER DOWN!" Psyber is already drawing a knife from under his coat, "Lord Paul Blackdeath of House Plagueblight commands it." That's one of his Terra Majora codenames, anyway. It, at least, dates back to Charity Whiteheart. Everyone seems to accept that dude as a pretty nice guy.

Mordred (12) has posed:
    Omnomnom bag of fruits.

    Mordred seriously considers taking Wrathborn's sandwich too. It's REALLY tempting. On a coin flip's whim she does not in fact rob him of his meal, though. You get to have your sandwich, snake.

    To Himei: "Sure, whatever. Now or after?"

    Although, it might have to be after unless it's done over radio, considering the split happening.

    Following along Psyber, Nathan and others taking the RIGHT path, the Servant eats her fruits. This really was a good acquisition. She watches the superfast little girl, recognizing her-- she gave her a piggyback, way back. It was a pretty great entrance. Well, time to play her role as a Saber-class Servant.

    It seems that in her own blurr, Mordred is next to the scuffle. Psyber goes for words, the Servant goes for something a bit more violent. It starts with "Hey." and ends with 'using the fruit bag as a bludgeon with Servant strength'. She's even careful on angle to make sure he can't just suddenly swing Elliana around like a shield. That'd be awful.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko takes the left path, following after the younger girl without apparent hurry. She was assured that there would be no difficulty in keeping up with her, so she doesn't put herself to any difficulty. She does, as a matter of course, move fairly quickly--even in casual clothing, untransformed, she's quick enough to navigate any kind of crowd.

    Once they reach the dead end, however, she makes the leap to the wall as soon as she sees that the girl isn't stopping. Wrathborn didn't say how long it would be easy to stay with her, and he didn't say it was completely impossible to change things. Even if she doesn't know what's going to happen, nor why she would change it, nor whether changing it is even a good idea--she's going to stay right on the child's back if she can. If the gap looks like it would slow her down, she'll go straight up.

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
    Much like in another place that Eleanor's been working with Kimiko, she curses and grumbles and starts lopeing after Kimiko, limber legs letting her leap and keep up with the Magi. Bother all of this. Why does everyone have to use their powers all the time?
    The sudden 'disappearance' of Baby Elliana gets her to frown for a moment, before she's leaping up and over with the Magi. "Thoughts on what we're expecting to see out here? I'd like to know at least what she's running from."

Himei (331) has posed:
    Answering Mordred, Himei supplies, "As soon as we have time. It's something I'm going to ask you to keep quiet from Elliana, at least for a little while. You'll understand when I clarify. I can't beg you, just ask. We want to-"

    Aaand there goes the girl. Himei sighs, "I'll explain later. Good luck." With the others taking the left path, she dashes off after tinyana, though not at full speed.

    She's momentarily worried when the wall is scaled, but Kimiko seems on top of things. "I guess we follow?" She hops up to climb as well, take a look at this escape place. She answers Eleanor, "The guards, I'd guess. They're chasing a little thief. That's how Elliana survived as a child. After she was orphaned." That should be something Eleanor can understand. She offers a hand to Lamb and Haruno, though she's not worried about either getting up. Hell, Sakura can walk on walls.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan is intensely focused, zeroing in directly on his target and breaking into a dash behind her as well. He could powerwalk, of course, but one can't help the instinct. There's a glance at Psyber. "When I have certainty." He says, as if it explains everything. He's focusing on the girl in front of him, when she splits off. 10 or 11. Maybe a year or two after the one they encountered in the early formation dreamscape.

    When Psyber immediately comes in with the major aggression, Nathan takes this opportunity to do several things. He avoids entering the context of the altercation itself, trying to keep on the border of that area so that Dream-Elliana will not notice him, and so he can act from outside the context.

    Two things first and foremost. This is Bloodstone. Hall thinks he knows exactly where this is going. So he has to scope ahead now. The dreams typically are low-resolution in 'irrelevant' areas. And so, Nathan tries to identify the likely escape route Elliana has for this what-if by examining the layout of the street for her probable paths, and the resolution therein. Because, he expects, she's not likely to stick around, since Psyber just claimed to be nobility.

    Second is to see what she's got. She still holding that bag? Can Nathan get any idea of what's in it? He needs to get an idea of what the context is here.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Maybe not so much a dead end; Sakura's pretty easily able to notice the gap, this being one of the few areas in which she actually has ninja-like senses. This is because she's totally cheating with her earth nature, though.

