caughtinanetwork | ❦ ||dream||interactive

(Spoilers for Tales of Vesperia, descriptions of death, blood, no real violence just your standard 'shit done hit the fan' bad things)

[They were talking about Alexei.

Ioder knew they were talking about him because they had been for the past several hours. It hadn't been that long since the commandant turned traitor had issued his threat, but Ioder had very quickly tuned out most of it in favor of trying to ignore just how quickly his headache was growing. What could they do? What was Alexei planning? How could they stop him? All questions he didn't have answers to. All questions he wanted answers to.

They were just muted voices to him now, words having lost meaning ages ago, the sound little more than dull noises in his ears. He was rubbing his temples yet some how none of those crotchety old council men in their robes had noticed his discomfort yet. There was a thickness in the air that was bothering him more than the headache, too, but he couldn't pin point what was doing it.

And then all hell broke loose, faster than Ioder remembered it. A flash of light, everything trembling, shaking, moving, lightening cracking and thunder booming so loud it nearly made him deaf. The screams were almost louder, though...

He was moving away from the palace, feet rushing across the trembling ground causing him to stumble. There were so many people, all of them rushing, crushing, trying to get to the gates. There were councilmen on either side of him, bony hands on his arms dragging him along so roughly he could feel bruises forming under their hands. They were calling out to him, to one another, to other people but their voices only made sound to him. No words. Why couldn't he hear any words? The sobbing, the screaming, he could hear all that. But no words.

Acrid smoke was already curling up from crumbled, burning buildings. He saw hands, pale hands and legs sticking out from rubble. It made him feel ill. They were dead. He knew they were dead. There was nothing he could do to help them. He was still getting dragged along, pulled away from the scenes before he could fully process them in his mind.

It wasn't over.

They were at the gate, the way out of town, but it was bottlenecked. He was getting shoved, crushed, elbows in ribs and hands smacking his head and sending him sprawling to the ground. His hands broke his fall, but touched something wet, warm and sticky. Blood. Red blood. He looked up and was met with blank, dead eyes staring at him from the ground - a boy not much younger than him, noble dressed but very much dead, neck broken and blood pouring from his gaping mouth.

Ioder didn't scream. It died in his throat even as he was yanked back to his feet yet again, the councilmen clearly trying to assert their authority to get through the mob. It wasn't working, and all at once it was like the tension in the air had snapped. And everything stopped for a moment, everyone looking around as a strange colored fog rolled across their feet.

Fast forward. A jump in the dream. New minute, same hell. Worse hell. The plants were massive, throbbing, crashing through buildings and breaking through the streets, throwing people about like ragdolls. Those that were spared the explosively growing plants were capable of escape, but even some of those fell to the horrors of the now poisoned waterways. A slow death. And painful, from the sound of their screams.

They were running. Not just rushing, running, looking for another exit, looking for another way out. They had already lost some of their numbers. How many were left? Ioder didn't have time to think about it. All he could do was run. Run and not even consider how terrified he was.

But then he saw her.

A child. Trapped behind the thick roots that had lashed across the exit to the lower quarter. Forehead bleeding, arms burned, the glow of a fire behind her. She was reaching out between a gap in the roots, pleading without words for some one, anyone to grab her. To save her.

The lower quarter. Where Yuri was from. The lower quarter, cut off from the rest of the city, from the exits, from safety.

Ioder stopped running. His feet slowed and for a moment, a breath, he just stared with wide eyes. One step towards her, then another. Her big brown eyes filled with tears fell on him, mouth moving as she pleaded. Help. Help me. His hand instinctively reached out for her, getting closer and closer and then--

An arm around his waist hauled him off the ground, spinning him around in a dizzying whirl, the person responsible turning their back to protect him and themselves from a collapsing wall that would have struck him down otherwise. He heard the girl scream a shrill, bloodcurdling scream that nearly drowned out the booming thunder and the cacophony of noises from the quickly deteriorating town.]

No no no! Let me go let me go! I have to help! I have to help them!

[Ioder's dream has him tossing and turning, whining in his sleep and broken in to a cold sweat. When he wakes it's with a loud, frightful cry and a jerk that sends him off the bed and on to the floor, tangled in the blankets. His communicator falls with him, and he's unaware of it being on or it's presence beside him. The angle is off enough that his face can't be seen, but that doesn't hide the sobbing that comes from him as he curls up on the floor and buries his face in his arms.]

[OOC: Ioder will recognize people from the bubble, however anyone that does step through the dream will be the one yanking him back away from the collapsing building, and will basically be taking the place of Flynn Scifo (yes, armor and all - but that's about it. Your character is still themselves, for all intents and purposes) for the duration of the dream. Anyone who just contacts him will get responses once he's woken up.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Well. He's partially Flynn - armor is all there - but probably because he's Duke and weird and strange like that... its strange.

His interaction somewhat shorter. Ioder is safe? Duke releases the child emperor.

Oh, hey, he's in armor again. ]

And if you fall, how many can you help?

