driftfleet | dreams in digital

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dreams in digital

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ROOMS BY CHARACTER

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Connor

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Haggar

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Lup

(last updated: 1/21/19)

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[ This place is refreshingly calm. He still has no idea where he is, and the guy sitting out in the yard isn't anyone he knows, though he's got that vaguely familiar look that means he must be on one of the ships.

With a soft grunt of acknowledgment, he follows the other man's gaze, leaning over to pick up the mask. ]

[Manji reaches forward to take it but he as he does the beautiful mask in your hand morphs into the face of a young woman passed out in your lap. Her face lovingly painted just like the mask. Except it isn't paint on her face; it's blood. You instantly know that her name is Rin and that she is the only one in your world who matters. Yet, here she was again foolishly throwing herself into danger way over her head, but that's part of her charm isn't it?

You look over at the long haired man, the artist responsible for this, as he comes back into the room. The man Rin told you was one of the ones there when her parents were murdered, but had changed her mind for revenge when she saw he had a young son living with him now. Briefly you wonder if this attempt on her life will change her mind. Probably not.] Make up to meet the maker, huh?

Yeah. Something like that. [Comes his reply.]

You got a good kid. You got talent you can turn into cash. [You don't even realise it, but you hold Rin a little tighter to your chest in a protective manner.] Why steal the life from a girl who ain't got nothing at all? [He doesn't answer, but you think you know. He can't help himself.

Instead he changes the subject to ask why you carry a blade. Waxing poetic about the nature of revenge and it's endless circle.] If it was just my problem I could grit my teeth and bear it. But sons, friends, parents, brothers... once they get in the mix, I can't keep my blade sheathed. Yeah, maybe the folk I kill have problems of their own, but if it comes down to their problems versus my problems I'm not going to hesitate. I mean, if that sort of thing bug you, you shouldn't be running around squawking about vengeance.

[As he speaks you lay Rin carefully on the ground. She looks so peaceful asleep like that and you smile down at her.] Yeah. She shouldn't.

[Then man does something strange. He starts moving some of the heavy furniture around the room. At first you can't fathom in the slightest what he's doing until he speaks again.] Hey, Manji. I'm building our ring. Mind giving me a hand here, pal?

[Curious you give a hand to move the heavy items in the room into a weird sort of ring. It's then that he explains the reasoning for it all.] The fact is there are no swords in this place. The boy might have found them, see? So if it's blades you want all I got is your little girl's dagger. [He pulls Rin's dagger out of his kimono.] So to make up for that I've set the stage in my favor. Now, a prediction. With this one dagger I will dissect you.

[You find amusement in this as the fighting starts. He has a point though, the field is in his favor. Your long blades just end up clanging against the obstacles in your way. You both pause as you come to the conclusion that you're both holding back. You throw your large collection of swords out the window leaving you with just a small dagger in your hand. They were useless to you anyway and this way you can match your opponent on even ground. The artist just laughs.] Honest, upright, and a fool. You and the girl both. You know for me, this life I'm living is the real artifice. Once I've killed you both and throw your bodies in the river I'll just tell my boy that she went home. I won't even bat an eye. After all, if I don't keep up the lie I'll lose the most important thing in my life. So I can never let you win.

[The fight continues, but this time you gain the upper hand as you take out a hidden second dagger out of your kimono and jam it into artist's leg. He rushes forward and you block his dagger with your own. Catching it on the tiny hilt on the blade, but he's so much faster than you. You've let your speed dull with your immortality making fighting nearly pointless so he's able to duck down faster than you can react and sink his blade into your side.

The pain is instant as you can feel something rupture. He continues through with the attack by throwing his whole weight into you, dragging the blade in deeper as you both fall to the floor. He manages to get on top of you and you're pinned between the two dressers with your stomach bleeding. He seems surprised as he looks down at you.] Damn it, Manji! You're the guy who killed ten Itto-Ryu! No way you're weaker than me. [You simply smile back up at him. Unable to admit out loud that you're struggling with the idea of turning his son into an orphan, but he seems to know anyway.] Well shit, you two really are alike. [He sinks his dagger in deep into your chest before pulling it sharply across in the opposite direction of the first cut and you scream out in pain.] Sorry, my friend, but I am out of time. You'll just have to let me finish you off. [He slashes Rin's dagger across your stomach once more before pulling it out and placing the blade against your throat. The one spot where a fatal wound actually means fatal. Even for you.] Now die.

[The blade digs in, but before it can get past the point of no return one of those dressers topples over and Rin throws her whole body into it in order to knock it over. The pressure on the blade vanishes and you rip it out as the worms quickly move in to stop the bleeding.

