Locked in a Room

[dishevelment]

Who: Everyone stuck in Pride HQ
What: This load of crap.
When: Nov. 1-5
Where Pride HQ
Warnings: Pg-13 minimum because Carnies. Tag if it gets over that.


Everyone got the same call-- and now we're all stuck in HQ with no hint of release in sight.

The reason? No one knows.

How are you coping?

Comments

[dishevelment]

....Pardon the parlance, but Page will be wondering what we were smoking.

[Cosmic Indulgence? Chinese War Drama? Please. That said, he does reach for a sheet of crumpled paper to show Nariko.

On it was a curious star.]

I was thinking that this could be incorporated into a cover, though. It fits the 'cosmic' part of our theme.

[gunslingerqueen]

[Would that be before or after they tried to sell the general idea to him with only a 50% chance of success? Not that she stops to ask since he's pointing out one of his ... Drawings. Or whatever that is.]

It's really cool! It would definitely fit.

[She has no idea what the hell it is, of course! But still cool.] How'd you come up with this?

[dishevelment]

It was something I saw in my dreams...I think.

[Headscratch. It was all very hazy, to tell the truth. And uncomfortable-- that was part of the reason why he was avoiding sleep so much.]

[gunslingerqueen]

The dreams you're refusing to have?

[Why would he want to use it if whatever he's seeing bothers him so much? Something about that feels terribly illogical, but it might not be best to try and pull apart Koumei's logic.]

[dishevelment]

That's one of the more innocent parts of it.

[The other parts, though....those were the parts that bothered him.]

[gunslingerqueen]

[She traces the design with her finger and can't help asking:]

And the less innocent parts are about ... What, exactly?

[dishevelment]

A fan.

[He shifted his position just enough to pull out his fancy little paper fan he liked to carry around.]

One more ornate than this. It was made with feathers....

[And had a broad, golden handle that was engraved with such a star. It felt like it was important, somehow.]

[gunslingerqueen]

And here I was thinking it was about crazy murders or something.

[But even though it isn't serious in that respect she doesn't doubt it's still relevant to him, somehow. It has to be if he's so hell bent on never seeing it in his own dreams again.]

Why's that so bad, though? You like fans.

[Or they're at least generally useful to him. However you want to put it.]

[dishevelment]

I do like fans...

[He mused, trailing off as he flipped his paper one open. The delicately inked mountainous scene in the classical chinese style was displayed before the both of them, and a dull, aching need to get out of the building worked it's way to the foreground of Koumei's thoughts once again. The scene from the dream played out in his memory again-- and, when he spoke, his voice was low and almost harsh.]

And it wasn't about murders; it was about waging a war.

[It was the only sensible conclusion to come to. The atlas, the soldiers, the multiple advisors that had circled around him underneath that tent...it all made sense.

He drew the fan closer, until it almost hid his expression.]

War and murder are a lot alike, aren't they?

[gunslingerqueen]

[Nariko can't recall hearing Koumei sound so cold, with all the subtlety and danger of a well sharpened knife. It's surprising enough that she doesn't react immediately, and the stillness of her could be mistaken for calm when she's really kind of intimidated. It's one of those moments that reminds her that even though they've spent so much time together, and even though she genuinely loves him, that doesn't mean she knows every last bit of Koumei.

It's scary to think about which turns his question into a relief.]

One has politics, the other doesn't. [She shrugs.] The former isn't as honest, so I guess that they are.

[Things that were alike could only be separated by the thinnest of differences.]

[dishevelment]

[Koumei lowered his gaze, feeling the spike of guilt at the subtle glint of wariness that lurked in the depths of Nariko's eyes. He hadn't meant to unnerve her so badly...but, the level of cool he was able to maintain in the aftermath of Predator's hazing was surprising even to him.

He didn't know what to do with it any more than she did.]

And so you see why I'm trying to avoid the dreams.

[A sigh. There was no hiding how tired he was.]

[gunslingerqueen]

I do.

[Wait for it ...]

But you can't not sleep Koumei. Even if you look at it in terms of practicality we have a show to do right after this, and then we'll be getting back to work. We can't do any of that without you.

[The overtly logical route into usually her style, but it seems necessary here.]

[dishevelment]

[At this point, Koumei snapped the fan shut and buried himself further into the pillows.]

Then please, find me a way to sleep without dreaming that doesn't involve raiding the bar. That isn't a habit I would be terribly fond to pick up.

[gunslingerqueen]

I could always drug you.

[She's kidding! Right? Right. Definitely kidding.] Or maybe hypnosis or calming sounds or if you really want to go out there I could sing while you slept!

[Weren't people's heads affected by what they heard while sleeping? That's the idea she's sort of going with, anyway, that if his unconscious mind knows someone good is nearby it might not drift off into anything bad. ... No, it doesn't make any sense, but she's trying.]

[dishevelment]

I thank you for the suggestion, but please don't go out of your way for this.

[His insomnia was hardly a problem that she needed to trouble herself with.]

Although if you have any CDs or playlists that you like to listen to, those might be helpful.