[Sunday, June 22nd. Sometime between 4:00 PM and 11:00 PM, but after leaving the IHoS!] [We're back in the van! What a joy. And in this van, there is driving, sleeping, and maybe even a bit of tense energy: the fight looms closer, and they all did just eat a lot of strudel.] [Keiko, despite downing an abnormal amount of coffee (for her) seems passed out. But as is usual in this game, looks are deceiving. So let's figure out what's really going on. Mini start!] * Keiko is a cheater, as usual. One hand of her resting form is actually curled around a duck, while the other is around Luana. She's changed her outfit to a white cloak around what seems to be a black dress. However, for viewerses' sake, her ghostly blue astral form hovers just above her body, passing its fingers through Luana's head in something akin to stroking it. * Roseli is sleeping as well, her head turned to one side and on the headrest. She also had some coffee, but that doesn't necessarily mean much. At least she didn't smoke once they got going again. And she also has no creepy-weird head stroking astral stuff going on. * Keiko pulls those fingers back, with a non-audible sigh, and drifts up to Rose. She appears to bite her lip a moment, before brushing her fingers across _her_ head. The fingers come back... disappeared, but Keiko looks more surprised at something else. It takes her a few moments before she reaches out for Rose's head with both hands and disappears. [Keiko finds herself in a hallway of some sort, with shabby carpet, flecked white paint, and three doors. It's hot, humid, and dark: the lights are turned out where she is, with the exception of light behind a cracked open door nearby and other light past the end of the hall.] [She can smell blood, and she can hear sirens in the distance, as well as what might be crying and words in another language, from what's probably Rose's voice; that comes from down the hallway, as well.] * Keiko floats in the hallway in a ghostly blue form, squinting a moment before she murmurs, "What is this, Roseli..." as she heads towards the crying and words. "... don't make me try to figure out your thoughts..." [Keiko floats into what looks like a living area, though that's not where Rose is. Children's toys are scattered about, casting shadows, and there's a couch and other such standard things. To her left is the kitchen and dining area, and that part is lit by the overhead light.] [There's a mutilated toddler on a booster chair at the table, stabbed and cut deeply and bleeding an impossible amount of blood. There's a tipped over bowl of little o-shaped pasta and beans. There's a slicing knife with plenty of blood on it. There's some children's blocks and syringes on the floor.] [And through it all is Roseli, looking haggard, thin, tired, and wild, hair overgrown, wearing casual clothes and an apron, and getting blood all over herself as she tries to sponge it off of the child even as a cut in her left wrist makes a mess of its own. She's also slicing her own feet as she keeps stepping on the glass and the blocks. That must be the source of the crying.] * Keiko has a visible reaction as the ghost form stops dead, a duck appearing in her hands. For a moment she just stares, then she murmurs, "Dream. Metaphor. Not real." She then squints and adds, "... but she is pretty literal." She speaks up louder as she floats forward. "Roseli!" * Roseli spins to look over at Keiko, immediately shifting so she hides her view of the corpse. The sirens get a little louder, and suddenly a gun is in her hand instead of a sponge, which she points at the blue ghost and yells something in Portuguese. * Keiko looks back at her, completely non-understanding. Then she is instantly next to Rose, touching either side of her head a moment, before saying lowly, in Portugese, Not that much of that is Portugese! * Roseli lets out a grunt or shout of surprise, and she turns again, trying to cold cock Keiko with her gun. It goes right through. "" There's a pause, and she lowers the weapon. "" * Keiko smiles wanly. A moment, then her eyes flick down. * Roseli snorts, tossing the gun aside in an offhanded gesture. It goes off, firing into a wall, but she doesn't seem