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[Silleh Boy]

"A ghost," you echoed, shaking your head as you did so. You didn't know what to call it given how she clearly seemed not to have seen it given how she hadn't seemed to witness that same vision you had. You didn't know if it was a ghost, if it was an echo of a former aspect of yourself that was long forgotten, or if it was merely a hallucination. If anything, you didn't want to dwell on it, you wanted to help Joy, to help alleviate that guilty weight that burdened you still. "No, it wasn't a ghost. It's nothing to worry about, though. Not when the most important thing for me to worry about, is you."

Joy smiled slightly, shaking her head as she wagged a finger. "Flattery isn't going to have me forgive you so easily," came her words as she paused, her smile becoming a touch wider. "It is nice however, to have somebody do so after so long. Tell me though, and honestly please, why is helping me so important?"

She was looking up at you expectantly, innocently even. If you hadn't known better you would have fallen for this, found this petite woman to be disarming and lowered your guard. Still, honesty was the best policy, as a web of lies was one that would catch up with you in the end, give you more trouble than it was worth dealing with it. Well, not always, there was always lying to protect someone, though times like that occured much less freqently, than the times in what regular people would find ways to insert lies into every day conversation.

"Honestly," you started, "using that look doesn't work on me. If you want to know, sit down with me and we can talk", you stated, gesturing towards the chairs in her domain as you did so. She pouted briefly, though that pout was fast to fade as she no doubt realised that wouldn't work on you either. You walked towards the chairs in the part of that dome that represented her, pulling them out under from the tables first for her, then for yourself.

"So, what are you up to, then?" Joy asked before you had even seated yourself, her hands tapping against the tabletop almost excitedly. This wasn't much better than the previous attempt to manipulate you, you noted as you settled down, as you placed your arms atop the table casually.

"I have already told you. Helping you is one of my priorites right now, that is what is so important to me, that is what I am up to. Believe me or not, I plan to help you, I plan to-"

"You have said this before."

"I am quite aware that I have."

"Lets talk about what spooked you so much then, as that's at least new," Joy shrugged, her one hand moving to support her chin, while the other traced patterns on the table before her. You cringed inwardly as she suggested this, not sure that you wanted to think about it just yet. You could see from her expression that she was going to pursue this topic all night if she had to, however. To what end you were uncertain, though it wouldn't have suprised you if she wanted to know a means to get under your skin.

"It was me, and yet it wasn't."

"Please, don't give me that and expect me to drop it. It's bad enough that I can't stop you from invading this refuge, but for you to-"

You narrowed your eyes, silencing her immediately as your expression darkened. "I saw myself, I saw the same person that I have seen in a dream, the same person that I know died a thousand-"

"You know, if you can invade my dreams like this, force yourself into this part of my mind... Is it possible for you to show me the inside of yours?"

"I... I guess I can try and show you. I'm not entirely certain how I get here, let alone how I would get you there," you sighed, thankful at least that she had lost interest in the prior subject. You reached across the table as you took her hands in yours, taking a deep breath as you closed your eyes, as you tried to focus on moving from this dream realm to another, on holding onto her so she could join you.

There was a brief sensation of motion in the pit of your stomach.

A brief sensation as if you were falling in a direction you didn't know existed.

Your eyes opened again as you found yourself in the find that you had seen several times before, a field that was once more scarred by the signs of war, with bodies littering the ground around a figure who lay motionless in the arms of a woman, a woman who's appearance you knew all too well.

Anxiety, she who makes you falter.

This time the dreamworld was different though, this time it was less a twisted memory from a new perspective and more of a recollection of the end of a prior life. You were seeing this memory clearly for a change, instead of as part of a feverish dream, distorted so that it only bore a passing similarity to the true events of the day it was based upon. The woman was in tears, sobbing as she held that figure in her arms, the same words whispered over and over again as she cradled that motionless figure in her arms.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't supposed to happen this way, I had no choice, please forgive me!"

You turned slightly to see what Joy made of this, only to realise that you had lost her, that she hadn't crossed over with you, prompting you to curse silently as you turned your attention back towards the woman you knew all too well. You could see the puncture wound on that figures neck, blood coating the womans hand from that wound she had dealt, though there was no visible weapon in her possession that could have caused it.

