1639/Final Dream: Abandonment

Final Dream: Abandonment
Date of Scene:	22 February 2015
Location:	Elliana's Nightmares
Synopsis:	Delving into an empty temple in Elliana's nightmares, the group finds a hidden nightmare.
Cast of Characters:	12, 40, 92, 134, 168, 183, 253, 331, 395, Riva Banari, 570
Tinyplot:	New Blood

---

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Once again, upon entering the nightmare realm. Wrathborn brings the entire group into the needed dream without any interim placement. Well... almost. This time, the group will manifest outside some aging, ancient doors that some in this group will be familiar with. This is it. This is the Temple of the Lord of Nightmares, the place where Wrathborn was sealed for centuries before Elliana betrayed the Union and set herself on her current path. One would think it was an extremely important place in the whole scheme of things, but... Wrathborn is leaning against the side of the temple, the doors already open, and waiting for arrivals.

    "Ah, I see most everyone is here again," the man says. He looks a little less stringy, today. "Welcome to the last of the major recurring Nightmares. I'm not sure why this one is so important that it lingers, though... it's pretty boring. Just look inside, see for yourself." He shrugs. "On occasion she'll have other ones, but with this one you've covered all the major bases. I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, though. You'll pardon me if I don't follow you in... this particular place is unpleasant for me to revisit, so I rarely look in, especially once I found how empty it was."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber is here! And he brought Wrathborn a treat again. Only instead of a super spicy curry sandwich, it's just a bacon cheeseburger with curly fries and a shake. Half to make up for last time and half just to try to give Wrathborn something interesting to do while they're all faffing about. Eating is a pretty interesting activity, after all.

    "The last nightmare, huh?" Psyber says to Wrathborn as he tosses him the bag, "And it's this place. Interesting, but not surprising. This was a major turning point in her life and a location where everything changed for her in an instant." He scowls a bit and looks around.

    "I suppose if we're going, we should go." Psyber doesn't waste much time and immediately gets to walking. Best to inspect this one right away, in his mind.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    As before, Kimiko is here. As before, dressed in unassuming, civilian clothing, suitable to a recent cold snap. It won't really matter here, given the dream nature, but it's how things have been for her recently, so it's the self-image she's currently projecting.

    She gives a slight nod to Wrathborn, neither in a hurry to see the inside--she imagines anything they need to see, they'll have time to--nor to question the Shajem. She leaves the initiative to others, thus following Psyber as he goes in.

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
    Eleanor brushes off her dress, a meaningless gesture here but something to calm the nerves. She's heard the story on this one, of course, they likely all have, but she didn't witness the betrayal, of course.
    A nervous look over to both Psyber and to Nathan. Both have different reasons to be here, of course.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    There is a unicorn here today, as per usual when it comes to such things. Wrapped up in her cloak and armor, Amalthea is rummaging around in search of the coffee urns that had previously, and oddly, been present at the start of prior dream events, and generally looking like she's been spending far too long in bed with something messing up her hair, and not eating properly.
    Maybe she should get help about MMO addictions.
    Her GGO habits that NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT set aside, when the group is set in front of the old temple devoted to the Lord of Nightmare, she glances up.
    "Well shit, this brings back memories." She chuffs and folds gauntlet-clad hands behind her head. "Huh, might as well."
    Oh hey she's following.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Flowers is here, and she's at least slightly less bundled up than the previous time - maybe it's finally starting to thaw where she's been staying, or at least she's getting used to the cold. Either way, she doesn't look tremendously happy about the location this time. Though she's only very rarely tremendously happy.

    "Well, I suppose it's good to get all the way through them. I'm not really sure how much they've helped, though." She muses, though this may be because of her not normal reasons for attending. Though she wasn't actually present here the first time.

Himei (331) has posed:
    Himei's presence isn't surprising, at this point, is it? Also dressed casually, she eyes the temple with some trepidation. Not very good memories, this one. "Yeah... but boring? This was anything but, for us." She glances at Wrathborn. "I suppose for you it's just a reminder of confinement, but for us..."

    The dark-haired girl sighs, but Psyber has the idea. "I guess we should head inside. I hope we won't have to fight any strange statues this time. That was a nasty surprise. Though so far we haven't had to do much fighting, I guess that's something."

Mordred (12) has posed:
    Mordred is here, mostly as a property of however the Hell it is she gets here. One presumes hefty abuse of Elliana's dream powers and the inherent ability of a Servant and Master to share dreams, which kind of blends in together. As usual she is wearing Dream Psyber's Dream Coat, because she has figured out how to keep that thing on her whenever she pops in. She has also plucked something from elsewhere in the landscape.

    From behind, the Servant boredly throws tildes at Psyber.
    Playing darts with those things is great. She filled her pockets.

    "We should make sure to ask the doors if it's okay to go in, wouldn't want this to go TOO fast~." A small cost to pay to throw those things.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    After appearing, Mizuki would take some time to analyze the ghoulish bastion before her. This place may lack much of the mystique it holds for the others present, but nevertheless she might get a vague sense of its import just by being within a certain proximity of it. Still, though, yes -- it's a bit boring. Far more austere than the pirate ship she'd come in on last time, but still, she's always appreciated the aesthetic of temples anyway. Dark, dank, labyrinthine sometimes; a bit like graduated mausoleums of which she has far greater attachment. Still, she cares more for the history and subtext that surrounds them. This place must certainly have a lot of that if it's traveled through both time and the mind alike to arrive here, so in that, limited way, it might garner some allure despite its unfamiliarity.

    Not that her feelings of it are of any great consequence, though. This dream is a shadow cast by another person, and so -their- feelings are the ones that must be considered more heavily. Were it only that she knew that person at all, but alas, it seems she's done things in reverse order, so she lacks any such hints. If anything she's here to observe and record things objectively so that the others - Nathan, perhaps, or Psyber - might make something of the details later. This is why she has come wielding a pen and tome rather than a sword and magic. She trusts that the others have fended for themselves in their previous excursions and that they should have no trouble doing so again, and that she should have no especial need to intervene in the realm of combat. At the least, she didn't last time.

    All that aside, though, she would pay Wrathborn a small nod, and perhaps share the same with others she knows -- Kimiko, Psyber, and perhaps even Nathan would be included among that number, but likely no more. Mordred might get a slightly nervous look, but she hopes it will not linger long enough for her to notice. Otherwise, this is one of those rare occasions where she sees no express need for communication and will say nothing to obstruct the natural course of things. For the same reason she's come wearing none of her usual, flamboyant garb, electing instead to wrap herself in a dim, pitch robe that attempts to pay the atmosphere some sort of penance in the form of modesty.

    She'll probably be doing a lot of writing today.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "I see that an understanding of who she is might begin where it ended." Nathan says, quietly under his breath. He has his traditional stoicism in play, so his reaction to such a familiar and intensely emotionally charged location is impossible to read. Only those incredibly familiar with him will realize he's having any reaction at all. It's that tunnel vision mode again.

    He's going to head in with Psyber right away. Eleanor gets no immediate reaction to her look, when normally she would; it should be plain now that he's in one of those hyperfocus moods. "They have helped." Nathan says, concisely, to Haruno.

    Now, he knows how this went. First: The antechamber was full of giant statues. His original solution was redundant, as one can see from the gleaming Key in his hand; has Wrathborn cleared out the first challenge from this area as well? Nathan intends to solve this more directly if he can, based on how the solution to the matter was seen the first time.

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva's never been here, though WORD ON THE STREET is that some serious crap went down here.

This doesn't keep Riva from launching between Mordred and Psyber like a bodyguard (Or perhaps an over-exuberant dog) and snatching a flying tilde out of the air. She lands on the other side and immediately begins fiddling with it. "Oh my god, is this a tilde~" She starts trying to bend it and mess with it. There is a pause and a blink as she considers the unexpected effect of having one... And then shrugs. People who know her knows she does it a lot anyway. "Where did you get it, some kind of crazy word-place area?~" She hums for a moment, and then sticks it in her red hair like a pick, letting it accent while she focuses on the task at hand. She doesn't seem to bother protecting Psyber from the rest of Mordreds's shenanigans. He's a big boy, he can handle it, she just wanted to keep a tilde.