    She'll smile at Himei's hand, briefly, but won't burden her on the way up, making it in a few quick steps as she chases after the tiny version of her hated foe. "I suppose we should stay within a certain distance, shouldn't we?" She asks, though she's not going to go all out in pursuit either. Staying close enough to watch and not let them get away is all they really need, after all.

Riva Banari has posed:
Mmmm, good fruit. Riva seems to really enjoy the flavor complement, since after one bite she starts devoring the thing at high speed. However, the appearance of mini-Ell causes Riva to get back to business.

Riva hustles after the others and comes skidding to a halt near the confrontation. Her surprise when seeing a little girl move like that is evident; it appears she is not used to dealing with superpowered preteens, all magical girl jokes aside. Psyber takes on the lead, and Riva thinks about what he's goign to do. She decides on a course of action and quickly steps up beside him, calling out, "Lord Blackdeath, please don't be so hasty! Surely these men can explain themselves." She does not identify herself, sticking to talking very quickly and sounding reasonable.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    LEFT PATH:

    The opening is narrow... very narrow. One person can squeeze through, if they twist their body correctly. Sakura's Earth Sense can actually tell that the 'real' gap was even smaller than this, as Elliana could barely squeeze through. Everyone else may notice how the city seems much... bigger right now, too. To a tiny girl, her memories tend to make everything look larger, and now the others are in-scale to being children in a big city.

    The gap is fortunately short, opening up into a small cubby that is... pretty cozy. Looks like Elliana is living here, to some degree. It's hard to say how it came to be, but the jumble of buildings sprang up around this secluded space, and it's made a perfect hiding spot for a young girl.

    As for Elliana... she's kneeling in front of one side of the hidden place, the 'wall' being made up of weathered stone that looks like it was once ornate. She's fishing in the bag she stole, pulling out.. a clump of crumpled but still rather pretty flowers, of various kinds, which she sets before the grave. "Flowers are supposed to make the dead feel better... so does that mean you can stay?" She sounds very tired, yet hopeful at the same time.

    Coalescing in front of the monument is a faded, barely-humanoid shape. A shade of some kind, floating in front of Elliana.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko takes the gap, since it actually sizes to fit--which is rather strange, but she accepts the dream logic that allows this to be. Coming through, she stops as Elliana does, walking to the opposite side of her and waiting to see what she does. When the ghost appears, she frowns.

    "Phantoms of phantoms. Even greater difficulty, I think, in affecting these." She keeps her eyes on the shade. "What are you, then? Or else, who were you?"

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
    Eleanor takes that hand, and smiles to Himei. It is not a happy smile. "All of this seems so familiar. So many of my lives starting this way in one way or another. And then Elliana. That could have been me, conceptually." A little grumpf of breath, as she follows right along with the others.
    Inside though... She frowns. Ghosts. Another thing she knows far too much about. A little frown and she looks to the others, staying a ghostly observer herself. Kimiko appears to be attempting communication at least.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    RIGHT PATH:

    The man holding Elliana - or trying to - starts to say, "I'm not going to hurt her, she just needs to calm-" Well, he STARTS to say that, but ends up with fruit in his face with a messy 'splut' and a bit of a crunch. Those fruits were solid enough that Mordred may have just broken the man's nose, and it DEFINITELY causes him to stagger, letting loose of one hand.

    The other men are groaning and rising to their feet, but they aren't immediately attacking the newcomers or anything. This is... not a situation they can really understand. So at least Riva and Psyber keep that out of the way.

    Nathan will find... very little that's clear. The clearest exit is a nearby door, into what looks like a mason's shop.

    With her hand freed, little Elliana yanks her dagger out, whipping it around into an attack position.

Himei (331) has posed:
    Scooting through the narrow gap, Himei rubs at her back and frowns, finding... a little hideaway and a ghost within it. Now it's a little clearer why they can't affect this easily, and it's also a pretty interesting thing to see.

    "Are you even a ghost, if you're feeling ill?" THAT is her question, really.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    "Things don't quite feel right here." Sakura says, making a slight humming noise to herself. "The proportions aren't matching up to what it feels like. I guess a dream or a memory doesn't have to be exactly what was, though."

