open ☆ how can you see into my eyes like open doors

[promisedyou]

WHO: Mio Sonozaki and you, fellow dreamwalkers!
WHERE: Mio's dreamscapes
WHEN: August 20th
WHAT: You're stuck in Mio's dreams. Try not to get too lost in it.
WARNINGS: Blanket content warnings for torture, and potential warnings for suicide, murder, and hallucinations. If anything else comes up, let me know and I'll add it to the list.



[ You find yourself outside. The sun is shining brightly and you can hear the cries of the evening cicadas out there — the higurashi. In front of you is a large door that seems to be almost closed tight; there's the strange feeling you get that you shouldn't open it because there's something terrifying behind the door. Like there's fear seeping right through it.

The words come out of nowhere, but the voice is distinct: to those who know her, it seems to be Mio's own voice. But the inflection is a little different than normal. Like she's trying to be someone else. Her tone is firm, but filled with concern for the person behind the door, giving an obvious warning: ]

"You can still go back now. I don't know what kind of impression you have of me, but... it will surely change... once you go in."

[ However, if you make the decision to turn around and walk away, you're greeted by the large expanse of darkness. Of absolute nothingness. It seems that in spite of these words, you aren't given much of a choice but to open the door and enter.

If you do, you're greeted by dark stone steps that seem to lead down into what seems to be almost endless... but in fact, actually isn't. It takes a while, but eventually you find yourself in what seems to be an underground cavern. In the center of the room, there's a place that seems like a person can lie down on it. But with how eerie everything is here and the fact that there seems to be straps on the areas where wrists and feet can be, you can only describe it as a place where someone was to be tortured.

This isn't just an underground cavern.

This is a torture chamber.

In the back of the chamber, there seems to be prison cells, not to mention that there's an area to the side where there might be something more. It's only when your feet manage to reach the bottom step that the owner of the voice shows up. However, there's something different about her. For those who saw her recently, the girl in front of you has her hair long and tied up in a ponytail, not to mention that she's wearing what seems to be a white kimono. There's darkness in her eyes, but is otherwise unbothered by the situation as she looks at you - the visitor. She wears no expression at all as she decides to greet you. ]

"Welcome." [ The words are spoken politely with a bow deep from the waist down. ] "While I am surprised you did not heed my warning, I am pleased to welcome you otherwise. My name is Sonozaki Mion, heir of the Sonozaki family. You are free to look around as you please, but if you have any questions-- well, perhaps I don't mind answering one or two."

[ OOC: As always, feel free to tell me your limits in terms of how comfortable you are with the content warnings given above and I'll match it! I can go as heavy as you'd like, just let me know. And if you have any questions, just ask me either via PM or at endlesseight. ]

Comments

[flametheif40]

[He looks away sadly, he can't even begin to speak about opening to other people. Yet, here he is, trying to be helpful.]

I..I get it, I'm sorry your in this spot and without many choices.

and I'm sorry that I'm not exactly the ideal person..but since I am here...I want to help, however much I can, however much you will let me.

[promisedyou]

"Do you really?"

[ Sarcasm drips from her voice as she finally shrugs her shoulders. ]

"Anyway. I suppose none of that matters. Stubborn people will simply push forward and I can't stop them from doing that. So, what do you want to do? You have two options. You can see the last cell... or you can go through the well. But I should warn you: you don't want to go through the well."

[odasaku]

Then you have to trust that someone else will stop you if you lose control again.

[ it may be a childish answer, but it's the only one that oda can come up with. after all, the children and his dreams for the future were the ones that stopped him for god knows how long.

he's certain that, in the end, it failed. but maybe she can do better than his past self. ]

Someone or something you can believe in...that will anchor you to reality more than anything else.

[promisedyou]

"I don't know... if that could work, I probably wouldn't have killed the people I loved to begin with."

[ She shakes her head, feeling rather uncertain. Like her heart's about to break. ]

[flametheif40]

Well, enough...

[He says a bit meekly, realizing that if someone said that to him, he might not have taken it so well]

If it's alright with you. Both. I've ran away from too many people already, so I'm not going to run on ya.

