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

[Sexy Cocaine]

So the more s**t they ran into the closer they were getting? Great. Just great. "I think I can manage that..." Though, in her mind she was just expecting to run into usual old Titus somewhere or another. Maybe afraid, maybe angry, but nothing too far out of the ordinary for him.

Riyo kept her eyes on the scenery as it slowly changed, looking upwards as she lost the trees to the sky. As the trees shifted into buildings it felt vaguely familiar, not incredibly unlike her own dream.

The cat ghoul had almost dazed off in her own thoughts as her ears barely caught a command. "Huh?" She looked forward. "OH." Riyo wasted no time filling that request, ducking behind the man's back and only peeking out when the expected collision didn't happen. "Wow." She looked up at the wall that had just appeared out of thin air, a feeling of vertigo almost imminent when her head kept looking further up. "Detour?" The demoness shook her head and followed his eyes. "Guess we don't have a choice now, do we?"  

[Inu-Mitsu]

Morpheus left the wall in place as he took a step back and headed down the alleyway to the right. It was dark with only one flickering light that refused to stay on for more than a few seconds at a time. "At least we should be on the right track though we will probably be running into more things like that soon."

But a lot more was coming and far sooner than Morpheus realized. The alleyway ahead of them suddenly contained a single entity, a small creature with vague features masked in darkness, though its glowing eyes were clear to see. It tilted its head as it regarded the pair curiously but as the light flickered again suddenly there were two. With another flicker that number tripled. They all seemed to move together like they were of a hive mind, toothy smiles appearing on their faces.

"Maybe the left would have been a better choice." Morpheus reached out to pull Riyo back the way they came but as he looked back he found the same scenario. With each flicker of light the creatures continued to multiple and gain ground toward them until Riyo and Morpheus were nearly swimming in a sea of glowing eyes and toothy smiles.

With barely ten feet of distance to the closest creature, Morpheus turned to the wall beside them. "Change of plan, let's take a short cut."

But that plan was cut short as the creatures began to shift and move like they were made of liquid. Their forms gathered into a wave that rose up high on either side of the alleyway before they both surged forward. Just like a flood the inky black water crashed against the walls without a care swallowing everything in its path. When it reached the pair it rapidly swirled around them rising the water quickly up their forms before swallowing them once again in darkness.

It took a second or two for even Morpheus to realize they weren't caught up in the tide but instead falling through the void. Near weightless falling turned into a dead drop that the older demon tried to combat with his dream altering skills. He was able to slow their decent but the stop still had a sense of impact when they landed. It left the older demon groaning about his age, placing a hand on his back as he got back to his feet.

"Are you alright?" He asked, shifting a glance to Riyo before having a look around.

The room they were in was bazaar. It had shape and definition but the walls and floor were constantly shifting and moving, bulging out like something was trying to break free. Wails sounded too close for comfort, hands and faces suddenly pushing out from the walls before sinking back and out of sight. As the screams grew louder the faces appeared more often, the hands reaching further from the walls and even the floor to grab and tug at clothes or even arms and legs.  

[Sexy Cocaine]

Riyo wrinkled her nose. "That's... Good news..." Kinda.

The ghoul followed closely behind as they descended down the dark alley. Looked like someone forgot to change the lightbulbs in the boil's brain. The thought was emphasized when there was suddenly a creature standing in their way.

A single brow raised as it just stared, though her expression quickly shifted when more and more started to appear. "I dunno..." Nope. Looked like they were completely SOL. Riyo looked around at the toothy grins surrounding them. "Better make it fa-AAAAH!" Oh s**t, they weren't about to drown, were they?

No! Even worse! Riyo screeched and tried to right herself mid air as cats often did, just barely managing to catch on her toes and stumble forward. "Ugh." At least she'd remembered to bend her knees. "I'm fine." Relatively at least.

What was going on here? It was like a living room or something. Emphasis on the living part.