    She's focusing on that because, as the others with her might notice, she's trying very hard to not look at the shade. It's not about Elliana - part of her glancing around is looking down to the girl and the flowers she's brought - so much as it is her not wanting to examine that ghost too closely. One of them, at least, would rather not know if it was truly there or not.

Mordred (12) has posed:
    And that's how you make food taste better.
    Mordred takes a chomp out of one of the applemangos still in the bag, deciding the violence really does make them better. Or it could be the blood. Either or. She grins at the sight of Elliana readying herself.

    "I think I like her better like this, she's spunky and has an attitude," the Servant notes, before speaking to the girl. "C'mon, let's get you somewhere else, these assholes aren't worth your time. We have food."

    She'd offer Tinylliana one of the applemangos while at it. She would also offer a piggyback again, normally, but she needs to hold all these fruits. Maybe if nobody else does she will anyway.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber looks to Ethan and says, "You mean her no harm, but she is being chased by men. She needs to calm down, but your actions breed panic," Psyber snaps at Bloodstone, "Do you know NOTHING of dealing with a frightened girl?"

    Psyber scowls at him right before Mordred nails him with an entire fruit upside the head. Psyber shakes his head and then looks to Elliana as she draws a dagger on him, "Hey. Are you hungry?"

    Psyber takes his sandwich out of his pocket, "Here. This is for you if you'll put away the knife and talk for a bit. Any of them tries to hurt you, I'll put em through a wall."

    It is, for the record, a delicious and mild-flavored curry on french bread. He offers half the sandwich to Elliana.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    LEFT PATH:

    Elliana does not appear to hear the voices behind her at all, but the /ghost/ does. The hovering shade pauses, speaking out in a hollow voice, "I was once the Champion of Durak, the Hero of the Rifted War. Now I am forgotten by all. As was my blessing, and my curse."

    Elliana didn't hear that, but she hears what the shade says next, speaking to her in soft tones despite the hollow voice. "It is the way of the world, Little Sunshine. I do not belong here, and my deeds are forgotten. Memories of the old world are swept away by the new, and the cleansing has already been performed."

    "But-" Elliana whines, starting to sit up, but the shade motions for her to calm.

    "I was a servant in life, but the living fear the dead. They fear that which is different. Fear is one of the great curses that has lingered. You should not be afraid, Little Sunshine, and everything will end up all right."

Riva Banari has posed:
The poor guy gets fruited in the face and he falls back. Riva moves to help the man and glares at Mordred, getting out a cloth and offering it to the man to help him clean up his face. "Are you going to be okay?" She asks the guy. "She looks like she's pretty feisty, what was she doing that brough t down the guard on her?" She asks.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    "You are not forgotten," Kimiko says, "or we would not know you, now. Whatever you can tell us will be known. Your blessing, and your curse."

    She's rather focused on this point and not really paying attention to the rest of the area, in addition to being distracted by the idea that things 'need' to end horribly.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan's going to see if he can head around, into the shop itself. While remaining outside of the context of the dream, he hopes he won't have to interact with the 'extras'. For now, he attempts to circle around, either around the altercation itself or maybe around through an unclear, low-resolution alleyway to the opposite side of the store. He's going to try to enter first to see what possibilities are present here. If Elliana escapes the man in the street, and the rest of the team, what possibilities were being formed here? What narrative concepts were being established to receive Elliana? His hope is that the perception-based nature of this world will let him see what sort of information could be found.

    So, yeah, he'll creep inside for now, keep an ear out for what's going on outside, and see what AMORPHOUS CONCEPTUAL POSSIBILITIES are being assembled in preparation for this potential outcome of Elliana's altercation, with the intent to call out orders if he can find that they're especially productive or unproductive in the perception.

Himei (331) has posed:
    Himei gets more direct still, and after glancing at Sakura to reach out and give her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, she asks the ghost, "What is your relationship to Elliana, anyway? And what is it you are calling her? Little Sunshine?"

    Eleanor gets a quick look, then a shrug. She doesn't know what to think of this, either.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Sakura will glance up and over at Himei, giving a smile that quickly wanes away as the ghost establishes himself, story and all. "Would it really surprise you if she simply found him here while hiding from other guards? It seems a believable enough coincidence, given the.. concealed location and all." Sakura says, very quietly.

