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WHO: Leo + you!
WHERE: all around town
WHEN: throughout October
WHAT: nightmares and fog
WARNINGS: fire, murderous goddesses and giants

nightmare; i see fire
[ It starts out normal enough. They’re at the workshop while Leo’s mother finishes her shift, and he sits at a work table with a number of sketches scattered before him - blueprints for the mech he’s been wanting to get started on. The city can use the extra protection, right? It could help if there’s ever another monster attack. But for now, it’s just an idea, one that his mother and her coworkers keep teasing about whenever he asks things like whether a shoulder cannon might be too much.

With a laugh, his mom ducks into another room, citing the need to find her missing tools before they head home. The door closes, and in his peripheral vision, he sees a spark. In the blink of an eye, it’s no longer just a spark. He hears yelling, and when he looks up, the building is on fire.

It takes a moment for him to register the danger, and then his eyes immediately go to the door his mother had closed behind her. Her coworkers yell, but there’s no sign of her. Leo doesn’t stop to think. He scrambles from his stool, suddenly frantic, and rushes to pull open the door. Except - it doesn’t open. He tries again, and again, but nothing changes. It stays shut, locked from within, and all he can do is bang on the door and yell for his mom. The air is growing thick with smoke, and it’s hard to catch his breath, but he can’t leave without her - ]

No, no, no, no, no, I’m not leaving you behind, [ he says desperately, unaware that he’s speaking out loud. ] I can’t, not again-!

[ Not like in his memories. He won’t leave her, there has to be someone who can help - ]

Hey! Hey!

[ Someone’s here. Someone’s here, and in his desperation Leo doesn’t even recognize who. But does it matter? If they can help, he doesn’t care who they are. ]

We’ve got to get this door open! My mom’s still in there!

fog; beautiful, powerful, dangerous, cold...
[ The evening air is cool, a touch of relief on skin that’s been running a little too warm. The nightmares have put Leo on edge, leaving him exhausted enough that he doesn’t notice when the temperature starts to drop until a shiver goes down his spine. This is around the time of year that nights start getting colder, he remembers; if he hadn’t been so freaked out by those dreams, he might have brought a jacket. As it stands, he simply shoves his hands in his pockets and walks a little faster.

A cold, clear laugh rings out from the fog, startling him enough to make him stop. It’s not a voice he recognizes, but… something about it sounds familiar, and Leo turns to look for the source. At first, he finds nothing but frost coating the ground - when did that happen? - but before long, a young woman steps out of the mist.

His first thought is that she’s beautiful, with long black hair falling past her shoulders and a silver crown atop her head. She wore a dress of pure white, letting her blend almost seamlessly into the fog. Her eyes were a rich, coffee brown that glittered in the faint light of the street lamp above them. She was breathtaking - or maybe that was the sudden spike of cold air? She gives him a frigid smile, and Leo freezes in place when he sees a dagger of ice materialize in her hand. ]

Bon soir, Leo Valdez. [ Her voice is quiet, but her eyes are cold as she takes a step forward, turning the dagger in her hands. ] I’m afraid you are out of time.

[ He stares back at her with a blank expression. Something about her is familiar… but he can’t put his finger on how. And for some reason he can’t get his feet to move. ]

I don’t know what you’re talking about, lady, but curfew’s at midnight. I’ve got plenty of time to get back.

You are as much a fool as the rest of your kind, [ she sneers, eyes narrowed. Before Leo can respond, she waves her arm, and a blast of winter snow throws him to the ground. ]

fog; a shot in the dark
[ The fog only seems to get worse as the month goes on, more invasive, more smothering than before. Every time Leo finds himself caught in it, he feels phantom chills from that eerily beautiful woman that may still be following him, instinctively pulling his jacket a little closer to stave it off. Not tonight, he just wants to get home, he can’t get stuck out here with her again…

But the eyes that appear before Leo tonight are blue, not brown, and stand far taller than she had at roughly twenty feet high. Recognition dawns on him as a massive, dragon-like leg steps toward him, and Leo can’t help but take a step back. Even before the figure fully materializes before him, he knows what it is. He’s seen this in his memories, in the Labyrinth - and dread fills him as it takes another step forward, everything but its feet and eyes concealed beneath a robe made of shadows.

