Shades [Tristan/Open]

[Naelona Ezel]

It was very late at night, perhaps early into the morning though the sun was no-where near shedding its light upon the forsaken land that was Wonderland. In one of the darkest, dimmest rooms of the palace in a rather empty quarters, even the pulled shades didn't compare to the dark dreams that haunted her sleep tonight.

Tumbling out of bed, holding her forehead, Naelona was awake enough to realize she wasn't buried still in her sheets, but still tired and asleep enough for her room, sights and sounds seep into her dreams meshing the two in some strange combination of psuedo-reality. "K-Kristopher.." she murmured, fishing out an arm but there were merely vacant sheets where he normally rested during the winter nights. She didn't trust Kyle enough to bring him into the quarters in his place. She had no upper hand upon him now.

Such coherent thoughts were far from her mind as a chill ran across her skin from her scalp to her toes, tiny hairs standing across her skin and she shivered watching the depths of the room. "Hello?" Getting to her feet Naelona took her robe, wrapping it about herself it seeped in the from the darkness taking form. Creeping up the walls, drowning the ceiling as the boogie moved to throw open the heaven curtains and open the door-sized window. What meager light thrown within the room formed specks of stars across the sky. Squinting Naelona shivered with the cold breeze that blew in as clouds formed above her head. The walls of her quarters vanished, melding into stone and Naelona found herself suddenly outside. In the cold, in that hated maze of death.. again.

"Anolean..?" Turning heel the sister twin looked down one long corridor, and turned to view the other. Both empty and deserted as death itself. "You haven't.." You wouldn't.. A solemn howl sounded in the distance. The boogie fixed her eyes on the direction, and started moving down a side corridor. Not away, not towards, just.. further.. from that cursed sound. "Ow!" She hissed, running into a corner she didn't see was there. Stumbling over a stone here or an old bone there.

She couldn't see it, but she tumbled from her room knocking the door open, inching towards the central room that separated all their rooms. The rooms melded into more walls, and decaying structures. Naelona frowned, wondering what was happening as if she looked at a new wall quick enough if almost looked like the palace.. "This isn't right.. ..Mar? Where are you." With a mutter she called, noting Mar was probably in the familiar quarters by now. Another shiver. There were those howls again. Shadowy forms sifting from the floor, behind a stone, the shade of a fresh corpse. "Hell.." Nae swallowed, forget black dogs. These looks something different entirely.

Running back the boogie ran into the stone wall within her dream turned nightmare. The stones suddenly gave lose tumbling her into the other side to the floor. Watching wide eyed the wall reformed into it's uniform look. The creatures outside while she took in her new surroundings. It was dark, but seemed as though some stone cellar. It didn't seem she was the first to stumble in, either. Some corpse also existed. Wide eyed she backed into the corner and slid to the floor, staring at the far opening high above. "I've done it this time.." The words sounded weak to even her own ears. What she didn't see was Tristan's room, having fallen into the door. It was but ruins and stone within her mind.

[Ryan Cardwell]

Like Naelona, Tristan's sleep had been torn asunder by visions of things that weren't really there. In his mind he was once again in the days of his youth, and he was standing next to the human girl that he'd loved all those years ago. But oddly enough, he was also standing next to Haruko and Aione. He didn't question it though, more than content to simply walk beside the three people he loved most in all the worlds. But then he heard a blood curdling howl, and turned just in time to see the labyrinth walls rise up around them. He tried desperately to move, to get them away from danger, but it was like his feet had become frozen to the ground. The first thing he was that bastard from almost nine thousand years ago killing the girl all over again. No sooner had this commenced than Iugo appeared, brutally murdering Haruko right before his eyes. And then almost immediately one of the black beasts appeared, leaping forward and ripping into Ai's helpless form. Tristan's voice strained, doing everything he could to call for Moon to save her, but the words wouldn't come forth. Which it of course wouldn't matter if they did, for up ahead he could see his familiar's half devoured corpse.