"I wonder what we'll see in there~" She says, looking between the expressions of those present. The badfeels, they are super real here. She might have to put on her game face. Though the rampant tildeness seems to be pretty normal for Riva.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    "Oh, thanks," Wrathborn says, accepting Psyber's fast food. He pauses though, pointing the shake straw at the half-angel. "But I'd better not find you've messed with this. I expect not. You're half-divine, and it would be an unforgiveable sin to mess with a bacon cheeseburger." That was... probably humor.

    "Hello again, Eleanor. Riva. Mizuki, wasn't it?" Wrathborn is being... surprisingly polite. He's showing vague signs of nervousness, though, and he's new enough to human emotions that he can't hide these without directly drawing on Elliana's skill at masking her thoughts. He isn't doing that right now, so he's looking fidgety. "As for what you'll see... well, nothing much. Just me," he states.

    Thus, he doesn't stop the group from walking through those doors. Just like before, the room beyond is an antechamber. The inscriptions are more vague and blurry this time, though concentrating on them will reveal a minor inscription of one of the attempts to Bind the Shajem. It's off of Elliana's memory, though. The two statues are here, but they are silent and inert, with the next doors opening without trouble.

    It is, in fact, boring... though not quite as it was in the real world, for those who were there. It's a large chamber beyond the antechamber, with arches buttressing the walls and dome-like ceiling. A broad circular area, carved with glowing runes, seems to keep the pedestal in the center sealed. The globe containing the swirling Lord of Nightmares in non-corporeal form is on that pedestal, though this one has a hairline crack in it.

    That's it. Nothing else of interest in this room. Wow, that is kind of boring.

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
    Eleanor gives a surprised look at Wrathborn. He remembers her. "I'm not quite sure how to take you knowing who I am, though... I suppose Elliana knows who I am, and you... would have access to that right now." She purses her lips and keeps looking at the spirit, though, as the rest of the group filters into the Antechamber.

    But she's looks over to Psyber and Nathan, murmuring. "what was supposed to happen here? What may have changed to turn this into a nightmare... other than Nathan being the one to betray Elliana?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "This one's legit. Diner burger and fries with a shake. I promise, totally good~," He says, grinning to the man and holding up his hands in a defensive manner. As he starts walking, he looks over to Riva, "Oh~. Glad you could make i-~"

    "DAMNIT MORDRED~!" Psyber is swiping at his back, trying to clear off the tildes that got stuck there before Riva interevened. He tosses a few back at the knight, wanting to spread the curse around a bit before he spots Nathan heading off.

    To Eleanor, Psyber simply replies, "It is possible this is a nightmare in its basic state of events. This is the location in which Elliana betrayed everyone she cared for in pursuit of her ideals, and did not wholly succeed. It represents a loss of her gains, a loss of control, and a forsaking by everyone she once stood with. There is little you could add to this series of events to make it more nightmarish," Psyber notes in a bland, somewhat distant tone.

    "Though I do have an external theory."

    Psyber crosses the room easily, in a practiced gait, trying to beat Nathan to the orb. He cups his hands against it and peers inside, having a theory he's not fully vocalizing.

Himei (331) has posed:
    Himei looks back at Eleanor. "Wrathborn knows a lot of what Elliana knows, though not all of it. He's much more informal, though. I wouldn't worry about it. For an incarnation of evil, he's actually pretty laid back." It sounds weird, saying it that way.

    The boring room is pretty... boring. It still brings some chills to her, because that particular point in her history with Elliana was not pleasant. She also keeps looking backward at the antechamber, as if expecting the statues to stomp in and attack. "It could be a lot of things. If she regrets turning on us, or a nightmare where she lost, or... a lot of options. But apparently it's nothing?" She hasn't noticed the crack in the sphere, which would make a lot more sense to her.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Sakura will give Wrathborn a glance as though he had grown a second head as she catches the joke; she really was not prepared for that. Assuming it is a joke, at least, but she's not really ready for lethal threats in seriousness over food either.

    She'll walk into the room, and in spite of the impact the events of this place had had on her life, she'd never been there in person. If the place was even still there; she hadn't asked.

    "Well. This isn't the most exciting nightmare, is it?" Not that she's going to underestimate the torment a location could have, really. "It may require her emotional background to really mean anything. I'm sure all of us have dreams that wouldn't impact others the same.."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan watches those statues. They don't move this time. Good.

    He's wandering inside, looking around for now. The Shajem is still bound here, with the hairline cracks in its container, though not as many. As it was BEFORE Elliana's binding, though, not, theoretically, after? Just like with the statues. Maybe. Alright, time to test the first theory. "The area was uninteresting, empty, because Wrathborn did not trigger the effects we trigger." Nathan quietly mutters in monotone as he wanders the room. He's banking on a reaction when the group is all present. His theory is that the chamber is less of a nightmare in itself and more of a stage, as a subconscious reaction to the intrusions made on the area.

    He also checks the ground. Any faded signs of Elliana's brand of chalk marks for Bindings? He thinks he might have the same theory Psyber has, about Elliana's role in the Binding in this theoretical what-if, which would explain certain elements of the chamber, and confirm what he thinks Psyber's theory might be. There should be old signs of wide outer rings, if Elliana-style binding occurred here, and none, if not.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki never could be counted on to keep her silence for very long, though, and she doesn't. Riva would receive a nod as the others did, but in supplement to that, a smile. "Now you sound even more like a caricature from a nursery rhyme, Miss Banari." Then she goes back to staring at her book so she can play it cool.

    Her jokes suck, so it's probably a good thing that people move into the temple where it cannot linger. She lags behind them a moment to respond to Wrathborn, though. "Yes, it is. But before I go inside, I did want to thank you and your... well, your 'keeper' for lack of a better word, that I'm grateful for your help before. With the reclamation of Arthur, if you recall." She would allow for a brief pause before concluding, "... if you can relay they to her somehow, I would appreciate it. If not, then I suppose I will do so. Eventually." Because this pseudo-deity isn't nervous of talking to Elliana in the least, nope. NOPE, moving along.

    Then she joins the others in the antechamber. She passes each statue, jotting something down in her journal as she follows after the others. She might attempt to sketch them, but she has a bit of a rough time of it -- art was always her librarian's forte, not her own. She is much more taken by the next room, though; she has always had a soft spot for the Romanesque, and dome-shaped ceilings are certainly evocative of that in her mind. She might smile a bit before she notices that odd, gently fractured globe, and her eyes lock on to it instead. There's a hint of worry in her eyes, now. Is... is that going to do something bad? She looks to Psyber as if expecting some reply, but of course she won't receive one unless she asks. For some reason she's finding herself quite reluctant to do so this evening.

    So for now, she watches. And listens. Everyone has their theories, and yet she has none. A sorry state of affairs, for her, but at least she's learning a bit from her eavesdropping.

Mordred (12) has posed:
    Mordred gets a few tildes stuck into her chest. We could make a padding joke, or talk about how the tildes have more curves than she does, but let's be mature about this.

    "I stuffed my pockets full of them, a couple more won't hurt me22:06, 12 March 2015 (CDT)~."

    The Servant will get bored of playing tildedarts eventually. Mostly, as they go in, and she looks around and concludes this place is boring and just this once maybe Wrathborn was right.

    "Uuuuugh. Please tell me we didn't come all the way in here just to look at wall paintings and pedestals. Why don't you suckers try standing the way you were when she stabbed you and at least make this historically accurate for me." Yes, she pocketed the tildes.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko gives an odd look to Mordred, Psyber, and Riva's antics. She has a vague recollection of this speech-related curse, and stays out of the line of fire with a frown.

    Given that the Puella Magi wasn't even in Heaven or Hell at the time events occurred here, she doesn't have any recollection of this place. She looks up the walls of the antechamber as they pass through it, and then falls behind Psyber as he runs up to the orb. She continues walking, but still at the same pace.

    Presently, she turns to Eleanor. "Nathan betrayed her...?"