Leo’s heart beats faster as the giant stands here, staring down at him as if he were a bug in its path. And all he can think about are the memories of choking on darkness, as clear as if it had just happened yesterday - both the one from the Labyrinth and from the Founders’ bunker - and already it’s a little harder to breathe. So of course, he tries to talk his way through it. ]

H-Hey, Clytius, long time no see! Is that a new robe? Hot Topic’s really stepped up their game, you look great!

[ While this gets no reply, that shroud of shadows begins to move, melting over the ground and toward him. Ignoring the panic bubbling up in the pit of his stomach, Leo backs up a few more steps and reaches for the fire that helped fight off the woman from before. His skin prickles as a few flames sputter into life. It’s not a lot; he can’t control this power yet, but it’s all he has to fight back with. So Leo does the only thing he can do, throwing a weak wall of flames at Clytius to keep him away.

And boy, is that the wrong move. The shadows lunge forward, devouring the flames and following them to the source where fire still curls around Leo’s arms. He yells in alarm and tries to pull back, to call for help, but it doesn’t stop until he is covered in darkness. ]

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[ this isn’t the first evening he’s realized he’s been walking around buildings on fire, but that realization only begins to hit him when everyone around them screams and yells. eren walks out of his dreams and into this one in old uniform, his hair grown out more than the buzz cut he kept, quickening his steps to the fogging corner of the hallway. he raises his arm to cover his face, already on high alert— luckily, he doesn’t have to wait for leo to speak up too much for him to bolt right to him, the familiarity making the situation even more dire. he holds an arm out to leo, as if to nudge him out of the way. ]

Stand back! [ there’s no time and no tools to lock pick or bring it down with a battering ram. eren does it the old fashioned and emergency way: attempting to breach the door’s frame with well placed, extremely harsh kicks. whether that’ll open it, though— ]

[ Military, Leo thinks faintly as he stands aside to hover anxiously behind him. It’s not a uniform he recognizes, but it doesn’t matter. The military’s supposed to be good in emergencies, right? Whoever it is, he must know what to do…

He flinches when Eren hauls back and kicks it, and the door rattles in its frame with the force of it. But for all that, it doesn’t open. ]

I think it’s locked from the other side, [ he says urgently. Though why Mom would lock it when she went in there, he doesn’t know. Weren’t they about to leave? ] I can try to pick it, but I -

[ He jumps as a worktable collapses behind them with a loud crash, various tools and machine parts scattering on the floor. ]

I-I might not get it open in time.

[ eren kicks a second time, a third time. the fourth time, he takes a few steps back to gain even more momentum, but it doesn’t budge. his focus goes to the knob, tackling a fifth, sixth time. he reaches for his side, where his pistol should be, he could shoot the lock system until its totaled enough to open—

but he has no pistol, and his hand is empty as it smacks at his hips. this uniform didn’t come equipped as his air force uniform usually would. with a frustrated snarl, eren wheels back, shaking his head furiously as he looks around the mess. there had to be something he could use. ]

No time for that! [ the building was in flames, it was only getting hotter, and soon they wouldn’t have a single way out for themselves. grabbing for a heavy wrench, eren intends to slam it against the lock, strategically enough that it’s considered an emergency tactic, but. ] Hey!! [ eren yells into the other side of the door, hoping to hear an answer. ] What’s she doing, why did she lock it?!

Edited 2017-10-16 14:18 (UTC)

I don’t know! Maybe someone else thought it was empty and closed up for the night!

[ Dream logic declares that it doesn’t matter who locked the door, or which direction they locked it from - just that it’s locked, and they can’t get through with what they’re doing now. There’s no answer to Eren’s shout, and that only serves to fuel Leo’s panic. ]

Oh my god… [ He groans. It’s happening again, there’s nothing he can do - ] O-Okay, what if… what if we broke the doorknob somehow?

[ He doesn’t know how, exactly, but he saw Eren targeting it before. Structurally, it would be a weak point - if they can get through the knob, the lock won’t even matter. After a quick scan of the workshop, Leo spots an old crowbar in the flames, and darts over to grab it. It must be burning hot, but that doesn’t seem to bother him at all. ]

Will this work?

