therealbrianna | Come As You Are // Open Post

And how was he?

[It's an honest question. Surprisingly, Lia tries to NOT use her powers to watch over her ex-lover. She still respects him that much.

That doesn't change the fact that she is concerned, and fully aware of the fact that he's going to do everything that he can to hide away from her when he needs people the most.]

[ She remembers seeing Hikaru seem sad for the first time ever. This affects her. ]

He says he's fine, but we all know that's not true. [ She says that with a small eye roll, but it's more affectionate than annoyed. ]

Hikaru looked really sad though. I'm just happy that he trusts me enough to tell me instead of hiding it. Plus he looked determined to fix it in time so that's something, right?

Ah.

[Taking some time out to take a few more drags before speaking again.]

You're going to have to be prepared to see more secrets, especially if they happen to be the secrets of the people you're closest to. Sympathetic ties, and all.

[Switching topics now. She doesn't want to say too much about Hikaru, or dwell on him. Too close to home, perhaps?]

[ More secrets? Sympathetic ties? This is getting quite good for her. ]

It's nice how you're checking up on him through me though. If you don't mind me asking, do you see everything or do you only see things from these sympathetic ties?

If you're referring to what might come to you at random, then it usually involves something or someone that you possess a sympathetic link to. However, a Dreamwalker like yourself will need to know how to enter the dreams of a chosen target at will.

[ Interesting. ]

So all dreams have a purpose, huh?

[ Her interest peaks at the latter part of what Lia said. Chosen target? Their dreams? At will? Kinda sweet, but she did tell herself that she won't abuse her new...gifts. ]

I didn't know that was possible.

[ A pause, contemplating if she should ask or voice out what's in her head. ]

So you've probably known Hikaru for a while if you share a sympathetic tie to him.

[ To be fair, Brianna thinks that they were like together on past missions a lot or really good buddies - that sort of relationship. ]

[It takes Liandrin a bit of time to respond. Her excuse? She was thumbing out another cigarette, lighting up and taking that first hit.]

He and I were lovers in the past.

[No use in hiding it. She could shield herself, in theory, but Dreamwalking was a tricky thing. If Fate wanted Brianna to know, then the last thing Liandrin could afford to be is dishonest.]

[ THAT she did not expect.

But Lia's not someone she can press on for things that won't make the situation easier, so she backs off the subject. ]

Oh, I didn't know that. I'm sorry for asking...

[ Totally did not see that coming. It must have been kinda rough seeing that Secret though. But she promptly waves the thought away. ]

It's fine. Our story was over a long time ago.

[Yeah, she got the habit of saying 'it's fine' from... guess who?

Anyway.]

Here. I'll teach you how to control what you dream about now.

[ She puts on her serious face to show Lia that she's not thinking about it anymore.

Besides. More important stuff. ]

Okay ma'am Lia.

[Liandrin shut her eyes, and a moment later, the scenery faded back into the black void.]

Concentrate. Try to imagine the world as a tapestry, and every single being in it and beyond it as a thread.

[ Tapestry. Thread. She repeats it in her head, imagining the real 3D world slowly transforming to the likes of those woven textile art pieces they have hung at home. Then she imagines a still of her family, happily eating dinner, frozen in time as her mom passes her a dish, her siblings telling the family how their day was at school, and herself, playfully teasing Roy. Slowly, their faces and body turn cloth-like, as if applying a filter on them using a photo editing program.

Tapestry.

Thread. ]

[And it takes significantly longer for the void around them to fill up with glowing, intimately entwined threads of energy - each one a different color, a different length, a different texture. Some thirty 'waking world' minutes later (it only feels like five minutes where they are), the two of them are standing at the center of it, bathed in their scintillating light, surrounded by the quiet rabble of countless whispers.

The beginnings of their own respective threads are now wrapped around their pinkies, and run down to their place within the Dreamscape's Tapestry.]

Well done. You might want to take a look at this.

[ She opens her eyes, and then...

And then she is lost for words. Brianna just stands there, looking around and taking everything in. Then she looks down and sees the thread around her pinkie. She tries to spot where it ends up, but there is just too much.

She manages a quiet but elongated "Wow". ]

Remarkable, isn't it?

[She's enjoying the scenery.]

In order to enter another's dream, you need to find their thread and pull it out... with more training, you may be able to view dreams of the past, whether they really happen to be dreams or memories. They might resist, though.

Yes ma'am. [ More like incredibly remarkable. Nothing she has ever seen comes close to this. ] ...It really is remarkable.

And I see. But how can I know for sure if a thread really corresponds to a certain person I have in mind? Not that I'm...planning anything. [ She lets out a short, innocent laugh. ] Just technicalities. I wanna be careful with... This. [ She gestures to the whole scene. As remarkable as it seems, Brianna feels like one wrong tug can set things off. Of course, she doesn't have a clue how it really works yet. ]

Identifying it is simply a matter of touching the thread yourself. Some of them will call out to you, especially if you have ties to them. You can also attempt to summon them for yourself.

[Folding her arms across her chest now.]

Why don't you give it a try?

[ Who should she try it on? She couldn't think of a specific person on the spot, so she just allows the threads to do whatever they want. She scans the multitude of threads, trying to spot one or two that stand out.

I hope this works, she thinks to herself. ]

[It isn't too long before two threads flare with energy. Both of them are twined with Brianna's own thread within the Tapestry.

The voices that rise up above all of the rest are familiar: her parents.]

[ Brianna spots them and she can hear her parents' voices.

Mom and dad?, she thinks to herself. What could this contain? Might as well.

She reaches for the one that's wrapped around her own thread the most. ]

[The threads and the darkness around them melt away, placing both Brianna and Liandrin on the other side of an observation window. They're standing beside the Lopezes: younger, soft with exhaustion, but happy.

Her mother is touching the window, her fingers grazing over one particular child in a crib.

Isn't she beautiful, honey?

Yes. Yes she is.

They watch as they turn to each other and smile. Brianna's father threads one arm over his wife's shoulders and pulls her closer.

The dream fades away, bringing them back to center of the Tapestry.]

Your parents really love you.

[ That scene touches Brianna more than it should have. She loves her parents, of course. She loves them so much. After all, she is who she is today because of them. They supported her decision to join Netsach, plus most of the other decisions she's made before that.

But to actually see this, her parents reacting to her birth. It's something else. And her mom... She's never seen her mom so happy.

Her pride tells her 'Of course they should, I'm their firstborn! Plus I'm their favorite.' The vision tells her otherwise. She can't explain it. A single tear drops down to her cheek and she doesn't even bother to wipe it away.

She suddenly feels a bit guilty because of how little time she's made for them recently. She hopes they understand.

Maybe it's high time she talks to them more. She avoids talking to her parents about her day. She thinks they'll freak out or suddenly become stricter because of the nature of her activities.

I should probably trust them more.

As the dream starts fading away, she wipes the wet line on her cheek. ]

Yeah, even more than I thought... [ Her voice trails off. ]

[A quiet nod.]

As I said: secrets. [She turns away from Brianna to give the girl time to compose herself properly.] Seeking too many out, though, comes at a price.

[ She runs her hands down her clothes to straighten them out. Kind of a habit. When she's done, she manages a small, soft cough. ]

Yes ma'am Lia, I understand. I know better than to take advantage of this.

[ A pause, then: ]

Thank you for that, ma'am.

You're welcome. Just remember: diving too deep and too often will make the dreams bleed into reality for you.

[She cocks her head for a moment, as if she's listening to distant music.]

I'll bring us back now.

Come As You Are // Open Post

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)