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
    Elle nods at Kimiko. "Well, if it's a Nightmare, I thought maybe perhaps the tables might be turned on Elliana and it would have turned out the mild-mannered Nathan Hall harbored the mind of a serial killer. I mean, that clearly isn't the case."
    A look over to Nathan and Psyber fighting over the scene before them. A sigh.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    With all the tildes flying, Amalthea keeps her shield at the ready. But mostly figures is fhe stays out from intervening between Psyber and Mordred she should probably be fine. Unless a terrible ~misfire~ of some sort occurs or something.
    Briefly she crouches, lone eye peering down at the sigils and inscriptions on the floor. Up until Psyber goes for the orb anyway.
    Idle aside to Eleanor and Kimiko: "Serial Killer Nathan Hall. That's kind of a scary thought."

Riva Banari has posed:
"Hello Wrathborn! It's nice to meet you again~" Riva trills a bit, smiling to Wrathborn as he greets them. "I'm sure it'll all be fiiiine, just relax~!" She seems to ponder for a moment, and then nods. "Enjoy the lunch~" She calls, turning to head in with the others.

The antechamber gets Riva poking at it quite a bit, since she's been concenred with trying to pay attention to her surroundings. The statues are examined in detail, even though there's likely nothing of note. She makes humming noises, though it's kind of clear she has no idea what she's supposed to be looking for.

More importantly is the next chamber. She looks over the area with wide eyes, blinking at it. "Oooooooh. This is neat~"

Nathan and Psyber rush the central orb, so Riva busies herself with looking over the runes on the architecture. "Let's poke around and see what we can find out~"

She laughs at Mizuki's response, and grins. "Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow o/~" She hums musically, though it might sound odd under the tilde's influence.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Wrathborn nods to Mizuki, "Oh, I can speak to her. I'll pass that along. Any time, really." He doesn't go in with them, though. He stays outside. This is an important detail, considering what happens next.

    Investigating the floor and the like will find no chalk marks. This wasn't an Elliana-style binding. Maybe that explains the length of the fracture in the globe. Wrathborn isn't about to burst out dramatically, but this isn't a binding that can hold for all that much longer either. Months or years, not decades. The other runes around the room are faded but... well, they'd be readable if Riva knew the language. Obviously they are meant as part of the binding or something.

    But no, it isn't anything but purple mist in the sphere. In fact, the only thing of interes is when... the doors slam shut behind everyone, and the entire room fades into darkness.

    Even for the fliers, there's a sensation of 'falling' within the area. Those a little more in tune with dreams will realize this is just the mind filling in the motion into the depths of a hidden dream. Vague glimpses of roiling chaos surround the group, but really it's all over in a few heartbeats.

    MEDICAL WING 33E

    A wide corridor. That's where everyone is now. Down the hall is a set of double doors, leading to the treatment rooms and patient beds. It's a madical wing, as the large sign declares.

    The older ones in the group will recognize this as Daystar Alpha, the old Union base before Njorun was finished.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber loses his footing at the sense of falling, stumbling a bit in his stance and trying to keep a solid standing. He scowls a bit and then looks around at the change of location, "This is... wow. Talk about an outdated base. Might as well be New Washington or some shit," Psyber murmurs.

    Psyber sighs a bit, "Alright~." Psyber pauses to brush off a tilde stuck to his shoulder, "One theory down. About a billion more to go," He notes, getting his bearings. If this is a nightmare, aiming towards the worst outcomes possible for a given situation. He looks to the group, "We should head to the ICU. Assuming the worst in a dreamscape, that will be where the narrative continues."

    "I have exhausted my current theory, however, and will instead be proceeding as if I have no knowledge of what this dream is about."

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    There are things Sakura handles fairly well, and things she doesn't. The earth natured ninja does not do well with not being on the ground, something most of the ground knows, but the shriek that comes from her when she's suddenly surprise-falling is probably not going to go over that great with those who're near her anyways.

    She'll look mildly embarrassed as she sees the area they arrive in, a place she most likely does know better than anyone else within the group. "Aah. There was the ICU, but we also had isolation wards here, and they were more secure. It could be either of those; I never treated Elliana. Was she a particularly bad patient, do you think?"

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
    No one likes falling, least of whom is Eleanor who already despises flying to begin with. There's a squeal of panic from the girl before she stumbles to her footing in the very old... Medical labs. A blink, a look around and she brushes at her dress again, fixing it back into place from her panic. "Right, well, I... This is awkward. Please excuse that noise, I... ah."

    Ears turn a little pink, and the Big Sister murmurs. "Secure beds would be down the hall yes, but who the devil are we here to see is the question?"

Himei (331) has posed:
    Himei latches onto the reason instantly, though. "Elliana's never seen the inside of Njorun. Why would we end up there? Daystar Alpha was the base we had when she was in the Union. So... either we're back in time, or this is just a representation of how Elliana imagines the Union base to be."

    She brushes off her hands, then nods at Psyber's idea, too. "The ICU... yeah, that's probably the place to go. Or at least head that way. This whole dream narrative thing means we'll run into the right place anyway, if we bumble around enough. I think we should be careful about ending this one early though, right?"

    Himei offers a hand to Sakura for steadying, then makes her way down the hall.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    Amalthea is still poring over the runes for a moment, before she lets out a completely graceless squawk when the doors slam, the mist rolls in, and she does EVERYTHING SHE CAN to try and maintain her balance during the sudden gut-lurching feeling of gravity deciding to take a day off.
    The situation ends when she finds herself stuck horn-first in the ceiling of the Daystar medical wards.
    "I know this ceiling." She announces while extracting herself and landing with a CLANK-CLANK and hiss of steam from her ankles.
    Like a cat that absolutely did not just fuck up in any way at all, she simply brushes her hair back and pretends that never happened.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki is surprised when the visual of that misty purple sphere fades away, certainly, but she has a sort of kinesthesis within dreamscapes like this. That's to say, she knows what's going on to some degree, and though she can't predict where the group will end up she is able to cope with the shift fairly easily. As such, she has the mercy of a quick acclimation to the environment of the medical station which she exploits to do a quick, premature analysis of things. She has only been to Njorun one or twice, though, so she doesn't really pick up on the similarities, and nor does she have the foreknowledge that would tell her exactly where they are meant to be. Thankfully, though, some commentary from Psyber narrows things down: this is likely an old Union installation of some form, which means this place is likely tied to some memories of consequence.

    If she weren't trying so hard to suppress it at the moment, that might make her giddy. She can't lie -- both as an authorial sort and as a human-like being shackled to errant personal curiosities, things just became quite a lot more interesting. She might learn something about Psyber or Nathan; something that would make both of them less nebulous beings whilst bringing their own histories into greater focus. Then, too, she might finally learn something of consequence about Elliana, and find some way to be relevant in this condensed narrative.

    ... bah, but those are all very egocentric things to be thinking. With a deep breath, she would attempt to expel them, and follow the others toward the ICU. She would certainly jot a note or two about this on her way, though.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko tries to keep her balance, but she's unable to determine that she is even, in fact, standing on anything. Heartbeats later, she is again on solid ground, arms out, leaning back, and standing on one foot. This is not a good position from which to remain standing.

    With a swift step backward, stomping the ground, she does. She turns her head to either side, first confirming that everyone is here, and then looking at the sign.

    "...I don't know this area." She would say something more, but instead nods to Himei. They'll inevitably head in the--or at least, a--correct direction, just by following what's defined.

Mordred (12) has posed:
    Whooooo falling!
    That's too bad, Mordred really wanted to see Nathan reenact getting stabbed. You know, to solve a puzzle. Not just because she's bored.

    Darting back to her feet, dusting herself, she glances around, having only the loosest sense of maybe having seen this in a dream just the one time but not knowing where it is. Himei answers that question, so that's that.