    "Whatever war that is, it was likely quite some time ago." She adds, looking at the grave. "He should have been allowed to pass on more peacefully, if he was truly a hero."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    RIGHT PATH:

    The bag, by the way, has a pair of sandals in it.

    Nathan slips in a side door and finds... a completely empty room. Amorphously so, even. It looks like Elliana never went into this shop, either in the dream context or real life. Which means whatever happens must happen there, in the street.

    Outside, the man rubs his face and mutters, "Thanks. We weren't going to do anything to hurt her, but she doesn't trust us." He rises to his feet unsteadily, with Elliana now backed up against the wall and eying everyone suspiciously.
    She's pretty wild, apparently. Mordred's words and Psyber's offer do reach her, though. She starts to make a jab toward Ethan's throat... but changes her mind and instead 'just' stabs him in the stomach, making the man jerk back with a choking noise of pain.

    She keeps the knife in hand, but eyes the sandwich. With those bizarrely fast reflexes, she darts forward and grabs it, stuffing some in her mouth... paper and all.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Woah hey, you don't need to wolf it down. Take your time," Psyber notes to the feral iteration of Elliana. He watches Ethan take a knife to the gut and then says, "How deep is that? Stay back and let me calm her down. Get that bandaged." Pause, "What do you need with her?"

    Where Nathan is an expert in the objective investigation, Psyber prides himself on being personable and more emotionally in-tune. The half-angel switches from a crouch and into a sitting position, cross-legged on the ground.

    He looks over to Riva, "Can you see to that guy's wounds?"

    He's trying to leverage that natural charisma and personable nature into getting the small girl to calm down, "Look." He speaks slowly for the wild-looking girl, "Can you speak?" He asks, staring at Tiny-ana.

    He is still holding the sandwich out, though. He doesn't mind sharing it, and it is pretty delicious all told.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    LEFT PATH:

    The shade pauses, the head-area bobbing toward Kimiko and the others. It's an acknowledgement that they are there, even if he is speaking to Elliana... but she's speaking first.

    "It's not fair!" Elliana is looking more and more upset. "You're the only one I like here! You're my only friend and they have to take you away just because you're dead? Why? Why don't they remember you?" She's actually cracking in the voice toward the end there, and it's pretty obvious what this nightmare/memory is now. She's starting to cry, and she's just stated that the shade is her only friend. She's reliving the moment she became alone in this city.

    The shade speaks to her at the same time as the others. "I was a great warrior because of my power. It let me be forgotten when not in sight. It is weaker now... and you can remember me. That is how I know you are special, Little Sunshine. You brought me light in the last moments before I moved on. For that I am very grateful. Finding one another was a wonderful accident."

    The shade's whispy arms reach out, settling lightly on Elliana's shoulders. "You, too, may forget me in time. That is all right. I was happy to have known you, even in death. Things will get better, Elliana, and I think you will help them be so. Stay strong, and you will not need anyone. Remember that, even if you forget me."

Mordred (12) has posed:
    "She's just getting more and more adorable," Mordred side-comments. Stab-happy Elliana makes her Servant quite content. If only she would do that more often. As she reaches into the bag for her next fruit, she only pulls out a pair of sandals. Okay that's not a fruit at all. Do they seem to fit Tinylliana's feet? Maybe she wants new sandals.

    "Can we keep her? If I ever have to have an heir, I want one like that. We should get her a real knife though."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    "By 'blessing' and 'curse,'" Kimiko says, primarily to the other three that came with her, "I think... he meant his power. And yet... he was a hero. A hero needs to be known. And wars are not so easily forgotten."

    She doesn't try to do anything to interfere with the shade and Elliana.

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva gapes in shock for a moment as Ethan gets straight up stabbed. "WHOA!" She yells, flailing for a moment, but quickly responds, tearing off some strips of clothing to try to bind the stomach wound. "Just hold still, okay, don't move, you'll make the wound worse." She seems entirely focused on trying to keep the guy alive longer, but she knows as well as most people do that a gut wound is both:

    1) Very hard to treat in the field, and
    2) Incredibly goddamn painful. Stomach acid doesn't discriminate. And she's no surgeon.

"YOU!" She points at a random guard, hoping volume and an authoritative tone will get him moving. "GET A DOCTOR! HURRY!" She has no idea if it'll help in the least, but it's best to keep up appearances. "Stick with me, man." She says to Ethan, trying to do her best to stanch the wound.