As hands came closer to try and tug at her shirt, the feline attempted to swat at them with narrowed eyes.  

[Inu-Mitsu]

When Morpheus thought the hands would be troublesome enough something much larger started to push in the wall around them as if trying to find a suitable weak spot to enter. "I would say we are very close." Though the older demon was looking more and more concerned.

He had to keep moving, shifting to avoid the grabbing hands though they managed to slow him down on occasion. He was in a heated struggle with one that had grabbed his ankle when he happened to look up and see that something else was pushing against the wall. No, not pushing against it pushing through it.

Long, clawed, black fingers were the first thing he saw followed by thin arms as the creature pressed through. When the head and torso came into view Morpheus recognized the shadow creature from earlier. It had followed them all the way down here. It's mouth split open again in a screech before it tore into the room but instead of heading toward Morpheus it was headed straight for Riyo.

"Try to keep out of reach!" Morpheus grounded his other foot managing to raise several tiles off the floor. They were small and rose in an irregular pattern but he hoped Riyo would be graceful enough to reach them without issue.  

[Sexy Cocaine]

Riyo was doing her best to keep up with Morpheus, struggling and fighting against their grasps. "I do NOT want to be petted right now!" A classic and often misinterpreted cat cry. Frankly she didn't want to know what ill intentions one hundred hands might have...

The feline tried not to think about what was trying to push its way through, though it didn't appear she'd need to wonder anyways. "Our friend is back..." And it was heading straight for her.

Perhaps the most unsettling thing wasn't the creature charging towards her, but rather how fearful Morpheus appeared. "Easier said than done!" She hissed, making a beeline for the tiles as she batted the hands away from her.

As she reached the tiles, Riyo hopped on the first one in a panic, flailing her arms. At the very least tails made this kind of s**t a lot easier. After the first she tried to reach the next few faster, glancing back hesitantly to see how close she was to losing this little game.  

[Inu-Mitsu]

The creature in question lunged for Riyo when it was close enough to do so but missed her by barely an inch. It landed on all fours shifting around to stare at the cat ghoul as she moved further and further out of reach. Morpheus had been trying to get the creature's attention and had gone as far as to raise a wall between the creature and Riyo but for some reason its attention would not waver.

It's back suddenly hunched as pieces pulled away from it's shoulders blades. Shadows poured off its back as it pulled the pieces free, large wings unfurling around it. Mouth cracking open across its face again the creature lunged but this time took flight in pursuit of the cat ghoul only to be cut off as a large tile slammed into it. Morpheus had managed to do that much from where he was.

"We need to keep moving!" He called out, shifting the tile Riyo was on toward the wall. The hands there were still reaching and grabbing but the older demon managed to make a doorway for them both to slip through before swiftly closing it behind them.

Their escape did quite the opposite of help. It wasn't until the doorway had closed that Morpheus realized they had jumped from the metaphorical frying pan and into the fire. All around them stood creatures as manifestations of fears and nightmares. They swarmed the area like a pit of snakes climbing over and clawing at one another. In the midst of them was Titus, the boil suspended slightly off the ground by vines that had tightly wrapped around his person. The tips of those vines had pierced the flesh of his arms, torso and legs keeping him still but it looked like the effort wasn't needed. While the boil's eyes were open they were unseeing, staring off into nothingness.  

[Sexy Cocaine]

Riyo's eyes widened until they looked like red and white saucers as the creature sprouted wings. The cat had been out catted, officially claiming the mouse title. Her eyes tightly shut as her pursuer leaped into the air, but a loud smack was an invitation to reopen them hesitantly.

Thank Jack...

"Woah!" And just when she thought she was safe, the tile began to shift. The feline managed to hold her balance long enough to reach the doorway, hopping down when she thought they were (literally) out of harms reach. Why had that thing been so interested in her, she wondered.

At least... Until their new setting came into view.

There were no words for what she saw.