    "So, what, you think this is a nightmare where she trusted you guys and didn't shank a bitch to catch a snake?" With all her eloquence, Mordred offers that theory while following along. She does not really believe in it herself, she's just filling time by talking.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "That was not a Fairchild-type binding, at least not the one she used." Nathan says. "Nor one that utilized her potency and power, I think. The statues were restored to their proper position. I believe I understand now." He manages to get to his feet after being unsettled off of them, by the sensation of falling. Not a graceful guy, that Nathan. "Patient beds, Treatment rooms. She originally assisted with long-term Union Elite care and short-term emergency care. I suspect we are near her. She worked in Daystar medical, not Njorun. I believe we are not here to see a patient."

    He moves on. Nathan wouldn't have been an unusual person to see down here given how often he got injured before partnering with Psyber. And if the current what-if to this dream is what he suspects, he likely would not have become a general, nor partnered so directly with Psyber, so he would not be unusual to see down here. "It is possible." Nathan says, simply, to Mordred. "It is the theory I work with."

    "But more than that, I believe she simply may have never tried to perform the Binding in question in the first place." He moves on. They're near a door, just like they were at the start of the dream. Let's see what's past it!

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva might not know the language, but she takes some pictures with her phone anyway. Can you take phone pictures in a dreamscape!? WE'LL SEE!

She meeps and lookc up when the doors close, the nightmare moving on to taking a new, unusual shape.

Medical Wing 33E. This doesn't mean anything for Riva, so she looks to the others. She has a Bad Feeling About This. Everyone heads to the ICU, and Riva follows, giving Eleanor a comforting pat on the shoulder. "It'll be fine~" She reassures her, and brings her along.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Looks like everyone has adjusted, and... yeah. Some of the guesses are correct, even, because just walking down the hall opens up into one of the treatment rooms. These are for wounded, not diseases, where the wounds are assessed and triaged. More importantly, this is where the Union healers, if any are on duty, apply any mystical or otherwise powerful healing.

    As guessed, Elliana is here, and she's just finishing up with a nameless wounded soldier. Flesh knits together and bleeding stops, as the young blonde straightens up and wipes her brow. Any who remember when Elliana had healing abilities will realize they are MUCH stronger than when she was in the Union, though.

    "Ah!" She glances up. Both eyes are blue, but she looks... actually a little older than the curren tone. Elliana stopped aging, but this one did not, and looks like her actual twenty years of age. The subtle lines of corruption and the slight alterations made from using her powers are also gone, along with the scars over her eye and on her forehead. "Flowers, are you here to relieve me? I feel like I've been here for ages." She pauses, frowning, and the Dream seems to 'glitch' a little as she shuffles the others into the narrative. "Why are the rest of you here? Did something happen? Nathan?"

    Yeah, she used first names, not her usual titles.

    With a sigh, she glances at Kimiko. "Or did you overextend yourself again, Kimiko? I swear, you Puella Magi..."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko follows along, eventually arriving at their destination, and finding Elliana... older? It might go without saying, but she finds this curiously peculiar on a variety of levels. That Wrathborn may have known about this nature of the dream and have thus declared it 'boring' doesn't cross her mind, until Eleanor mentions it. Piecing together things that way isn't something she leaps at, compared to trying to make sense of what's directly in front of her.

    "I am fine for the moment, Miss Fairchild."

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Sakura goes by that nickname almost more than her actual name, and there were confederates who had used it, but the look on her face when Elliana uses it is about as surprised as though she'd been shot - beyond the formality normally forthcoming from the girl, they hadn't exactly been friends even when Elliana was in the Union.

    She'll shoot the others a look, though, and then.. "Aah. Of course I can give you a rest. I believe that everyone wanted to talk to you, though." She says, gesturing at Himei and Nathan in particular, then moving over to look for the next patient, giving up a bit of time herself with the dream to let the others ask any questions they might have without disrupting it.

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
    Eleanor pokes her head into the room... We are not to disrupt the dream just yet, right.
    "Hallo, Not Me! How are you doing, Ellie?" Let's be pleasant for now. "Have you seen any of the girls around? I think a few were floating through today to be social with some of the patients."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Mm. She never met me until towards the end of her plan," Psyber quietly murmurs to himself, looking awkward, "Come to think of it, she probably wouldn't have known me that well were it not for that." He laughs awkwardly at the reveal of this particular nightmare slice and rubs at the back of his head.

    Almost immediately, Psyber steps to the side and leans against the wall, crossing his arms awkwardly and pointedly avoiding the situation. His statement isn't wholly inaccurate, considering that he came in on the back end of her plan and hadn't known her that well before. And his involvement afterwards came out of a conceptual necessity. This Elliana is a total stranger, in his mind.

    She he immediately shuts off and lets the others talk to her instead. He'd smoke, but... hospital.

Mordred (12) has posed:
    Mordred abstains from chatter, since she reckons this is a situation in which she has no analogue. It could be strongly argued it's Wrathborn that summoned her, not Elliana. Or it could also be said that's literally what happened. Either way, she doubts she has an explicit slot to fit in here.

    "I don't know if this is a real nightmare but if this turns into hours of happy chatter like nothing is wrong it's gonna become MY nightmare," she complains, about as loudly as the previous times. Bluh bluh there's nothing to stab. She'll get over it.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    Whelp looks like Nathan was right in his theory doesn't it.
    Fun fact, Amalthea's armor has spaces that double for pockets. Her hands are firmly stuffed in them by the time the group finds Elliana, a healer instead of a Binder.
    When Sakura looks nigh stricken from being called by her nickname, by said Elliana, one hand sets on the mednin's shoulder.
    "Do you want that hug I owe you now, or later?"
    But then Psyber steps aside. Okay, time for Amalthea to approach this with as much tact, class, and subtlety as she can finagle. "Well, we were wondering what you were doing here? Aside from your job."

Himei (331) has posed:
    The theories tossed around have Himei looking thoughtful, but it proves that one or two of them are at least mostly right. Unfortunately, though Himei's been pretty confident through the dreams up until now, she's briefly baffled by what this means. The fact that Elliana's dream self uses the term Puella Magi vaguely alarms her, though she realizes that the priestess would naturally know a little about the topic, wouldn't she?

    "Right. Talk," Himei mumbles. "Everything going all right here then?" It's a little vague, and she holds further questions back to let Nathan speak.

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva is unfamiliar with the environment, but that doesn't keep her from following along. She sticks with Psyber, perhaps unconsciously adopting the same stance as she leans against the wall. "There's a lot of possibilities here~" She comments offhandedly to Psyber. "I'm not sure what to look for though, always the problem with coming into a story in the middle~" She smiles a little. "Mizuki would know all about that, I bet~"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki may be a bit lost, but she's not so dense as to miss the point of this entirely. And she knows that things are likely to get darker, yes. And that this is just a dream. And that this is all going to vanish as soon as they leave. Still, she would look to Psyber for a moment before she averts her gaze and smiles. If there is one thing that she has learned recently, it's that there is nothing but suffering to be found in stewing endlessly over the condition of a future you can never truly know. In contrast, then, there is value in appreciating the present, and an eternity's worth of interaction with her own mind has done much to help her perceive dreams as real, tangible things as well. So she's content to indulge herself a little naivet� for the moment, and to appreciate this shade of the would-have-been.

    More than that, though, it makes her hopeful. She's heard the tale of her betrayal, and she's had ample time to realize the bitterness Nathan hides behind his analytical facade. Now, though, she's having an opportunity to see Psyber's side of things -- the 'good' person that might hide there, or at the least, an uncertainty that opens up the possibility for good. This dream's mere existence tells her that the woman herself must have entertained the possibility of remaining in the Union, and that alone is something good. A hope to hang on to, and a thing much more valuable than others may consider it to be.

    'Don't view this as a malevolent tease of the past,' She might have wanted to say, 'but as a possibility for the future.' She wants to get sanctimonious, but she doesn't... outside of her mind at least. One cannot fault her so long as it remains there, so all she shows outside is her same smile. She would be careful to shuffle behind another, more relevant figure so that this Elliana is given her time with those who might appreciate her presence here, but she would certainly watch for every moment. It's a happy thing, tempered by intrigue and ominousness though it may be. A thing she can't help but to enjoy seeing.

