Susato Mikotoba 🌸 御琴羽 寿沙都 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
judicialassistant) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
dreamcrystals2023-01-09 08:01 pm
judicialassistant) wrote in dreamcrystals2023-01-09 08:01 pm
[02] three lies, one truth
Sender: Susato Mikotoba
To: Everyone
Subject: Passive dream recording
Warning: Descriptions of death (specifically: falling/burning, stabbing, freezing, drowning) and the crippling fear that comes with that.
When Susato is first seen, she is nigh unrecognizable. There's only a glimpse of her. Her hair is frazzled, long well past her shoulders, and the white dress she wears, accented by pinks, does not match the grim darkness of the cage she is in. Seconds later, there's a loud metallic clang as the cage is shut.
There's movement like a shaky camera, and you... no, Susato is looking into the eyes of one man who looks almost surprised to see her. As if he hadn't been the one to put her there.
"Mr Vigil?"
The voice is small and cracks like glass over the flames below.
Before he can respond, there's the sound of a lever and a deafening scream as a feeling of terrifying weightlessness takes over your body.
You're falling, and you don't know when you'll stop.
* * * * *
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
When the dream spits you out, you can taste a mixture of blood and dirt as you blink your eyes open. They sting like you've been crying, and when you bring your filthy hands up to look at them, you can see the pink of your kimono sleeves. The loops in your air feel looser and messier than usual as you can feel the terrifying glare of a man before you, bleeding and in chains, and yet no less threatening.
All around you are corpses. You just barely manage to struggle to your feet when he moves to strike you down with alarming quickness, his blade and scythe at his call. Something hard and sharp pierces your stomach as his voice booms:
"You will not tarnish... my brother's memory...!"
You were so close. You can see some of the broken chains you worked so hard at; he was almost free.
But it's too late.
A laughter seems to be coming from the noble in the portrait behind the Reaper, and an eerie red glow bleeds out from the canvas as your consciousness fades.
* * * * *
The laughter transforms into something else, another voice. It is almost pleasant; and the scene is entirely different now. A gorgeous ballroom surrounds you with an air of celebration, you are humbled, taking the man before you in a dance. Here is the face that everyone says you can trust, and yet you can hear suspicious whispers coming from the walls.
Something is wrong.
You feel cold in a way that is inexplicable. Your very core is frozen, and it feels like you will never get warm. suddenly it's a struggle just to move with the music; but eventually you stop listening to that, too.
"Don't struggle." The king pulls you close in what is most certainly a threatening manner. Beneath your gloves, your fingers have already become ice. "Your death is inevitable now. Accept it with grace, and don't scream."
But even if you wanted to, you can't.
Pathetic gurgles escape your throat as ice travels up your chest and your neck. A piece of your white hair falls across your face, but when you go to brush it away, your hands won't move. Nothing will.
There is stillness. For a moment, you have hope, because you can still move your terrified, wide eyes, but soon that too is gone.
* * * * *
In that moment, you're not able to look at anything else.
Your neck is craned upwards and suddenly, the dream has shifted one final time. You're staring at the surface of the freezing cold water from below, unable to breathe, but the Gods above have mercy on you, and it doesn't last long. A glaring white starts to creep into the corners of your vision, filling everything in haze, and the dream ends as suddenly as it began.
* * * * *
[ Back in the comparative comforts of her home, Susato awakes with a start. She gasps for breath like she's just been held underwater, sitting up and gripping at her blankets. For all she knows, they are her lifeline. She is shaking, the faded memories of dreamscapes past rushing back to her, and she feels her arm knock something off the bed she's on.
......All she can do is breathe. ]
(( ooc: tl;dr, just a fun throwback to the fun deaths i've been able to put her through this past year. <3 please assume delayed responses where appropriate/etc. ))
To: Everyone
Subject: Passive dream recording
Warning: Descriptions of death (specifically: falling/burning, stabbing, freezing, drowning) and the crippling fear that comes with that.
When Susato is first seen, she is nigh unrecognizable. There's only a glimpse of her. Her hair is frazzled, long well past her shoulders, and the white dress she wears, accented by pinks, does not match the grim darkness of the cage she is in. Seconds later, there's a loud metallic clang as the cage is shut.
"Mr Vigil?"
