![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
SEEMS I GOT IT WRONG—
WHO? hei ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dipolar and some various other punks
WHAT? closed prompts for dreamshares, hit me up if you want in on this
WHEN? december 12th to december 23rd
ANYTHING ELSE? content warning: child soldiers, suicidal ideation, graphic violence/gore
dipolar and some various other punksWHAT? closed prompts for dreamshares, hit me up if you want in on this
WHEN? december 12th to december 23rd
ANYTHING ELSE? content warning: child soldiers, suicidal ideation, graphic violence/gore
ＡＲＴＨＵＲ．
(russian winter in vladivostok. a stone's throw from north korea. despite how close it sits to japan, its cold bites as mercilessly as the rest of the country's weather does. arthur can still feel it, even seated inside the dining car of a train headed for — where? with nothing outside but a vast expanse of inexplicable ocean, it's difficult to tell direction. with a sky that looks caught between dusk and dawn, it's difficult to tell time. the dreamer's impression of these oddities is bleakly accepting, finding them to be something run of the mill.ＭＩＤＮＩＧＨＴＥＲ
the only heat in the area rolls off of a wide spread of food laid out across a too-small table. overwhelming overtones of a gnawing hunger make it irresistible.
hei sits across from arthur in a nineties parka, forking bite after bite after bite of his meal into his mouth with a numbness that threatens to sink the scene into the waves lapping at salt-stained window panes. looking at him, he's almost unrecognizable with long, unwashed hair pulled away from his neck in a thick ponytail and an unkempt face of patchy scruff. the reality of it becomes stark when his hand stills and dead eyes lift with a response so quiet it'd be easy to miss under the anvil-like weight of a flask dragged closer.)
I killed Pavlichenko. Is that all you wanted to discuss?
(hei's sure he knows who's there as he raises the flask to drink — an action that triggers a worrisome groan of the train's metal skeleton trying to hide its shame. but it's just not arthur he's seeing, not really.)
(up, down, left, right— it's all the same underwater. it rushes and surrounds, cuts off air supply and threatens to drown him. there's no supernatural quality, no ethereal glow to guide him out of the blackness of it. what it is in reality? a submerged hall of a building that fell victim to land subsidence, abandoned and left to sink.ＲＹＵＪＩ
if that wasn't stressful enough already, there's no obvious exit in this research and development department. logic would tell anyone to follow the gradual upward slant of the ceiling if it manages to be found in the dark, but what's another potential cause for alarm is the sound of a struggle close by. the crackle of movement that's swift when unchallenged by current. turning to face it will bump midnighter into someone who's been searching for him since the plunge and bring him within arm's reach of gloved hands.
while m isn't who he's been expecting, hei's mind makes up for the oddity by slotting the man into the place of whoever it belonged to first. the change, albeit convenient, fills the room with a contagious, sick kind of panic that sets the mood for the entire nightmare. eyes narrowing at the foggy outline, he tries to grab at an arm to get the teenager's attention. it's obvious why: he has the only ventilator, one that fits snugly in the mouth without oxygen tank or tube.
one he's insisting on giving to him, offering it out with a slow shake.)
(ryuji stands in a lake at twilight, full moon high and shedding an eerie lambency that seems to dance on blond hair. a dense rainforest grows up around him and, from the shore, great, timeless roots sneak into the shallows to sponge up what drink they can. it'd be a peaceful scene, but something's innately wrong. something's off and it's hard to pick out any one thing until he's taken his first step — only to meet the resistance of a liquid so unlike water that the viscous surface rolls instead of splashes.ＡＣＨＩＬＬＥＳ
red. the vast body of water sits still and dark like blood, so rich a colour it blocks light from seeing beneath its layers at the unevenness he can feel underfoot.
a foreboding atmosphere, giving ryuji the unique sense that this is somewhere he shouldn't be. it makes the air thick and difficult to breathe, but that could be the clouding mugginess that weighs on unaccustomed lungs in a climate so shockingly divorced from all others. or the sudden sighting of a lost child on the shore of the teenager's macabre bath. the haunting image of a small boy no older than twelve with a runt's stature and bruised eyes that point out from beneath a familiar mop of unevenly cut hair.
it's over the lake he stares, calm. the feeling around him is not, rather strikes as something a fearful resolution.)
Area secure; we're moving on.
(a lengthy pause, like the child's wondering if he's been heard, but avoids a direct look at ryuji when he turns away to wipe at a round cheek. it only serves to smear more grime into his skin, only glancing back once to address his idleness.)
You'll die if you stay here with them.
(a satake telescope sits at the edge of a pond in a park long abandoned by the day. insects and tree frogs chirp, a warm breeze ripples grass, no dangers lurk in the setting. there's a serene calm to this dreamscape and a startling expanse of stars, a memory visited and revisited often, which is perhaps what makes it the most troubling kind— no one wants to wake up from something like this, no one wants to lose this boneless kind of relaxation.
there's something lonely about the child sitting in the grass beside the tripod. he doesn't look the least bit bothered, but the mood inward borders melancholic. it's the sense of him being the only one, the last one. of what?)
