broken down by the sound of your prelude

[iudex]

Who: Dreamin' (iudex) & Accidentally Dreamwalkin' (psychopath).
When: Late night on the 31st.
Where: Phancyhive, but in a dreamfield.
Summary: In which Oswald takes the risk of making a part of Lake Meridian in a dreamfield and accidentally tugs the closest sleeper (Jack) in. oops??
Warnings: Thankfully no pie gallows!  Check yourself before you wreck yourself, Jack.

[oswald slips up when he starts - the key tonight is to make sure the setting is the last thing in your head before you sleep. he thinks and thinks, and slips because while he's thinking of lake meridian golden lights come to his distant mind.

the abyss taints this field that's mostly forest, but when he opens his eyes and sees the lake - shallow waters just in case someone wandered in and right into the lake - and nessie basking in the sunlight near the shore, maybe it's not so much of a mistake. the lights aren't present where he can see, so maybe they're further in. he tends to tuck the more personal aspects of his fields away in boxes, in spheres, under tight lock and key -

he pushes himself away from the tree he's sitting against, atmosphere as calm and quiet as he can make it, and slips over to the lake shore, blinking when nessie doesn't move. sleeping? weird thing. looking up warrants the sight of the bottom of the floating mountain - strong enough to make that in its entirety he sees. as long as it doesn't drift he should be fine; it'll stay immobile and he won't have to waste any dream energy on it. lake meridian is beautiful as it is, all stones, crystal clear lake, strong lake monster, the forest, and...

that temporary house that had a purpose. he'd rather sleep near the lake than go there and look. at least- for this visit. oswald thinks he can get away with it once.

with luck, he won't end up pulling anyone in; jack's first in his mind, and ciel, gilbert, and ahiru are all next. there are other occupants, but oswald far from cares (about anyone who isn't jack). - still, he didn't make this field to stress over things. he made it to escape from his nightmares for a night - maybe two if he can manage to not pull anyone in. if he does pull anyone in, it's likely that they'll show up close so it's not as if he'll miss them at any time tonight.

forcing them out would just hurt them.

it's a long shot, but it's worth it to save himself from the sight of another noctaere.]

Comments

[iudex]

[he's just quiet a moment, view clear through the windows that they're there and- maybe he won't feel that longing again. he's wanted to see them again after all of this time, but...

he'll not make that mistake twice.]

I'll be fine, Jack. [will be. not am. and then, looking at him.] You don't have to go in with me, you know.

[psychopath]

[will be. will be will be will be. the uncertainty in oswald's voice makes him want to hurt something, and he holds his hand tighter, smiling at him.]

Haven't you noticed by now that I would follow you anywhere? Oswald.

[and he even tugs oswald towards the cottage, all smiles and reassurance.]

[iudex]

[will be will be will be. if we're going on will bes, oswald will be fine all of the time.] ...I have.

[it's weird, but. he doesn't want to believe that jack would follow him anywhere. jack's tugging him and oswald folds, eventually reaching what should be a locked door. oswald does try to open it though, twisting the doorknob and it

opens

and fuels an indignant irritation that makes him open his mouth to call someone's name reflexively - ("oz, i told you to keep this door locked if you don't want anyone else coming in!") - but nothing comes out. doesn't that just sink into his skin and make his irritation flare as his mouth snaps shut.

there's longing when it's the lights that greet him in the long hall that leads to the stairs near the end. there's an open space on the left and right walls, but he's not heading for the living room or the kitchen. he's making a straight beeline for the stairs and the bedrooms on the second floor, silently hoping that jack doesn't.. ask... about the lights.

oswald didn't think it'd be so bad.]

[psychopath]

[jack nearly stumbles over his feet, oswald pls calm down, but he keeps his hold on the other man's hand and keeps on looking about as much as he can. of course, because jack exists to make oswald's life difficult:]

There's a lot of fireflies in here, goodness.

[iudex]

[fireflies.

that's... kind of cute? it makes that flare burn out quickly as he informs jack gently:] They're not fireflies.

[up the stairs slower, then...]

[psychopath]

Really? What are they, then?

[like half of a couple on a sightseeing tour, jack reaches out to bat at one of the closest lights; not a very good idea when you're going up the stairs. he'll just. keep being attached to oswald ty.]

[iudex]

[oswald catches jack batting at it out of the corner of his eye and, while endearing, not wise. those lights -

while harmless in the dreamfield, they probably aren't even fake. he never had the chance to ask aisling if the power that has saturated his body could reach his dreams.]

...the power of the Abyss.

[top of the stairs! this hall isn't clear of them and there are four doors - oswald is only opening two of them tonight.]

[psychopath]

[jack recoils, immediately, blanching white, and he does his best to avoid any and all of them. which he tries to achieve by sticking to oswald. He puts on his nonchalant face.]