    Ah! But she almost forgot her writing. To start, she writes down what this Elliana had said, and how the others respond. It's inevitable that she would notice Psyber's reaction, which would elicit a frown from her. Now she's extremely glad she hadn't said what she had thought out loud -- it wouldn't have been her place to suggest the notion of this being a preferable outcome, would it have? She would sigh, but that isn't really her right either. So, finally, her gaze would simply rest on this alternative being so that she might look into her eyes. Elliana sacrificed something to to what she had in the 'real' world, but what had she sacrificed here? Certainly, there must have been something. Something...

    ... for now, she keeps her pen held tightly.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan was someone Elliana knew well at the distant beginning of all this. Very good friends! Hmmm. If she did her traditional field operations in the Union as well... Nathan keeps an eye out for telltale minor swordswoman calluses on the hands, to judge how much she's been doing field operations. He needs to double-check his approach, to see how familiar he should be acting. If she has them, she's been doing field ops too, but if she doesn't, she's 'retired' to medical. "Nothing so awful, Elliana. Though as always, your tremendous help is appreciated" Nathan assures her. "Just here with friends, since you came up in a brief conversation. I had heard how busy you were doen here in medical, and Flowers thought to come help give you a bit of time off." Not calling her "Haruno", and not calling Elliana "Lady Fairchild"? Nathan must really be getting into this nostalgia for past ages, but he's got a keen eye turned towards how familiar she acts with him, and with the others.

    "We thought you might want to join us in the cafeteria for a while. George and Rampart and the others are already there, I believe, and we all always need to squeeze additional camaraderie out of Psyber more anyway. The job of a healer may never be done, but a little time off could not hurt." Mentioning a few of the others she knew only particularly intensely and emotionally because of the betrayal. How deep does this run? He tries to scope it out a little. He's also... Vaguely attempting to emulate how he understands his emotional development might have gone in the absence of Elliana's betrayal. To the others it may seem... A little uncanny.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Once she's had time to leave her own thoughts, though, she might flash Riva a look -- a very distinct sort that communicates her bemusement well. She seems to appreciate the remark, but she doesn't interrupt the scene with any words of her own.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Elliana hesitates, glancing over at Haruno. "Are you sure? Well, I got most of them... could we wait for Flowers, just a few minutes, if nothing comes up? I encountered an injury I'd like to talk over with her." So apparently there's a professional relationship there, at least. Still, the conversation seems to be flowing easily enough. She points to a little drawing that wasn't there before, and says to Eleanor, "One of them stopped by earlier with a little get well note. I really shouldn't have let her in, but I assessed that the injury wasn't too bad. I think she went to have some milk with one of the orderlies."

    What is she doing here? Amalthea gets a stare. "I work here, at least today. I won't be able to next week, we have some missions planned. Having a Servant is an endless battle, really. Himei would know, yes?" She sighs, shaking her head. She hesitates, as if realizing something is wrong, then she flashes a smile to Riva and Mizuki. "Were you two the ones putting them up to this? Well, it's a good idea. All right, let's drag Psy out for some socializing."

    'Psy?'

    She flits right over to Psyber and kisses him on the cheek. "Come on, dear, you're showing your nerves. I'm sure it will get easier, but you promised! Let's go. If they brought Arturia, I'm sure they'll have quite the variety." She glances at Mordred when she says that, before reaching for Psyber's hand.

    "Is Peg back in town?" She asks conversationally, as if nothing was amiss.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "I might have been." Mizuki transitions into conversation surprisingly well, for her, but that wit does not stay with her long. She may not know Elliana at all, but she has begun to learn about Psyber, and that knowledge is all she needs for her eyes to go wide as soon as Elliana... k-kisses him. Her face goes pale. Her pen would fall from her hand, but she would catch it in a stasis field just in time for it not to clatter on to the floor. This... is too much. Far too much. There is an interstice where one might be able to look on with some degree of melancholy and fondness at a memory like this, but this... is not that. This is more than anyone should ever have to bear. Though there are many better suited to handling this, she's sure, she reacts instinctively:

    "W-Well. Regardless of our involvement," She would begin, stifling her stuttering as quickly as could be expected, "I'm afraid he's been kept from smoking this whole journey. Before we whisk him off to adventures abroad, we might consider giving him a moment to himself to do so. Wouldn't want him doing any of that in a medical ward, would we?" No, she's not as good at this sort of thing as Nathan, but she's trying. Damned if she won't try.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko is basically just going to stand to one side, and maintain a very intense poker face at everything that is happening.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    "Well yes I meant 'aside from your job'. As in what Nathan lead into with the whole 'let's go for beers and--'"
    And that happens.
    Amalthea trails clean off after Nathan's amazing save. She was about to roll into it and get into character.
    She opts to just put an arm around Haruno for a moment, face looking like she's completely at a loss for a moment, before moving on. She recovers at least. "Peg's back, yeah. Keep it on the hush hush down low, but Psyber and I are gonna help Nathan pick a ring later."
    She has GOTTEN INTO CHARACTER.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Flowers had rather needed more reassurance, but the hug helps just a little bit, and she'll perk up. She's rather quick to treat the nearest faceless npc - she's speedy about that even when it's an actual person, and fake people are all the quicker. Still, since the progression is evidently going to wait on her, she'll try to play the part she's been given. Fortunately, she's better at lying than she is trying to discern lies.

    "Aah. You said you had something you wanted to consult with me about?" She asks, stepping back over, and shooting Amalthea an incredulous look that Elliana hopefully misses.

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
    Eleanor's face falters, ever, ever so slightly atthe immeiadte implcations of Elliana's actions. Of her efforts in crafting this dream world of hers, of the frankly intimate nature of what's going on. This was all...
    Right. This was perfect, Elliana's idealized sight of what might have been. Friendship and hope, love and more. All because she didn't make that last step.

    It breaks her heart. But she smiles. "Ah, thank you, Not Me. I'll make sure they get home safe don't worry I..." An appropriately scandalized noise at Amalthea though, and Elle... shuffles over to help Sakura.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "You want to look for where the weakness is. What the centerpiece of the scenario is being held as. Sometimes it's a fear of her childhood, or a fear of compromising her ideals like in the two towers that you weren't here for. Each one has a core theme and when you find that, it becomes easier to understa-" He stops dead mid-sentence, looking over to Elliana.

'Psy?' His red eyes blink several times as he looks over at the medic. And then she flits over and kisses him on the cheek and the half-angel sort of (read: entirely) locks up from the gesture. Red eyes wide, totally lost, the entire shebang.

    If Elliana's going to drag him by the hand, he doesn't have much struggle left, "Y-yeah. Nerves. What'll get easier?" He asks her, turning to look at her and seeming to be having trouble processing the current situation.

A problem has been detected and Psyber has shut down to prevent damage to your psyche.

UNABLE_TO_RESOLVE_CURRENT.

If this is the first time you've seen this error screen, restart your Psyber.

Mordred (12) has posed:
    ARTURIA?
    ARTURIA?!

    Eh, fine. Mordred grumps, probably too familiar with the theory she's advancing on why this might be a nightmare. It's not like she hasn't been there herself. She certainly didn't HAVE to burn Camelot, and didn't have to create a civil war out of thin air resulting in the death of the entire mythos save a couple of the knights. She'll never know how things would have turned out if she'd just behaved. Better, maybe. Maybe not. It's awful, though. And that's kind of why she doesn't bother sleeping much. Being linked to Elliana means delicious, delicious nightmares everytime she tries.

    Adjusting the tone of her voice, rattling her head for proper manners, Mordred resigns herself, on one condition. "I hope there will be food. I am starving." In her distraction she has missed any and all hints on who her master here is, but isn't really sure she cares too much.

    Maybe it's a cool dude with biker clothes and shades. That'd be swell. He'd use a shotgun and have a sports car. They'd go on adventures as Team Dad.

    It'd be great.

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva just smiles as Elliana comes flitting by. She gives Elliana a big smile. "Oh, don't worry about me. I'm new~" She replies with a giggle, and makes sure to stay out of the way as Elliana kisses Psyber on the cheek. Oh my~.