"Why?" you asked, as you moved to kneel before the woman, though the absence of reaction from her told you that you were only a spectator to the carnage that had happened in these green fields. She could not see or hear you, yet you could see the bloodshed that had taken place, you could see the sea of bodies that dotted the formerly pristine landscape.

"Why indeed," came a voice from behind you, as a gauntlet clad hand came to rest upon your shoulder. "That is the same question I asked myself as I felt my life fleeting, as life fled me through a tiny puncture wound in my neck."

You turned to face this figure, knowing that if it was you that you could ask them questions, that you could try and find out more about what had happened, the events that had lead up to this moment. The thousand years that this figure had lived through before they had been betrayed.The moment you began turning, you felt the weight of their hand on your shoulder vanish, along with them.

You scowled slightly, figuring that you'd at least spend a little longer with this prior incarnation of Anne on the off chance that you would be able to find out more from her. This too, proved to be impossible as the moment you turned back towards her you found yourself face to face with her, with green eyes staring back at you.

The shock of this had you awaken with a start, only to find yourself in exactly the same predicament, with a pair of green eyes inches away from you as Anne sat there face to face, propped atop the table. She was grinning, inadvertantly adding to how you felt that you had awoken from a surreal dream, to a surreal situation.

"I'm bored. Lets play!" came her words as her grin widened, as she reached for your hands to take them in hers. Her eyes sparkled with mischievous intent, while her voice was but an enthusiastic whisper. "Those two are asleep, so we can go get into trouble without them knowing. We could climb atop the roofs, or-"

You raised one finger, pressing it to her lips as you did so.

"How about we start with finding out if they serve tea and cake, and move onto mischief from there?" you asked, prompting a nod from Anne as she reached for your hands, as she pulled you from your seat and out of the room.

"Cake is good, too," came her words, before she turned back towards you. "Don't worry, I have... Aquired some money to pay for it," she stated, grinning once more as she did so.

Despite sleeping, you felt as if you were far from well rested, feeling as if the entire experience had left you drained of energy, though this wasn't what troubled you. What troubled you, was the role that Anne had played in this entire dream, a dream that you weren't entirely certain you could, or should trust yet. Did you plan to discuss it with her, merely watch her, or handle the situation in another manner, was the question.

[RAM]

Hmmmmmmmm, lets wait on it for a bit...

[LordSlowpoke]

Devour copious amounts of cake. What could go wrong?

[cerapa]

The cake is a lie.
You know it was coming.

Anyway, eat cake.
Does Euro know about the angel guy? If not then ask her questions.

[Karnewarrior]

Tel Anne about the dreamworld over cake. Tell it truthfully, but tell it in such a way as that she doesn't get upset.

[penguify]

Tell Anne about the dreamworld over cake. Tell it truthfully, but tell it in such a way as that she doesn't get upset.

I would second this idea.

[Silleh Boy]

Hand in hand, Anne hauled you despite your reluctance through the train's carriages, seeking to find if there was one set aside for dining in. The odds of there being one were fair, you had to admit given that this was a long journey by train, with how you could just see the people of this country with their current level of social development viewing one as a worthy addition. Your feet felt like lead, and your legs rubber as Anne pulled you onward, making you question if you had truly awakened, if you were still dreaming.

You wouldn't have been suprised if you were, if this was all part of the dream world that you had entered, that you had failed to escape it with what you had believed was your awakening. Your free hand moved unseen by Anne up towards your face, rubbing at it briefly before you pinched the bridge of your nose. The pain you felt, stinging and insignifigant as it was, was enough to make you at least certain that you were awake.

After passing through a number of carriages with people of high standing seated, you came across the one that you were looking for, one that was decorated with the type of extravagant and lavish attention you had expected. Wooden panelling that had been styled and vanished, along with expensive looking wallpaper lined the walls, small tables with clean cloths draped over them, lamps and crockery placed ready for use. There were a number of people sat at tables to themselves, people who seemed to be ill at ease with the manner in what Anne burst into the room with you.

You didn't care what those pretentious idiots thought though.

You just wanted peace of mind, to awaken from the nightmare you were living.

