[PRP] Lost in a Dream (Titus / Riyo)

[Inu-Mitsu]

Riyo's actions seemed to be all for not. All she managed to do was jostle the boil around without even a hint of a reaction to justify the cause. He was barely breathing, his chest rising and falling in slow shallow movements. Even his skin was cold to the touch. As soon as she let go he slumped back on the couch like a stringless puppet.

His fingers gave no resistance as Riyo plucked the note away. The front of it held a neat and clean script that spelled out the name 'Morpheus' and inside was a simple message written in the same hand writing.

'I'll be there in two days to collect him. Keep an eye on him until then -Taras'

There was nothing more to the note other than the date carefully written in the corner. It was obviously not from Mirren but had likely been left by the demoness in Taras stead.  

[Sexy Cocaine]

Riyo read over the note multiple times as if she couldn't comprehend the meaning. Well, she really couldn't. Not fully. It was simple. A simplicity meant for someone else. At the very least, she knew it meant nothing good for the boil.

The ghoul refolded it slowly, her eyes immediately darting back tot he unconscious boil. It felt like there was a knot developing in her throat as the grim truth of the situation set in.

She couldn't help him.

There was literally nothing in her power to save him from what would ultimately be something tragic. The feline wasn't clear exactly who Taras was, but she had an inkling of who it might be, and... That was enough.

"What do I do?" She squeaked, asking him as if he'd give some kind of answer. Her hands grasped his, caressing his cold skin in an effort to warm him. "I want to help you." And she wasn't sure why. The feeling and need to do something was overwhelming, and it left her feeling so helpless. She couldn't walk into dreams or read minds. She couldn't reach him wherever he was. How long had it been since she felt so helpless?

"You can't go away... I need someone to shove cupcakes in my face and insult me and ******** bother me when I want to be left alone!" They were going to take him away. Maybe somewhere far away. Maybe forever. He was going to leave and she would be left behind and-

Without realizing it Riyo had started to hyperventilate. Her hands clutching his tightly. No. Nono. This wasn't her. She wasn't helpless, and she didn't give up without a fight. Not anymore. Her mind raced as she sought a solution to the problem, only realizing that it had been right in front of her the whole time, written on the note.

It was all she had... But better than nothing.

Riyo stood, making an effort to catch her breath. "We're going on a road trip, Titus." She tried to sound confident, not for his sake, but for hers. "I just... Gotta figure out how to get you to the road." The feline shoved the note in her pocket and reached her arms out to pick him up. "Uh..." Those horns were gonna be a real b***h...

The ghoul had managed to awkwardly drag the boil down to the dorm entrance, first figuratively, then literally. Yes, she had made an effort to carry him down the stairs all bridal style and s**t, but her arms were not beefy and he was still an almost 7 foot b*****d so at the bottom of the stairs, she dropped the boil and pulled him along by his by his feet. His head would be fine. He had horns.

Leaving Titus at the door, Riyo called up the shadiest cab company she knew and told the driver there was an extra 20 seeds in it for him if no questions were asked. Go figure she had no help with her 'baggage', but she had managed to shove them both in the back seat just fine... Kinda...

It took awhile, but she managed to finally direct the driver to the house she'd been looking for. Unsurprisingly, however, it appeared the cab driver's willingness for shady deals stopped at long driveways, and the feline didn't have the seeds to bargain more with him...

Which left a long walk with what might as well be a corpse.

"It's... Going to suck if he's not home..." Riyo whined to herself.

What should've been a 10 minute trip took more like 40. In the best conditions Riyo was sure she could've made it in 20, but half way up she started to realize her nightmare had left her achy and exhausted, her sweat stinging the hundreds of tiny cuts she'd sustained.

By the time she'd reached the door, Riyo looked... Less than presentable, she was sure. The last quarter of the way she'd taken to walking backwards, holding him by the torso and dragging his freakishly long legs. She'd earned a good rest at that point so it was time to just... Collapse under the doorbell. Yes that was nice. One arm snaked away from him, just long enough to reach up and give the button a little tap.  

[Inu-Mitsu]

As luck would have it Riyo's journey was not in vain. It took a couple of minutes for Morpheus to get to the door but he opened it with a smile and a greeting on his lips. That smile quickly faded when his eyes drifted down to the ghoul resting underneath his door bell and then to his nephew laid out on his doorstep not far away.

"What..." He didn't seem to know where to focus his attention first but soon decided to stoop down beside Riyo to see if she was okay. "What happened? Are you alright?" His expression was filled with concern, his mouth twisting into a deep frown. The ghoul was a mess and while none of the cuts looked life threatening Morpheus could assume they were far from comfortable.

