young_oldman | IC Inbox: Empatheias

[His body hits the ground with a resounding thud as sleep overtakes him. But his nightmares continue on in his dreams.

Welcome to the cabin, Gengar. Only this time the vision is distorted, as if viewed through a bloodied lens. Gengar is viewing this dream from Lu Meng's point of view, after all. Feel free to feast on the fear, the misery, the rage and the over-whelming hatred that's practically dripping off the nightmare. She'll have a band playing screams, begging and crying to accompany you throughout your meal, and peals and peals of unstable, frenetic laughter. Gengar might find a pleasant ring to it, even. It's born of a malicious desire to inflict pain and spread terror and despair, after all.

But don't stay too long in this bloody space. A presence approaches, and the door begins to shake.]

[ In the real world, the body didn't thud, exactly; she was there to catch him, and closer she got when his negativity still cracked apart the ground despite his slumber. She never had to fear humans beyond annoying talisman and pesky, dull tricks, but this place sure did change the rules of what normal humans could do. Yet she could realise there was more to it than that, that his reaction didn't only stem from her ghostly form. Ah, what to do, what to do...

Well, what else than to let herself in, a pokémon with very few restrictions concerning boundaries than what Red's asked of her. Yet to her, it's for a reason more than just fun and pleasure. Certainly, she can still enjoy what she feels in his space (and she does; it hits her like a sensation she hasn't experienced in quite a time around Red, raw and destructive. It kicks into her being as a ghost type, could attract ghosts for miles), but she's careful too. Many humans didn't like to stick around to have their dreams eaten, and the most she had used on it was for harming opponents into a state of unconscious.

She's gentle, as gentle as one can be under her inexperience. She could silently sweep in and take his dream, but his oppressive air and being the one around an unconscious body- ah, let's try and play the good guy. We don't want to accidentally harm him more than he's harming himself right now. That would get her into trouble.

Thus--the negativity dulls to a degree. The room doesn't lose its darkness, not the foreboding--and present--sense of fear, but the surroundings begin to become more clear, not each corner of the interior threatening Lu Meng to the high degree they just were.

And there's a sense of power. If not coming from Lu Meng, but close enough that he could grasp it if he were to try, if able to fight through his own fear. There's no voice, but a suggestion that comes in his surroundings: You can take control. Take it. Like an entity present there with him, one that would fight through any challenge.

The door rattles again. The wood of it seems thicker now, but does it have a lock? Anything barricading it? All of that decides on if Lu Meng can take hold of the strength, put up such defences.

For it's his dream, and his reality. But also his own turmoil... All Gengar can do is delay it for him, and to keep his pain from spreading further into reality. ]

[The door stops moving, and for a moment it seems that all is calm.

But then there's a sharp pain in Gengar/Lu Meng's chest. Their collective view falls down and sees cold steel drenched in blood, emerging from the mouth of a golden dragon-head. The blade lifts, and their body is lifted along with it, blood spilling from the wound. Tissue and nerves are ripped open, and on Lu Meng's part at least he feels the pain of the stab.

And then, his arms begin to move, not of his own volition. Like a puppet being played by string, his hands are directed towards the wound. Fingers dig into the broken skin, and then they begin to pull.

The pain is terrible, but nothing compares to the shock of fear that shoots straight through his body when he hears a deep voice behind him, speaking a language that Lu Meng knows but Gengar probably can't understand. But the tone is threatening, angry, rolling out like thunder and grating on the ears.

By now his fingers can feel the bone inside, and try as he might he can't fight back. He's too stuck in the dream...or is he stuck in the past? Whichever it is, he has no power to pull himself off the blade and take back his reality.]

Edited 2015-09-13 10:19 (UTC)

[ Ah, taking the slow route was beyond this nightmare. It's like a cold ache running through her body, but she's not one to stick through a pain for some man she doesn't know; she's given as much kindness as necessary to get on a delibird's good list this year! There's a much easier way to deal with this and with the same result, and to shake off pains made from being present inside this man's horror show.

It'll leave the reminiscent of the dream with the man, but all of it fades in that moment, leaving like a distant memory too far out of reach to really recall. Knowing he had a nightmare, but the pain and fear, the agony of emotion and mind--it leaves him, taking him to a dreamless place.

To allow him to wake up a little while later, the sound of a boy above him--beside him, that is, but looking down, having gotten Gengar's help to move him away from the cracked unstable ground made by his emotions to a different part. The ghost type now completely out of sight, with just the boy at Lu Meng's side. ]

Sir...? Sir, are you okay? Don't panic, okay...

