A Waking Dream (Open)

[Nyx]

Nyx watched as Duncan walked up the path to his new home, and she sighed, gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter. It was hard to watch him go, and not go with him, but she knew it was time to give him his space. Besides, she told herself, the people at Greymalkin, the X-men, would know how to help him better than she did.

Reluctantly, she pulled away from the institute and turned herself toward the beach. She drove for an hour before she found someplace she wanted to stop, a place where she could see out over the ocean uninterrupted. As she shut down the engine and let the keys fall into her lap, she layed her head back. She rolled her window down, her old beater sported cranks rather than electronic buttons, and took a deep breath as she closed her eyes.

It had been a long time since she had really felt like she could relax for a minute, since she had felt like she could allow herself to think about the next step. In reality she had been thinking about the next step since she had regained her son after the attack on the mansion, but she had never really thought hard about it. She had wanted to spend every minute she could with Duncan while she still had him to herself- although there had still been a lot of things keeping her out of the apartment.

Still,s he had made the best of the time she had before she had to let him go, and now she needed to think about herself. She needed to think about what happened next.

She had changed during the time she had spent looking for her son during the catastrophe so many had forgotten about. It was almost as though she had reverted. Or she had begun to. She had become more self-dependent, more self assured, and she knew she needed to keep down that path. She knew she needed to start moving forward.

So she had made a few more changes, ones more visible to the outside. She had cut her hair short, she had worked to regain a body that could defend itself, and she had taken on her old edgy style and rid herself of the shabby, careless wardrobe she had been harboring after her release from Project Destiny.

And now it was time to work on the inside, on her powers. SH eknew she still had the link to Anrdreas, but she had decided not to care. SHe had decided to push that to the back of her mind, where it belonged. If he wanted to monitor her, that was fine, if he wanted to play with her he could have his fun- but she was going to learn to use her powers to play back. Next time he slipped into her head she was going to take a baseball bat to the inside of his head as well. And she would be sure he wasn't expecting it.

That thought left a bit of a smile on her lips, a worn, slightly sadistic smile. As she stared at the darkness that was the back of her eyelids she began to let all of her thoughts go, to let them drift away. It was time to be done with thinking, and to begin acting. It was time to use her power, to at least explore its bounds.

She could feel the material world slipping away as she took deep breaths, letting the sound of the ocean move over and through her, rocking her into a restful place. Her smile became more rested as the darkness in her mind slowly began to shift and undulate until it gave way to a soft, gentle blue. The blue of an endlessly perfect sky. There was no sun or moon here, no clouds to mar the endless hue above. It was simplicity and eternity.

She could feel the tide lapping at her naked toes as she relaxed back. She could feel the sand against the naked flesh of her back, and she could feel the freedom of dreams moving over her. As she opened her eyes she could see the strings of people's minds, the threads of their dreams drifting around her. She reached out and ran her finger down one wispy, crimson thread. She could feel lust and anger within it. Another, a purple one, was filled with a sorrowful longing, it led to a dream of memories. Nearby her toe was a black thread, barely floating in the drifting, rocking waters. She could feel the hatred and pain, the fear and loathing that radiated from that dream, she could feel it vibrating through her body.

The thread drifted further from her as she sat up, her gaze locked on it as it pulsed darker, stronger, thicker. As she reached out to it she felt it struggle against her touch, until suddenly it snapped and she jerked back, gasping. With a quick touch she drew the two threads back together and pulled them from the water. As she tossed them into the endless blue she watched them shift into a gentle white, a new and pure dream full of endless possibilities. SHe smiled softly and fell back into the sand again, closing her eyes adn taking another deep breath, and letting herself drift on the tide, the line between waking and dreaming.

[Dream]

There she was. The danger to his realm. And did she know? Did this half-way-walking child know what power she had at her disposal?

Morpheus stood in the sand and wondered this as his star-eyes blazed in their pools of shadow. There wasn't a strong wind on the 'beach', but his cloak of the night billowed around him as though he was stood in a full-force storm.

