[open] Locked within a room of memory, locked up away with no light of day

[powerdealer]

Seth sits in his bed, back against the wall, facing the door.

This is not his current room. No trace of the sleek, clean style he favours. No decorations, no furniture at all except for the bed. The walls are brick and stone, the floor dirty cement, the air musty and heavy, with just a hint of smell from the sewers coming from the toilet in the corner. There's a constricting feeling of anxiety and dread, his attentions focused on the heavy, bolted door.

There used to be books and writing equipment at least, but they took that away before they returned him here. They even took away his nice blanket. It's funny the simple things you get attached to when there's nothing else.

Any moment now, he knows, one of the rebels will come through that door and discipline him. Tell him he'll do as they say, or else. He wonders what it is he did this time. There's been quite a few times over the more than three months they kept him here that he didn't want to do what they told him to.

He's had this dream before. He doesn't quite know it's a dream yet, but it'll soon come to him. And while it's not a nightmare that makes him wake with a start and a strangled scream, it's the sort that weighs heavily on him the entire following day, like a weight on his chest, making it hard to breathe, making any small room feel like a trap.

The door opens, and someone steps in, the door closing heavily behind them.

[This is a recurring dream for Seth, so he can have a different visitor on different nights. If you tag in, merely pick a date.]

Comments

[powerdealer]

After Seth follows through, he almost immediately stumbles and drops to his knees. "I'm okay..." he manages. He doesn't pass out, and it was probably partially intentional - he's just so drained. He's still not used to actually using powers - since he discovered it, he's only gotten brief times to try it out secretly, before having to pass the power on. And none of those were as demanding as this particular one. Then there's the fact he's hungry, tired, and probably starting to go through withdrawal. Overall a bad combination.

[jennifer_strange]

"… Uh huh." That's not what 'okay' looks like. Jennifer approaches Seth and drops into a crouch to put her a bit more on his level. "Can you stand? I'll help you," she offers, reaching out to take his arm. "My flat isn't far from here." And she imagines they'll both feel better once they're indoors.

[powerdealer]

Well, maybe not quite okay, but it was more of a reassurance that he wasn't unconscious yet. Or about to drop dead, or anything like that. At least, only figuratively speaking.

He gives a nod, and uses her for support to slowly get up again. His legs feel like jelly, but if he just keeps putting one in front of the other, he thinks he'll be fine, as long as it really isn't that far.

[jennifer_strange]

It isn't far, but it's slow going. Or it should be. The time it takes to get from the alleyway to her door seems to blur, but she doesn't really think about that; she's more focused on fishing her keys out of her pocket and getting the door open.

As she pushes open the door to let the Quarkbeast precede them inside, she says, "Avoid the bookshelf. My flatmate's a little shy. And just… little. In general."

[powerdealer]

"Alright..." Seth answers, albeit with a confused frown. He doesn't question it, however. At least they've finally reached the place. Or, it feels like 'finally', but it also feels a bit like no time at all. Must be his exhaustion. "Couch alright, then?" he asks.

[jennifer_strange]

"Sure." She leaves him next to the couch and heads for the little kitchen so she can pour him a glass of water. He probably needs more than water, but they can start slow. "Here," she says, offering Seth the glass. Then, she fetches what looks like a chrome muffler from the top of the fridge and sets it on the floor for the Beast. It settles down cheerfully enough, tail wagging as it plants one scaly paw on the muffler and commences licking it.

Beast taken care of, she leans against the counter and watches Seth. "Are you hungry?"

[powerdealer]

Seth sinks down onto the couch, letting his head drop back and his eyes fall closed. It feels like the first time in months he's letting his self breathe. He feels like he can trust Jennifer, so he'll be safe here for the present.

He opens his eyes and accepts the glass, drinking deeply and draining the glass. He shakes his head at her question. Perhaps he should be, but mostly he feels a little queasy.

"Why are you helping me?" The moment they'd gotten out of the base, she could've just run. Their are some other inconsistencies too. Why was she down there, avoiding the guards, when she has a flat. I didn't exactly seem like a rescue operation. But all these thoughts are still trying to form.

[jennifer_strange]

"Rifties should look out for each other," she replies simply. Being a rifty isn't quite on par with being a foundling (if only because everyone has to know what you are before they can stigmatize you properly), but she feels a similar sense of camaraderie with the rifty population as she did with other foundlings back home.

After a beat, she adds, "And I'm not very impressed by the rebels." Not that she had any firsthand experience with them before today… but what she's learned since meeting Seth isn't encouraging. It's one thing to allow someone's powers to inform what they do for you, which seems to be Romac's approach, and quite another to lock someone in a cell so you can exploit them to your heart's content.

[powerdealer]

Seth raises his eyebrows in a can't imagine why way at that, and nods. But he's impressed with her willingness to help out, and it feels sincere. Although...

