Emerald City, Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008  5:00 AM
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Dreams. Dreams come in many forms. Helpful, confusing, terrifying, surreal, erotic, enlightening. They do not come every night, but tonight three woman of note experience particularly vivid ones.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:40, Sun 27 Mar 2011.

The hillside is covered in knee-deep green grass; dotted with chrysanthenums, lilies, orchids. It stretches into the distance, meeting a cloud-streaked sky; brillaint blue of midday. Jiro Koji walks, his geta'd feet rustling through the grass, blue-and-green kimono highlighting his strong form. At his hip rides Naru-Kami, the Koji clan honor-blade, in its black sheath; stormclouds picked out in silver gliding along its length.

The wind begins to blow, rustling the grass and tugging some few petals from the flowers. Before him suddenly looms a building; squat and low; he recognizes it - a hall-cum-bunker, in Singapore. People move within, and suddenly he is beset; shadowy figures looming over him, black glades glittering like obsidian fangs in their hands. Naru-kami flashes in his hands like lightning; flashing through the shadowed forms, which dissolve like clouds at the blade's touch.

Suddenly, he is within the building, and the shadow attackers he strikes down are old men; children; women; and the sword in his hand will not stop, even as he cries out; tries to stop himself. Forced away from innocent flesh, Naru-kami twists in his hand and lashes at floor and wall and ceiling. Flames flash up, devouring the dead, devouring the building, devouring those few he had saved from the sword. One man, younger than the others, with a face both blank and instantly recognizable, staggered towards him as the fire seared him; devouring flesh. "You killed us; self righteous, would-be samurai. You killed us with sword and with carelessness; what do you imagine will happen to those you leave in your wake? Killer. Despoiler. Honorless; killing like a frenzied dog." The last words hung in the air as the flames burned away even the man's bones, leaving them to fall in a cloud of ash. The flames swept up, devouring his kimono, tearing at Jiro's flesh like a thousand knives, digging, melting, shaping.

Then Jiro was on the plain again, but the endless green fields were brown, the flowers wilting. She was on her knees, clad in nothing but ash. From behind came the voice of her father. "You have brought dishonor to our house." To his left; the voice of his mother. "You have squandered your gifts and talents."  To his right, the voice of his uncle. "You have wasted your training."

Before him, Omiko Nakamura stood, clad in a kimono of purest, shimmering white. "You come to me seeking pity, but reject me when I offer it. Begone from my sight." She turned her back, and it hit Jiro like a physical blow.

Now Jiro knelt on asphalt, her body clad once more; but as gaijin. From behind came the voice of Alexandria. "You use me like a tool, to further your ends and slay your foes. And you would cast me aside the moment I become inconvenient to you." From her left, the voice of Chen Ming. "You claim to trust and respect me, yet you lie as a snake whenever it suits you."  From the right, the voice of Wei. "You offer worthless words and worthless actions; it shames me to hear the very offer from you, weakling. You can kill, but you cannot face those whose life you end. Dog and coward." Ahead; Alex stood. "You call me friend and claim you care; yet you drag me into danger. All for what? To have someone watch you and applaud? To use me to gather tidbits?" She began to change, features and figure running like heated wax. "You say that you will watch my back; that I can trust you; but you spout lies and whisper my secrets to other ears." Now, she was beyond any recognition. "And when I cease to be a perdictable, appreciative audience, you shatter my very soul in your hubris."

And then Jiro was again on the plain; the grass now dead, the flowers all withered and gray. The sky above was black; studded by points of light that glared down in baleful judgement. Alex stood before her, Naru-kami in her hand, little lightnings playing along the blade. "Now, Koji, explain yourself. Rationalize yourself. Justify yourself. You have never had problems in the past doing so."

Her voice was ashes and dust. "I never meant harm."

"Good intentions pave your road."

Naru-kami raised in Alex's hand, glittering in the starlight. Then it descended like the very wrath for which it was named. She felt it cleave into her body; bisecting her torso from shoulder to crotch-

With a scream to wake the dead, Jiro Koji awoke, lurching, crashed to the floor. Tears streaming, she curled into a fetal ball.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:50, Tue 23 Apr 2013.

He ran playing tag along side other kids, laughing. He jumped on a tricycle and started peddling madly, and Mom was behind her pushing her along and then she let go and she was really riding a bike all by herself! Just like a big girl!