"Let's get you inside." He reached down to help the ghoul up, his eyes drifting to Titus shortly after. There was only a seconds pause while he lingered to see if Riyo could stand on her own before he moved to the boil's side and dragged his unconscious body into a sitting position. The demon was apparently stronger than he looked and he managed to haul Titus' long form up and over his shoulder with only a small grunt from the effort. Once his nephew was secure he pressed a hand to Riyo's shoulder to lead her inside.

"The living room is this way." It was the closest room where they could rest comfortably and Morpheus hoped he could get some answers about what was going on.  

[Sexy Cocaine]

Riyo spent the few quiet minutes that passed pondering, thinking about her options if Morpheus wasn't there. Were there options? Maybe she could find a good hiding spot for the boil and take care of his body until he woke up.Yeah. Something like that. What a shitty plan...

Footsteps soon caught her ears and the feline thanked whatever deity had been the b*****d to bless her on this day. As the boil's uncle stepped out, she looked up at him with a pleading look in her eyes. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, and she could feel the words burning at the back of her throat, but all she could manage to muster was a quiet "Help."

She wasn't used to asking for help, or taking it, and that much was obvious when she accepted the hand he had offered her. Standing was much easier when you didn't have a boil to carry around, though it left her feeling a little like jello. Whelp. No working out for the rest of this week. She'd met her quota.

Riyo nervously watched Morpheus lift the boil up, surprised that he didn't even break a sweat. Wow. She obviously hadn't given him enough credit.

As soon as a seat was in view, the ghoul practically fell into it, her head lulling backwards as she started digging through her pocket. "Titus... Wandered into my dream last night." She wasn't about to waste time catching her breath. Enough time had been wasted getting here. "And so did his sister. I woke up but... But he didn't..." It was possibly the most condensed explanation of anything she had ever given. "And..." She pulled the note out of her pocket, holding it out. The paper had become just a little crumpled in transit. "Found this."  

[Inu-Mitsu]

Once in the living room Morpheus set Titus down with as much care as he could manage, catching the boil's head as he rolled him off his shoulder and onto the couch. He set Titus' head gently onto a pillow feeling a little unsettled seeing his nephew sleep.

"His sister?" His brows furrowed, a hand pressing to the side of Titus' face so that his thumb could life his eyelid. The boil's eyes looked normal enough but they were completely unseeing as he stared off in no particular direction.

Releasing the boil the older demon turned back to Riyo as she finished up her brief explanation, staring at the note in her hand. Rising from his spot by the couch he moved toward her and gently took the note. "It's for me."

With care he unfolded the note to see the brief message within, his eyes narrowing. His generally cheerful expression was suddenly angry. "My brother is coming to collect him or so he thinks." The simply written note made him upset but he carefully folded it back regardless and placed it in his pocket. "But I won't let that happen." Titus had managed to change a little while he was here and Morpheus knew it was for the better.

"Likely Mirren locked him up in his own mind, I guess I need to go get him."  

[Sexy Cocaine]

Riyo finally took in a deep breath and seemed to regain her composure, rubbing at her arms with a grimace. "Yeah. His sister. She better hope to Jack I never meet her face to face, because-" Oh. Right. Family. "-Nevermind." It was probably a bad idea to explain in detail all the things the feline wanted to do to this gentleman's niece. Probably.

She watched with mild interest as the older gentleman examined Titus, then moved to the note. It was at that point she had a thought. What if bringing him here was a mistake? She... Hadn't just delivered him to his fate, had she?

A huge sigh of relief left the cat ghoul as Morpheus announced he wouldn't let it happen. Thank Jack, her only decent plan had been the right one. "I'm glad. The only ideas I had after this sucked." But she wasn't going to give up. Not as long as she could drag him around.

The demoness knew it was a farfetched question, but she decided to ask anyways. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Being locked up in one's mind... That sounded horrifying. Riyo knew Titus didn't like to sleep, and it made her wonder if there were more reasons than just Mirren.  

[Inu-Mitsu]

Morpheus rose a brow at the ghoul as she started to threaten his niece. While he couldn't blame the ghoul for feeling that way, and as regrettable as it may have been at times, Mirren was still part of his family. He still cared for her as much as anyone else even though he understood her views and actions were a little skewed. Not a word was said, however. Riyo had cut herself off and truly there was no harm done if she had finished what she had wanted to say.

"Just be careful around her." He warned. "Perhaps Titus should have been working with you on lucid dreaming." Because he suspected the boil had probably never bothered.