[What was he doing? Why is he asleep here? His limbs feel like lead, and to his surprise his mind is blissfully blank, his heart bereft of emotions. When he finally shakes off the vestiges of Hypnosis, he sits himself upright, confused and baffled, but feeling more...well, peace is too strong a word, but it's a relief to not be two seconds away from snapping.

But there's a worried boy next to him. He should...see to him first.

Still in that same lethargic state, it's actually easier for Lu Meng to speak because the negative emotions that have constantly been flooding him since he returned have been put to the side. For now, at least.]

I'm, I'm fine.

[But he certainly doesn't sound like it. He sounds completely drained.]

[ Even some of the more veteran battle pokémon had problems shaking off hypnosis, so it's not a surprise--with that and the dream eater, Gengar telling sharing with her trainer the events as best as she could in their limited communication (though, the state of environment helped tremendously)--to see the man still dazed, and he's reaching down to a water bottle beside him, bag against him too, holding it out for him to take. ]

Here, drink this. I've got some fruit too, that should help. You'll feel better soon.

[He balances his pride and how sluggish he feels, and finds that the scale tilts more to the latter than the former. The boy's concern is palpable, and he seemed the type to worry about others. Best to assuage his worries first, then try and figure out what the hell just happened.

One arm stiffly rises and grips the bottle, perhaps a little too hard, and definitely giving as wide a berth as possible between Red's hand and his own bandaged hands. But at least he takes the water and nods at Red.]

Thank you.

[The water certainly helps a little to wash away the after-effects of Dream-eater, but his mind is still struggling to drag up what he can recollect of the past few...minutes? His eyes narrow above them; the sun's position in the sky hasn't changed much so it can't have been too long.

While Lu Meng tries to make sense of what happened, Red can notice some things about the older man too. Like how both his hands are bandaged and even the fingers, but not in the usual way. Each finger is individually wrapped, and the bandages go down all the way, somewhat below the wrist. Heavy bags underline his eyes, as if he's been having difficulty sleeping. The lines on his face and the strands of gray hair give him the appearance of someone much older, perhaps in his late 30s.]

[ It's a sturdy bottle, the kind taken across a region on long adventures, at least able to withstand a firm hold. The bandages were already noted upon Red's initial approach, but he's not going to ask, grabbing for the fruits (bagged and dried, with some nuts mixed in too-) to offer. ] It'll help you get your energy back. I've got some other snacks if you're allergic.

[ He's only using one hand himself, the other resting carefully with the arm still, a knock from earlier making it uncomfortable to move around. But he's smiling all the same, calm. His arm isn't the concern right now. ]

By the way, my name is Red. Do you remember what happened?

Red. Like...like the colour?

[That may not have been the most polite way to respond, but he's still a bit too frazzled to filter his natural tendency for bluntness.]

I'm Lu Meng. [He raises a hand and shakes his head, declining the fruit. The bag is carefully pushed back to Red, with care taken to avoid accidentally brushing even the boy's fingers. He...should probably eat something, yes, but the boy's kindness is honestly a little too much to take at this point and he doesn't quite have the appetite for it or any kind of food at this point.

But Red's question, that he can focus on. He takes another sip of water, as if it could clear the fog that's blanketing itself around his mind.]

I'm not sure. I was just walking. [It's a struggle, and it's slow-going, like brushing off layers and layers of grey film and dust, but it's slowly coming back to him.] And then...

[His eyes widen as a vital piece clicks into place, and the hand that's gripping Red's bottle tightens around the neck. It's no small force, and even with the bottle being a sturdy one there's a tell-tale crack sound, suggesting that this man, even with what seems to be wounded hands, has no small amount of strength inside him.]

A phantom. [He hisses, pure anger and hatred and malice dripping from his voice. The ground underneath him cracks and the grass withers away, as if blasted by a strong heatwave.]

[ A hum to the observation of his name with a nod, no offence taken to the bluntness; he won't insist with the fruit either, lowering it back down. It can be offered again later, but one thing at a time. There's a much clearer picture he wants to see first, of the events that happened than just what he took from Gengar.

But then, the shade of a smile on his face decreases, eyes glancing down at his bottle before flicking back--and then squinting at the sudden thickness of the air surrounding them. He swallows, then raises a hand. ] It's alright. They're not here anymore.