[ a brief glance from his continuous, bullheaded slamming goes straight to the crowbar held out. his eyes fart between what’s already in his hand, which wasn’t working, to another possibility that had stronger points. ]

Perfect— [ he huffs, throwing the other thing he had and already grabbing for the outreaches crowbar. it’s so smokey and hot in here already, he doesn’t take notice until his fingers actually fold around them at full speed and force. it’s getting dropped, harshly, with eren gripping his hand tightly and giving a sudden pained bark. ]

How’d you even pick that up?!

[ Startled, Leo takes a step back, looking between Eren and the crowbar. ]

I… I just did?

[ Cautiously, as if it might turn into a snake and bite him, he leans down to pick it up again. Nothing seems wrong with it...? He shoots Eren a questioning glance, but then turns his attention back to the door. ]

Okay, if you can’t hold it, I will. [ Problem is, he doesn’t know much about breaking and entering in an emergency like this. ] How do we break it?

[ if he had his gun, he could’ve— blown the locks and frames to bits by now. no use in wallowing what can’t be changed, though, and adapting his tune to the situation, eren quickly points to the weak spot, trying to cover his mouth. the smoke is building up bad ]

We don’t have much time— hook it here, and jam it opposite with all you’ve got.

[ Wordlessly, he follows Eren’s instructions. Put the crowbar here, and push the other way… It doesn’t work on the first try, but since he can’t ask Eren for help, he gives it another try. And on the third, the door finally breaks open with a terrible noise.

Leo ignores it in favor of kicking the door open the rest of the way, forgetting the crowbar as he runs into the room. ]

Mom? Where…?

[ There’s no one in here, but there aren’t any windows, either. There’s nowhere she could have gone. So where is she..? Leo stands in the middle of the room, confused, while smoke starts to fill in after him. ]

[A blast of winter may knock him to the ground, but that doesn't stop the sound of footsteps approaching.]

Leo? I thought I heard your voice...

[... And then she spots him on the ground, and then the girl who blasted him there. Cleo immediately steps between them, drawing her sword and pointing it at the strange woman.]

Who are you?

C-Cleo?

[ His teeth chatter with the cold. The woman had hit him point blank, leaving his clothes covered in a thin coat of frost. As Cleo steps forward, rage fills her eyes, and her smile twists into an icy glare. ]

Typical mortal, [ she hisses. ] Ever since the ancient times, they failed to show the proper respects for me. But no more! If you will not honor me, it will be enough for you to fear me.

[ Mortal? ]

Cleo - [ Realization sinks in all at once, and Leo struggles to his feet. She’s not in any of his memories, not yet, but she’s got to be... ] Cleo, d-don’t get any closer. I think she’s-

I am Khione, goddess of snow and daughter of the North Wind, [ she cuts him off, defiant as her face turns red with fury. The wind picks up as she speaks, a flurry of snow slowly gathering around her. ] And I will bury you all in snow!

[ Her eyes turn white, and she throws a wave of sleet at the both of them. ]

I see.

[That's all she says as she hunches forward. She wraps her arms around herself to keep herself warm, and her tail reaches backwards, touching Leo to cast a small healing spell on him. She's almost thankful for the visions she's received- She can only use her healing magic when she's touching someone, but her visions pointed out that her tail counts as touching.

That done, she steps forward, drawing her sword and pointing it at Khione, stepping through the sleet like it means nothing.]

I am Cleo Ritter. These visions Retrospec has cursed me with have given me the visions of fighting a god. A true god, one whose domain is everything, not merely something as feeble as cold. And I have fought that god in my dreams every night since.

[She lowers the sword, taking a broad stance, both hands on the sword's hilt, and a fire in her eyes as she stares this goddess down.]

Ice was my weapon in that vision. And I saw how powerless ice and cold is. I offer you this one chance to leave, before I take your head.

[ Leo turns, curling into himself to hide from the attack. His side gets the full brunt of it, but it melts quickly and with Cleo’s healing touch, a wave of relief falls over him. Khione, was it? Goddess of snow? If that’s her power, then… fire. They would need that, and Leo… There has to be a way to get it to work. But before he can figure out how, Cleo is already drawing her sword and issuing her own threat to Khione.

She’s fought a god?

Something… something about that sounds familiar, like an echo of something from his past life. Those memories are rife with elements from Greek mythology, but who could really fight a god and live to tell the tale? ...Besides Cleo, but it’s hard to imagine anyone else doing it, let alone Leo himself. ]

You dare insult me? Very well, mortal. I shall show you just how cold I can be!