It was actually a little surprising to hear the relief in Riyo's voice when Morpheus had confirmed he wouldn't allow Titus to be taken away and it made him smile warmly. The fact that the boil had a friend was enough of a reason to make sure he stayed. "I'm sure you would have figured something out. The younger generation never fails to surprise me with how clever they can be." Optimism, Morpheus had it.

Riyo's last question had the demon thinking, staring down at his nephew once again. "He seems to trust you. Having someone else there might make it a little easier to find him. I don't think he's mastered dream manipulation enough to hurt anyone in the realm of reality so it should be relatively safe." But there was a little doubt there.

After thinking it over a moment longer Morpheus nodded. "If you would like to tag along you may. I can take you with me."  

[Sexy Cocaine]

Riyo stuck her nose up at the idea that she should have to be careful around Mirren. "She should be careful around me." Because she was tuff stuff. "Though uh.. Yeah. It would be nice to know how to fight back when someone's got their greasy fingers in your brain folds." Riyo's hands raised up to touch her head for emphasis.

"Heh. I dunno about that." Augh why was he so flattering and chipper? It made the feline wonder if he was actually related to the boil she had dragged out here.

The ghoul's expression became stoic as she waited for an answer, though... His words were slightly unsettling. "You think he'd try to hurt us?" She glanced over to his unmoving form. It didn't matter, she supposed. That wasn't enough to deter her. His nod was all she needed. "I'd like that very much." Riyo would continue doing whatever she could for as long as she could. If it was in the realm of possibility for her, she would do it. The determined glint in her eyes said as much. "Just tell me what I need to do."  

[Inu-Mitsu]

"I'm..not completely sure." Morpheus admitted since he really wasn't positive if Titus would try to hurt them or not. "He may very well try to lash out without thinking but if its too dangerous I will bring you back and go back myself. As long as you stay close we should have nothing to fear."

The ghoul's determination to help made Morpheus' smile broaden. It filled him with pride to know that Titus could manage to find such devoted friends. He never would have managed this back home with his parents.

"Alright, its settled then." He gestured to the couch where Titus was laying. "Take a seat by the boil." Morpheus moved to shift Titus down a little letting his legs dangle over the arm rest. It left just enough room for Riyo to sit by his head. "Be sure to keep contact with him and once your comfortable just close your eyes. I'm going to place my hand on your shoulder and talk you through what will happen."  

[Sexy Cocaine]

Riyo wasn't worried about getting hurt. Not at all. She was worried about how bad things might be that it would come to violence.

Her eyes watched as the older man's smile just kept getting bigger and bigger, and she couldn't fathom why. Now didn't seem like the opportune time to be smiling. "O-okay.." It only occurred to her then how strange this was. Riyo had never been able to control her own dreams, and now she was suddenly wandering into someone else's. Would she be able to keep herself together? Would Titus be offended that she'd stepped into his mind?

Well, on that point she decided he could get the ******** over it. Not like he hadn't to her.

Changing seats, Riyo carefully sat down next to Titus, intently focused on his unchanging features. Her hands shifted his head just enough to prop it up against one of her legs. Certainly couldn't lose contact then. The ghoul took a small moment to brush some stray strands of hair to the side of his forehead before resting her palm against the back of his head, her crimson eyes finally shutting tight. "Alright."

I'm going to help you.  

[Inu-Mitsu]

As soon as Riyo closed her eyes Morpheus placed a hand against her shoulder. He hoped that he was right and it would be safe for her to be there. If anything having a friend there might help bring Titus around a little faster and keep him from getting violent.

"Alright take in a few deep breaths and focus on the way the air enters and leaves your lungs. Feel as it makes you lighter, like your drifting." As Morpheus continued to speak Riyo would feel like she was lifting off the couch just barely. "Now just know that I am here and try not to panic. What you are about to experience is normal. Like a rush and a sudden stop." But it was less of a rush and more like she was being sucked into the void as they entered Titus' mind. It was like flying at high speeds without the safety of some sort of machine around them only for everything to stop suddenly.

"Now open your eyes slowly, though there isn't much to see yet. We're at the edges of his mind." Morpheus stood beside Riyo, watching the ghoul carefully for her reaction. As he promised there wasn't much to see. Everything around them was black except for the small patch of area they were standing in. There didn't appear to be a floor, ceiling or walls, just an endless reach of nothingness with an eerie sensation that they weren't alone.

Muffled noises soon began to drift in their direction. Wails and screams, crying and even unsettling laughter. There was the sound of rapid movement just out of their field of vision followed by the sound of something larger as it swam through the darkness. An odd rattling began to creep up from behind and one by one glowing sets of eyes appeared in the black beyond. They were wide and unblinking but far enough away it was impossible to see what they were attached to.

