[open] october nightmare/fog catchall & overflow

[thole]

WHO: John Lyall (Remus Lupin) and YOU
WHERE: Dreams and Various
WHEN: The month of October
WHAT: Catch all/overflow for the October nightmare/fog events
WARNINGS: NPC character death, violence, will update later as needed

ii. nightmares

a) the good
[From the sound of the classroom around him, John knows that there's something wrong, though he cannot tell immediately what it is. He stands with his book in his hands in front of the lectern, where he's just returned to it after having paced back and forth across the front of the room. He's been questioning the motives of the characters in this scene. He wants to know what it is that the students see beneath the obvious, however. When that draws a snicker from the students, John turns and raises an eyebrow at the student in question.]

Is there something the matter?

[Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that he's standing there in front of the class wearing nothing more than a pair of boxer-briefs as he addresses them. Which, considering the fact that he is usually dressed from head to toe in English Professor Chic, is quite a shock...]

b) the bad cw: blood & death
[Otherwise, John's nightmares almost always center around one thing. One moment in his life that changed everything, flipped everything he had known completely on its head. It's really quite predictable that whatever is directing these October horrors should focus in on such a thing, in retrospect. Even still...

They sit together on a blanket in the park. John has a book in his lap, one that he had read hundreds of times before, but he is preparing for a lecture and this is a classic. She's lying beside him on the blanket as well, a book propped in front of her, her head in her hands. He glances over at her and it looks as though she must have fallen asleep. His lips curl in a soft smile and he reaches out to run a hand through her hair and across her back, but the fabric of her shirt is damp.

Lifting his hand he sees that it is blood.

John lets out a cry of shock and reaches to turn her over. The front of her shirt is soaked in blood as well, and her face is pale, so pale.]

Oh god, help! Someone help her!!

iii. the fog
[John is trying to stay positive throughout the month, despite the dreams that are plaguing him. Trying to put on a brave face in front of his students -- he's usually putting on a brave face in front of his students -- but the cracks are there for those that know him well. Not that he would admit to even that, of course. John's not really one for putting his burdens on others, and what would he say anyway? He's a grown man, he can handle a few nightmares.

What he cannot handle is this fog, and whatever it is that is lurking beyond it. He's not one for jumping at shadows, which means that the shadows truly are being rather menacing. Especially so when, as he crosses the park on the way back in to work from a walk trying to clear his head, the figure within them starts to growl at him.

John decides to take this as a cue to walk a little faster, which is when the snarling grows louder and he decides to throw caution to the wind and break into a run...]

Comments

[thole]

[ continued from here ]

[John glances aside at the younger man uneasily. He knows it's a ridiculous question but he feels as though he has to ask. It's important to establish whether this is a universal or whether it's all in his head. If it's just him, this is a whole different breed of problem.]

I don't... Can you feel that? Is that the creature, is it tied in with it somehow...?

[John shivers, stumbling back slightly, rubbing his hands up and down his arms as though he's cold -- but it isn't that cool outside. It has to be the monster. It has to be him.]

It's as if. I can't get warm. But it's more than that.

[ooc: continued here since captcha struck, lmk if you would rather continue it elsewhere!]

[blondferret]

[Derek looks at John with a serious face.]

Like you'll never be happy again?

[thole]

[John nods in response to the younger man's words.]

Exactly so. It isn't that they're even all that menacing, they're just figures in cloaks, it's just...

[He shakes his head, making it a point to move further away from the creatures in question. It's true, they don't have claws so to speak, and though you can't see their faces under the hoods it's not that that makes them terrifying either. It's as if -- they have an aura about them. An aura that breeds such an emotion. Or takes everything else away, he can't be sure.]

[blondferret]

[Derek takes a few steps back and shakes his head.]

The fact that the other me in the memory was terrified of this thing, was menacing enough for me. I'm still surprised it isn't coming towards us yet. I already waiting for it to take a dive at us. And the thing is, my gun doesn't work on it.

[thole]

[The other me in the memory. John takes a moment to mull over that one over. Tries to imagine firing a gun at the thing, how the creature might respond. How one is supposed to fight it if bullets don't work. Why such a creature might exist, and where it would come from.

And then just like that, the memory hits him.

A boy sits across from him, demanding answers. "Why? Why do they affect me like that? Am I just--?"

John remembers shaking his head, cutting the boy off sharply. "It has nothing to do with weakness. The dementors affect you worse than the others because there are horrors in your past that the others don't have."

He sits forward in his chair, the light from the window falling across the desk he is sitting at. "Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can't see them. Get too near a dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself...soulless and evil. You'll be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life..."

John comes back to himself and struggles to make sense of his surroundings in response to the flash of memory for a moment, before he glances aside fearfully between Derek and the creature itself.]

Dementor... [he murmurs to himself. That has to be what this is, it must.]

[blondferret]

[Derek eyebrows raise when he notices John suddenly go quiet for a second and has this dazed look on his face. But just as Derek notices it, John is back in reality. Or is he? Because he just said something really strange.]

What did you say?

[thole]

[John looks dazedly between Derek and the creature before them. The dementor. That has to be what it is, there's no other way to describe the way that he's feeling just now. Draining the happiness out of the air.]

A dementor... That. It's. I think that it's called a dementor. I remember...

[He shakes his head slightly.] It's never that clear, you understand. I don't know if it is for you or not, but my memories only come back in waves. Bits and pieces. But I remember a conversation. About a creature called a dementor, who drains peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them.

[He nods towards the creature just beyond.] And I'm willing to bet more than anything that's one of them.

[blondferret]

[Derek snorts nods along to what John is saying.]