The voice is small and cracks like glass over the flames below.
Before he can respond, there's the sound of a lever and a deafening scream as a feeling of terrifying weightlessness takes over your body.
You're falling, and you don't know when you'll stop.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
All around you are corpses. You just barely manage to struggle to your feet when he moves to strike you down with alarming quickness, his blade and scythe at his call. Something hard and sharp pierces your stomach as his voice booms:
"You will not tarnish... my brother's memory...!"
You were so close. You can see some of the broken chains you worked so hard at; he was almost free.
But it's too late.
A laughter seems to be coming from the noble in the portrait behind the Reaper, and an eerie red glow bleeds out from the canvas as your consciousness fades.
Something is wrong.
You feel cold in a way that is inexplicable. Your very core is frozen, and it feels like you will never get warm. suddenly it's a struggle just to move with the music; but eventually you stop listening to that, too.
"Don't struggle." The king pulls you close in what is most certainly a threatening manner. Beneath your gloves, your fingers have already become ice. "Your death is inevitable now. Accept it with grace, and don't scream."
But even if you wanted to, you can't.
Pathetic gurgles escape your throat as ice travels up your chest and your neck. A piece of your white hair falls across your face, but when you go to brush it away, your hands won't move. Nothing will.
There is stillness. For a moment, you have hope, because you can still move your terrified, wide eyes, but soon that too is gone.
In that moment, you're not able to look at anything else.
Your neck is craned upwards and suddenly, the dream has shifted one final time. You're staring at the surface of the freezing cold water from below, unable to breathe, but the Gods above have mercy on you, and it doesn't last long. A glaring white starts to creep into the corners of your vision, filling everything in haze, and the dream ends as suddenly as it began.
[ Back in the comparative comforts of her home, Susato awakes with a start. She gasps for breath like she's just been held underwater, sitting up and gripping at her blankets. For all she knows, they are her lifeline. She is shaking, the faded memories of dreamscapes past rushing back to her, and she feels her arm knock something off the bed she's on.
......All she can do is breathe. ]
(( ooc: tl;dr, just a fun throwback to the fun deaths i've been able to put her through this past year. <3 please assume delayed responses where appropriate/etc. ))
no subject
He nods and shimmies through the door, and immediately starts taking in his surroundings. Books lined the walls, floor after floor, just...books. He knew Annabeth would be heaven, seeing a place like this. He didn't know if she had dyslexia like the rest of them but it never seemed to bother her as much. She liked reading.
Even for someone like him that did not enjoy trying to read, it was pretty cool. He wondered if there was anything like the Archimedes scrolls in here, that would give him an inside scoop on the ancient tech he had still been trying to figure out--
Oh right. Sitting. And talking with Susato. That was what he was here for.]
I didn't know all this was inside here.
no subject
She comes here fairly frequently, so there is no grand reaction. Rather, she appears to be enjoying Leo's instead. They find an empty table to sit, and it is quiet. In the corner, there's even a station set up for coffee and various teas. ]
It wasn't always. This Tree appeared following last year's Flower Festival, along with all the books you could possibly dream of.
Mostly stories, as the name suggests, but I have found some educational books as well.
no subject
Anything in Greek? [Because then he might actually be able to understand it. He knew English and Spanish, of course, but trying to read those two languages always made his brain hurt and he hated dealing with the trouble. He was already annoyed enough as it was trying to read the stupid journal for communication around here.]
no subject
I... haven't noticed any? [ She hasn't really gone out of her way to look, either. She's not sure whether dream magic is at play, translating everything they see. Maybe to an extent? ]
Do you struggle with reading and writing English, Leo?
no subject
To her question, however, he ducks his head, laughing nervously as he rubs the back of his head.]
That obvious? But yeah, just a bit. It's a demigod thing, dyslexia. Thanks dad, I already don't fit in the normal world as it is, but I suck at English and Spanish. At least reading and writing them, anyway.
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Dad... How many Greek gods were there, again? ]
I see. Dyslexia... [ She closes her eyes, as if trying to remember something. ] I've never heard of that. Nor do I speak Spanish, but... I did work hard to learn English as a second language, so I think I can relate to your struggles.
no subject
It's-- actually, that's exactly how it feels. It's like Greek is my actual first language, and whenever I try to look at English or Spanish, everything just flips and spins and my brain just makes a loud error message.