The child had been hard to track, which was understandable, given her nature, but now he had found her. He had to end her existence for the safety of The Dreaming, and then find the second one. The second individual out there somewhere who Morpheus had noticed had gathered similar powers to this one.

Dream stood a few metres away, but the girl hadn't noticed him. He decided to take his approach before she flitted away again.

He walked forward, his bare white feet visible below the seam of his cloak. And as he walked the sand below him changed: the grains of yellow turned white in a spread, paving a path as pure as his skin for the King of the Dreaming.

When he stood only two metres away from where the girl laid, he stopped, towering over her, and spoke.

[glow=black,2,300]"Luctretia Claymore." [/glow]He said, but that was all he said to begin with, allowing her to make the first move. He was ready for her to beat a hasty retreat - if she tried to flee, tried to escape back into the waking realm, he would reach out and restrain her with the sheer force of The Dreaming.

[Nyx]

Nyx gasped when she heard her name, sitting up, the light shifting around her as a dark bathing suit covered her body, providing some modesty. Though she attempted not to show it, she was surprised to find herself in someone else's company. SHe had never crossed paths with anyone in the dream realm, not unless she was actually in their dream, which she seldom chose to do outside of necessity.

"Nyx," she said, staring up at the stranger, "my name is Nyx." SHe was leaving Lucretia, the broken, weak woman, behind.

She watched the man for a moment, not saying anything else in the interim. She couldn't help thinking he looked like Stephen Tyler, and if she wasn't aware of the subtle differences between her own dreams and being solidly in the dream realm she would have wondered if she had really fallen asleep.

"Who are you?" She studied the sand at his feet, his clothing, the way the entire realm seemed to be pulled toward him. She almost shuddered at the complexity of his simply existing here, and she thought that on some level she already knew the answer to her own question, but she asked it anyway. "No one else is ever here with me, not here, between dreams."

[Dream]

[glow=black,2,300]"Is that what you believe?"[/glow] The tall man replied instantly, as though he had heard their conversation a thousand times and had his answers fully prepared and rehearsed.

[glow=black,2,300]"The fragile in between spaces of this realm are not beyond my jurisdiction. I wander them freely."[/glow]
He raised a thin, white hand and made as if to touch the air around him. There was nothing there, but he moved his hand as though shifting it through water. Then he lowered it to his side again.

[glow=black,2,300]"On the contrary, you have no right to be here. Nyx."[/glow]
The stars that seemed to be in place of his eyes sparkled dangerously.
[glow=black,2,300]"I have come to end your life."[/glow] He declared simply, his voice low and gentle, but without a single flicker of compassion.

[Nyx]

Nyx raised her chin at the mysterious man's words, showing defiance in the face of his declaration, rather than fear, her eyes narrowing slightly, her hair shortening and changing around her. She began to appear as she would in the physical world, sharp edged and unafraid.

"I have done no harm here," she stated the words clearly, drawing herself taller, studying the man. "What have I done to deserve death? I only mend broken dreams, brighten the dangerous ones. Or will you tell me that children must suffer nightmares of abuse and loss?"

Her voice was sharp with indignation as she took a single step forward, squaring her shoulders.

"You can kill me, I'm sure my power is nothing to yours, I am not so blind tat I can't see that, feel it. But if you are going to kill me, you could at least show enough decency of character to tell me who you are, to think that you can choose to end someone's life just because they are somewhere you don't want them."

As she finished, she held her gaze level with his, challenging him, daring him. She did not flinch, and she felt the strength that she had thought had abandoned her two years ago. It was fresh and empowering, and she could not have known fear at that very moment, even if it had smacked her in the face.

Which, some part of her thought, it probably should.

[Dream]

Morpheus stood as silent and as still as a statue as Nyx confronted him in the face of his declaration. He was not surprised at the reaction. In this situation, many people would choose to go on the offensive, most of them would do so to try and cover their fear. But this girl was different. She didn't seem to be hiding her fear. She genuinely seemed to want information.

He had no intention of destroying her without an explanation. As she said, she had done nothing wrong. She had a right to know.