"Titus was never very good at purging nightmares.." Morpheus sighed.  

[Sexy Cocaine]

Riyo wasn't entirely sure what she had expected when she agreed to this, but... Holy s**t.

The ghoul took in her breaths as instructed, attentively feeling and hearing the air pass through her. She did feel light... Like... Gravity had stopped applying it's basic rules to her. Though, as soon as she heard 'try not to panic', she was fairly certain she'd do about the opposite.

It took a great effort not to start screaming, or open her eyes to figure out what the hell was going on, but she had managed. Not without a large grimace, of course. Especially when they just stopped.

As soon as she could, Riyo's eyes shot open, her head darting this way and that to try and figure out what the ******** had just happened. They were just... Floating in darkness. The whole scenario was a bit overwhelming. She felt very out of her element and her expression said as much.

To be completely conscious and see into someone else...

The feline's ears perked at the terrible sounds that faded in. She glanced up at Morpheus as he mentioned nightmares. "Yeah, I know how that feels." She could sympathize. Her best nights of sleep were the ones where she didn't dream at all. Just darkness.

Her eyes happened to catch the glow over her shoulder, those eyes peering at them, watching them. She couldn't help but ponder if they were attached to anything at all. It was a dream, after all. They didn't have to be.  

[Inu-Mitsu]

"These are likely not Titus' nightmares," Morpheus continued to explain. "Unlike baku who eat dreams we copy them and store them to our own memories. What better way to create nightmares when you have a whole arsenal locked up in your mind?" He smiled a little sheepishly as he glanced around as if to determine a good place to start.

"When we have an over abundance of nightmares they mingle with our FEAR and can sometimes create physical attributes like wings, tails, or even horns on a rare occasion. Even then sometimes it can get a little crowded in the mind and you need to purge some of the dreams but Titus was never very good at it..." Or didn't try hard enough, Morpheus was never sure. Sometimes it was like Titus didn't want to forget while he knew he should.

"Let's head this way." The direction the older demon pointed to looked no different than any other black point in the shapeless room they were in but as he started to walk a scene started to fade in around them. Black lifeless trees began to take shape as a thick mist of white fog rolled in. The sky above lightened to an ominous gray but the sounds they heard before didn't completely leave them. They were muffled and in the distance but every once in a while a dark figure would peek around a tree before vanishing a second later or a row of large spines would rise up in the fog off in the distance like a snake swimming through water.  

[Sexy Cocaine]

Riyo listened intently to the explanation Morpheus offered, stare shifting back to him. "Oh." She nodded at the brief lecture on nightmare demons. "That explains a lot." It really did. No wonder those wings of his were so trippy. But... That couldn't be very good for him.

The cat ghoul's eyes followed the direction his finger pointed in. She figured he'd be pointing at something she could see, but alas. It was so weird, having to rely on someone just to make sure you walked in the right direction. At least she could see things now. Not exactly pleasant things but it was better than being blind. She kept hoping to see a familiar face with each small movement she spotted in her peripheral vision, that maybe this wouldn't be the fight that Morpheus was expecting... Really, she should've known better than to think like that at this point. "How are we gonna know if the direction we're going is the right way?" Or if any way was really the right way in a dream.  

[Inu-Mitsu]

"Uhh....I expect a little resistance." Because likely they were going to have to waltz into the deepest recesses of the boil's mind and it was when they got closer that Morpheus expected a fight of some sort.

"Just be sure to call out to him when you see him. Talk to him, it might help keep him calm. Hearing a familiar voice is often helpful."

As they continued to walk the scenery shifted again. The trees grew taller until the tops of them couldn't be seen. They shifted and moved until they collided with one another forming something else. As darkness loomed again bursts of light began to form in tiny cracks in the trees until chunks feel away revealing windows and doors. Building began to emerge where there was once a forest, the fog still densely gathered at their feet. It was noisy and loud, the chattering of people seemed to be everywhere and yet there was no one in sight. The streets were empty and even the windows looked vacant.

"Step behind me." Morpheus' instruction was given in a calm voice as he stepped ahead of Riyo to greet the large shadowy creature that peeked around a building. It was a tall and thin, wisps of shadows crawling along its skin as it moved. Mouth cracking open where there hadn't previously been one, the creature let out a bellow before it charged.

With the raise of his hand Morpheus created a large wall between them and the creature that rose up high along the buildings on either side. "We should probably take a detour." He said looking to the right.