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
    Eleanor frowns at the shade, and then at the others. Alright. "That power is not a easy one to bear. I know that... several of the Exalts are supposed to have that power, but... mmmh. Of course I cannot rember if I know any." Poor Lily.
    She sits down on her knees though, in her tiny girl proportions, and looks to the Champion. "I see... you are only know by a title, sir. Is that by choice or is that all you could ever carry?"

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Alright, that answers that question. Time to back right back out of here. Nathan opens the door and stands in the doorway. Alright, Psyber's asked him to talk her down. Time to put his social savvy to use. "Lady Fairchild." He calls out in his calm monotone. "You may leave, if you like. I believe there is a back entrance here." He's standing to the side of the doorway, one hand out in an inviting sort of way. "The rest of you, could you provide some space for her? I believe it would be best for everyone involved if our conversations are held from a distance. Lady Fairchild, is there another context, or another place you would be more comfortable speaking in?" Step one for dealing with Elliana Fairchild: Put her in a position where she feels like she has more control, where she does not feel helpless.

    With step one done, step two is now. Appeal to her mixed senses of self esteem. "I humbly ask that you at least give a small amount of your time for rational consideration to what those present have to say. I am sure your caution has saved you from innumerable wounds and losses at the hands of people misunderstanding or exploiting your skill, but you have our assurance that we will be entirely willing to abide terms of your caution."

    Give her control, respect and validate her desire for control, and seem willing to accept what she says. That's how Nathan chooses to approach this.

Himei (331) has posed:
    Himei stares, trying to puzzle this out, then snaps fingers and claps her fist into her other hand. "I got it. The reason this is a deeply-buried memory is because his power is still working. But she remembered the message. Isn't that what her problem is now?" Himei looks around at the others. "Stay strong. And she doesn't need anybody."

    She looks at the shade again. "It was advice to keep her alive, but she remembered it so deeply she clung to it even after it wasn't needed."

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    "Right. Well, that seems an unfortunate power." Sakura says, before getting sidetracked from focusing on her own path by someone getting stabbed on the other one. Sakura, of course, is a little bit too late to do anything about healing the ghost. She doesn't do necromancy; find an evil clone for that.

    Glancing back up, she'll make a hmming noise again. "It's not the worst advice, even if she corrupted it rather a bit. It's always worth trying to find strength for yourself, if you can."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    LEFT PATH:

    Elliana is only six or seven, so she isn't very coherent and... just starts crying loudly. Which is about what you'd expect for an orphan whose only friend is vanishing.

    The shade answers, first, "She never knew my real name, so neither do I, now." He shakes his head, then leans down and touches the girl on the head. "Be strong. Find your way home. Some day, we will meet again on the other side."

    Then he begins to fade.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    RIGHT PATH:

    Elliana looks very wary, and she keeps the bloody dagger raised. She doesn't make any hostile moves, though, and she reluctantly scoots to the side, where she has an easy escape route. She doesn't run, though... which is a good thing.

    Ethan is choking on blood, at first, but as Riva looks over him, his hand covers the wound and glows. Slowly, he draws a ragged breath and sits up. "Easy... we aren't going to hurt you. You have talents. We just want to see you use them properly. You could be one of the strongest Binders I know, if you wanted. Have respect and all the food you could want."

    He glances at the others, muttering, "Thank you for the help, I suppose." Even if it got him a broken nose. He could have been killed, though... it's doubtful that he can heal a throat wound.

    "What do you say?" he asks Elliana. "Food, shelter, teaching... we'll even teach you how to fight, if you want. You can leave any time. I promise."

    This is starting to destabilize the dream, though.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "I severely doubt she could exist outside of this specific realm and iteration of Fairchild's psyche," Psyber says to Mordred in a distant monotone. He blinks several times and then takes a bite of the sandwich himself, tiredly eating it. This is a very stressful situation.

    "You should go with him, Elliana," Psyber says firmly. He doesn't inherently agree with that point, because going with Ethan starts her down a path to where she is today. But on the other hand, if she hadn't made this choice he wouldn't know Elliana.

    "Go with the man," Psyber says, firmly, one more time.

    Psyber looks to Ethan and asks one very important question: "What city is this that we're in?"

