Only In My Dreams
Posted on Thu May 23rd, 2019 @ 5:56pm by Cadet Freshman Grade Tarik Varen & Cadet Freshman Grade Teryn Sera
Mission:
The First Step...
Location: Various / Dreamscape
Timeline: 2388/08/26 0300 (August 26 2388 3:00am)
Flowing Vulcan robes made a quiet shhhing sound as Tarik settled himself in a cross legged position. Every evening since he'd been born hed meditated or gotten instruction from his Mother on how to calm and clear his mind for the next day. Glancing down at the crisp ivory and the cool green, edged with copper and black he traced the pattern on his sleeve with a fingertip. Tarik appreciated its beauty, much as he appreciated the asthetics of his meditation area. Water dripped over stone and metal and fell into other pools making delicate chiming and splashing noises. The sound itself brought him equal measures of calm and pleasure. Tarik being half betazoid was a bit of a hedonist. He enjoyed the finer things in life and did so openly with no trace of shame. Certain sounds and certain textures were pleasing, so he surrounded himself with those things.
Breathe. Each breath brought in would pull him towards his center. Each breath out released any tension or residual emotion from the day.
Breathe. Each breath allowed him to focus his mind on the events of the day and set them into his memory.
Breathe. Allow the mind to drift. To rest with nothing pressing upon it and gain calm from the quiet of the universe.
Night was the worst. Strange things came out at night to hunt. Especially in the caves. Her Cell had been hiding in these caves for months now, and Teryn knew them like the back of her hand. She had not gotten lost since the first night here. Yet, tonight, she was lost. The caves were... wrong. The walls were darker, as if they were made of something alien; and there was a sense about the place that she had never felt on Bajor. A sense that made her shiver and quicken her pace.
That did not matter, however. Everywhere she looked was wrong, alien... and frightening. Something in these caves was watching her, stalking her. She could feel it, sometimes even hear its breath. Now, she could not hear it, only sense it. And there was a scent on the slight breeze, a scent of death and blood. But that, too, was alien. Where in the Nine Realms was she?!
Something shifted, and she spun. Behind her, something crouched, shrouded in the shadows of a cross-tunnel. The only thing she could see were its eyes, blood read and... glowing. She wanted to close her eyes, but she didn't dare. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't. It was as though those eyes were holding her captive in their stare. She shivered again and reached out with her psionoic talent.
Nothing.
She could see the thing, smell the thing, hear it breathing. But it did not exist to her empathic sense. She took a step back, then another. She wanted to run, but she couldn't. The thing stalked closer, out of its cross-tunnel. That should have made it visible in the light of this tunnel, but it didn't. Still allshe could see was blackness. She finally broke the stare and ran. But she could still hear it right behind her.
And then it leaped...
Fear overcame him, and he found himself standing on the precipice of an enormous drop. In his hand a beautiful wrought glass lantern, which poured light into the cave system. He was unreadonably pleased to see the crystals in the walls glittered.
"Curious." He murmured as he opened his eyes to find himself in a dreamscape. He knew what this was, having shared dreams with his twin. It was part of why they tried not to sleep at the same times... that way their REM cycles were not aligned. He didn't think this was something of her mind however, but just to be sure he spoke again "Talia?"
The creature vanished as it reached her, leaving Tery panting and trying to get her breath. Her eyes closed, and she was trying to get her own emotions back under control. Then something else caught her awareness, and her gray eyes snapped open. Around her, the same dark, disturbing corridors stretched out in either direction. What had she registered? A voice... and a name. But who was Talia?
Slowly, somewhat shakily, she rose and looked around again. "Hello?" she called tentatively into the cloying darkness. Something shifted through her consciousness... a thought... this voice was not part of this dream. Maybe if she found whoever this was, they could help her? She started slowly down one of the corridors, watching every shadow, ready to run at a second's notice.
That was NOT Talia. He knew her mind better than his own and it was not his twin. The signet ring on his hand glittered, for he wore his clan sigil on his hand not around his neck. He walked forward with his lantern glowing gently "Hello?"
Around them, the corridors began to vanish, replaced by stone walls. This was the caves as she truly remembered them. The fear was fading, giving way to confusion and curiosity, and the dream was reflecting that change in the dreamer by shifting the scenery to more familiar ground.