Anne picked a table near the window, picking up the menu that was set atop it as she did so, pausing as she briefly ran one finger down the list of things on it, before she turned to see if one of the serving staff was available. You settled down opposite her, drawing in a deep breath as you did so. You could smell perfume, cinnamon and cloves, the scent of fresh food, tea and freshly baked cakes. They were some of your favourite things, such simple pleasures, and yet...

These pleasures were overshadowed by that reoccuring memory.

"I had a dream about you," you started, watching as Anne's attention turned back towards you, as a smile crossed her features, as she set that menu down briefly. You could see how this pleased her, how she seemed to be secretly flattered by the fact that you were telling her this. This depth of understanding caught you offguard, realising that your senses had sharpened further in your sleep, that part of your potential was still returning.

Was it too little, too late, or would it be enough to make a difference?

"What was the dream about?" She asked, her elbows placed atop the table as she cupped her chin in her hands, her fingers pressing to the sides of her face. You knew that with a mind like she possessed, that she would be fast to try and figure it out, though likely far from the mark in this case. "Was it a dream that tired you out, a dream in what you did things you cannot repeat in polite complany?" she asked, tilting her head slightly as her hair spilled over her fingers. "Shame on you, for dreaming such things."

"If this dream is considered to be indecent in such a manner, you must take such pleasure in your own sorrow."

"Huh?" Anne's expression betrayed her confusion, betrayed how she hadn't expected this response to her question.

"I dreamed of my death, a death that I suffered at your hands," you paused. "I have dreamed of this before, yet this time it wasn't a distorted dream, it wasn't something that felt real yet only told half the story."

Anne swallowed nervously as she turned pale, as her hands moved to rest on the table before her, clasping as she waited. She was waiting for you to lash out at her no doubt, to express anger, to tell her that you wanted no more to do with her, that you wanted her out of your life. She knew though, she knew of the signifigance of this dream and she was hiding something. She was hiding something, and you could feel it, you could feel that sense of shame that she held for holding this secret from you. It was no doubt one she was afraid to tell you, though.

"You looked distraught, as if what you had done was the most horrible thing you had ever had to do in your life. You wept for me, you begged for my forgiveness, you wished that there had been another way. Another way for what, I do not know, though what it does not change what I saw. It does not change the fact that you were horrified that you had been forced to carry out such an action," you smiled, reassuringly. "While I would hope that this lifetime does not end in the same manner for me, I will not fight my fate at your expense. I will not think of you any less fondly than I do now."

Anne swallowed once more as she fought to find the courage to look you in the eyes, her voice but a whisper as she spoke. "Why don't you hate me?" she asked, trembling now. "Why can't you hate me, save yourself from your fate by getting far away from me?"

"I tried a lifetime of solitude and peace, once..."

"How did that go?"

You paused, struggling to recall the details of that life, struggling to remember how it had come to an end. "I was a hermit, I lived in the middle of nowhere, at one with nature, with my surroundings," you breathed out slowly, closing your eyes as you did so. "My time came while I was meditating beside a waterfall, when a woman, when you walked across a bridge that lead over it... You cast a piece of jewellery from the bridge, into the river, a river that was said to bring fortune to those that sacrificed something of value. Chance would have it, that a gust of wind cast this silver pin that you-"

Anne had turned deathly pale, her lips moving as she tried to speak, as she mouthed the words "I'm sorry" over and over again.

"I do not blame you, you are as much a victim of fate as I am. I can see that you do not wish to see this happen, that you do not want to be the one who I am fated to die at the hands of, so let me propose something," you paused, reaching to take her hands in yours as you did so. "Fight this fate with me, do not allow what has been preordained to once more come to be. Define your own future with your actions instead of allowing fate to define it for you."

"But-"

"No buts, no giving in, fight it. Fight it with me, become the master of your own destiny," you paused, glancing over Anne's shoulder as you did so. A smile came to your lips as you took note of the approaching form, before you spoke once more. "Before we fight our fate however, I believe we have tea and cake to order. We should take some back for the bursar they sent with us and Joy. Do you think Joy'd admit she's a woman when cake's involved?"