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko, unfortunately, lacks anything on which to write. Hopefully, someone else came into this nightmare better prepared with basic necessities than she did. If nothing else, someone is probably recording the radio.

    She elects to do what she can in the time still permitted to her. She walks to where the shade had stood, and then steps up to the small Elliana, kneeling down as needed. Given that this is Kimiko, she is unlikely to be successful in being comforting, even should she be seen. And given that it's Elliana--she finds it difficult to want to be. She does, yet, have something to say.

    "Remember. Remember him, and what he told you. You can remember him. You are remembering him now. Remember all he said to you." While it's still fresh in her mind, "'I was happy to have known you. Things will get better, Elliana, and I think you will help them be so.'"

Mordred (12) has posed:
    Well, Mordred will hand Elliana back her bag plus sandals if she had to take them to check the contents at all. Stuff a fruit in there. Then she'll shrug and point towards Ethan.

    "You shanked him in the stomach, I guess you owe him to check his shit out. If it's shady you can always shank him a second time, but aim for the throat that time."

    As usual, she provides good advice to children.

Himei (331) has posed:
    Himei chooses a different approach. It's short and sweet... walking up to the shade, looking him up and down. All she says, simply, is... "Thank you for keeping her company."

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    "Ghosts aren't.. the best friends to have, but they can be better than no friends." Sakura says, in a way that makes it seem like she's agreeing with Himei. She will give a glance to the small Elliana. "A shame he couldn't have stuck around. Maybe she would have ended up better, I suppose."

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva watches the man heal himself and sighs in relief. Well, that's a /pleasant/ surprise for a change. She gets out of the way and lets the man make his pitch. As everyone seems intent on convincing Elliana to go with him, she says nothing, thinking for several moments and nodding to herself. "No problem." She mutters back. "Good luck, okay?"

Poor guy. She thinks. Maybe. Ish.

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
    Eleanor, however, has no truck with ghosts whatsoever, they are natural and rude for being unexplainable. She does hever have truck with memories, and moves over to examine the stone of the grave itself, wiping at the surface as best she can to make out more of the markings on it. If this man was so forgotten... what was written on his marker?

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan emerges from the doorway properly now, shuffling over to the main group. There we go, that seemed to work out. That, of course, is destabilizing the dream. And since a certain someone doesn't want to give Nathan free reign to be abusive in someone else's mind for no good reasopn -- what a jerk! -- Nathan decides to squeeze all the blood he can from this stone.

    he's going to wander to Elliana's side, while most of the others deal with Ethan. There's a bit of a nod to Mordred, a sort of silent 'yeah, I won't hurt her' message, before he approaches properly. He's mostly here to ask a quick aside to Miniana. "Before you go. Tell me, what do you think of him? The man after you, I mean." Wow, that describes like half a dozen people there, Nate.

    He's listening for cues and tones, to match up with how Elliana acted on that nightmare that Nathan intentionally crashed. Can he get some idea of the difference between a premise-breaker crash and an authentic emotional resolution crash? It'll confirm or deny his attempt long ago, if the tones of voice, the spiritual atmosphere, and other suchlike match up.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    LEFT PATH:

    The shade nods his head again, but says nothing as he finishes vanishing. In another moment he's gone.

    Elliana's wailing softens to some sniffling, and she finds herself trying to focus on Kimiko's face. It's probably a face that Kimiko hasn't seen before... with both eyes still blue, for one. Cute, frail, inexperienced. Maybe a little trusting? "I'll... I'll try..."

    The only letters that can be made out are: 'CA.....N'

    There's not much left to this dream though, so it begins to fade as well, colors washing out. The group will end up on a featureless white plain, after a while, with just Wrathborn and the others about.

    RIGHT PATH:

    Slowly, Elliana nods her head. She mumbles something like thanks as she takes the sandals and slips them on - a little large, but mostly fitting - and then she shuffles toward Ethan and Riva with a nervous look toward Riva. Swallowing, she says, "... sorry for stabbing you, then. Are you still going to do all that?"

    Ethan leans down and smiles. "It's fine. You've been alone and fighting for your life, I understand. But you don't have to kill people to get what you need. I know a way that you could help people instead, and you're going to be the prettiest, fanciest, and strongest Binder anyone has ever known. They'll all look at you and say, 'there's a girl that I can respect.'"