A shooting star is the light that escapes whenever God opens the lid to the sky...
(as though talking to himself, his voice is soft. quiet enough to be a whisper but carrying well to spite reality's rules. then he moves with slow purpose, breaking the scene's stagnancy with a raise of a hand. palm up like an offering to the starry ceiling above them, wanting to give something back to the glittering little lights, as though he could present himself and be taken away by them. something that should be possible in this world he's found a shred of restfulness in, but he just can't seem to part with any piece of his soul.
moments pass and there's a sudden shift, a movie reel missing a frame, and hei's smiling shyly at achilles like he's been there with him the whole time, sharing in this as friends, as family.)
If you make a wish when you see one, God will listen to it.
no subject
it wavers, like the expression on the child's face.)
Don't touch me. (tries to spit it, tries to lace it with his venom, the impact lost on a voice that hasn't broken yet; he can't growl the way the chilling adult can.)
no subject
H-hey, I'm sorry. I ain't here to mess with you. You alright?
[He's not entirely convinced by the brashness in his voice- it's still too soft, not warning enough, and even then, there's a good chance Ryuji would rush right in and try to be a hero, even if the situation didn't call for it.]
Seriously, you can put the blade down. I'm unarmed, see? [He holds his hands above himself to show that he doesn't have a weapon.]
no subject
no, no, i don't want to, i don't want to— told not to trust a soul on this side of the planet or the next but takes a step back with his knife still high. he's an unknown, not a part of their company and far from bolivianos. not a brit either, eliminating all excuse he could use to make hei believe the boy isn't a misplaced tourist. or someone posing as one.
detachedly, hei wonders if he should answer the question he's been posed. is he alright? no. he isn't. but that'd be the wrong answer. yes is far safer, even if it's a clear lie by the way this civilian attempts to pamper him. the third option is to ignore it completely and it's a path he readily grabs for, remembering ryuji's previous curiosity. so hei gestures with a nod at the red lake.)
"Them".
(he meant it. he wasn't hallucinating despite the dream itself being one.
when ryuji turns, bodies. countless bodies. they bob in the water like buoys where he was standing only moments ago, fresh water keeping rot from disfiguring the freshly dead, pallid skin and their howling expressions. all framed by prominent veins — swollen and purpling from stress of an attack and water bloat.)
I need to find Bai. If you're staying, fine.
(a turn on his heel, finally sheathing his weapon.)
no subject
It's the most disturbing scene he's ever witnessed in his entire life. He was just... there, how did he not notice the bodies? The bodies. Instincts come first, and shit, if he was too young to be seeing this, then Hei was infinitely worse. The cool indifference at which he points them out and the lack of enthusiasm other than needing to get away sends a weird chill down his spine. This isn't right. This kid isn't right. In more ways than one. But still, Ryuji can't just walk away. He wants to save this kid.
Nobody deserves to witness this.]
Bai? N..no, dude, c'mon, we're getting the hell out of here. It ain't safe! Trust me, okay?
no subject
No. (said with finality.) I need to find my sister.
(sparing a glance over his shoulder, low-lidded eyes raising to check on the civilian. is it concern? he's not sure. he's not supposed to feel concern. he's not supposed to feel anything. child amorality has its grip on him and he sniffs wetly at the humidity of the surrounding rainforest, noting instead the dark sky.)
Are you leaving or following me? Hurry up and choose; it's dangerous to stand around in a war zone.
no subject
[He's not about to leave him- none of this actually makes sense, and it's getting weirder by the minute. But if he's concerned about... his sister... then Ryuji is just going to have to get the both of them out of here alive.]
I ain't leavin' you here alone. [As if Hei actually needs someone following him to begin with.]
no subject
Fighting the war. Stop shouting. (a hiss of a reply, choking up on the handle of his dagger.
if this teenager causes him anymore trouble, his hand will be forced. he'll have to do it. he'll have to kill him. there wouldn't be any other way and keeping bai safe is top priority. dragging this weight back to base camp will already risk his future there. introducing a civilian to contractors and soldiers... he was hoping they'd know what to do with him, but jesus—
the child's eyes widen a fraction, before the expression is chased away by a bite at the inside of his cheek. he has his own questions, now realizing the suspicious nature of this guy's appearance.)
Who are you? How did you get here?
no subject
Unaware of Hei's premeditation and inclination to murder, he's stopped dead in his tracks by the question. Didn't he just say that this place was dangerous? Why the questions?]
Ryuji. I don't know how I got here either, just opened my eyes in the middle of that freaky ass lake. [He examines the boy a little bit more, his neck craning downwards before...
Wait a second???]
Hei?
no subject
How do you know my name? (almost a whisper, spoken through his teeth.) You're one of them, aren't you?