[glow=black,2,300]"I am Dream of The Endless."[/glow] He said, [glow=black,2,300]"And you have natural qualities that make you a significant threat to my realm, The Dreaming."[/glow]

[glow=black,2,300]"I am sorry, but the potential for interference you carry can not be left in the hands of any mere mortal. A nightmare is as much a part of The Dreaming as a blissful vision."[/glow]

His face was sorrowful, but it was always that way. It was doubtful that his sorrow was for the girl who was now squaring up to him.

[glow=black,2,300]"And that is why your life must be terminated. I am sorry. You have not done anything wrong. But this is the way it must be."[/glow]

[Nyx]

"That's stupid." Now she sounded downright angry, her eyes shone with a belligerent light. "I have as much chance of being of use to you as I do of being a danger to iyour realm." She waved at her surroundings with a single hand, without even looking herself. "If you just destroy everything that has power enough to step foot here of their own will, you're committing as much of a genocide as humans do when they kill mutants just for manifesting powers at puberty."

She was not backing down, she was not running. She would face whatever he had for her head on. She may not stand a chance against someone whose entire existence was rooted in this place, where she was only a visitor, but she would not just tuck her tail between her legs and run away.

"I will not go down without a fight," she warned him, "I may be just a child with powers she shouldn't have to you, but I'll use those powers to defy you if you are going to exterminate me."

What a frustrating way to go, she thought, exploring the gift she was given at birth.

"But if you let me be, if you let me live, maybe I could be of more use than you than another incorporeal skeleton in your closet."

[Dream]

Morpheus found himself unable to comprehend that his logic was wrong, or 'stupid'. To him it seemed only obvious - if there was a source of power that had the potential to damage The Dreaming, it should be removed. As he had said, such power could not be trusted to a mortal; their moods and motivations fluctuated constantly. They were unpredictable, unstable, unreliable.

But that was what made mortals great.

For the first time, a flicker of doubt shimmered across Morpheus' face.

He should have just ended it there - used the fabric of The Dreaming to smother her where she stood and be rid of her. She was ignorant of his nature - that he made up The Dreaming itself, and that she would be powerless against his will.

But he wasn't. Why wasn't he? Something about this mortal child intrigued him so.

[glow=black,2,300]"I do not understand your fear of death."[/glow] He stated quietly. [glow=black,2,300]"Perhaps it is because I have known her for so long."[/glow]

He paused in silence as he thought about this for a while. Then he considered what Nyx had said.
'I have as much chance of being of use to you as I do of being a danger to your realm.'

His eyes were stars, and so could not blink, but they dimmed as if he was shutting them for a moment in his thought.

Then, quite suddenly, he turned and walked away from Nyx, in a general northways direction. When he was a few feet away he turned back to her.

[glow=black,2,300]"You shall accompany me." [/glow]He told her. [glow=black,2,300]"Travel with me now and I will test how trustworthy you are. If you will not..."[/glow]
He looked away, into the direction of the fake wind that was billowing in his cloak.
[glow=black,2,300]"I shall end your life."[/glow]

[glow=black,2,300]"What is your decision, Nyx of Earth?"[/glow]

[Nyx]

Nyx was, to say the lest, irritated by this man's ways. He seemed ignorant to her, callus and down right unfeeling. She wondered if he was unfeeling. Her mind flashed momentarily to Andreas, and she shook her head. This man may be cold, calculating and callus, but he wasn't, as far as she could tell, intentionally cruel.

And he could teach her.

Besides that, she had no where else to go, really, and he hadn't given her much of a choice. She either went with him or died. Gritting her teeth, she started walking, her form shifting again, changing with her mood almost as if her powers manifested with each subconscious thought. Her eyes shone darkly with her frustration, even as some part of her welcomed this change.

The material world offered little in the way of knowledge about her powers, she could use them there, but only sparingly compared to what she could do here. She knew that, without a doubt. Her powers were nearly limitless here, if she could learn how to use them properly. If she immersed herself in this world completely.