[ He's plenty sure about that. At the same time, he doesn't know how much he wants to give away. Not with the words stuck on the roof of his mouth before he speaks them: ]

You hate phantoms. [ Stiff, uncomfortable; it's a question, even if it doesn't quite come off as one. It feels crummy (to say, to do), but- ] You saw it each other... and then the phantom put you to sleep. What happened before they put you to sleep?

[Very astute of Red. So astute, that the boy must've either been told...or he had been there when it happened.

The phantom could change its forms, couldn't it...?

Lu Meng turns a rage-filled glare onto Red.] How. Did you. Know? [A soft question, but filled with heat and hate. A blast of hot air whips up from behind him, and it'll blow into Red face-first with every intent to send the boy bowling backwards.

Perhaps that might be for the best, because some distance might be good from the furious, phantom-hating individual. Lu Meng's slowly getting to his feet, bottle tossed to the side, and he'll be advancing onto Red with one purpose in mind: seek and destroy this phantom. Even if it happens to take the form of a young boy, because unfortunately for Red the last ghost that left Lu Meng in literal pieces had been the vengeful spirit of a young girl.]

[ He is so not good at this being subtle business. C-, see me after class, Red.

The blast of the wind is what smacks at Red more than the heat, but it's all still felt, skidding him thankfully some small distance onto the side of his (for now) good arm, leaving his bag turned on the ground. It's all a sore pain all the same, at least dulled by the jacket he's put on to cover him up.

Which is the least of his problems apparently, raising his head, his body, in enough of a position to see the man approaching. So this is the kind of person Gengar met with... ]

She's my partner! Her name's Gengar! [ A ball at his waist shakes, a few red and white ones visible now, stirring at the building malice in the air. Somebody senses it. ] She was watching out for trouble, and then she found you!

[ Is he going to need reinforcements, oh dear- ]

[Partner? There's only one special group running about referring to creatures as partners. So that means--]

A ghost Pokemon.

[Well, that leaves a mixed taste in his mouth. On one hand he had a good enough time with Lampent to know that hey, one can have fun and somewhat enjoy the company of a ghost Pokemon even if they're creepy as heck. But on the other though, this one...Gengar. She had appeared to him deliberately as a spectre, and that had set him off so badly that--ah. She was the one who sent him to sleep, wasn't she?

At least he looks a tad less murderous now. See Red, honesty is the best policy. So keep on telling the truth, because that may be the only way to placate Lu Meng right now.]

If she didn't want trouble, then she shouldn't be trying to inflict fear onto people!

[Subconsciously he knows it was just probably a simple trick. But his own wounds are still too raw and painful, and Gengar might as well have splashed him with salt water for that scare.

BRB killing all the grass in a radius around him. The winds continue to blow down on Red, and they're hot and angry.]

She wasn't! That's what we were trying to keep away!

[ A subtle spook perhaps, sure, he would suspect that at most from her, but Gengar wouldn't have done anything to deserve the reaction that man now gives with the clear instructions he gave her, and he would rather stick to her defence than doubt her. She was a trickster at heart, always would be--but he couldn't say the anger here was earned at all, the wild emotion that made the man ]

Look at you! You can't keep yourself under control! Do you know what doing that out here can do!? [ His own rising anger isn't as strong, not as hot; Lu Meng's still has him squinting through the blasting of his emotions, his one good hand gripping into the dirt covered with the ashes of where life once grew. ] You could've been attacked!

The only thing I've been attacked by since I've been here is a ghost that thrives on hurting people. Keep your Pokemon under better control!

[Honestly? It's a relief to let out all this bottled up anger. And any control he might've had was lost when Gengar appeared to him, a malicious grin stretched from ear to ear. She wanted to scare him.

But this anger isn't just towards Red and Gengar. No, it's also towards himself because he knows what Red is accusing him off is true. It's a cycle of anger that grows and grows, really, just like the darkening thunder clouds above him.]

Look around us. That's all you. This is you!

[ The wind still blows against his body, his face red from the heat produced; yet Red stands, slowly, his own defiance of this person, stubborn will pushing back, body leaned to give him the most resistance to the wind beyond the conflict of their emotions. They stand amongst and upon the mess produced by the man, scorched-like earth, cracks going every which way; a land that should tell the story of more than just one man's uncontrolled state for what it shows. ]

The one here who needs to learn some control is you! Before you really hurt someone!

[He can scream back that that's exactly why he's out here, away from people. In fact, if Gengar hadn't taken it upon herself to feed on his fear, none of this would've happened.