The boogie sat bolt upright in his bed, eye wide as he panted for breath. Even now he could still see the horrifying images, lingering there on the boundaries of his vision. For several minutes he sat there, trying to erase them as he tried to still his racing heart. Eventually he manged to calm himself, though it took a great deal of effort. Even then the images were still there, lurking within the shadows like some dark creature waiting to pounce on him at the first sign of weakness. But they would find none, whether there were any or or not. Now that his breathing was under control, he was able to look around his room. What it was he thought he might find he had no idea, but he nonetheless felt the sudden urge to examine every inch of the virtually empty room.

Though he had scanned the entirety of the room he'd seen nothing, and so stopped to scan it once more. This time he saw it, the disturbance. There in the corner was something that just didn't fit, bits of ash gray amongst the inky blackness. Slinging his legs off the bed he stood, his bare feet thanking him for keeping good carpet in his room. It was just one of those little things that made life better. A warm blanket on a cold night beat little, though currently it was still warm enough for him to sleep without a shirt and just his jeans. Slowly moving towards the corner he stopped a few feet from it, eye wide in astonishment. "Naelona?" It couldn't be.....could it?

[Naelona Ezel]

There was a soft sound of bone clinking against bone, a shuffle of rotten cloth and the pungent odor of decomposing flesh.. a scent sometimes smelled in the kitchens for some strange dish.. but this was different. Shuffling as far back as possible, Naelona shrunk into the corner, between the wall and some stone that.. felt soft oddly. The floor did as well, but moss covered the floor.

She could hear the soft fleeting sounds of what could only be some fearsome beast far away. And the shadows of the opening of the cellar high above flittered as something moved past. She must've fallen from the height.. she reasoned. There was no other way in the pit from what she could tell, but how'd she survive that? Naelona wasn't about to contest luck.. even if it wasn't a factor she involved in most of her reasonings.

"Naelona?" The boogie looked about wildly, trying to locate the sound as she heard her name again, hissed and distorted. Naeeloooonaaaa.. she bit back a sound as her coal eyes settled upon the newest abomination to stumble upon her existence. A corpse with gaping eyes, one arm bare to the bone another the flesh sluffing off with each shuffling step it made toward her. It seemed half clothed but even that was worn and tattered. It dawned on her that this was some creature, not a fellow hapless victim. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Pressing back into the corner with some strangled cry, her hand felt about blindly for something to fend the creature off. But even a boogie knew there was no slaying the beings that existed here.

[Ryan Cardwell]

Something was definitely wrong here, this wasn't the logic bound woman that he knew. For starters, Naelona would never enter his room willingly. And she most definitely wouldn't be cowering in the corner like some scared little mouse. If not for the fact that he was still about half asleep, he might have been able to realize instantly what was going on. But seeing as he was still out of it, he was left wondering what it could possibly that could have affected her so.

Kneeling in front of her, it took him a a bit more than a moment to realize that she was reaching around for something. "Naelona?" A bit longer and his mind began to piece it together. For some reason she thought him a threat, and she was searching for some sort of weapon to use against him. He frowned tiredly, not really in the mood to be getting attacked by some delusional boogie woman.

So he slowly edged towards her, stopping just out of her arms length. Hey word there, her arms length. His arms were a bit longer than hers, and so all he had to do was lean forwards a bit and he good get ahold of her. Once he did so he picked her up, standing with her in his arms. Now this was quite a scene. A man who hates boogies, was currently holding a boogie that hated being touched as though she were his newlywed bride. If either of them had been fully awake, or worse if they'd been found, then they'd never live it down. Luckily though they weren't, and hopefully no one would suddenly decide to pay him a visit. And so he merely stood there holding her against him, trying to calm her like one would a child.

[Naelona Ezel]

Finding nothing of use she clenched her eyes shut, pressing back against the wall waiting for the inevitable end, the blow, the attack that would take her life. Soon she too would be just another shattered pile of bones to stumble over, another mess of remains to take pity upon. If there was any pity to be had in this forsaken place.

The decaying thing drew nearer and while no rotting stench followed to overpower her, she coughed and gagged from reflex regardless. How was it that she was so small again? She flinched as she heard her name hissed again, and the thing started to still - come nearer to her. Once it took her arms she didn't make a fight, heart beat sounding in her hears it was about all she could hear. With a whimper she was set upon her feet, wondering why she hadn't died yet, knowing it was coming. But even dreams will only take one to the point of death, rarely ever past it. Naelona's dissolutioned mind was about as close to that point as it would take.