How many of you lived here? Four?

[iudex]

[your own fault- too bad that they're everywhere, huh. oswald's not avoiding them though, and even reaches out with the hand that isn't in jack's to gently touch one of them -

and watch it sink right into his skin. ...alskdgvjao even if it's power that's already in his body and they're not all doing it, it still gets him to frown a little— they're definitely not staying in this cottage longer than they have to.]

Myself and one other person. [using that hand to point now to the first two rooms, leaving the back ones without identification.] My room was on the first one on left and theirs was the first on the right.

[psychopath]

[meanie :((( jack is also of the opinion of not staying here any longer than they have to!]

Come on then, I'm curious who it is. Which one was theirs?

[the hairs at the back of his neck lift upwards; the lights have enough of a similar feeling to the Abyss that it makes his skin crawl. come on come on come on.]

[iudex]

[pushy. and, he just said—] The first on the right, Jack.

[not telling jack that these lights are probably a small representation of the power in his body, then. nope, nope, nope! instead, slipping on over to the left tyvm, but he seems to change his mind as he reaches the door - his room is his sanctuary, damn it - and turns to go to the right room first.

the other person's room, then.]

[psychopath]

[naw dude he'd still snoop through oswald's room later! for now, though, he'd cling and cling to oswald's side and peer over his shoulder to look into whatever the room opens to.]

[iudex]

[sacrificing his plait to snoop! how bold of you, jack. oswald lets him cling as much as he pleases, the door opening to a different sanctuary.

there's a bed that's made, a dresser, a nightstand beside the bed with a hauntingly familiar pocketwatch, and a chair where the baskerville cloak rests - very simplistic, very... oswald doesn't know, but it's devoid of the lights and oswald pulls jack in with him and shuts the door before they get in.

he has... absolutely no idea still on whose room this belonged to, but there's too much nostalgia, too much fondness - oswald is at a loss and stands there like he doesn't know what to do or where to start. (he doesn't.)]

1/2

[psychopath]

[jack presses himself to the door, back flat against it, and his lips thin.]

2/2

[psychopath]

You lived with Oz?

[he pushes himself off the door, padding across the floor to pick the pocket watch up. a press of a button and, just as he thinks- the melody tinkles in the air. he made the watch, oswald wrote the melody, and oz was the only link between two doomed men.]

Oh, if you did, he would be so upset that you forgot him, my rabbit.

[iudex]

[oz.]

If I did, that would explain it.

[not that he tells him what it is, but. his eyes tick to the cloak as the melody plays and he mellows. he was protecting and hiding oz. a chain.

(why)

(from what)

- he remembers a little bit then (from his contractor. oswald wrote that down on paper - from jack, and his friends), closes his eyes, and lets his head lull to the side where he is leaning against the door.]

—I didn't mean to forget. [i didn't want to forget.]

[psychopath]

He was close enough to you that you had a cloak made for him?

[something wells up in him, slow and insidious and malevolent. jack snaps the pocket watch shut and places it back on the nightstand. something like oz, that caused only pain and grief (like him), didn't quite deserve oswald. he owned the fucking chain, and he dared to-]

Is this why you've that rabbit doll? Good heavens.

[he's smiling, but it's vicious, poison dripping from every word.]

[iudex]

He wanted to hide.

[he merely gave him the means and tools to use to do that. the gaps in his memories haven't filled with oz's form - still so painfully empty - and it's strange, but the feelings are there: protectprotectprotect don't shrink against the door because you've never seen jack so malicious before.

that feeling sets the tone and oswald stands straight and tall, crosses his arms over his chest. please. his calm has grown far too tense - that is not allowed, not in his dreamfield, and not while it's under his complete control.]

The doll might have been his influence - [he's not quite sure.] - but make no mistake: it was made because I had nothing else to stop the nightmares.

[he trusts jack with that, at least, and presses a hand to the door. he'll chance the scenery if he has to, change even the atmosphere to quell the maliciousness until they wake up, but something needs to be done if jack can't calm himself down.

oswald isn't willing to hurt him by forcing him out, after all.]

sry oswald-san!!!

[psychopath]

He's just a Chain.

[he cuts in, taking a step closer and swaying. he can't stand it, he can't stand this, because misery loves company and oz is the only thing, concept, person that had stayed with him for a hundred years and oz is the only who will replace-

he takes a breath.

that's what he was afraid of, wasn't it?]

You know what? You know what. Fine. When I disappear next year, you can protect him all you want, fine. Knock yourself out, he won't have the contract anymore.

[he spits out, viciously, turning on a heel and moving to walk out. Out of this dream, whatever, dream flouncing, thinking selfish, because he is so terribly afraid.]