...but he's already hurt someone, hasn't he?

The winds abruptly stop, and an unpleasant silence settles in to fill the gaps of the howling gale. The expression on his face is one of pain. As if Red's words were a knife, twisted into his gut.

Even if...even if Gengar had done this to him...in a sense, if he'd only been stronger, if he is only able to keep a better grasp of his emotions...

...he wouldn't have hit her, wouldn't he?

The clouds above shift from a thunderous black to a more subdued grey, and rain begins to fall lightly on the both of them.]

[ The rain shouldn't sting at his skin, surely. But he's only human at the end of the day, and the physical manifestation of their emotions are still all too real. Red squeezes at his eyes for both the wet and and it coming down, gasps, but lets his own heat die with it coming down. Lets the rain fill between a silence needed to give the both of them room to breathe.

He won't apologise. The man might not have liked it, to be lulled into a sleep without his consent, but that would be saying that Gengar was wrong. When right now--he felt like it was the best choice. Even if he can't give the full reasons why, the one before them was enough. ]

...She put you to sleep to stop you. After that, you couldn't have stopped reacting and she ate your dream to calm you down. [ So he took from her munching animations and tongue waving. It's the amount of a picture he's had, not much changed since then described to someone who couldn't even articulate words. ] All you need is some food and rest and you'll be fine.

[The issues go far deeper than just being put to sleep involuntarily, but no one should ever have to know what happened to him, least of all a child that had wanted to help him. It's just...an unfortunate case of being the wrong person, at the wrong place and wrong time.

So he lets the rain wash away the anger. Or as much as it's possible, because he's angry at himself for lashing out at the kid.]

...I am very sorry, Red. You're right. My emotions are dangerous. [He admits quietly, taking the blame all onto himself. It's something he's getting very good at doing lately.]

What happened was not Gengar's fault, but my own-Ghk!

[A sudden cough erupts from his throat. One after another begin to viciously force their way out, and it's so bad till he's doubled up in pain, breathless. Meanwhile his shadow stretches out behind him again, the shape increasingly malformed until it hardly resembles a human form, much less him.]

Edited 2015-09-15 12:07 (UTC)

[ He's listening, quiet and still, emotions swaying no which way but keeping calm. But he can thankful at least, that explaining has brought something else than an outburst.

Until then--what comes then.

His eyes twitch at the sudden sharp sound of the cough, and then it continues; his voice when he speaks ] What's wrong? [ is barely louder than the noise of it, nearly covered up. He steps closer without thought, which is when he spots the growing shadow.

Instinct makes him clip off the pokéball from his belt, that reminding him of something very specific. ] There's a ghost?!

[A ghost? Is there? Is she there? Sometimes he can't tell if that little flash of red at the corner of his eye is a figment of his imagination, part of someone's shirt, or if it's the ragged hem of that little red dress she wears.

Ragged, like someone's carelessly taken a pair of scissors to it and shredded it ruthlessly. Just like how she shredded him. Cut his body, cut his mind, cut his soul. Yes, that's what she did. Severed parts of his sanity, slashed away his memory, leaving him incomplete, half the man that he used to be.

What's wrong? The boy asks.

Everything. His entire existence is a sin against nature. He died, should have died, has died, will die, is dying, just die die die die die like how they scream and curse him with their last breath--

Lu Meng falls to his knees, hands digging into his sides till there's searing pain and drops of blood. His lungs squeeze and squeeze as if they're forcing out all the air inside. He can't hear Red anymore, can't feel the paper-thin remains of the grass underneath him. Instead there's just, just this high pitched laughter and screaming inside his head, and incomplete images in his mind. He can't remember what he does, but he can't forget how they begged for him to just kill them end them why is he doing this why him why why why--

His shadow quivers behind him before it begins to slowly spread on the ground in front of him, the edges now taking the form of black tendrils and inching forward to Red.]

Edited 2015-09-17 13:04 (UTC)

[ And then Lu Meng was the demons.

Or his own demon, here, something that Red can't comprehend upon viewing the complete shift in his person, eyes frozen and with his own body uncertain of what to do, if to move forward like he does by a step or to not get closer, take that step back. Was it a ghost? Some kind of creature attached to him?

No--if there was a ghost, wouldn't have Gengar noticed it? She was sensitive to such things, to emotions -- which is why her ball rattles now in his hand. Red clasps his other around it to keep it from dropping out. He could let her out again, try and do something about it, but-

(how would Lu Meng react? Was his actions before completely because of seeing her, or the something else now taking place?)