[promisedyou]

"Are you absolutely certain you want to go through the well? This is my last warning. There is nothing that you would like in there. It is something that will make any person sick. It is the place that shows all of Shion's misgivings.

That is why I warn them."

[ Her words are firm and serious. There's a large amount of fear coming from the left side, which seems to be where the well is. ]

"Running away isn't the problem here. You just simply don't understand how horrible that well is. And what it truly contains. Like I said. This is just the tip of the iceberg. It gets worse down there.

I mean... you can always go back before you decide on anything. I won't force you. I'm simply a guide, at this point. I'm not even the person you're really looking for. But I can show you the last cell before you make any final decisions on whether you want to go into the well or not."

[ She leads the way, down many more rows of bars, of the same person, left ignored until she reaches the end of the hall, the final one. ]

"You can go ahead and look."

[ And if he peers in through the bars, he'll find a rather stunning young man with brown hair and gray eyes; his hands are cuffed and any signs of arrogance that might have been in him are completely gone. He's just simply quiet, and sitting there. ]

[spiritoso]

[ There's something about that door that terrifies Kaede, and she hesitates to approach it. But that hesitation disappears when she hears Mio's voice. Determined to prove her wrong, that her opinion on Mio won't change no matter what she sees, Kaede immediately opens the door and pushes through.

When she realizes exactly where she is, that this is a torture chamber, Kaede freezes. This isn't what she expected to find, even knowing a little about Mio's past self. Kaede takes a moment to take a deep breath and steel herself as she pushes onwards.

She almost jumps when she sees Mio, noticing immediately how different she looks. Her eyebrows raise in confusion when Mio introduces herself by Mion instead. ]

Why are you here?

[ That's the only question Kaede can think of, because she can't see Mio ever wanting to be in a place like this. ]

[promisedyou]

[ The question asking her why she's here, exactly, causes "Mion" to let out a rather heavy sigh in what seems to be almost self deprecation. ]

"This is where everything ends for me. I chose this place as my grave. Besides... someone has to look over the other prisoners here."

[ Because she honestly does not think that she has any other choice, here. ]

[flametheif40]

[The fear that he senses from the left side...does tempt him to run, it is after all what he has done most of his life. His legs shake a bit, but he simply takes deep breathes. While she guides him to the last cell.

He knows he has no reason to actually care, but he just has a feeling that he can't shake off, especially the last girl. Killing her lover but not wanting to, that stirred something familiar inside of him, as if he heard such tragedy before and had already tried hard for this girl. Why?

He hesitates before discovering the young man and then says with curiosity]

So, what are you in here for?

[promisedyou]

[ He opens his mouth as if to say something, but is immediately shut up by "Mion" as she cuts any words that he attempts to say. ]

"He didn't commit any sins. He's sinless. He's here so I don't have to lose him again. That's all."

[ The words seem almost simple, but there's something almost melancholic about those words. Even her expression is rather telling, eyes looking as if she's about to tear up. But she doesn't cry. She refuses to. ]

[nachetanya]

[ Ah...? ah, this is a dream, isn't it. Or at least something to that effect. She hasn't seen her new roommate for a bit today (not that Nat's schedule isn't so busy she barely would see her) and now he hears her voice in a place like this. Fortunately, she does have her rapier (well the little baton thing which is more or less a rapier) in her purse, and with a sight she puts it on the belt of her clothing. It's weird how much the jeweled thing has come to comfort her.

But fine, fine. Let's venture in further. Let's face what's further down into this whole thing.

What she comes upon, of course, is shocking. It takes her breath away for a moment, but her red eyes harden just as quickly as they lose focus. ... Mion?

The voice makes her turn, and perhaps because she is on edge, in the very same moment she turns Natalia has put her right hand on the pommel of the little rapier, the better to draw it quicker if necessary, but instead she tilts her head and, ]

Oh, really?

[promisedyou]

"That's right. I won't stop anybody from looking around. For me, that isn't my duty."

[ She says those words so nonchalantly and with a shrug that she can't be bothered to care at the moment, to be honest. ]

[flametheif40]

[He reflects her sadness, feels it and looks at her with sorrow]

Do you lose him often?