It felt strange to be held, held and not bit or eaten at least. But warm flesh instead of something cold and rotting meshed horribly with her deranged dream. Sleepy brain slowly coming to, it tried to explain the mismatched information. "Kris-" Her mouth formed the name but didn't utter it, the only soul she could think of. But he didn't belong to her now, so it couldn't be him either. Though for the moment that was about all she wanted.

Naelona gasped with a start, trying to jerk away from him but not getting very far. Sleepy Naelonas never claimed to be strong ones. Arms curled up between them, resting against his chest and beneath his arms. The boogie's sleepy eyes blinked several times finally seeing reality as it existed, though adjusting to the lack of light poorly, blearily as only fitful sleep allowed. Arms refusing to move, she felt like dead weight. Tristan holding her up the only reason for her standing.

"Who.. where..?" Her voice croaked, eyes trying to find answers her sleepy mind could comprehend. A part of them refusing to look up to see who held her, just in case, it was still that par faceless corpse within the maze.

[Ryan Cardwell]

Really now. Tristan had absolutely no idea what the hell he was supposed to do in this situation. He was starting to think that Naelona had been dreaming, especially since he noticed the half formed name on her lips. Though she had no idea about it, he had met Kristopher some time back when he'd been in the hospital after that fight that red witch. Nice kid. And so he knew his name and that he belonged to Naelona. He also knew that she'd lost him in a recent bet. How did he know this? Naelona never lost a bet, so when she did word spread through the castle like a wildfire.

When she gasped he sighed, glad that she finally seemed to be awake. But as she curled her arms up against his chest, he realized that she was still a pretty good ways from being fully awake. Oddly enough, his still tired mind allowed him to admit that he rather enjoyed it. He had always thought her to be amazingly cute, despite her species and personality quirks, but his conscious mind refused to allow the thoughts to be recognized. Unfortunately for that part of his mind, it wasn't the one that was active.

"Who.. where..?"

He spoke softly, not wanting to set her off again. "Naelona. Its me." Then again those probably weren't the most comforting words for her, all things considered. They hadn't spoken in a while, and the last time hadn't been too pretty. Hopefully she would be too tired to remember any of that. Because if she remembered it, then all hell was going to break loose.

[Naelona Ezel]

Naelona didn't move for several minutes. The longer time went on and she wasn't bitten, or thrown or broke or subdued to some other death-inducing action the more her mind slowly started to sort between reality and the confusing delusions of her sleep. "Naelona. Its me." She heard the answer spoken above her head, yet heard it reverberate through the chest she rested against as well. The voice was familiar, she'd heard it often enough before.

The last time had been during a heated argument. Oddly her throat had actually been a little hoarse after that, yelling at him and Iugo as well. The mad doctor had it coming, as well as her deranged roommate. A roommate she didn't care to name at the moment for demand it'd make her move. She felt too tired, disordered and dead to bother. But it still occurred to her that it was Tristan.

Though if it were Tristan.. she peeked open her eyes and looked about again from where they stood. The details she could make out matched enough of what she recalled to be his own quarters, the few times she'd stuck her nose in to yell at him long enough to make him come outside of it. Shifting her feet Nae managed to stand on her own, blinking hard in hopes of seeing better she pushed herself away lightly, yet leaving her hands where they'd been. Perhaps for balance, or maybe to keep her mind grounded from slipping back into the frightful sleepy haze.

Still looking aside, the boogie refused to look up, looking instead to a side of the room. All things considered she was embarrassed, even if she was also thoroughly shook. Wiping the sides of her face with the sleeve of her robe, only her fingertips still rested against his skin. A strange sense of wanting to withdraw yet a chill upon her back whispered that once she did, like other nights, she'd only fall back into the nightmare she'd just seen. There were reasons she'd often kept Kristopher nearby. Like her vision, she felt just as small, fragile and helpless as she had those years ago. A feeling she loathed that would only prove to linger. There wouldn't exist much sleep for her in the upcoming nights. She would probably start a project in the meantime, or something.

"Apologies, I disrupted you." The voice came weak and strained. The door would be a good thing to find, it'd be good to go, even if some irrational part of her still feared what might lay on the other side.