"...You're not with Romac, are you?" he asks, suddenly worried. Maybe she's just stealing assets over to the other side. Not that it's likely given how things have gone done, but the thought is scary enough that it banishes rational thought for a few moments. That, and rational thought is having trouble manifesting in the first place given his exhaustion and, unbeknownst to him of course, the fact that he's dreaming.

[jennifer_strange]

Jennifer furrows her brow at him, and the Beast raises its head and gives it a quizzical tilt. "… Is that a problem?" she asks. It's a baffling question on several levels. What's so bad about Romac? How else does he think a teenage rifty managed to land her own flat in Manhattan? More to the point, though, she'd like to think she hasn't given him any reason to suspect that she's going to hurt him. If that was the plan, she would have sicced the Beast on him already, and an invitation to her flat definitely wouldn't have been in the cards.

[powerdealer]

Well, the safe feeling from before is now replaced with intense nervousness, and Seth sits up a little straighter. "Depends," he answers after a moment. "Are you going to tell them anything about me?" He does realise Jennifer is probably not out to hurt him right here and now. But he literally just got out of a long-term imprisonment, and he's got plenty of reason to distrust Romac as well.

[jennifer_strange]

By now, Jennifer's well aware that the rebels have been sowing nasty rumors about Romac. It seems a bit strange that Seth would buy into them, though, considering how said rebels treated him.

After some consideration, she says, "If you'd rather I didn't, I won't." She doesn't like the thought of Seth being on the run with no resources, but what's the alternative? Trying to haul him to HQ against his will? As if she even could, considering the rift power he currently has.

"I mostly help process new arrivals," she adds, both to calm him down a little and excuse herself for letting him run off into the sunset (if that's what he's so determined to do). "It's not my job to drag in every rifty I meet."

[powerdealer]

Hopefully Jennifer will eventually discover that both sides are pretty sketchy, and just because he's been wronged by the rebels doesn't mean he trusts Romac any more. (It's clear now that Jennifer wasn't sent to rescue him, which means he still has nothing to thank them for.)

"Thanks," he answers, relaxing a little. He'll figure out what to do about resources. He still has some contacts - if he's careful, he can talk to them. They'll give a helpful hand, and be much plainer about what they want in return.

He debates revealing a few choice tidbits (not just rumours) about Romac, but decides this isn't the time. He's hardly in a state to properly argue the point and convince her - besides, he doesn't want to push his luck or just seem plain ungrateful.

"How long have you been in the city?" he asks curiously, since he doesn't want to be discussing factions or what she does for them.

[jennifer_strange]

"A few months." It's a welcome change of subject. Given how twitchy he got when he realized she worked for Romac, she doubts further discussion about the factions would go anywhere pleasant. And while she's not exactly afraid of Seth - it's hard to be scared of anyone when you have a Quarkbeast for a pet - she doesn't want to give him any reason to be afraid of her, either.

She tips her head towards the Beast and says, "The Quarkbeast and I came through together. What about you?" If his accent is anything to go by, he's from the UK as well. Probably not hers, but still.

[powerdealer]

"Eight months. Three of which have been spent down there," he answers, which is actually accurate for his waking status, not the memory this dream started out as. Just don't ask him to put down a timeline and what's been going on, or he'll get very confused.

"Quarkbeast, huh?" he adds, looking curiously over at the creature. Once you get past the rather off-putting exterior, it's oddly charming.

[jennifer_strange]

She winces in sympathy. Most non-foundlings aren't accustomed to dealing with conditions such as the ones in that cell, so those three months can't have been comfortable for him. And it's disconcerting to think that he'd been stewing down there for as long as she'd been in this universe.

"He's sweeter than he looks," she says with a wry smile. The Beast wags its clubbed tail a few times and lets out a cheerful "Quark!" Jennifer continues, "Quarkbeasts are nonevolutionary animals - one of several invented by wizards in a sort of contest." Even with the increasing crackle, it's hard to imagine having enough to just invent animals. "The Mighty Shandar invented Quarkbeasts - and he won."

[powerdealer]

Comfortable would definitely be a stretch, it's true, but it wasn't always as bad as the taste she got. He'd have books, he was fed and mostly kept healthy... Occasionally he'd even get to socialise a bit. But he was still trapped, and still mistreated if he disobeyed.

He smiles at the beast. It seems to ask quite a bit like a puppy, which makes it likeable. "Nice to have someone from home," he comments. "So, I take it your universe is rather different from this one."

[jennifer_strange]

"A bit, yes." Not as different as someone might expect, given the magic and dragons and all. "The technology is similar, but everything back home runs on electromagical energy, and it had been… declining for a while." She shrugs, then asks, "What about your universe - are the Kingdoms united?"

[powerdealer]

Interesting, though. Having similar technology but also wizards and mystical creatures. And people named The Mighty Shandar.

He smiles a little at her phrasing. "Yeah, it's pretty much exactly like this world. Except instead of the rift, we had a storm that somehow gave people superpowers. Back in London."