Tery moved toward the voice, drawn to it for reasons she couldn't name just now. Was it familiar? Did she know this person? It... felt... familiar, but her mind refused to volunteer the information. "Who's there?" she called into the caves around them. "Show yourself." she demanded, adding after a moment to think and realize that if she commanded them, they might leave her alone. "Please?" she added in response to that realization, a tiny hint of the fear creeping back into her voice.
"I do not know how." Tarik admitted quietly licking his lips surprisingly tasting salt "I have very little control here. I can hear you but I don't know where you are.."
His words made Tery freeze for a moment. I have very little control here... How was that possible? Here was... what was here? She paused and looked around, recognizing the caves on Bajor, but this had not been where she had been moments before. The discrepancy made her frown. A dream? Then how was this person she did not know here? "Who are you?" she called back. Maybe if she kept taking, he could find her, follow her voice? But something told her these dreams never ended that way.
"Tarik is my name. I have never been in a Dreamscape like this one. Where are we and how exactly did I get here?" Her voice sounded scared and Tarik didn't like it. He didn't like feeling the fear of someone else. He wasn't used to anyone getting through his shielding.
Tery frowned. Tarik. She didn't know anyone by that name, so how was he here? Did she make him up as some kind of savior to battle the fear? No, she felt that was wrong. But then...
Tery started moving toward the voice. "The caves? They're... from Bajor." she answered, feeling uncertain, though not about where she was. "We used to hide in them when I was in the Resistance." She shivered as she thought about his last question. How did he get here? She didn't know. He had not been here when the dream had begun... had he?
"I don't know how you are here. I..." She swallowed. "I... maybe it's an accident?" she tried. Maybe the Dreamscape had put him here to help her? She really had no idea, and this whole thing just felt... strange. Though she had to admit, his presence, his voice, was comforting. The longer he talked to her, the calmer she got. "Where were you before you were here?" she tried, following the caves in the direction she had heard his voice coming from.
"I was meditating in my cabin at Starfleet Academy" The caves on Bajor? How fascinating, because he'd never been to Bajor. The Dreamscape must be entirely hers, and based on fear if what he was feeling was anything to go by. "It is fascinating this place you've built in your mind. Is this a nightmare for you, or a pleasant place?"
Tery frowned. Starfleet Academy. She... wasn't she there too? In here, it all seemed... hazy. She paused, frowning. "I... think I was there too..." she said, though it was spoken softly, and he likely couldn't hear it. Continuing on, she spoke louder. "Here? No, this is safe. This isn't where I was before when I was afraid. I... I think the Dreamscape brought us here to make me less afraid? Or maybe because you are here? I don't know really. I'm sorry." That last was said with some regret.
"As am I" Tarik answered with a gentle sigh as his gaze flickered around her cave. Inwardly the idea that she was supposed to be at the academy pleased him. "I dislike not knowing."
Tery actually chuckled a bit. "You and me both." She could not pinpoint his location, but she kept trying. "It seems we have more questions than answers." she said in a tone that showed her displeasure with that state. "If we're both at the academy,,, wait, which campus are you at?" If they were at the same campus, maybe they could meet and try to figure this out.
"The one on Serene Colony. I just arrived with the new cadet class. It is an agreeable place though i fear that I must learn to swim."
Tery felt her heart leap just a bit, though she couldn't really explain why beyond the fact that he'd had such a calming effect on her even here. "Right. Vulcan doesn't really give you reason to learn that, does it." she commented with a smile in her voice. "I'm at Serene too. I..." she hesitated, unsure all of a sudden. "I would hope that we can meet beyond this place?" she finally suggested. Though how would she know him out there? She had not seen him here, only heard his voice. She would have to look him up, she guessed, assuming that he was even amenable to the idea of their meeting in reality.
"We can try" he answered quietly and the hint of a smile was clear in his voice. He felt the gentle tug of the dreamscape dissipating under his feet "We will meet again."
"I hope so." she called after him, feeling the dream slipping away and fighting to hold onto the name at least. Yes, hold the name. Look it up when she woke. "Until then." she called as the blue-gray mist that was the dreamscape's natural state began to dominate her senses. Yes, hold the name. Tarik. Remember Tarik. She kept repeating it to herself as the dream faded, and the reality of her bed returned. "I will find you..." she whispered. "Tarik..."