"Fine." The single word was cut short and full of frustration. She hated - hater- being forced into doing things that were only badly disguised as being a decision. She hated not being left a real choice.

She followed in silence for a few long moments before another thought occurred to her, something she'd never had a reason to think of before. What would happen to her body if she was stuck ere for a long time? Would she be left in a coma like her brother? Would time even effect her body, or would she go back close enough to the time she left for it not to matter. Sometimes it seemed that the time difference between dreams and reality were so different it was impossible to tell how long she had really been gone.

And it wasn't like her body was tucked safely into her own bed, or lying on the couch. She hadn't intended on being here long, sh ehad jsut meant to stretch her legs a little before deciding on her next step.

"I've never left my body unattended for long," she finally spoke after a while, "Will there be damage if it is left like that for extended amounts of time?"

Assuming he doesn't kill me in the end anyway, she thought ungraciously.

She wasn't really sure if the man would have the answer, it didn't appear to her that he actually had a a physical connection, but then, she didn't know how to tell that either. She could just . . feel it from him.

[Dream]

The two of them walked onward over the sand in a direction that Morpheus seemed to be sure of. He remained in silence until Nyx spoke to ask a question. He did not turn to face her.

[glow=black,2,300]"You have most likely already realized that time moves differently here than in your realm. Your body will be undamaged if you return to it. We could spend a year traveling here and only pass a minute in your native realm."[/glow]

He turned his head a fraction and added,

[glow=black,2,300]"Though I do not intend to."[/glow]





The temperature began to drop significantly as they walked on, as they neared the frayed edges of the dreamspace they were currently occupying.

The Lord of The Dreaming came to a sudden stop at a seemingly random point. The sands of the beach - more like a desert since they had journeyed from the sea's edge - continued to stretch behind and in front of them. There was nothing particularly noteworthy about this spot.

He reached out his thin white hand again, which seemed to materialize from the abyss in the folds of his cloak when he needed it. He reached out... and then clenched his hand into a fist and held it still.

[glow=black,2,300]"Stay close by me. Do not wander."[/glow] He instructed, though it was hard to tell if he was talking to Nyx or some invisible other.

But then he threw his fist to the left and the very fabric of the realm - the air itself - opened up exactly as if he had pulled open a curtain. And behind the curtain was a blur of colours that would soon come into focus if they were to enter.

Morpheus held the 'curtain' open for Nyx to enter before he would enter himself.

((OOC: I'm quite happy to let you decide what dream we now walk into, if you like. Go nuts ;D))

[Conduit]

* It's always the same*

*I never get to see the full veiw... only glimpses... like some kind of Apocalyptic Wes Craven slideshow.... but that's not saying it isn't enough to send a sickening shiver down my spine... maybe down my very soul. *

* The mansion is burning... engulfed by some giant bird made out of flames.... some cackling woman as it's black heart... the fire spreads... ravenously devouring everything.... twisting everything... leaving nothing but a wasteland... nothing but ash and screams and torment behind it. I see broken, twisted facsimiles of what are supposed to be my freinds... doing horrible... godless things. And at the forefront... there's one, he's got Duncan Pinned to the ground... his arm formed into a blade... ready to shove it into his sternum. Thousands of voices ringing through the air... cheering him on. Do It... DO IT...*

*I want to scream... I want to cry... I want to do SOMETHING.... but... I can't... all I'm left to do is just watch.*

* Is... is this hell I'm seeing? If it isn't... a pretty close imitation...*

[Nyx]

For a moment Nyx's mind was distracted by the thought of spending an entire year in the dream realm, and she had to agree with Dream himself, she did not intend to do that. Sure, she coudl return to her body at the same instant she left it, but just the thought of spending an entire year with this enigmatic presence made her want to lose her mind.

She had begun to let her mind drift off down it's own path as they walked, her thoughts wandering to Duncan and his classmates, when Dream stopped and moved his hand through the air. Had she been less aware of what the world around her was made of, she would have thought it strange to see someone gesturing at an apparently invisible curtain. SHe watched as he peeled back a piece of the space they were in and a new landscape filled her vision.