[Ryan Cardwell]

As they stood there, Tristan's mind was oddly put at ease. There was something about standing there holding the boogie woman that comforted his frightened mind and stilled his racing thoughts. It was odd, especially since they so rarely got along when awake. There had only been two other times when they'd managed to be civil with each other even in the least, though both of those seemed rather blurry now. He could still recall them, even though one had been cloaked in worry and the other in liquor. And despite his rather vocal and obvious distaste of his own kind, and even Naelona in particular at times, he did cherish those moments. Even if his stubborn mind would never, even if a million years passed, allow him to acknowledge let alone accept that fact.

"Apologies, I disrupted you."

Disrupted him? Far from it. He would have been far more disturbed had she not wandered into his room. If not for her presence breaking him from his imaginings, he would probably still be in a panic, seeing things that would never be there. If not that, then he would have fallen back into sleep, an the nightmares would have taken hold again. He highly doubted he'd get anymore sleep tonight, there was no way he was going to be risking falling back into those scenes, they horrified him more than word could ever begin to describe. Chances were he'd wander down to the kitchen and fix him something to tide him over till breakfast, as well as a pot of coffee or six. He doubted he'd be sleeping much the next few night either, which would unfortunately leave him with quite a bit of time to fill. Perhaps he could use it to sort through those research papers of his.

As it was he merely shook his head, though she couldn't see it. She refused to look at him, though he had a few guesses as to why."No need for apologizes. I was...rather abruptly awoken beforehand." Abruptly awoken. That was one way to put it he supposed. More like he was scared out of his damned mind. But of course that was rather beside the point now wasn't it? Or was it? Damn he was tired.

[Naelona Ezel]

"No need for apologies. I was...rather abruptly awoken beforehand." Naelona seemed to shrink away even more. That was probably her doing as well, she supposed. Who knew how long she'd been wandering around in her dreamed up horrors. She recalled speaking and calling in her dream, but in such states.. there was no way to tell if they'd remained in her dreams or if - like what she saw, it was so real that she reacted audibly as well. It was then she noted that her fingers that still rested upon his chest were quivering, a constant shiver, and after affect of her dreams.

Stepping back away from him Naelona turned away, folding her arms to herself and studying the wall. At once her thoughts were racing as lost sleep beckoned and the old chill stole up her spine again. The Tristan was probably some illusion, some boogies were capable of that - why not creatures as well? Hadn't she read about one before? It was probably already morphing back into it's old form just in time for her to-

With a quick turn Naelona looked at Tristan's face, almost looking for any signs that he wasn't what she believed him to be. What he appeared to be. He was the same. Her face mostly hidden by her let-down hair but the feeling of damp skin was enough to quickly turn her attentions to the floor again. "Where's the door, Blackthorne?"

[Ryan Cardwell]

The boogie said nary a word as she stood there, fingers trembling against the bare skin of his chest. It occurred to him that he should perhaps take her hand, try to comfort her in some way. But the thought was quickly forced down. Such things were nonsense. She was a boogie, as was he. Their kind didn't do such things. In the back of his mind he knew his thoughts to be lies and utter foolishness, knowing full well that his race could be just as kind and caring as any other. But that knowledge was buried under millenia of hate, and such hate was not easily removed so that what lay beneath could be uncovered.

Tristan watched silently as she turned from him, arms wrapping around herself protectively. It was clear to him that the nightmares still lingered within her mind, figments of horror that refused to be banished to the dream world where they belonged. He could easily empathize with that, especially of late. These days he was awoken most every night, panting in fear of the visions that played through his mind. There was something that had made his mind uneasy, even when he was awake. He could sense that something was lurking in the future just out of his sight, something dark and ominous. But he couldn't begin to fathom what it could be. All he could do was wait and see if it was something he could prevent in time. .....He hoped it was.

"Where's the door, Blackthorne?"

Of course. He closed his eye a moment, perhaps thinking or trying to calm himself, who knew. Soon enough it opened again, looking over her as his words softly broke through the stillness. "This way." He turned, moving across the room towards where the door lay. Thankfully there where no obstacles that need be avoided, his room being so sparsely furnished. Within seconds he'd reached it, pausing as he opened it. He waited a moment for her to reach him, before he stepped out into the darkened dormitory.