[1/...2] it's okay!! dream.. flouncing... staples to dream

[iudex]

[jack is acting too much like this matters - he could be a chain or god damn child of misfortune. oswald doesn't care and it's then that one of glens try to cut in, warm and lovely, and this is his dreamfield they can stay out.

jack has his hissy fit and oswald reaches out to snatch him by the arm when he comes close to stop him from leaving whether he likes it or not - jack doesn't have the right key if oswald makes a lock to keep him in or lock him out (but he'd never, that's too cruel) - and he tears this room to pieces.

literally.

it rips and tears and oswald hates doing this, he really does. it makes him sick to his stomach (as if jack could be replaced by a chain, this is just foolish), but he forces the change and holds his tongue until the room reformulates and conforms to the image in mind: his own room back then, furniture almost mirroring oz's own with the exception being that oswald slammed a bookcase against the wall and a chessboard on the desk.

oswald's room is all velvet and darkness and everything that was comfortable to him. he remembered before he made the dreamfield and jack's coat lies on the bed with one of lacie's earrings on top. the coat was in the closet and the earring was under his pillow (shut up!!), but he took them with him when he left for ob holm.

glen's cloak burned, but they remained.]

[2/2] unless i can't in which case uwoooooo

[iudex]

You're not going to disappear - [he starts, tone gravel and dust as he bows his head and tries not to release the contents of his stomach.] - prat, and you can't be replaced, let alone by a Chain.

[he's known oz longer because of the time he comes from. that's true. but, jack's the kind of precious that has come and gone physically and didn't leave his memory. oswald knows that there are still times when he catches himself looking at oz and seeing jack instead.

(it makes him feel terrible.)

that's just life. he likes oz, but he does love jack (more) and it's stupid the way this dreamfield reacts to his emotions. why emotions why can't he just get rid of them and be numb and not give a damn?]

You're an idiot.

[but there's no bite to that bark.]

GO TO SLEEP HOLY SHIT

[psychopath]

[jack stills, disoriented by the sudden change, and it reminds him far too much of the time Sablier crumbled and all he had held onto was Glen's head and body and what little remained of his sanity. he folds, crouching where he stands, hands over his ears and clutching at his head.]

You don't, you don't understand, when I turn past the age I dropped Sablier into the Abyss, I would. I won't ever reincarnate, the Abyss didn't accept my soul-

[he dry-heaves, curling up on himself. maybe he should pass out.]

You can keep him. Oz. You've lived with him, you know him better.

I CAN'T I'M MOSTLY AWAKE and i have to get up in two hours so what's the point (tears)

[iudex]

[don't pass out, oswald can't stand this, so he just- drapes himself over jack's back and keeps him close, and decides that he wants more than he's afraid that lacie will get angry.

and he breathes for a moment, his stomach settling.] Breathe, Jack. [and in a weak moment:] I want you, not him.

[it's not simple dichotomy. oswald's soul is eternal and jack's is fading fast. all right. he presses his face to jack's shoulder and closes his eyes - and wonders if jack will forget will he wakes up. he's never had anyone in his dreamfields before.

(can he hand his body over to someone, he wonders, and have them take both the collective soul of glen baskerville and the power of the abyss that he's accumulated and use it help jack-

he shouldn't entertain thoughts like.)]

The Abyss has no hold over this place. [not his dreamfield (it doesn't have a hold there, either), but the port. and from what he's heard, death's not permanent here either. as if he'd let jack fully disappear--] How do you know that you're going to disappear here?

.....pats head there there

[psychopath]

What if I do?! And even then. Back home there would be nothing I can do, I've-

[oh now he starts laughing. he struggles not to hyperventilate, and fails, clutching at oswald's hands and leaning back into him. he stumbles headlong into another fit of hysterical laughter, tumbling down into the steep hill of insanity.

do you still want a broken man, oswald? ]

I want you, not her, I want you but I can't have you and oh, I'm leaving, I want to leave don't look at me -

[he starts to will himself out of the dream, unable and unwilling to subject oswald to this any longer.]

hard emotional life of feelings over sleep mrrrrs

[iudex]

This isn't back home, Jack!

[and woah, woah, woah, jack's going to be sick if he keeps this up and oswald doesn't want to keep him here any longer because of that. he'll let him go and glare at him when he wakes up feeling like hell because he's going with him. he's found what he needed to find (oswald's done, now)-

and more than that, he knows.]

Remember: concentrate on where you were before you fell asleep. I'll wake up along with you— you're not getting away from this.

[just so that.. jack knows that, as creepy as it sounds wow. he wants to get to the bottom of this though because he's gettin' real tired of jack's bullshit. and his assumptions. it's mostly his assumptions.]