Dreamscape Event

[dreams_are_mine]

Characters: Rhode Kamelot and OPEN
When: Every night March 6th through 12th
Where: Rhode's dreams
Rating: R+
Summary: Rhode dreams. You dream with her.

Comments

The Top Hat

[dreams_are_mine]

The hat is decorated with a grinning golden crescent moon and roses. While it seems rather jolly, there’s something oddly sinister about it. A foreboding aura.

A golden bell with the number 1 engraved on it hangs from the top crescent of the moon. The hat seems to repel you, you don’t want to touch it. There is something inherently evil about the decorative headpiece. Something very old and malevolent. Focusing on it makes even the single light seem dimmer.

[outsidewindows]

If there is one thing that does seem to draw Lucifer, it's Evil--his creation. He runs one finger over the satin brim, as if testing it for dust.

[dreams_are_mine]

The moon on the hat grows large, the empty smile widening as it shoots into the sky--the hat enlarges until it's a black dome, roses sprouting and growing in black thorny tangles along a moonlit road through endless night. The scene shift is brief, leaving Lucifer standing beneath the moon on the white road. Everything is just a little unreal, like a child's paper puppet display. If you squint hard you might swear you could see the strings holding the moon in the sky, and the creases where the cobblestones are actually parchment, the way everything is just a little flat and not quite three dimensional.

A man stands ahead of Lucifer on the road, he may seem familiar, for he is Lucifer, only he is not at all. Without knowing how, you know is name is Adam. His name is also Time. He's just as old as history, and there's an unbearable sadness in the set of his shoulders as he looks up at the sky. His back is to Lucifer, but he's tall and broad shouldered, in a neat Victorian dinner suit and coat, with a tall top hat that he places a hand

[outsidewindows]

Lucifer stares, his smile barely more than a quirk of his lips. He recognizes himself there--a version of himself, as there are millions throughout various dimensions.

But this one is special; this one, Adam, is not Lucifer exactly, but also a symbol of the first rebellion of mankind. And the last. Adam is not a man any longer.

He holds Rhode's gaze, and comes to her, shedding his vessel until he is as nondescript as the Thirteen figures, his wings finally visible as shadows outlined at times with lightning.

He looks at Adam with placid familiarity, rests one not-quite-real hand on Rhode's shoulder.

[dreams_are_mine]

Rhode smiles up at him, reaching up to take his hand. As she touches him, something happens between Adam and the last figure. A cry of pain as a knife is pulled, dripping silver light, from Adam's ribs. The fourteenth is the one holding the blade. The rest of the figures converge on the traitor, falling one by one against the foe, until Rhode herself steps away from Lucifer to join the fight.

She's the last guardian alive, when the knife slices through her, trailing shadows. Before the mortal blow, Adam rises, wounded, to fight. The battle is intense and indistinct, and the primary emotion is deep pain and sorrow, Adam crying as he faces the traitor. The mirror of God and Lucifer himself. Jesus and Judas. The great betrayals.

The whole scene shifts, skewed, as Lucifer watches, starting to flicker and static like bad reception as the figure that is Rhode kneels, losing consciousness. Her feeling of failure is almost palpable in the air. I should protect him. Not the other way. And indescribable anger, hurt, helplessness. An inability

[outsidewindows]

"I didn't know what to ask first," he answers, and it's a dreamstate--just enough of his subconscious that he's holding her closer than normal.

Just enough subconscious that he can't help thinking, over and over, of Rhode being cut down. The same way no one is allowed to hurt Michael, no one should touch Rhode, but he knows he can do nothing about it. Adam is his avatar there, or near enough, and if Adam doesn't stop it then Lucifer is helpless.

"What is the Heart he needs?"

[dreams_are_mine]

Rhode's arms tighten, reassuring. She doesn't need to imagine another chair for herself, because she decides to use Lucifer as one. He's in her mind, and while she can't actually read his thoughts if he doesn't want it, even here, she can sense it close enough.