to give half a shit. "" * Keiko ... corporealizes, silver collar on her neck, anklets and bracelets matching it on her arms and legs, and hair loose. She pets the duck as she says quietly, A moment, then, * Roseli says that, but even as she does, she goes about sponging the blood again. * Keiko smiles weakly and rubs her stomach with a free hand. She murmurs, * Roseli laughs. "" * Keiko mms, then replies, She glances over to the child a moment and blanches, before looking down. * Keiko looks confused, then brings herself to look at the dead child again. * Roseli nods to the corpse. "" * Keiko takes in a shaky breath and nods slowly, before murmuring, * Roseli looks at Keiko sharply. "" * Keiko flinches, then replies, * Keiko looks back at her and snaps, * Roseli goes back to sponging the blood away from Benito. "" * Keiko lets out a little laugh. * Keiko closes her eyes. * Keiko looks back at Roseli a moment, then, * Keiko frowns at her, then says quietly, * Roseli stoops, scooping up some of the syringes. "" She tosses them to Keiko. "" * Keiko glances to them, frowns, and then they all are replaced by a bunch of white flowers. * Roseli looks around. "" She looks at Keiko again. "" * Roseli takes a few steps towards Keiko, getting in her face, poking a finger at her collar. "" * Keiko doesn't back down, but she does yell back, * Keiko looks down and says quietly, * Roseli snorts. "" She looks to her son, then around at the room. "" * Keiko looks around, then says, She looks up at Roseli. * Roseli comments offhandedly, "" <... what?> <... oh. I'm sorry.> * Keiko licks her lips. * Keiko replies, * Roseli sighs slightly, bringing one finger to the table and smearing a trail of blood away from the pool. "" * Roseli is now known as Nuria * Keiko blinks, then nods. A moment, then, * Nuria laughs a little. "" * Keiko gestures upward and outward, and the apartment disappears in a sea of green and blue... a field, actually, of blue, green, and white flowers. The day is clear. There is a mountain range in the background. Her hair blows in the wind. * Nuria looks around. She's still in her bloody clothes, with her bleeding wrist and feet, and some hair blows into her face. "" * Keiko looks back at Nuria, a faint smile on her face, and suddenly she's in a purple dress instead. (The she there being Nuria.) * Nuria is unfazed by the Keiko-like outfit change. "" * Keiko is silent a moment, then says, * Nuria eyes the girl. "" * Keiko laughs weakly and murmurs, Ah. * Keiko looks down and away. She looks back at Nuria. (+>) * Nuria stretches and walks a bit, looking around. Now that she's out of the house, away from the blood and the sirens, she's becoming increasingly less wild. "" * Keiko walks after her. After a moment she murmurs, she trails off, then, finishes, * Nuria continues, wistfully, "" (s/make/do) * Keiko smiles a little more, although it is sad. It's not like she doesn't know where it ends. * Nuria doesn't seem to want to continue. She knows where it ends; she's been there. * Keiko lets it hang in silence a moment, then she says quietly, * Nuria laughs. "" She stops and looks back Keiko. "" * Keiko looks back at her. she trails off. After a moment she finishes, * JesseLman has quit IRC (Quit: Zleep) * Keiko 's made up dreamscape changes slightly, the green flowers disappearing a moment. When she realizes it, she frowns and they're back. * Nuria studies Keiko for a moment, then scratches at the side of her nose and looks away. "" * Keiko frowns and replies, * Keiko continues, * Nuria snorts and says, snippishly, "" * Keiko presses her lips together, then replies, She smiles faintly. * Nuria eyes Keiko. "" * Keiko looks back at her, then says quietly, * Nuria laughs suddenly. "" She grins. "" And she shifts, her hair spiking, her clothes changing, until she's a punkish version of herself, at Keiko's age, with even more piercings and a choker. * Keiko starts, and then she's staring again. * Nuria takes a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket and taps one out, talking conversationally even as Keiko stares. "" She offers the pack to Keiko. "" * Keiko shakes her head slowly. * Keiko sighs and says, * Nuria laughs. "" She places