[ It’s then that Khione seems to remember the dagger of ice she’d created, and throws it high to avoid deflection with that sword. She doesn’t wait to see what Cleo does, immediately following up with another blast of snow as she lunges forward, another dagger already forming in her hand. ]

You talk big, for someone who can be defeated by a simple space heater!

[She isn't taunting for the hell of it. If she can hold Khione's attention, maybe Leo will have time to recover... and escape. So she simply charges forward, under the first knife, through the blast of snow as she swings her sword at Khione, dagger or no. If she can take the so-called goddess's head, a dagger won't matter.]

[ Khione leaps back, using another blast of cold air to power her momentum. She lands almost delicately on her feet, and the ground frosts over at her touch. ]

I have frozen heroes more competent than you, [ she hisses, and that's when Leo notices other shapes in the fog. Bodies, he realizes with a start, some lying prone on the ground, others standing and holding bows drawn to attack, all covered in a thick layer of frost. She's trying to lure Cleo away from him, Leo thinks, the comment about space heaters echoing in his mind. Khione can be beaten by heat, right? And she's been keeping her distance from him so far... Does she know about him?

Does it matter, if he can't get it to work?

Khione doesn't seem to be paying him any more attention, instead focused on avoiding Cleo's attacks and trying to draw her further into the fog. Her own attacks are simplistic, blasts of cold air and sleet, tornadoes of snow, ice daggers thrown the flurries. She's as relentless as a blizzard, but the longer this goes on, the stronger she seems to get as the ground itself begins to freeze. A sword would only be able to do so much, even in Cleo's hands. What they need a better way to counter her attacks... a way to render Khione's power useless.

Leo's skin starts to prickle. ]

How long can you stand before you freeze like all the rest? [ the goddess asks Cleo, smile cold and cruel. ] Mortals were not made to withstand my power!

Then it's a good thing some of us aren't mortal, isn't it?

[ The next wave of sleet melts before it reaches them as Leo steps up to join the fight. Flames cover him from head to toe, but he doesn't burn, and even his clothes don't seem to be affected. The ice on the ground melts wherever he steps, and even one of the frozen bodies nearby begins to defrost as he nears Khione. He does keep his distance from Cleo, however, well aware that he can't control this power well enough to keep from burning her, but he does offer her a nervous grin. ]

It's no space heater, but maybe we can make this work.

[Cleo glances back at him with a grin. Well, that's even better, isn't it?

Cleo is, as usual, wearing her leather biking gear. It's warm, insulated- It keeps her warm even when it's cold out. It's been how she can last so long against a goddess of frost and snow like Khione. But even that has limits, and the cold is getting to her. Even so, she grips her sword, backstepping from her fog and angling herself to get some of Leo's heat on her arms.]

How much fire do you think you can make at once?

I… I don’t know. I can’t control it very well. [ Leo gives his hands an uncertain glance before looking back at Khione with a frown. ] But I don’t think I’ll have to control it to beat her.

[ Khione had been so sure of herself mere moments before, but now her beautiful face is twisted with rage, her eyes as white as the snow she uses to fight. When she speaks again, her voice is dangerously quiet. ]

You could have joined me. [ She stands straight, snow whirling around her as more ice daggers form in her hands. ] The others must still die, of course, but you… You could have been my champion, and ruled by my side.

[ “The others”? Is she talking about Cleo, he wonders? There’s no one else here. Unless… ]

Lady, you tried to kill me two minutes ago, [ Leo says flatly. He takes a step toward Khione, unaware as the fire dancing across his skin flares hotter with his resolve. ] You’re not freezing anyone while I’m around.

[ Her answer comes in a furious, wordless scream. Khione leaps forward to attack with renewed fervor, throwing her daggers and a few waves of snow in quick succession. Leo isn’t fast enough to stop the daggers of ice. But he jumps in front of Cleo before the other attacks can hit, praying the fire will hold up as the first strike dissolves into steam. ]

[Cleo doesn't have the skill to parry those flying daggers. She lifts her arms in front of her, letting them take the brunt of it, and steps back.]

She's yours, Leo. Don't worry about me, I'll get away- Just throw as much fire as you can!

[She doesn't know what this lady's talking about, but, well. She can figure that out when no one's trying to kill her with snow.]