Anne laughed slightly, "I feel terrible right now," she responded, though she lifted your hands, holding them in hers as she held them to her cheek, as she let out a soft sigh. "Cake will cure that, though. The more icing and cream, the better it'll cure it. Joy might be beyond cake, so... I'll have to eat her cake, too," Anne nodded, though you knew she was putting on a brave face, you could tell she was still shaken deep down.

That hadn't been your intent, yet it seemed that despite your efforts, you hadn't been able to avoid it. At least she believed you when you made it clear that you didn't hate her for her role in your entwined fates, that you wanted to help her, that you wanted to break that cycle for both of you. After placing your orders for tea and cake, after Anne had passed over the money for the order, you found her gaze falling on you again, as she looked at you expectantly.

She was waiting for you to say something, for you to take control of the moment, to tell her what you were planning next, to help her pass time on this journey. It was odd in a way to think that the one who was fated to kill you seemed to be so dependant on you. The question remained though, how did you plan to spend the rest of the train journey?

[RAM]

It is a good chance to work on Joy, except for the relatively innocent bystanders....

[penguify]

Not an actual suggestion for what to do right now, but do we lose our memories each time we die? Does Anne, when she kills us? Or did we only lose them this time due to whatever we did to ourself?

If we don't lose them, is there even anything wrong in letting the cycle continue? Other than the pain of dying (and for Anne, the psychological pain of killing us), of course.

One more question, how long do we have until our fate is supposed to kill us? Do we remember what season it was when the hermit died? It didn't seem to be winter, but that's not very specific.

[Karnewarrior]

"So, Anne, what was it you were saying before I told you about my dream?" *Smile*

But no, really,
>Converse with Anne. Try to calm her down.

[Silleh Boy]

((

Not an actual suggestion for what to do right now, but do we lose our memories each time we die? Does Anne, when she kills us? Or did we only lose them this time due to whatever we did to ourself?

Spoiler: "Minorly Spoilery" (click to show/hide)

Euro, being a true immortal has soul-bound memories, meaning that a great deal of his experiences carry between lifetimes, though they tend to be more readily accessible in dreams. His current amneisa's his own fault, though.
Anne due to her more mortal nature (at least originally) can have dreams and visions relating to this stuff, as any mortal may, though the memories don't carry across lifetimes.

If we don't lose them, is there even anything wrong in letting the cycle continue? Other than the pain of dying (and for Anne, the psychological pain of killing us), of course.

This, I can't answer without spoiling things at the moment, sadly.

One more question, how long do we have until our fate is supposed to kill us? Do we remember what season it was when the hermit died? It didn't seem to be winter, but that's not very specific.

I'll add a little flavour for this in the next post.))

[Nivim]

> Tell Anne that you also saw Joy in a dream, not 3-70, but Joy. Although cake might not be enough, you think this trip can bring her far towards restoring herself.

[RAM]

Maybe our next couple of points should go towards the dreamworld...

[Karnewarrior]

>Converse with Anne. Try to calm her down.

[Silleh Boy]

A couple passed by you as you sat there with Anne, a brief moment of silence filled with her awkwardly fidgeting with one of the tea cups that had been placed on the table prior to your arrival. Your attention briefly shifted across to them as you took note of how the woman was dressed in finery, that the man was dressed like any well off gentleman should be, yet, you could see that they were not happy. You could see from their body language that they were ill at ease with each other, that it was all smiles on the surface while deep down they were reluctant to be near each other.

You rubbed at your forehead as you turned away from them, glancing at the maids, the tired women working to clean the tables and make them presentable. An endless, thankless job no doubt, that you could see they despised deep down. You took a deep breath as you did your best to mentally drown out the ease with what every detail of these peoples body language came to you, presenting you with a new level of detail that you had missed before. A level of detail that you felt overwhelmed by, and yet, you knew that you had been familiar with it before, you knew that you had read people like books at one point.

"Are you going to be okay?" you asked, as your attention once more fell on Anne, while she gave a half hearted nod in response, doubtlessly struggling with inner conflict over this matter. There was more than that though, there was insecurity, there was-

You rubbed at your eyes as you took a deep breath, once more attempting to drown out everything that had started to reveal itself to you. It was akin to finding that after a lifetime of being half blind you could see clearly, that the world was presenting itself to you, with the overwhelming details being enough to give you a headache.