The big girl got tired of riding and sat down at her desk. She opened up his new book and started typing the words in. His face was lit by the blue glow of the Commodore 64's screen. He yelled in triumph as the first few notes of the imperial march started.

Sally-Joe. Love of his life in grade ten, and she never even knew his name. It made him so sad that Gabe never even noticed she was crushing on him. Why wouldn't he notice? He was a football player and she was on the Rugby team! It was like being a cheerleader, only better? Why was he spending so much time with that ugly girl? He was sooo hot it hurt.

Negative exponents made no sense, why couldn't she be out in the field at practice. Who needed math anyway, she was going to be a programmer. He smiled thinking about how cool it would be to work for ID on Doom 3. That would be so much better then making an perfect pass and YES! GOAL! State Champions for 2003!

Which suddenly didn't matter anymore because her friend was dead that that ugly girl killed her but to protect others because she was trying to kill people and monsters were real and they looked like friends and now she had to fight to keep the world from ending and that sucked and hurt and was scary and...

He sat up, and he was looking back at himself in bed and he was falling in the darkness and nothing was the same and she was trapped and couldn't move, couldn't scream and she had to scream because...

HE REMEMBERED!

Alex woke screaming, her voice mingling with Jiro's.

For a long, timeless moment, Jiro lay on the floor, curled tightly and defensively, wirey frame wracked with sobs. Eventually, she calmed enough to regain some awareness. I have not been chopped in half. I am in Emerald City with Alex - Alex!

She could hear her friend's ragged breath. Somewhat awkwardly, Jiro uncurled herself and rose shakily to her feet. A glance showed that it was still fully dark outside; the clock proudly proclaiming it was barely half past five. Cautiously, worriedly; the words of the specters of her dream echoing in her head, she placed a hand lightly on Alex's shoulder. "Alex-san," she began in a hoarse voice, "Can you hear me?"

Alex bolted upright from her position on the couch. She looks around in confusion, then focuses on Jiro. A moment passes. She lunges forward and wraps her arms around Jiro in a crushing embrace.

"You're real, you're real. Not a dream. Not a dream. You're REAL."

Jiro returns the hug wholeheartedly. "I am real. Alex-san; Alexandria-chan... I... I am sorry for last night. I acted in haste. I did not mean to harm you."

It takes a very long while for Alex to say anything more, as she trembles in the embrace. She holds on like a drowning man to a life preserver.

Finally she speaks "I... I'm still Alex. It... it's not your fault."

"What you said last night. Before I... collapsed. It woke me up, made me realize there was something in my head... like a dam. It was leaking, letting in memories. I was standing in front of a big leak, and it was washing over me... so I tried to stop it or see what was on the other side or something and... it broke. So much came rushing out... I got lost in it. It washed me away."

Alex shudders, and pulls Jiro tight again. "I can feel it... it's still there, the dam. Still blocking... something. Only now I'm standing in most of it... trying to keep my head above the water, trying to walk on the ground and not sink into the mud."

"I can't tell what was there is to dry land or even if there is such a thing any more..." Her voice breaks, sounding like a lost child.

Jiro nods. "I will do what I can, to help keep you above that water; to help you find your way to land"

So. My thought last night about letting a wound drain seems... both less and more accurate than I thought. Merciful kamis, what it must be to have another's memories shoving in around you. Help me consider my words; help me help my friend.

"Thank you... thank you."

Alex holds on in silence, taking comfort from something, someone she knows is real. Gradually, her breathing slows and steadies until she is asleep again.

Feeling Alex slip into sleep once more, Jiro lifted her gently and placed her on the bed. Taking a moment to flip over the hotel comforter, so that the non-sweaty side was on the bottom, she tucked her friend in and stepped back. "Sleep well," she whispered quietly.

Jiro tried to follow Alex's example, curling up on the couch, but sleep eluded her. The images and words of her dream haunted her, and she could not slip away. Briefly, she considered a walk; her usual means of clearing her head, but thought better of it. Not with vampires about, and not now. When Alex awakes, she will likely need a friend.

Crossing her legs, Jiro slipped instead into meditation, calming her roiling thoughts and emotions with breathing exercises and the lessons her family had given.