The memory fades out as you struggle to get out from under the crushing weight as your ears fill with the sound of Rin gasping in pain. The last thought that is not your own before you return fully to your body is: that asshole better not touch her.]

Thanks. [Manji continues to clean his blade as if nothing happened. The mask has been returned to the pile of items.] Can you hand me that next? [Manji indicates to another item that seems to call out to Daryl to pick it up. Or maybe it's the mask again?]

[ He was not, even a little bit, prepared for that.

Daryl stumbles a little as the strange fog of someone else's life-- this guy, he figures-- lifts. Taking a ragged breath, he skeptically eyes the pile of stuff on the ground. ]

Sure about that?

[ Maybe he didn't notice... ]

Unless you have a better way to clean a weapon, yeah, I'm going to need tools to do it. So hand me somethin'.

[No. He hasn't noticed at all and because this is a dream to him Manji still sees nothing strange with the items that are laid out for "weapon cleaning".]

[ grimacing slightly, he decides to try his luck, reaching for the little sun figure. ]

[The small shack vanishes away and the first thing you feel is the cold of the snow around your feet. The wind rushes through your thick kimono to chill your skin, but you're too furious to fully feel it. Your left sleeve waves violently in the wind that's picking up due to your missing left arm.

Across from you in the snow sits a man named Shira. His hair is white, one eye fogged over with blindness, but his most striking feature is his right arm. Some time ago you cut off that arm and in response he had ground and sharpened the bone that remained until it became horrific living blade. You also know he doesn't have a left arm. He lost that in another fight during a different encounter with this man. Instantly you know that he has attacked the palanquins you and your companion Rin had been riding in. He's stolen her away and you are willing to do anything to find and get her back. Not just because you are her paid body guard, but because she is the only person in this world who really mattered.] Where have you hidden, Rin?

[Shira laughs and starts to push himself up to his feet.] Hidden? Heh, heh. Don't you sound cocky. You should be freaking out for crying out loud! Don't you get it? The stupid little punk? See, I wacked her a while ago.

[The truth was you were freaking out, but not because you believed his words.] You're lying, right? A shit like you, who saviours giving a slow torturing death to a woman while raping her wouldn't be so hasty to end things, right? Especially when you know I'm on your heels, hunting for her.

No, you'd kill me first. So you wouldn't have to worry about me getting in your way. Then you could toy with her at your leisure and saviour every moment of it, nice and slow, right? [Saying these things out loud makes you remember how much you hate this man in front of you. You suppose it's good that it means he didn't kill Rin because of his sick tendencies, but this bastard should have died long ago when you first met and took his hand.

Shira starts to laugh wildly at your assumption of him.] Man, you nailed it! Well, after all, we're fellow murderers, you and me. Never mind those Mugai-ryu assholes. It's you who really get under my skin. Well, I'm busted. No helping it. [Yet he seems unconcerned.] She's definitely alive, at least for now, but you know what Manji-san? Even now, there's a childish non-nonchalance in your voice.

Sure, you guess correctly once in awhile. But really, I could have killed her right away. It doesn't matter to me. What I'm really interested in ain't that peed-her-pants little brat. Manji-san, it's you.

I see. [Calmly you pull out your sword and prepare to face him. You still have the problem of not knowing where Rin is, but you have a plan.] Let me lay this out, Shira.

Huh, lay out what?

Don't play dumb. I'm talking about where you hid Rin. Of course I realise that you won't talk, no matter how much I threaten you or try to persuade you. So instead I'll go along with your way of doing things. In other words we're going to settle things right here.

[The other man seems vaguely intrigued and so listens patiently for you to continue.] But if I kill you before I got you to talk it would be all for nothing or would it? [You point your sword out at him in a move to try to intimidate him.] Well, I don't know about you, but for me victory means making it so you'll never be able to use that body to fight again. I'll hack off that freaky arm at the shoulder. I'll hack off a leg, maybe both, if you like. Heh! How about I hack off your little thingy too, watcha think?

[Shira looks unimpressed. He almost looks bored by your threats.] Pfh, you know that is the kinda childishness I was talking about. Like I would ever tell you! Fucking idiot! [You're actually a bit worried because you know this to be true. Shiro was crazy enough that maybe that wouldn't be enough, but you have to try something.] Either you croak or I croak. That's what settling this means. C'mon man! You make me sick feedin' me some half-assed torture threats. If you wanna know where your woman is? Ask someone else. [Shira's eyes moves towards the tree line.] Like that kid right over there. You put a little hurt on him, I bet he'd fess up.