Drains peace, hope, and happiness? Yeah, sounds about right. That is what this thing has been trying to do to me all month.

You wouldn't know how to get rid of one would you?

[thole]

[John hesitates for a long moment, before shaking his head.]

I -- I don't know. I can't remember. But I do know that if you get too near one, if you stay too near one, then it will drain you and you will wind up a shell. Something like one of them.

[He glances back at Derek, warier now of the creature than ever he was before, considering he understands just what danger it is that they are in, despite how it doesn't seem to have teeth or claws or anything physical with which to attack them with.]

You said you had defeated one of them before? With fire...?

[blondferret]

A few times. [Three times to be exact.] But we'd need to be careful if we do that, I might have burned down a whole building doing it one time. But I am packing a lighter with me now thanks to this thing showing up all the time.

[thole]

[Burned down a whole building? John can't help but feel alarmed by that revelation, though he supposes burning down a building is better than being caught by this monster. He hopes no one else was harmed.]

Well. Then I suppose it's for the best we're not in a building...

[He swallows audibly and stumbles backwards, moving to pull Derek with him.]

I think you'd better find that lighter quickly then. And hope it's still filled.

[blondferret]

Yeah well, we'll need more than just a lighter. And don't worry, the building I burnt down, it was an abandoned mechanic shop.

[Derek looks around and sees a liquor store across the street. He points to it.]

That's our goal. We're going to need to get something from there. Come on.

[Derek breaks into a run.

[thole]

[ continued from here ]

John manages to look slightly sheepish in response to the other man's first words. Offering him something of a shrug as well. "Ah, yes. I suppose that I would be guilty of being one of those people as well, then. If it's any consolation, I know better now. I wasn't really conscious of what was happening at the time, though."

He glances aside as Togusa gestures to the floor and indicates the lack of elevator. Ended up in the basement? He cocks his head to the side at that. "I can only imagine what sort of a basement an establishment like this might possess," he notes, which is to say please continue to tell him about your adventures Togusa, he's hooked.

[ooc: continued here since captcha struck, lmk if you would rather continue it elsewhere!]

[standalonehuman]

Togusa tilts his head to the side, and he looks at the open door. "Although it doesn't make sense, we might find out," he gestures to the door. "Any of the security here is all robotic, but I'm betting they've got it turned off."

"At least one of the employees lives here, so if they aren't in emergency mode, we should be fine." He moves to the door, and gives John a challenging smirk. "Best way to learn what Retrospec is up to is to see for yourself."

[thole]

John nods in response to the other man's suggestion. "Considering the fact that we're able to get in in the first, I'm willing to bet that the security is off. Though whether that is on purpose or not is open for debate..."

And if it is on purpose... John doesn't know whether he really likes the idea of that or not. Then again, he'd still be here exploring the place either way, so he supposes it doesn't matter in the long run regardless.

He raises an eyebrow at the suggestion that there are employees living here. He glances around the place -- it doesn't really look like the sort of place where a person might want to reside, though perhaps there might be apartments in the floors above? (Or below, for that matter.) He turns back to the younger man and offers him a smirk in turn.

"It is, indeed." He steps forward, nodding towards the door. "Well, then. Shall we?"

[standalonehuman]

Togusa takes the lead in the door, carefully stepping up the stairs, and starting to head up to where he thinks is just going to be the next floor. "Last time we were up here, I got a glimpse in somebody's office..."

But as the both of them clear the door, it slams shut behind them both, plunging them into darkness. "Son of a-" Togusa knows better, but he pushes past John to try the door anyway. He already knows it won't budge, but it's too automatic.

"Great. Just. Great."

[thole]

John tries to stay as calm as he can in the plunge of darkness that follows. From the swearing that follows, it's pretty obvious that they're locked into -- wherever this is.

"Hey, easy," he says, reaching a hand out to rest on where he assumes the other man's shoulder to be. He doesn't rightly know where he is in the space before him after all. "It's alright. There must be some other way out of here. We'll find another way."

He hopes. What that other way might be only time will tell.

[thole]

[ continued from here ]

[John startles slightly at the sudden summoning of Ardyn's sword, but handles himself as best he can, given the circumstances. Which is to say that he gives the other man a long, steady look out of the corner of his eye before quietly stepping forward to follow after him down the corridor and around the corner.

He knows he's supposed to be keeping from drawing any extra attention to them as they walk but he can't help but asking, as they walk:]

I -- how did you do that? With the sword. [Is it something he could learn himself, perchance...]

[daemonized]

[He had almost forgotten that John is unaware of his magical talents, these days. He looks at him, and despite everything, there's the sense of a wry smile tugging at his features.]

Ah, forgive me. I'd forgotten you'd not seen it yet...

[He still speaks in something hushed, given that he still wants to be cautious, even if they can spare a few words tossed between each other.]

But it's my magic. A talent of mine, to call forth items I wished to keep near me. My sword is always essential to have, these days.

[thole]

[John shakes his head. ] No, I. It's remarkable...

[He had seen magic done before, of course. That young man in the park, with the roses... But not someone he knows. Not like this. A sword, really? Still, he recognizes that this is neither the time nor the place so he files that little bit away for later, when he can ask his questions properly.

The growling intensifies, as if to prove his point, and John's heart skips a beat. He feels shaken by the sound of it, for there's something vaguely familiar about it, and the feeling of that fills him with an overwhelming sense of panic. Panic isn't like him, he's English.]

Ardyn. [His voice is tight as he speaks again, forcing the words past the bubble of panic he isn't certain quite belongs to him.] That sound...