the cigarette in her mouth and lights it. (Reorder!) (Yup!) * Keiko points at her. * Nuria sucks on her cancer stick, then blows out a stream of smoke while Keiko yells and points. "" * Nuria looks at Keiko calmly. "" * Keiko looks back at her oddly, then says, A moment, then, * Nuria shrugs and ignores the first statement to pursue the second. "" * Keiko nods slightly. * Keiko is silent a moment, then, * Nuria eyes Keiko curiously as she flicks some ash off her cigarette, before placing it back in her mouth. * Keiko shakes her head. A weak chuckle. * Keiko nods slightly. When all you have is all you know... (+<>) * Nuria closes her eyes as she sucks on her cigarette, and she flicks into her older self - a much more Roseli self - before back to the young Nuria. She holds it in for a moment, then lets out the smoke. "" * Keiko mms quietly, then says, A weak smile crosses her lips. * Keiko looks down. * Nuria smirks. "" * Keiko sighs and says, She gestures upwards. * Keiko looks back at Nuria. * Nuria looks like she's about to say something, and then she looks up and away. "" she tells herself, and she shifts, once again into the older Nuria with the bloodstained clothes. * Keiko tilts her head a moment, petting her duck. * Nuria hmms, then looks at the younger girl, still tapping her cigarette. "" * Keiko frowns a touch, but... doesn't make a protest. * Nuria looks down at the cigarette. "" * Keiko is silent as Nuria says all that, then murmurs, * Nuria shrugs. "" She has a drag of her cigarette. "" * Nuria smiles. "" * Keiko smiles weakly. * Keiko 's smile fades away as she looks down. * Nuria shrugs. "" * Keiko nods slowly, then replies, She looks up at Nuria. * Nuria laughs. "" * Nuria looks up. "" she murmurs, before tossing the cigarette to the ground and grinding it out with her boot. Wait, she was wearing boots? She is now. * Keiko manages a slight smile, then it fades away as she looks down at her duck. * Nuria laughs. "" * Keiko manages another slight smile, and then a... giant Heinrick plus appears next to a giant Togo plush. <... really?> (+h. A plush, not a plus.) * Nuria looks at the plushies. "" she admits. * Keiko doesn't quite understand that comment, it seems, but she does look to Nuria and says quietly, * Nuria studies Keiko for a moment, then says, "" * Keiko looks back at Nuria, an obviously pained look on her face. * Nuria smiles a surprisingly gentle smile. "" <... I'm an empath.> * Keiko smiles weakly. * Nuria starts walking off, to wherever home must be. "" * Keiko presses her lips together, and nods slowly. she trails off, then turns away, the plushes, the field, and then Keiko herself disappearing. * Keiko recorporealizes, invisibly, from her body, but it takes her a few moments. She does not look happy about it. And then she touches Rose again and vanishes... only to recorporealize AGAIN. * Keiko looks far more annoyed the second time as she stares at Rose's head, takes a visible (but not audible) breath, and digs her fingers into Rose's head to vanish one more time. [Keiko finds herself back where she was the first time she entered Rose's dream: same house, same smells, same temperature. Only this time, she's in the living room... and there's Roseli (or is it Nuria?) with a blood-soaked sponge and her son. And a man, wearing fatigues and with a crew cut, with a few bullet wounds...] [Osmar, Keiko can probably tell, though he's ironically more cleaned up than the few times she's seen him. ""] * Nuria is standing there, sponge in one hand, staring at the man. "" * Keiko is a blue ghost again, unfortunately for her, and floats around to the side. She murmurs quietly, ["" Nuria winces, and she makes no motion to indicate she heard Keiko, as Osmar storms towards her. ""] * Keiko glares at Osmar and says, more loudly, * Nuria makes no motion to move, or respond, and when that happens Osmar yells, "" He reaches over and grabs her, tossing her aside in a way that really should be impossible, given Roseli's skill, but she offers no resistance and crumples away against a wall, with a small and pathetic sob. * Keiko stands, ghostly, between the two of them, and yells as she stares down Osmar, * Nuria looks at Keiko even as Osmar