She knew this place, and she had never wanted to see it again. She certainly hadn't wanted to see it like this. This was a past she would gladly run away from. She blinked and shook her head, finding familiar faces, both vague and crystal clear, running through a the remains of an institute that had once stood proud. The darkness of the dream pulled at her, dragging her in even against her own will, and she shuddered.

And then she saw him, amongst the flames, trapped beneath an attacker who was ready to kill him. Her own son was about to be murdered in the midst of the phoenix flames, his classmates dieing and killing. She started to lunge forward, crying out -"Duncan!" - but as she steps into the dream she feels the shift of the mind she now inhabits and it's like hitting a wall. It is enough to hold her back, to remind her of where she was, to pull her out of her own nightmare.

Her gaze shifts over the dreamscape quickly, searching for the source of the nightmare, and she breathes a sigh both of relief and sorrow as she sees the boy standing there, in the center of it all, watching, torment written in ever taught muscle of his body, in every shattered feature of his face.

Chris, she remembers vaguely, and she understands.

[Dream]

Dream followed Nyx into the next segment of his realm. Upon entering this new place he didn't slow his stride, he didn't hesitate - as if he knew exactly what they were walking into before he had opened the 'curtain'. Though he did keep his flickering star-eyes on his companion, and was ready to subdue her if she decided to run off. Fortunately, he did not need to. Perhaps because of her familiarity with dream-walking, she seemed to collect herself after a moment of panic.

Trusting that she would catch up to him, he strode on slowly into the new fiery landscape.
Xavier's Institute for the Gifted. And this dreamer was... a student? Yes. Christopher Richardson. And one of the people in the building was... oh.

Realizing the connection between Nyx and the dream-copy of her son, Morpheus seemed to shift back into place beside her.
[glow=black,2,300]"I trust you will not try to interfere."[/glow] He said. She seemed relieved that it was 'just a dream', so he doubted she would.

((Would it be possible to have the dream-phoenix attack us, manipulated by the individual that Dream and Nyx have set out to find?))

[Conduit]

* I can't move... my eyes unable to look away from what's happening in front of me. The Carnage, all the screams, the fire and death around me... all of it fading into the background, my attention solely focused on the two figures in front of me. He has Duncan pinned down.... he's... he's about my size... his hair tied back in a short rat-tail.... both his arms are metal .... one pushing down on Duncan's neck... the other pulled back... painfully morphed back into this twisted looking Blade.*

* A blade he's got pulled back.... ready to gut Duncan like a fish.*

* Duncan... looks like he's hurt allready... his shoulder's all bloody. He's wresting back against this guy.... one hand trying to loosen the grip on his neck... the other fighting back against his arm... trying to keep the blade from coming down...*

* I... I keep trying to move... to fight back... to try to snap out of this paralysis to help him.... but it's pointless. I can barely open my mouth and even then, nothing comes out. I'm stuck here, left to just watch and listen.... as I hear the voices cheering on this... this... freak....*

* But... one is louder than the others... having a snide, irritated tone to it. It almost sounds like he's talking to both me and this... jerk in front of me.*

[glow=black, 3,300]" What the hell are you waiting for kid? Kill him already."[/glow]

[N.P.C.]

* while the boy wasn't aware of either Nyx or the lord of Dreaming had entered his mind... it soon became crystal clear that their presence had not gone unnoticed... nor where they welcomed. The bird of dark fire, the tainted Phoenix which dominated the bleak skies turned from it's course....*

*and dove for an attack against the lord of dreams, instilled with power far greater than any mere illusion of the mind should be instilled with.*

* At the same time several of the facsimiles turned, representations of the Dark bloods that served as Apocalypses foot soldiers, and attack Nyx, each intent on forcing her to the ground.*

* during her struggle, she could faintly hear laughter in the back of her mind. A snide, arrogant voice almost whispering into Nyx's ear.*

[glow=black, 3,300]" Fancy that... it's it really is a small world, isn't it?"[/glow]