[His words shaking with sadness and empathy, thinking about how he "loses" his mother often in his nightmares and figures she might do so with her lover.]

[promisedyou]

Hm... well, no. Because in the end, he's still alive in spite of the fact that I killed him. But I want to keep him here anyway. To guarantee that I won't lose him ever again.

[flametheif40]

[He nods slowly]

But, your not allowing yourself the chance to change...

I know you say its hopeless, but maybe that's what friends are for.

To help us with small changes, and change our ways slowly.

And that way, we can take a step away from our sins.

Was there a small thing, that if it were different, that could have prevented this tragedy?

[promisedyou]

"I've tried to change. So many times. But the tragedy just repeats itself, no matter how I try to stop it. It's kind of like a never ending loop. And as for friends? So many of them don't know who the real Mio is.

Well... there is one person that I could consider close a true friend. I don't know her too much. He knows her better, probably. But even so, she forgave me for my sin. Even though she didn't have to. And she honestly shouldn't have. Just like Xiaolang will never forgive me. Ever.

And to be honest, I don't think I can ever forgive myself. Even if I changed... I can't step away from my sins. That's just simply running away from it all. I don't want to run away. I want to face it head on. But I'm not strong at all. I'm weak. I'm reliant on people. But my reliance caused my mistake to happen once again. If it never happened, maybe I would have been able to live with Leon after graduation. We'd go to the same school together, he'd become the heir of his company and I'd find my true calling.

But I can't have that life. I'm not allowed to be happy. I never was. I was just simply born to be discarded, after all."

[flametheif40]

[He clenches his fist and punches a wall with a sorrowful furry washing over him]

BULLSHIT!

Your life was not made just to be thrown away!

[He takes a deep breath to calm down, getting a vague feeling of deja vu]

You still have him, don't you? You can still try again. This isn't the end!

I'm not saying this is easy, but I can't see why you can't be happy.

You didn't mean it, and your clearly hurting so much because of it and maybe this should always hurt but this shouldn't keep you down forever.

It's never too late to try again, with friends or our sins. If you really did change, then you wouldn't be the same person that did this, and this becomes something that you grew from.

If people can't stick around as you are working on yourself, then they are the ones that aren't ready. If your trying, that's all anyone can ask.

[promisedyou]

"I'm tired of constantly trying and running into walls. You don't know anything."

[ Her words are firm and her eyes are full of something that's serious. ]

"Even if a part of me wants to be happy, I can't have it. Even if a part of me wants to stop hurting, I know it won't ever stop. I've already tried my very hardest. This conversation is simply going in circles. I am done here. Now leave, before I make you do it myself.

Your words are not the words that can save the soul that resides in this place."

[flametheif40]

[He looks at her eyes, his own filled with both frustration and sadness. After a few moment, he takes a sad breath. Then speaks with some grief in his voice]

Your right, I don't really know you. I would like to though. But, if you don't want me around, I'll leave, walk me out or to the well. Your choice my friend.

Even if you don't believe in yourself, I believe you'll make it one day. I just wish I knew how to help you with those walls.

[promisedyou]

"Do not call me that ever again."

[ Not without her permission, she implies, eyes narrowed. ]

"Just walk out the way you came. I cannot leave this place."

[flametheif40]

[He puts his hands up apologetically, then speaks casually]

Alright, see ya later. I hope you find some way out of here. Sorry, that I couldn't help.

[Al starts to walk back the hall way that she guided him through earlier]

[spiritoso]

Your grave...?

[ That's surprising to Kaede, and she frowns in concern. She plans to die here? ]

Where are the other prisoners?

[promisedyou]

[ She nods, a little quiet. ]

"They're in the back. Follow me." [ "Mion" will in fact lead the way to where the other prisoners are. ]

[spiritoso]

Okay.

[ Kaede nods, following Mio. She's a little nervous, and it shows in the way she walks a bit slower, worried about what she might find. ]

[promisedyou]

[ "Mion" walks further in before gesturing at the multiple prison cells. ]

"You can go ahead and take a look. You might not like what you see, however."