keeps ranting, "" She twitches and must have given her consent, as Keiko begins to materialize, and Osmar focuses on the new arrival. "" * Keiko materializes, floating just off the ground, and just glares at him before saying, And then Osmar, with a pop, is suddenly a giant plush Osmar doll, which falls to the ground with a >_< face. And then she lets out a slow, shaky breath. * Nuria stays right where she is, staring at what happened. "" * Keiko turns back to Nuria and is silent a moment, then sighs and floats over near Nuria, crouching down. * Keiko smiles wanly, as the room fades away, piece by piece, until all that's left are white walls forever away. * Keiko looks down. * Nuria shakes her head violently. "" She struggles, trying to get to her feet. * Keiko looks back at her and says, quietly, * Nuria whirls on Keiko. "" * Keiko flinches, then says quietly, * Nuria snorts. "" She sneers, making a sweeping gesture around them. "" * Keiko licks her lips, then murmurs, <*Arrogance*. That's what it was, not telling Osmar about it, the voices and the shadows and the blood and the whispers. Not telling him about my addiction or my immunity. Thinking I could save Benito by myself, thinking I could save him from himself- and then it was all me.> * Nuria laughs, though it sounds like a sob at the same time. "" * Keiko looks down as Rose rails at her, then looks back and says quietly, * Nuria snorts. "" * Keiko frowns and replies, * Keiko narrows her eyes, then says, * Nuria glares at Keiko. "" * Keiko steps back and replies, * Nuria grumbles. "" She laughs. "" * Keiko bites her lip, before replying, * Nuria smirks. "" * Keiko points at her. * Keiko starts to swirl around Nuria. * Nuria tries to watch where Keiko swirls. "" And she reaches out, grabbing her arm painfully. * Keiko lets her grab her arm, and winces visibly, teeth gritting. * Nuria leans in and hisses at Keiko. "" * Keiko hisses back, * Nuria looks at Keiko for a moment, then smiles, all of a sudden. And lets go. "" * Keiko pulls her arm back. * Nuria brings up her bleeding left wrist, and a bracelet suddenly covers it. For that matter, Nuria in general... she starts looking more like Roseli, with the shorter hair and the apron disappearing. "" * Keiko is silent a moment, then turns her head slightly away. * Nuria claps her hands. "" * Keiko looks back at her and starts, before trailing off. * Nuria eyes Keiko. "" * Keiko shakes her head and says quietly, She looks to Roseli's eyes. * Nuria frowns, and she looks more like Roseli by the moment. "" * Nuria chuckles, and she looks away and up. "" * Keiko bites her lip, before saying quietly, * Nuria is silent for a long moment, and then she says, "" * Keiko puts her arms around herself, and says quietly, her voice getting shakier by the end, * Nuria hesitates for a moment as she looks down at the other girl, and then she says, gently, "" * Keiko replies weakly, Oh. * Nuria 's eyes widen as she starts to comprehend. "" * Keiko 's hands clench on her arms as she looks down, eyes closing. * Nuria looks at Keiko. "" she says softly. * Keiko looks back at her, eyes shimmering with tears. * Nuria lets out a long, heavy sigh, and she reaches out, wrapping Keiko in a hug. * Keiko lets herself be hugged, the landscape changing rapidly out from the center to a field of chrysanthemums. * Nuria keeps hugging Keiko tightly, smoothing her hair like Keiko's seen her do for Jamie before. "" * Keiko cries for a a few long moments, before it starts to slow she says softly, through a hiccup and a sniffle, * Nuria smiles a little. "" * Keiko lets out a laugh which turns into a cough, then she takes a breath and is suddenly not crying. * Keiko disappears from Nuria's arms, reppearing a foot or so away. She says quietly, * Nuria looks at Keiko, then she chuckles. "" * Keiko looks down a moment, then, * Keiko nods slightly, then gestures with her hand to touch Nuria's cheek lightly a moment, then draw her hand back. * Nuria looks around. "" * Keiko nods a little and bows slightly from the waist, and then fades out from her feet up to her head. * Nuria continues to sleep, not looking any more or less disturbed than before Keiko entered her dream. [Mini End!]