Red moves away, but he doesn't leave, giving space between him and the searching shadow for the ball he replaces Gengar with, her name being called out upon the light of her release-- ] Lapras!

[ Aquatic, with a whale-like voice that is heard upon release; at eight feet tall she's quite a sight. But that can be taken in when Lu Meng can see anything but his own blackened memories. ]

Sing! Hey!--listen to her song! Whatever's going on, we're here!

[ Her head's already tipped back and letting out a sound that spreads out through the area, alluring, soothing; usually meant to put individuals to sleep when used for such means, but something that can fought off, and that isn't the task of this song.

It's the calm that it produces, and the idea of a force that wishes to fight against whatever is attacking at the man to point itself towards them if it's so malicious. Red stands by Lapras side, even moving forward despite what those tendrils intend to do. There may be that sliver of fear in him (of what's going on, for the man--), but he's stood up against too many uncertain situations to let it devour him.

He's determined. An emotion that spreads to Lapras's song, that could fight to bring life back to the barren ground. Pokémon and trainer--a partnership of being in sync with one another, working together.

Would it do anything at all? ]

[Lapras's lullaby is akin to a gentle wave, arriving after a violent storm. It speaks well of Red's training that her voice can pierce through the maelstrom in his mind, and not a moment too soon. Just as the shadows are about to reach for Red, her song finally washes over the screams in Lu Meng's mind. The shadows stop, falter, the tendrils actually peeling out of the ground and stretched out to latch onto Red...before they begin to recede.

And eventually Lapras's soothing sound washes those screams out of his mind, blanketing his fractured mind and emotions with sleep. And it is by far the most peaceful emotion he has experienced in the last month. Once again he falls backwards, but this time without a troubled expression.

His shadow returns to normal, and a light breeze begins to blow, clearing out the bad air. Where it tickles the grass underneath, it restores them back to their green, healthy state. The ground reseals itself, and the sun begins to shine through the grey clouds above.]

[ There's calm--but it takes a moment or so for Red to release the breath he didn't know he was holding, for his body to relax. His ears have heard enough of Lapras's song not to fall to its temptation as others may, but still he has to squeeze his eyes, and Lapras catches him with her neck and head when his legs, upon moving, first nearly buckle.

But he's fine. Unlike the man there, now in a sleep. His bag is elsewhere, that canister continuing to let out water from the hairline cracks pressed into it, but Red's footsteps take him closer to the man than either of those things, Lapras's song turning to a hum and she follows a flipper at a time. Unease rests on his arms for that small amount of time, until he bends down closer to him just as he did before, checking the man's forehead with the back of his hand, yet the soft sight of red at his side a more concerning thing.

Two pokémon get called out silently, both to fetch broken wood ("snap quietly," to Charizard, a finger pressed to his lips) to put together a fire set alight by the fire type and to dry off some of the rain from the man's body. In that time he grabs his bag again, taking out the folded blanket to place at the back of his head, then some of the spare medical supplies he has. Some bandages (too fussy), plasters (too small), but the dressing pads are what he's looking for, a few buttons undone so they can be put on with a little more care than pushing aside the fabric of the shirt.

Funny, how he expected to be in this position with Mewtwo than a human, but he still wasn't sure of the reason of this man's instability as he was the pokémon's. ]

...We sure ended up in a weird world, huh...

[ The air shifts around him, but Red doesn't allow it to stay, taking in a deep breath and letting it out with sound, sighing and resting back close to Lapras. He calls Jolteon and Charizard closer to him but away from the man, just in case, Charizard resting down with his head curled next to his trainer, Jolteon laying as well.

He'll give him some time, let the fire hopefully keep him warm. He doesn't know how well trying to get a doctor out here will do. ...Or maybe he'll end up accidentally nodding off by the time Lu Meng stirs. Completely a possibility, listening to Lapras for that long. ]

[It's not just Lapras's song, but fatigue that keeps Lu Meng well under her spell. Red will probably fall asleep before Lu Meng wakes up.

When Red does stir from his sleep, he'll find the man awake, seated near the fire and staring into it, silent and deep in thought. Lapras continues her song, but there's no drowsiness inflicting Lu Meng this time. Just a warm, comfortable feeling, something he hasn't felt in awhile.]

Edited 2015-09-20 14:05 (UTC)

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CW: Blood and gore

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CW: Blood, Dismemberment, Self-harm

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