[ That sounds like a bad idea, Leo thinks vaguely. Cleo is right that he has the best weapon to take her on, but he still can’t control it. What if he’s not strong enough? What if he’s not careful enough? What if she gets caught in it? That recurring nightmare he’s been having haunts him still; the last thing he wants is for something like that to happen for real.

The sight of Khione preparing for another attack is all it takes to make him move. While his worries don’t fade, there’s only one way for them to beat her. And Leo does have the advantage here. He’ll just have to take the risk. ]

Just try not to get burned.

[ He advances slowly, focus split on trying to summon as much fire as he can and not hurting anyone else in the area. Khione’s assault is relentless, but as the aura of heat around him gradually starts to increase, all of her attacks melt before they can hit. And Khione’s expression begins to change from fury to shock. ]

What happens here means nothing, [ she sneers, backing away. ] You’re already too late. You will never stop us!

[ Leo rolls his eyes. ]

Do you ever shut up? You talk big, but you can’t last five minutes against this.

[ With a bit of effort, he molds the flames into two small fireballs in his hands, and throws them at Khione with all his strength. She snarls, and mere seconds before they hit, she turns white. Snow, Leo realizes as her form starts to melt and hiss with steam. She’d gotten away, but he’d won this round. ]

Cleo? [ he calls, turning. The frozen figures he’d seen in the fog vanished with Khione, leaving only that miserable pile of snow behind. ] You okay?

[She looks at him, up and down, and sheathes her sword.

She gives out a soft laugh, relief overwhelming her.]

I'm fine. Thank you. That was... quite impressive, what you did.

[ He grimaces. ]

I don’t know about impressive. I still have too much trouble controlling it, but… [ Leo casts a dubious glance back at where Khione had stood as the melting snow oozes over the ground. ] I couldn’t just stand here while she tried to turn you into a Cleosicle.

[ He pauses before looking back at Cleo, a curious look in his eyes. ]

Did you really fight a god?

[Maggie knows it's a nightmare. That's what she tells herself, anyways. But even so, she can feel the choking smoke, see Leo's panic, and so she finds it rather hard to avoid getting caught up in it. But well, she decides to retreat into her normal ambivalence, although, she does owe Leo a favor for the finger. And helping him with this nightmare might be a good form of repayment for that, she figures.]

"Alright. What do you need to me to do?" [She coughs a little bit afterwards from the smoke. Yeah she is thankful this is a dream otherwise her lungs would be screwed.]

We need to get this door open!

[ He kicks it once, and tries to wrench the door open again, but no dice. All it does it rattle on its hinges while the fire grows around them. Leo looks around the workshop, frantically looking for something that might help. ]

Picking the lock will be too slow… But there’s no other way through here unless we try to bust the door down…

[ Leo’s doubts about that idea are painfully obvious, written on his face as if in sharpie as he glances over at Maggie. Neither of them would be strong enough for that, would they? ]

[She wonders, then, if she has the guardian here. And reaching into her pocket, she finds that she does. She hopes to god that pacts mean Bienfu can invade her dreams because if not then she is screwed. But she just has to ask Leo to confirm something first.]

"What's on the other side of the door? Is there a way to unlock it from there?"

[Because if so, well... she had a plan in mind.]

[ Leo pauses in surprise, staring at the door as if wishing he had x-ray vision to see through it. Is there a lock on the other side...? He can't remember the last time he went back there; it's supposed to be employees only. ]

I... I think there is a lock? [ It's kind of fuzzy, though, so he isn't certain. ] How does that help?

"Great. We don't have the key in here, do we?"

[So, she was left with two options. One, try and wake Leo up, and two, try and break down the door by force. Since she was not particularly experienced with what Option 1 entailed, she would have to go with Option 2. Which meant pulling out that guardian, clutching it between her index and middle fingers on her right hand, and taking a deep breath, hoping that this will be able to work. Hoping she can just get it functioning. And indeed, as she sees stiffen, she records that little piece of information mentally. The object expands in size a bit, and Maggie changes her stance.]

"Alright. Well, if you or I can't break down the door by ourselves... what's stopping us from doing so together?"

If we did the door wouldn’t be locked right now!

[ Basic logic, here! But… okay, yeah, what Maggie is suggesting makes sense, too. ]

Maybe we could… But we’d have to time to right.

[ HE THINKS?? Leo's never broken down a door before; is that how it works? ]

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