    Elliana stares, and the dream is starting to fade. She looks at Nathan and shrugs. "He's kind of a dork, but he's okay I guess. I stabbed him and he got up, and now he wants to help me?" She tilts her head. "... he's nice, I guess."

    Then the dream fades away into white, and the groups are back together.

Himei (331) has posed:
    "Well. That was... interesting." Himei frowns, looking back at the blank area where she guesses the shade might have been. "How long was she alone, you think? Three years? Four?" She shakes her head, walks over toward the others.

    "Mordred. If I told you a secret that might help Elliana if it stayed secret, could you not tell her? You might come in handy."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Wrathborn answers for the disappeared Ethan. "The city is Heaven's Victory. It's one of the older cities in the Empire. Predates the Empire by a good bit. Kind of an ironic name, really."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko gets as much of a response as she could expect. She nods, once. "Good." She stands.

    It's ended.

Mordred (12) has posed:
    Well, that worked itself out. Kinda.

    Mordred turns to look at Himei and shrugs. "Yeah, probably. Unless it's shady as shit, but you guys ain't the shady as shit kind of people. Whatcha got in mind?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "One: Thank you." Psyber says to Wrathborn as he reappears in the gathered area. He then turns around and says to Wrathborn, "Did you eat your sandwich? I had someone from my office make it. Was it good?" He narrows his eyes, "You better eat it at some point. Kongou puts a lot of work into her curry." He wags a finger.

    And then he folds his hands behind his head and sighs, "Heaven's Victory. I should visit that at some point." He then looks over at Wrathborn, "Say. What do you know about the Glittering Glades and the battle that happened?"

Himei (331) has posed:
    Himei glances over, then just shrugs. Nobody here would make a big deal out of it. "We're going to hit a Shajem. Take it down and safely contain it... without Elliana. She's going to kill herself trying to take care of everything herself. She needs to know that we're taking this threat seriously... hell it's what she wanted from us. So... we're doing it. Are you in?"

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Wrathborn replies, "Yes I did you asshole!" He's shouting at Psyber, giving him a flip of the middle finger. "Why do you think I went quiet for a while!?"

    If he heard Himei(he did), he doesn't voice an objection.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Don't stick your tongue in my ear, then, bro!" Psyber says, laughing hysterically at the gesture from Wrathborn. The half-angel holds his side a bit and takes a few moments to laugh. He's pretty content by that reaction, and won't press over the lack of response to the other part. He figures Wrathborn just doesn't know.

Mordred (12) has posed:
    "Sure, nothing like bashing a Shajem on the head to get in good spirits. I'll keep it from her, shouldn't be too hard," Mordred answers. She's already considering things, although fortunately none of them involve trying to eat that one too. She doubts she has room in her head, anyway, and it'd probably be a very bad idea.

    "Which one?"

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "The obligatory caveat is that you do not get to eat this one. We do not currently have a solid lead on its identity, but I believe it to be either the Lord of Bitterness or of Cowardice." Nathan says, a quick addendum to Himei. He was completely silent for a while, contemplating things, trying to match patterns where patterns likely don't exist in the first place.

    He crosses his arms, briefly. "We need to meet with Bloodstone again." He says, his monotone somehow definitive and firm. "I am increasingly of the opinion that his involvement will be critical to our efforts. We also need to launch an investigation into this Durak, and the Rifted War."

Himei (331) has posed:
    Himei nods at what Nathan says. "Yeah. We've gotten a lot of good info, and we still have one nightmare left. We'll see how it goes."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber wipes a tear from his eyes and ahems, "Yeah, I agree. We should look into Bloodstone again for another meeting. Let's make contact with him."

Himei (331) has posed:
    "Remember Drake and the Starshine Kingdom?" Himei looks to Mordred. "It's there. Somewhere. We'll give you the exact location later. I think after all this prep, you're as impatient to move as I am, huh?"

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    There is also one brief moment where Nathan approaches Wrathborn. With a perfectly serious face, he says, "Whatever he just did, it likely is a symbol of friendship. I have had similar, albeit less open reactions, to his traditional friendship gestures. Consider it as you would some form of alien compliment." He nods, firmly, seriously, and somberly, sharing or at least attempting to share a brief moment of camaraderie with the horrible titanic snake devil. Camaraderie about pranks.