[He wonders if he would be better at managing it if his mom hadn't died, and he actually stayed in school and didn't run away and actually cared to try.
He didn't really care about it, and it never really mattered, until he got here and everything had to be read and written. Archaic.]
no subject
. . . Perhaps I could help to make the error message slightly less, um, loud? With time?
no subject
You think? [It can't be impossible, anyway. And it's not like they all struggle to the same extent. Frank seemed to be pretty normal, lucky him.]
It's a problem for pretty much all of us. I know Percy struggles -- he's here, by the way. Have you met him? -- anyway, he manages it better than me, and his girlfriend Annabeth -- she's not here, at least not that I've seen-- she actually likes reading.
[But they probably put in the effort and tried. And it helped that both of them were in stable-ish places to actually do that. Until this past year, he hadn't stayed in one place for very long at all.]
no subject
Oh, yes, I've met Percy. And I like reading, too. That is why I offered my help, though I haven't had formal training as a teacher or anything.
This would just be, um... for fun. [ Suddenly she's formed a demigod study group. ]
no subject
That sounds like fun to you...? [It doesn't to him, butttt, considering reading and writing is the only way of communication around here, it might be for the best if he gives it a shot.]
I mean, if you're just that bored, sure, I guess. Let's do it.
no subject
It is not that I am bored... I simply enjoy it. [ It has only occurred to her somewhat recently that her love for reading could also translate to enjoying writing as well, and telling the very stories she enjoys reading—but of course, she's no Iris. ]
Besides, I am sure I could learn from you all as well.
no subject
[Honestly if he had his way, he'd just make holographic scrolls to use and not worry about reading, but alas, he was fresh out of celestial bronze to do just that.]
no subject
That is plenty! Besides reading and writing, all I have is law. And... now cooking, I suppose.
no subject
[The goal of this conversation wasn't about finding things in common, but ayyy! He thinks it's cool.]
Actually. Do you need help with your fire powers? I mean, I don't know if I'd call myself an expert, but I can def teach you a few tricks if you'd like. In return for the teaching me stuff.
no subject
Regardless, she perks up at his offer. ]
I would love that! I have come a long way with my fire dreamotion, but it is a part of myself that I feel is... still foreign, I think.
[ There is a pause, like she's not quite sure if that's the right word she wants to use, but she continues: ]
When I asked Percy about water, he said it feels like using an arm or a leg.
no subject
Even the other demigods thought it was a curse, but look at me now? Saved the world and everything! But -- yeah. It felt wrong, for a long time. I didn't want to use it, but I didn't have great control either.
[He says this like he doesn't burst into flames randomly when he gets excited or angry still.]
1/2
And then it feels like she's put it all into words. Wrong. A Curse. ]
That's... That's how I felt! I couldn't stop thinking about how... how if people back home knew, I might be thought of as a witch. But...
no subject
[ Though in some ways, she also is. ]
no subject
My aunt called me a diablo. A devil. But then I found camp, and Jason and Piper, and all the other demigods-- They became my home.
[HE'S NOT REALLY GOOD AT THESE KINDS OF PEPTALKS BUT HE'S TRYING!!]
Sometimes home is with the people that see our differences as a good thing.
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...There's still so much to learn about Leo. ]
Sometimes you find home without even realising it.
[ ......Hmm... Diablo, huh. ]
That said... perhaps if I am to help you with reading and writing English, you could teach me Spanish.
no subject
Hmmm. Well I can't really spell well in Spanish either, but I can help teach you to speak it? So we'll work on your fire powers and Spanish, you'll help with my English, and we can both swap recipes. I make a mean tofu taco.
no subject
That sounds wonderful! I only just learned what a taco is just last year, actually. We didn't have those back in the 19th century... [ It feels strange to talk about it that way. Some "other place." Another time. Her voice carries the weight of nostalgia behind it. ]
no subject
But her comment makes him pause and he tilts his head.]
Wait--- you're from-- ?! [Whoops he's somehow missed this!! Just another friend to add to the "wow you're actually an old fart but not really" group.]
no subject
I'm afraid so. I am learning new things all the time, so my apologies if I am... [ vague gestures. ] um, antiquated.
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