(squaring up, fingers clamping down on the handle of a too-large blade. familiar now, to ryuji; he nearly got cut with one earlier. now he's in danger of it again, hei's acute paranoia wins over the small desire to see this kid to safety. he has to worry about himself now, he has to worry about bai. if he can't protect himself, he can't protect her.)
Explain yourself.
no subject
Well, maybe some of it was at some point, which just means that this place probably existed in some form for Hei at the corner of his childhood, which... god, this is fucking sad. And he knows, from tinkering around in palaces, that you don't want to shake the entire structure of things too deeply. This is like the security system jacking up a full 50% from what it once was.
Ryuji lays his hands outward, offering for him to slice right into him if he wants to.]
I know you from the future. You put me in danger and then saved me, so I guess it's kind of a wash. [Go on, stab him and just get it over with.]
But we're part of the same team and work together on missions 'n stuff. Look, I'm here to help, I swear.
no subject
(is that possible? he guesses anything is near a gate. is that where he came from?
stares at ryuji with a haunted expression, lowering his blade in his distraction. they're comrades? if he's from the future, shouldn't he know that much? and about things that've happened to him along the way? his head's flooded with questions and bruised eyes search the ground between them before he takes a few measured steps back with a shake of his head.)
I live that long?
(no. no, no, no.)
I can't think about this, I-I need to get back before— (and a bullet cracks into the tree behind them, splintering wood.
he's soon sure it's not one single gun but several assault rifles cutting through the underbrush of the rainforest and hei throws himself down onto muddy earth with a sharp breath, striking his chin on a hard root, hand on ryuji's pant-leg. he's urging him to do the same, stifling a panicked choke with a bite of his lip.)
I shouldn't have listened to you...!
no subject
[Shing
It narrowly misses the both of them and Ryuji turns to the center of its sound. Oh, shit. They were being chased, after all. The adrenaline starts to pump through his body as he feels Hei tugging at his leg to get down with him and hide. Fuck this. No one is going to hurt this kid, not while he's around. Hei doesn't know it yet, not in this state, but his future involves a certain conversation and experience that Ryuji can't trade.
It means too much to him.
Instinctively, he grabs at his waist and pulls out a mask, fixating it on his face.
These mother fuckers. They'll pay.]
Stay down!
PERSONA!
[There's a rush of whirling energy as a cloud appears above them. This is the cognitive world, in its essence, so Seiten-Taisei takes its physical form- a god on his throne of heavens- and as he holds his hand out, a large electric fencing circles the area, cordoning it off in a line that disintegrates the bullets before making it past its electrically charged zone.
Ryuji's never used this magic before, but somehow it makes sense that he's doing it, and with his arm still stretched, he commands his persona to absorb and begin repelling the bullets backward. He takes a step back and offers a hand to Hei to get the fuck back up.]
Shit, lead the way! We gotta get out of here!
no subject
was this what they meant?
he won't get to spend much time staring and analyzing, they have to get moving, but some part of him feels like this is an event he shouldn't forget. so he lets the electricity burn at the backs of his eyes, watches bullets ricochet off of the spirit's mass and pound into trees and the bodies of enemy contractors.
and ryuji offers him a hand, startling him out of his reveries. breath leaves him in sharp, panicked huffs, shakily grabbing for it — because if this boy is anything, he's surely a wielder of god's power. god's finally sent someone to help them. he hasn't been forgotten, left behind. tears well in his eyes and he nods jerkily, fingers tightening around larger fingers. they disconnect when he leans into a sprint to the right, easily vaulting underbrush and fallen trees, trying to remember the alternate routes.)
Sorry, (croaked, hastily slapping at wet cheeks to compose himself
they never like it when he cries. he has to stop before they get back. he'll be struck again, his words will be ignored, ryuji will be crucified for being the missing piece they've always needed. and that can't happen.)
You're here to take my sister away, right? You can take Bai away from here and go? Somewhere far away?
no subject
It's jarring to see tears on the boy's face. He knows what it's like to be a kid and have to push through things that sucked, things that left you feeling alone and like nothing would ever be right, so it pulls at Ryuji harshly as he forces himself forward with him- away from this hell at least.]
Don't... [In between breaths as he runs with him] apologize.
[It's a few more moments until there's distance enough between them and the enemy scene behind them when Ryuji's SP starts to give away. He can feel his persona fade from the immense amount of power that it took to channel that spell and the need for it to grow ever stronger as the distance between him and it grew. There's not much time.]
Dude, I'm gonna get both of you outta here. Where's your sister?
no subject
(hei doesn't pant, he doesn't bend to panic. he simply stands there with a deep breath and sighs through chattering teeth.
this is the first time he's felt any hope like this and it's mind-numbing. he can barely think. he has to find bai, he has to lie to her, and he has to get her to trust this boy the way he himself has had to.)
If— if she won't go, if she resists, swear something to me. Only you can do it, I'm not strong enough.