[Well that's certainly how he remembers it happening. But... everything about this dream has just been... off. He stares at Duke blankly, seemingly unaware that he's actually in tears, fat droplets running down his cheeks.]

How can I help any of them... ? The only ones here are the ones helping themselves...

... Are you not supposed to be a leader? [ Watching you, Ioder. Is it weird how no one else in your dream seems to notice Duke? He's just... easily invisible. ]

[No one's noticed him yet. But he's still technically where Flynn was standing when this all went down in reality. It's debatable if this will go the same way but all things considered? It probably will eventually.]

I--... yes, but--!

[There's so many ways he can answer that. None of them a positive reflection on himself or his current feelings about the situation. He trails off, looking back at the burning rubble now covering the path to the lower quarter.]

If you are a leader, and those who you would lead are in a panic, what should you do? If there are those you wish to save, but you yourself have not the power, what do you do? [ Studying you, Ioder. He's fairly sure you're a smart little emperor, aren't you? ]

[He is smart. But he's a smart not-even initiated Emperor who has no idea what the hell he's supposed to do in this situation. No one was prepared for this. Least of all him. And the wide eyed, innocence-broken stare he's giving Duke is all the indication of that as he gives his honest answer.]

... I don't know.

..... [ Some more studying.

And who cares if this is a dream. It works the way reality does, doesn't it?

So Stop Flow works as it should, doesn't it? Enjoy being the only two people in full color for a moment. ]

There is a fire, and you cannot put it out yourself. Do you have resources? If you do not have them, do you know of any who can aid in this?

[That's... different. And a little disconcerting, to say the least. It does seem to snap the young noble out of some of his upset, though, and though he's still slightly blood stained and teary it's given him a bit more grounding than he's had thus far.]

I-- ... y-yes...

[A small answer, but a step in the right direction.]

There is a fire. You are a leader with resources. What do you do? [ Don't think to hard on it, Ioder, but the way Duke's standing may be similar to parade rest... ]

... lead... I... lead them...

[It's a weak answer, still so uncertain. But it's there.]

Lead. Command.

Tell them to do things in order to get what you believe needs to be done in order to protect.. done. [ And Stop Flow doesn't last for very long so all the very still people start moving again. ]

What do you need done, young emperor?

[Ioder watches as they begin moving again, taking note of two things very quickly - two of the councilmen that are still some how alive are coming to him, and there's a group of knights also heading in their direction.

He remembers this.

Damn.]

I need to... protect my people...

[he says it slowly, watching the knights closely, a scowl replacing the frantic look from before.]

But what if those I command won't listen?

[he doesn't elaborate, but he points instead. Those knights aren't his anymore. Alexei has given them orders, and for whatever reason they intend to follow.]

... Then give the orders to those who would listen. [ He's not moving though, watching those other knights get closer.

He still has time, if its needed. ]

[Ioder stares up at him, reluctant and just a little concerned about who's standing there where Flynn would have been in reality. The knights come to a halt in front of them just as the councilmen reach Ioder and Duke. One of them demands in a voice Ioder can finally hear to know what they thing they're doing.]

We have orders to bring you to Commandant Alexei. Resist, and we'll be forced to execute you on the spot.

[Of course this gets the two councilmen all riled up, barking things about Alexei being a traitor and other such useless things, but Ioder is still staring at Duke and ignoring them.]

If I gave you an order, would you listen? Last I heard you weren't too interested in taking orders anymore.

.... Am I still standing here? [ A little bit dryly. ]

Perhaps it is not a consistent thing; listening to empires and orders.... however it could be said, as an explanation... that I dislike Alexei, what he did, and tried to do, far more than I do you, and your actions.

...

[Ioder is silent for a moment, but after a beat he actually smiles. It's a bit odd given his current condition, but he doesn't seem to care right then. He finally understands.]

For the moment, I'll take that as a compliment. Would you kindly take care of these men so that I can escape? I believe I have some leading to do...

[ This is that sort of nod where it isn't so much a bob of his head as it's a tilt of his shoulders and head. ]

Prefer a more permanent take care of or a less. [ But he's turning toward the knights anyway. ]

[Ioder frowned worriedly at that, watching the posture and the body language of the knights momentarily. They really did intend to kill him if he didn't comply, but doing so would leave the people who had escaped and the people left behind lacking exactly what Duke had told him to be - a leader.]

As much as it pains me to say it, they're not going to go down without a fight, same as we are... I'm sure you know what that means.

... You would be correct. [ Its a brief moment of thought after that. Would pulling Dein Nomos out alter the dream? Cause those about him to recognize that he was not Flynn Scifo?

But this uniform came with a blade, and while it wasn't as sharp as the one he was used to, he could still fight with blade in hand. ]

Go. [ He'll see how long the men Alexei had chosen for this could stand against him. ]

[Ioder nodded, motioning for the two remaining councilmen to follow him away from the scene. Of course the knights called for them to stop but they weren't going to listen.

He did pause, though, turning around to Duke one last time.]

Thank you.

❦ ||dream||interactive

Interacting; taking "the Duke is too Duke to be Flynn" option

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