She draws up next to Mizuki and elbows her. "Stay on target~" she whispers, winking to her conspiritorially, then pipes up. "You know how these things get. Show up and go on a tour, and next thing you know you have an entire mass of people all meeting and greeting~" She says brightly, smiling to Elliana. "It's so wonderful what you're doing here in Medical. How long have you been working here~" She asks. The advantage of not being familiar with Elliana suddenly makes itself apparent: She can ask questions and not look like a moron.

Well, more than usual.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki seems to have forgotten just how good Psyber is at acting.

    Sigh. Well, she'll leave him be for now. Riva shoulders her, but she takes that as her cue to slip back out of the narrative rather than to engage in any sort of friendly hijinks. Really, she had hardly bought herself a place in it to begin with, but this is... not something she feels comfortable participating in. Watching, perhaps, but not interacting.

    So she'll just be hanging back here, far, far away from the rest of them for a bit.

    Yeah.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    She has a Servant, alright. That clears that up. Okay, his tactful approach is working. Good. "Certainly, take any time you need." He says, casually. And then she's over kissing Psyber. Nathan's brain is in complete bluescreen mode for a moment, but it lasts mere fractions of a second before he seems to hard-restart. After a short pause, he seems to restart, and then here comes Amalthea with the right hook. This one, Nathan can't stoicface at, he actually full-on blushes and chokes a bit.

    But this is calculated. He has to make this seem optimized. He is repressing the blush less because he needs to emulate what Fairchild might think of as the ideal outcome to this decision, someone more open with their emotions. "Y-yes, hush hush and as low as down can get." He manages to get out. Can't break continuity here.

    RIGHT, WELL, let's move things on. "She will be soon. I am," He shuts both eyes tightly. "Trying to welcome her back well, yes." He looks at Amalthea. It would be a ":|" if "&#58&#124" wasn't his default face. Then over to Psyber. He thinks he knows how this goes. "You do not need to pretend, Psyber. Kicking your habit was always implicitly part of the deal, considering her occupation, but the difficulty of doing so is nothing we particularly wish to understate." A minor prompt. What's the deal here?

    Arturia. The other Saber, right? Hmmm. Might be something there. Nathan focuses himself on setting up the narrative transitions in this, presumably with Flowers coming along later, or something similar. But he is taking this chance to indulge a little. This is practically a perfect dream for him, honestly, even with the Psyber issue and the TEASING. And he does so deeply wish he could rub Elliana's nose in how much he would theoretically be right about the other outcomes of her decision.

Himei (331) has posed:
    Himei stares at how Elliana is acting. What she says. The implications of it all. It's weighing rather heavily on her, what might have been... or... is this a trick? Some means Elliana is using to make them think everything could be okay? She shakes her head and searches for something, anything, to figure out the narrative.

    As the group prepares to go, she asks, "When was the last time you went to visit your home world?" If she really DIDN'T do the Sealing that started all this, then wouldn't her world still be in danger?

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    "Wonderful!" Elliana says to Amalthea. She turns to go when Sakura seems to be ready, and says to the mednin, "Ah, it's a little technical. It looked like the wound was caused by... actually, we might want to wait until AFTER we eat, considering the company."

    Discussing the difficulty is, indeed, referring to the habit. The habit of smoking. "No no, no smoking! We're trying to get him to quit, as he should have ages ago! It's bad for the baby, and I won't have Ethan growing up asthmatic!"

    Whelp.

    "Ah, sorry Arturia! I've been using too many of my reserves, I guess. I'll be more careful," she says to Mordred.

    Riva gets a smile, "Off and on, about three years. Minus time for helping in operations and maternity leave, of course."

    Then Himei asks her question.

    in mid-step, Elliana falters, her smile slipping. It returns in another moment as she shakes her head in a quick toss of hair. "Ah, not yet. I mean, I haven't been back yet. Like I said before, my world is unremarkable. No real point in going back. I'm happier here, anyway."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko says, perhaps even more quietly than before, "I don't see what is so surprising about this."

    The mention of Elliana's homeworld gets a sharp look from her. Ah, there it is. There's the difficulty. "That was the trade-off, wasn't it. This, or your world. Or so you thought."

Mordred (12) has posed:
    For some reason people seem to think arguing with the Knight of Treachery on the subject of treachery being bad is a good idea. Predictably, Mordred rolls her eyes and just kind of ignores the arguments being given. 'sides, she's the only one here this scenario directly damages, so that's not a battle she'll win in either direction.

    "That's alright. I enjoy eating."

    No need to lie about that part, at least.

    Well, either way, Elliana just dropped the facts. This choice is selfish. She's happy, sure. Meanwhile her world is burning unchecked in the background. 'Better' choice sure depends on perspective, now.

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
    Eleanor sighs as the others keep wheedling at the happiness of Elliana, and then the others focus in on that idea, the hint of Terra Majora being uninteresting. Wrathborn was bored, indeed.
    She brushes at her dress and smiles. Let's twist the knife then. Happy happy happy. "Oh that's wonderful Elliana. There's really far too little in the way of fruitful relationships around here. Well, except for Amalthea who builds her way into proper parenthood."

    She smiles at the Unicorn and then huffs and puffs. "All the Other Elles are all happy and married and you still haven't helped me find someone, 'Thea. It's very rude."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "It would be best if he would relinquish that habit, yes." That's all she says, for now. Afterwards she simply ducks back into her book, writing as quickly as her hand can move, if not a trifle faster on the providence of temporal shenanigans. As promised, every word is noted, and as many aspects of the environment as she can notice are taken down as well. Himei is absolutely right, but since humans are imperfect creatures, she hopes her contribution of a written manifest might be helpful in some way or another.

    Even more, though, writing is just her nervous reaction to everything that's happening around her. She's a lot more distressed by this whole thing than she has any reasonable right to be.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    The issue with having one eye means it's really hard to hide where one is looking. Amalthea's gaze is flitting back and forth like a silent machinegun. She opts to now completely keep her trap SHUT right this second.
    "I'm a unicorn, not a wish-granting matchmaker." She counters Eleanor. But then her eye is locked right on Elliana.
    Unremarkable? Really?

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva claps her hands and gasps as she hears that Elliana is a mother. BABIES ARE ADORABLE WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THEM. Immediately, she claps her hands, eyes bright as she grins... And then she glances over to Psyber. You can almost /hear/ the mental screech in her mind as she throws her brain out of Baby Gushing Mode, and will probably have to take it into the mechanic later to look at the transmission damage. Considerably more subdued, she nods. "That's wonderful to hear~" She says, but her heart isn't really in it. She wears her emotions on her sleeve most of the time, and something seems to have put a boot into her going in whole hog.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    When Psyber snaps back into reality, he blinks a few times. And then he seems to immediately adopt a new stance in terms of his social interaction. It's an emotional and physical cringe before he plays it off as a slightly awkward laugh, "Ah heh, right, right. I was hoping you'd forget. I just ran out of patches, is all, so I'm slightly cranky."

    His smile is hollow and his tone is fairly bland. The WORDS are there, and the phrasing is right, but it lacks Psyber's usual genuine palpability. The quality that makes Psyber so relatable or... himself. It's more of a knock-off of his normal dialect than it actually is him.

    He can't process what to ASK Elliana, in this moment. He can barely process how he should be reacting to the situation and put forward that role. He takes a deep breath and then says, "Luckily Laine will be around to help us with Ethan." Laine would be Psyber's obvious, logical choice for a Godparent.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Flowers is possibly overwhelmed already by the revelations; she seems to be looking more at Psyber than at Elliana. Possibly because of the beliefs she's already expressed. She's not really much more hurt by the friendliness, though. "Hm? Is it as technical as that? And they've all been through a few things, I'm sure they can stand a few medical details over dinner."

    This is a lie, but those from heaven or hell would know that it's something that Flowers regularly does, part of what makes her truly excellent company. "We can talk about it later, though. Who's babysitting tonight?"