[At first you're confused by what Shira is talking about until you look over and see a young boy step out from behind a tree. His expression can only be called haunted. For a moment you don't recognise the kid because of how very different he looks from the last time you saw him. Back when he had looked happy and healthy living with his father. The painter that Daryl had seen Manji fight. It seems things did not turn out well for his son if he was with a madman like Shira.] You're Araya's-- so, it is you, huh?

[You're so horrified to find the kid way out here with no one but Shira you almost miss the madman's first attack. With quick reflexes you manage to yank your head to the side just in time before Shira's blade can sink into your face. With a follow through attack you spin and try to go for an attack to his stomach, but your sword strikes against something hard and you bounce back as he's able to block you with his own blade which is a surprise to you. He shouldn't have a left arm to block with.

Then he shows you that somehow he does have a left arm and in it he holds a sword. There's no time to wonder how he has a left hand again as he charges and the two of you battle. You're fairly evenly matched. Back and forth you exchange blows, but as the fight continues something seems strange. You're not evenly matched. Something is wrong. Why does he have a left arm and why does it seem so familiar to you?

You manage to slug Shira in the chin with the hilt of your sword. It's not enough to kill him, but the way his teeth clack together is satisfying. That is until he looks completely unfazed by what should have been a rather painful blow.] You're-- [Suddenly his teeth sink painfully into your wrist as he bites you. Holding you still as he kicks hard into your stomach and knocking your breath away before spitting your wrist out again.] TOO SLOW!

Shit! [He lashes out and this time his blade sinks into your side and you cry out in pain.

Shira laughs at being the first to draw blood.] Figured it out yet? Yep. This is your arm. [Your stomach sinks. That's why the arm looked familiar.] You know, Manji-san, this arm is badass. What's great is how it moves so much quicker than my original arm! I guess it has lots of experience chopping people up. No soul in there, but it's like the flesh remembers. It warms my heart to actually fell the difference in our experiences. This sensation it's--

[You've heard enough and don't give him a chance to finish.] Yeah!? It's what?! [You taunt as you throw your sword. You know he'll easily knock it out of the way, which is exactly what you want him to do. When he does just that you're able to come through and slice a dagger that you pull out of one of your pockets through his forehead. There's a splash of blood on the white snow as your attack lands true. Only you don't stop, coming back up with another attack.

It couldn't be. It just couldn't be your arm! If it was your arm then wouldn't that mean?

Before you can finish that though the man that should now be dead begins to laugh. Confirming the thing that you fear.] C'mon, Manji-san! Look at it! How can anybody beat you when you got a body like this!? Now I finally understand you. [He laughs loudly and wildly.]

Son of a--

So this is is how it feels to be immortal!

[The memory starts to fade away as you watch Shira's face that you had cut nearly in two quickly repair and put itself back together. The last wild thought in your mind being how you were suppose to stop this now immortal madman when he seemed impossible to kill before he was immortal and with just only your right arm!?

The snow melts away and Daryl will be back in the clearing from before. All the items are still there including that sun and mask. Will he touch any more?]

Okay, I need that next. [Manji points at another item and still seems completely clueless as to what is actually happening.]

Edited 2019-01-28 03:59 (UTC)

[ It leaves him shuddering, half-sick. Daryl has a strong stomach-- always has, in fact, but he's lived through the dead rising. Still, this leaves him shaken.

His eyes narrow. ]

Why don't you get it your goddamn self?

[Unaware by what Daryl has seen he seems so very confused by the sudden outburst. Then his face hardens a bit angrily as his slowly grows insulted by the treatment.] Well, if you ain't going to help me then you can go chop fire wood. You have to be helpful around here or you don't get any dinner.

The hell is all this?

[ Old habits, unfortunately, die hard, and Daryl's inclination when he's on edge is to get pissed off instead. ]

Ain't gonna help with a damn thing.

Then you don't get any dinner! Kids today! So lazy! [That might be the first clue that Manji doesn't see Daryl for who he is. He's seeing someone else.] Think everything is suppose ta come easy! Well, I'm not changing my mind about dinner unless you start helpin' out around here!

[Or Daryl is welcomed to leave. The exit is everywhere. All he needs to do is walk away from the shack.]

[ In the long run he won't take it personally, but right now he's kind of pissed off. So while he'll definitely stalk off, he's first gonna grab at the first thing he sees and fling it in Manji's direction, which (fortunately?) ends up being the paper ball. ]

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dreams in digital

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CW: Fighting, mention of blood

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CW: Violence, blood, mention of rape

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