"The people here are too loud, once they bring the tea and cake over we should head back," you could see Anne's confusion as she glanced around, as she looked for the so called noise you were troubled by.

"It's pretty quiet in here right now, are you feeling-"

"I'm struggling to drown out how these people's body language, the manner in what they carry themselves, the manner in what-" you paused, watching as Anne tilted her head slightly. "I can read them, but I don't know how to drown it out right now. I can see the resentment of husband and wife, the way that the maids are sick of their work-"

"Those are all things people are used to seeing, you know. You're just making excuses to get out of here, you're not seeing anything out of the ordinary."

"Is that so, little miss insecurity?" you breathed out slowly. "Would you like to tell me why you became all the more nervous when I said that I could read them?" you continued, pausing as you tilted your head slightly, resting your cheek against your hand as you placed your elbow against the table. "Would you like to tell me that it isn't nervous fidgeting i'm seeing from you, that i'm wrong when I say that there's more troubling you than just the nature of the dream?"

Anne bowed her head slightly. "You make me feel inadequate, you make me feel like I am little more than a burden to you. You're stronger than me, smarter than me, more perceptive. You don't need me, you have Joy, who's quiet and obedient, she isn't impulsive and troublesome like me, she's strong, she's... She..."

"She's boring. She lacks the spark of life, she carries out orders but she doesn't have a human touch to add to whatever she does. You're wild, you're free, you're alive, you're not afraid to go against what society expects of you, to be your own person, don't measure yourself against others, for you will forever live in their shadow."

Anne nodded slightly, sighing as she did so.

"How about once we've eaten, we go back and see if we can get a reaction out of Joy with the cake, with the prospect of ice cream, fudge, a trip to the beach?"

"I don't see her caring about that, though."

"No?" you paused, smiling as a maid came with a pot of tea, with a tray filled with various cakes, placing the two before you before she left without a word. "While I was dreaming, I met with Joy, too. She isn't too happy with me, especially given the fact that the guardian personality dominates her mind, preventing her from being her own person again, but, that doesn't mean that we can't try and coax her to the surface. I'm sure these things, things that a person would enjoy, things that a guardian would never partake of, may go a long way towards helping her."

"But... You don't need me for that."

"You're both a woman and a person with whom she has history, I'm the man that ruined her life. If anything, I believe she will react more favourably to you, towards a friend. You may doubt yourself, but I do not. I believe in you Sabrina, like it or not."

The mention of her name had Anne cringe, though it was clear that she didn't have anything other than excuses for why she couldn't co-operate with you here and help you. Excuses that she seemed almost ashamed at the concept of giving you, it seemed, given how she sighed, given how she started to pick up and stack cups and saucers ready for use. "You better not let her take the cream filled ones first, they're mine."

You merely smiled, taking the teapot in one hand and the cups in another.

as you started back towards the carriage you had originally come from, you sighed, wondering how long you had before fate was supposed to take you, before you started the cycle all over again. You knew that the nearest you had to a clue was in the dreams you had, that they bore a clue, that they were the only clue you had right now. The memories of life as a hermit, of the warrior who had fallen on the battlefield, there was something that they both shared, something that you were missing in both of them.

You stepped from one carriage to another as you made your way onward, glancing out the window as you took note of the trees outside, your eyes for a moment lingered on their leaves. The leaves of them were naturally green, healthy despite how spring had been cold and the onset of summer that was upon you had been little better. The season had been one that had greenery, one that had things in the full bloom of life. Green grass, lushly covering the landscape as far as the eye could see in the warriors lifetime, and trees filled with leaves.

It must've happened around late summer, maybe early autumn.

Your attention snapped away from this as you took note of figures on horseback riding along one of the dirt paths that ran alongside the train, figures who were armed, with their faces obscured by scarfs. Figures who you could see malicious intent in as they came alongside the train. You sighed, shaking your head as you hurried up alongside Anne, setting the teapot and cups down on the table that split the room you had on your carriage in two.

It seemed you couldn't go anywhere without getting into trouble.

You knew that these people were most likely amateur's attempting to make easy money by robbing the train, people who were armed. You knew that it was too late to alert others, though it wasn't too late to do something about them. Did you want to get involved, though, or did you want to sit this one out and stare them down if they came your way?