Himei (331) has posed:
    Himei glances at Flowers as the mednin gets into it a little, but Himei herself didn't miss that stagger, nor did she fail to notice what Kimiko said. She agrees with it, and that's why she's staring at Elliana now. Should she push the matter? Or should she let this play out?

    Himei's never been particularly great at social situations, and here, she's doubly unsure.

    "Right, right... but uninteresting can be nice sometimes," the Magical Girl finally says. "Sorry. I was just curious what it was like." At least she's not gauche enough to bring up parents or the like. "So you don't mind leaving your world behind? You're... happy here, huh?"

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    This is the way the world is. You do not get your vengeance, but the world continues to turn anyway. Nathan revels briefly in this nightmare element. "Certainly understandable." He says, nodding several times. "My own homeworld is similarly unremarkable. People like us should consider it a blessing. It is good that you are happier here though, like I am." Rub it in. RUB IT IN. But continue observation. Arturia. That's notable. Nathan's understood how this works. Wrathborn never formed in this what-if. That means Elliana sought a Servant on her own, either seeking a good catalyst or naturally forming a more heroically-inclined Hero.

    "Yes, Amalthea, I would not object in the least if you dedicated some of your strange, incredible matchmaking skills to Eleanor instead of me. A fifty-fifty split? Or perhaps twenty-eighty? In her favor, of course. I am sure there are more war machines in your world." He says, in a dry, friendly-jabbing sort of way, but still monotoned.

    Himei pushes a little. Nathan's eyebrow goes up, but his expression doesn't change in the least. He works with her here. In a way, it's almost rubbing it in worse. "Indeed. A few others once helped me with an incident in my own world, irrelevant as it may be; they happen all the time. Let us know if there are any problems you ever need help resolving there, we will be happy to assist, as we seemed in the case of my own." Nudge that just a little more, but undermine the premise just slightly. She could always ask for help with the society issues, after all, Nathan is sure.

    But he doesn't keep focus on that. "But as long as you are happy and doing good, that is best. I am reminded, how are things in that Grail War matter? Assisting in incidents is one thing, but you have a much better view of the big picture." What sort of things are her normal operations now? How is she handling challenges and problems in the what-if-verse?

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    It's as if Elliana was hoping someone would change the subject. Kimiko's comment almost jars her out of the dream, right then and there, getting a stare and a faint paling of her cheeks. It's no wonder that she latches onto other topics, right away.

    "I know a prince, Eleanor, I could arrange an introduction? I can be very persuasive when I want to be. I know I'm a little relaxed with all of you, but I can be formal!" She nods firmly, but that just makes her twitch in discomfort again.

    Sakura gets a glance. "Laine, of course. And Tender Whisper." As if it were obvious. "Though I suspect that is not going to work out well for Rampart, as she seems to have taken quite a liking to Ethan." Oh dear.

    She can't escape the topic, though. Faltering, she murmurs, "Y-yes. Of course. But my world is... it isn't pleasant and... I..." Being reminded is part of the narrative, and it's really causing a rapid breakdown. "My world never did anything for me. It's too late to help it, let's just move on. Food. Yes. I like food."

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
    Eleanor's lips purse a bit at Elliana. "Well I /was/ a Duchess for a while, so there's that, but that title's been mostly vacated or revoked or however one does those with nobility. You'd know better, of course, Ellie."
    Oh, the others are doing a much better job at being Nutra-Sweet than she is, and the Sister brushes at her dress again fitfully. "But again, that would only mean consigning someone to a life of caring for foster kids and that's awfully tough. Not like being a mother."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Around the second time Laine's name gets dropped, Psyber sorta gets an awkward look. He actually half-wishes she was here right now, if simply because he needs to have a breakdown and she's the only one that gets to see that. So he'll soldier on.

    Playing to his part of the non-smoker, Psyber reaches into his jacket and pulls out some beef jerky. Not gum, because he doesn't roll like that. Mordred gets offered some of the beef jerky as he holds it out to her before he tears off a strip and starts to gnaw on it. It's teriyaki flavored.

    Most of this is to keep Psyber from having to deal with Haruno or whoever else is taking shots at him. For the stoic humor he's putting up, they're slowly chipping away at him and it shows as his tone grows steadily more distant, while still containing his natural words and phrasings, "Dinner sounds good. I'm sure the cafeteria can accomodate us, though probably no buffets for the Saber-class."

    Mordred gets a hollow smile and then Psyber adds, "But the rest of us should be fine."

    And then Psyber looks to Elliana, "I'm sure Rampart will be fine. He can't be much worse for a child to be around than myself."

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    Amalthea proceeds to hook her arm around Nathan's shoulder. Be ye proud to be among the small handful of people that a unicorn is actually willing to make physical contact with, Nathan. Because keeping true to her role, she puts on the biggest smile. And then commences giving the Union general a MASSIVE NOOGIE. "Don't be silly, Nathan, I had nothing to do with any matches made, not now, not in the past, and not in the future."
    It does not last long though as she detaches and crosses her arms. "Yeah come on Elliana, give us the deets, it's not like any of us are actually squeamish here when it comes to horrible maiming injury." Nevertheless she presses with all the subtlety of a bull through a china store window, pressing when Elliana falters.
    "Man, your world can't be that uninteresting. You didn't leave anything behind back there? No unfinished business?" Uh oh.
    "Iunno, Psyber, with how much Whisper bitches about him..."

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva's looked agitated for a bit ever since the true meaning of the nightmare unfolded. She loks around, an unpleasant look flickering across her face. Perhaps she's not feeling well or something. After a short time, she pulls out her phone again, poking at it.

She pauses.

She looks over to Psyber, and then at Nathan and Sakura.

She ponders for a moment, again... And then she looks up at Elliana. "Elliana, I've heard you're pretty good with weird languages. Would you be able to look at something for me? I took some pictures." She holds out her phone, offering it to Elliana.

The pictures in question happen to be the temple they were just in. Picture of the surroundings, the architecture, the runic bindings, and of course the orb and Psyber poking at it.

This might get messy.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The strokes of Mizuki's hand keep up even as the voices turn sour, and the topics grow grim. Her hand does pause a moment, though, on the final syllable of the word 'food'. Truth be told, this is making her a little bitter. Are -all- of these 'happy fantasies' doomed to spontaneously combust? Are they all fated to be discovered and eviscerated by the people who occupy them, out of spite? If someone were to wrap you in a blanket, would your first instinct be to tear the thing from your body, strike a match, and watch the thing burn?

    ... no. No, she knows the circumstances aren't the same here. She knows this environment is far too duplicitous, too nuanced to be a blanket. But more and more she's finding it difficult to accept these sorts of things. Must every dream just be some thin veil that hides darkness? Must every single one be a lie, and a thing to be shed once a person has the 'strength' to face reality? It's a conundrum that's grated at her being for as long as she's held sovereignty over her own mind. And even more officious to her is -obligation-. Were she in Elliana's shoes, she would have abandoned such a world without a second thought. She would have seen it burn, and such nightmares would never haunt her mind.

    "Yes, let us consume things." Her tone is flat, yet somehow very deep. Dismal. "That is the way of all life. To eat or be eaten. To force or to be forced. Likewise, that had to be your choice -- you would either flee, or your world would devour you whole. You had to choose your happiness, or their lives." She lays her pen upon the pages of her book. She folds her hands across her tome. She does not look up. "No one faults you, but as we sit here and speak in perfect peace, quiet; as your baby prepares to enter into this world, countless people have lost their children in kind. One life for thousands. And beyond all that, so many wrongs -- unpunished."

    She would close the book, now, the pen saving her page. "Humans crave adversity," She would continue, "but you have managed to extricate yourself from that lust. That need. You should relish that. You should cherish every day you have from now until the end of time. Enjoy this life such that you may live for all those who have been lost."

    Those words were poison, and she knows it. She was wrong to open her mouth at all, and she knows it. 'But if these people are so fond of decimating happy dreams,' She justifies, 'then it's just as well I do it for them.'

    She is really going to regret this later.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko lets out a breath with her jaw lightly clenched, lips drawn. She shrugs, and then stays quiet. Throughout, and afterward, she stares at Elliana. She's not going to say any more about it. Not out loud, anyway. What could she say? It's not as if she's even that familiar with the situation on the traitor-wife's homeworld.