"That was a long time ago." She promises. "And it didn't happen exactly like that." Only she doesn't really remember how it happened. That's the problem. That's only one of many ways it might have, half memories stitched together with old stories to fabricate some explanation.

"It's..." Saying it's the source of the power of Innocence, maybe he'd understand. But she can put it another way. "It's God. And it's hiding."

[outsidewindows]

"God is hiding everywhere." It's cryptic, and true. "He's so good at it some angels think He's dead."

There is always misery, a wash of pfysical pain, when God is mentioned. Lucifer suppresses it with an effort.

"Show me something else."

[dreams_are_mine]

"They're not very good angels then. Of course it's out there." If it wasn't, the world would have been destroyed so long ago. Whether she realizes or just has no interest repeating the name, Rhode doesn't mention God again.

She picks up the tea cup, taking a sip and looking up at him.

"What do you want to see?"

[outsidewindows]

He clasps his hands, tilts his head in serious thought. "Show me...."

What does he most want to see? He has questions, curiosities, things he never has time to indulge in the waking world. And even now, they have so much to do, so he decides how much time he can spare here. It's worth it.

"Show me more of Tyki."

[dreams_are_mine]

She hasn't realized yet that the dreams aren't obeying her like they should. Why should she? So she assumes they have plenty of time, all the time. There's no limit to the time they have, until time itself is destroyed. So she selects the third bell, with it's moon motif, and lifts it to press into Lucifer's hand

[outsidewindows]

"He's not much different than he was then," Lucifer murmurs. In his mind, Tyki is human--flawed and too solid, smelling of salt and copper. "Is it like that for all of Joyd's vessels? Do they all fight?"

If Tyki is an anomaly, then he has some of Lucifer's respect. No sympathy, of course. Tyki is, at the end of the day, one of the New Ones Lucifer will never forgive for just existing; but Gabriel does have a point. Some of them are curious, entertaining to watch for a time.

Perhaps that's what Rhode is doing, while Tyki wrestles for control of his humanity.

[dreams_are_mine]

Rhode genuinely loves the incarnations of her family. Some more than others, some deeper than others. But they're all family. Tyki, the human, is her brother as much as Joyd is because to Rhode they aren't separate beings. If Tyki dies, Joyd will be reborn, but he won't be Tyki again. Tyki is a unique incarnation, and so, just as every incarnation is, he's precious to her

[outsidewindows]

Lucifer's opinion of humans never bends to include 'strong' as an attribute, but he has to admit, Tyki's will is far above what he would have expected from any mortal. Besides, there's something curious about seeing Rhode's devotion to the Family, the ways it includes them. He's beginning to understand it better than he has before.

"What is he fighting?" Lucifer asks, shifting Rhode on his lap so he can lean forward slightly for a better look. "I haven't had the pleasure of seeing Tyki do much. I hope he'll come to accept me enough to work with us."

[dreams_are_mine]

There's a pause in the battle, as a Rhode-shaped doll appears in Tyki's cloak then abruptly turns into a Rhode, who launches herself at Allen--only to hug and reassure the Exorcist as Tyki watches in amusement. And then the thing stands again, diverting the attention of all three from each other to it. Allen and Rhode remain seated in the corner as Tyki and the thing exchange blows. At first it seems as if Tyki will handle it easily.

"It's Innocence. It's called Apocryphos--it exists to protect the Heart. It's one of the clues we've been looking for." The battle switches on Tyki, the man-shaped creature abruptly turning the tables on the Noah.

[outsidewindows]

"What can they do?" Lucifer stands, but he carries Rhode like she's a princess, and he moves down close enough to touch.

"Apocryphos," he rolls the word over his tongue, as if he can pick out its history by doing so. "Can't we interrogate them to find out where the Heart is hiding?"

He watches Tyki instead of the Innocence, then, his head tilted in curiosity although he shows no concern. Tyki is strong, Rhode has said it herself and he knows it the way he knows the hearts of all men.

And if he fails, he is meant to fail, and he will be replaced. It's the way of all vessels.