    Even if what she did was the only possible path by which to effect a change upon that world, it's not as if Kimiko could ever accept the choice. It's not within her ability to forgive it.

    It seems others aren't leaving well enough alone, and the dream is likely going to destabilize, but Kimiko retains her silence even in the face of that inevitability. She stares, and nothing more.

Mordred (12) has posed:
    Mordred chews on the jerky. It's better than saying what she thinks, or doing what she's thinking about doing. Even if the build up of anger will make it difficult to control that if people keep pushing their luck.

    Shoveling food into her mouth should keep her calm though, like the great angry furnace that requires weed or corpses to silence.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Sakura, oddly, will take some pity on Elliana. "Let's just go to dinner. We can share medical stories. And talk about the wonders of childbirth, maybe." She adds, giving Psyber a look with a slight smile for a change. "I don't think we should take too much longer, though, because I'm sure you called ahead for reservations, right?" She doesn't want to end this 'nightmare', it seems - she'd rather extend the assorted suffering involved.

Himei (331) has posed:
    Himei watches the others cause Elliana to falter and stammer like that. The picture on the phone and the constant jabbing will inevitably cause her to collapse, or at least confront the point of the dream. Seeing how everyone is twisting the knife, Himei opts to try something different by reaching out and resting a hand on Elliana's shoulder.

    "You can't take responsibility for an entire world," is all she says. Then she gives a light squeeze.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "It is best to not think about it." Nathan says, casually, as if the heavy discussion were mostly irrelevant, or a side-conversation. "The magic mountain ghost dad of Cecil Harvey once taught me that one should affect what they can and leave the rest as it is. Trust that people can handle themselves, and get by, even if they might not do it as well if you helped." A bit of devil's advocacy here. "There are a few things worth doing for the sake of oneself."

    He once again offers the change in subject that Elliana is seeking. "In any case, I am still curious, how have things been in the Grail War matter? I am still looking to help any approaches you may be making in that, or in the other matters you are dealing with." Still being the perfectly supportive, positive Nathan here. And still trying to figure out how she'd be operating in this hypothetical what-if.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    It's a lot to take in. It's also very strange that Sakura, of all people, is offering comfort. Himei is less surprising... though the dream-Elliana has her relationships all mucked up anyway. Mizuki's words, followed by Riva's phone image, really strike home. The blonde takes a step back, gently brushing Himei's hand away. "I... it... it's a binding to..." No, it's very clear that she can't talk about this now. Tears well up in her eyes before she can say anything more on the topic, and she takes another step back.

    "I... I couldn't. You don't understand. The only way I could... I wasn't strong enough..." Her eyes dart around to everyone, and it looks like Nathan won't be getting his answer about the grail war. Elliana is facing something else, which requires her full attention just to prevent breaking down. "... I was selfish. Am selfish. I'm sorry."

    Turning on her heel, she dashes for the door at high speed. Very, very high speed. The older ones might remember that super speed was one of her powers BEFORE her upgrade.

    Needless to say, the dream splinters immediately after, its agency broken. Any last words had better be quick.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Anything Kimiko could say to this Elliana, she could just as well tell her after she wakes. That is, in fact, much the reason for her earlier silence, and it is the reason that silence will continue.

Himei (331) has posed:
    Shaking her head, Himei watches Elliana flee... and the nightmare start to break down. "Well. I guess we know why this is a nightmare." She looks toward the others. "I hope you're all happy. I think a few of you forgot that Elliana doesn't /have/ nice dreams."

Riva Banari has posed:
The response is precisely what Riva was expecting. What she didn't expect were Mizuki's words, and she glances over in surprise.

There's nothing for her to say at this point, however. Everything that needs to be said has been, as the dream explodes around them.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "They bound the Shajem on their own, without you. It was flawed, but you did not need to be there. People will make due, and get by. Your vengeance and justice go unfulfilled, and the world continues to turn anyway. Do what good you can in the world, and then no more. Burn the fuel you have to spread its light. Burn yourself, and all you will spread is ash."

    That's what Nathan says, as Elliana leaves, and then after, as he's sure she can still hear him. That's about all he needs to. He crosses his arms and closes his eyes in preparation for the collapse.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    This has been a long night for Psyber. This has been a long MONTH for Psyber, if one accounts for the sheer magnitude of things that have been occurring to him and around him. The 'smile' from Haruno is met with a narrow, red-eyed glare that could probably put a hole in a steel wall.

    The half-angel opens his mouth as if on the verge of saying something to her, even. But then he shuts his mouth as Elliana runs off and the dream goes into splinter. He simply looks after Elliana as she flees and says nothing. He looks to Nathan and Haruno and continues to say nothing. It's taking almost all of his restraint to remain silent.

    He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a flask, unscrewing it and tipping it back for a long moment before crushing it into a steel ball in his hand and dropping it. A rare and brief glimpse of vented rage.

    And then he just waits for it to end.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Sakura sighs as she watches Elliana flee. "The torment she should have isn't that she was selfish in this dream. Reality should be the nightmare for her." Flowers is not exactly full of the forgiveness, even if she'd shown a little bit of kindness here by not prodding in the same way the others had. At least not at Elliana.

    She'll wait on the dream to end, bracing herself against whoever's closest and willing in case there's another fall. She doesn't approve of falling, after all.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    That didn't go well. Off Elliana goes running as people jab hot pokers into an obvious wound. And when the dream shatters abruptly, the unicorn heaves a hefty sigh, rubbing at the back of her neck.
    "Well I feel like such a fucking heel, now."
    It's with this announcement that she reaches into her armor. Because when Psyber pulls out that flask, she's at his side, producing a pack of cigarettes and offering one to the half-angel.
    She can't give him a light though, because when she pops one in her mouth she just starts chewing on it. And then swallows.

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
    Eleanor Lamb's face is pall of anger, and now the regret has spread not only to Elliana, but to others of the party as well.

    Good.

    The Big Sister rubs both hands at her face to try and calm herself, and then waits for the dream to pass. What a shitshow.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki watches her departure with mixed feelings. It... always feels like bile after she indulges that sort of anger, and she only hopes it was subtle enough - or otherwise 'constructive' enough - to evade notice. She'll make her apologies later, but she's beginning to reconsider her involvement in the affairs surrounding Elliana. It inspires... something in her. Something extremely uncomfortable, angry, pained; she takes things personally that she shouldn't and, in so doing, projects herself upon peoples' dealings in ways she feels will eventually cost her friends.

    She sighs. She will be thinking long and hard before she trifles with all of this again. If she does, she hopes she'll be in a better position to curb her own inclinations. Only now has her arrogance receded to a point where she can finally understand more fully why Psyber and Nathan had cautioned her about involving herself with this before. It isn't just because they are personally invested in this, but because every situation surrounding Miss Fairchild seems to... evoke something in people.

    Psyber's words echo in her mind, though, if in a paraphrased form: Will you face yourself? Or will you develop a facade so perfect that it will overtake your being entirely? She... believed she had made her choice already, but this whole episode has made her want to reconsider. Either that, or to persist in 'helping' here so that she will be forced to learn something. Only, she's sure that 'something' will revolt her, and is horribly uncertain whether she'll be able to accept it at all. But, earnestly, could it be any worse than her finding a way to overlay all this story's more relevant details with her own, pithy, personal reservations?

    ... never has she felt so horribly, terribly, disgustingly human.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    As the dream fades, Kimiko heaves another sigh, this one more tired and obvious. Slightly odd, for her. It's a clearer indication of emotion than the reserved young woman usually gives. She seems to want to speak, even, but a look up toward Psyber's silent rage gives her pause. He's likely not the only person rather upset by this--though the reasons may vary from person to person.

    Still. "I do not believe much of that was helpful or necessary." She opens her mouth, closes it again, and frowns in a thin line. "Some things can as easily be said while she is awake. And then, she will remember them."

    It takes her a bit to realize why this is actually upsetting her, but she doesn't share that personal revelation.