Her jaw dropped at the vast expanse of macabre that filled every corner and floor space. There was so much... But all the manifestations and shadow beings couldn't begin to compete in making her experience the horror she felt seeing Titus strung up and lifeless like that.

Riyo felt her blood run cold, as if she'd stood in a blizzard for the past hour. No longer did she see the sea of nightmares. It was just him. Nothing else mattered. "TITUS!" She screamed as loud as she could, her face filled with sheer terror. Her feet had started moving without a second thought, unconcerned with their gruesome surroundings.

Inu-Mitsu

 

[Inu-Mitsu]

Morpheus had expected there to be a lot of nightmares but he didn't anticipate the room being alive with them. They were as far as they eye could see before everything faded into darkness and even then he was certain they kept going. It was a wonder the boil was able to think clearly with his head so muddled down with entities from other people's dreams.

Before the older demon could devise a plan of action Riyo was shouting Titus' name and running forward. "Riyo!" He ran to keep up but nightmares enveloped the ghoul as she ran toward them. They circled her, clawed, bit, pulled and tugged. It was the same thing they were doing to Titus though the boil didn't even notice, even Riyo's voice had little effect at getting his attention.

Behind them the wall opened up again and the shadow creature from before stepped through. It's head turned to find Riyo in the sea of nightmare manifestations and it leaped into flight circling over head as if waiting for just the right moment to dive in.  

[Sexy Cocaine]

It was possible Riyo hadn't even heard Morpheus as she darted into the storm, immediately assaulted by the accumulated nightmares. The ghoul gritted her teeth and continued her march forward even with her limbs being latched onto. She did not yelp, or wince, or cry. Her red eyes simply focused forward. "If there's one good thing my mother taught me... It was how to take a savage beating and keep moving at the end of the day!" Perhaps it was the only thing she was truly grateful for. The feline knew she might not have been the strongest, or the most disciplined in her abilities, but she would keep moving for as long and as far as she would able, and if something happened... If she lost consciousness, or died, or became too weak to move, she would resume moving the second she regained control of her limbs.

Certainly, it wasn't the smartest method she had chose, but Riyo had always been an impulsive creature when it came to her emotions, and she couldn't recall a time before when she felt so strongly about another being's pain.

Her focus was so unwavering that she hadn't even noticed her assumed harbinger flying overhead. She had slowed significantly from her previous pace, but the ghoul was far from stopping. He was just a little farther, she told herself. She could save him, protect him, wake him up. "You won't stop me!" She screeched at the surrounding nightmares, shaking and punching at them with her bruised and bleeding arms.  

[Inu-Mitsu]

The nightmares swarmed the cat ghoul like an angry beehive, viciously tearing at one another just to have their turn. They began to crowd, climbing up her form to pull her into the tide seemingly unphased by her struggles. She might have been pulled under by the sheer weight of it all but a pair of clawed hands grabbed hold of her arms and pulled her from the fray.

The shadowy creature that had taken flight had found its moment to swoop in and plucked Riyo from the angry clawing masses. Long fingers wrapped around her arms in a less than gentle hold as it took her back the way she came and away from Titus' form.

"Riyo!" Morpheus had taken flight as well and reached out a hand for the ghoul, struggling to keep up pace with the flying nightmare fiend. It was a mistake because as soon as the nightmare realized the older demon was trying to steal away what it had rightfully taken it turned on Morpheus like a spider monkey from hell. The nightmare freed one of Riyo's arms in favor of clawing at Morpheus, opening its large mouth as it bellowed out in anger.  

[Sexy Cocaine]

the feline had been brought down to her hands and knees by the sheer amount of beasts that had managed to pile up on her. It was near impossible to see her goal now, her vision obscured by black masses. She didn't have to see herself to know how badly torn up she was. What would happen if she fell unconscious in a dream? Would that kick her out, or would she remain here? "Titus.." She whispered, her hand reaching out towards the last glimpse of him she could see.

Then suddenly the boil was in view again... And slowly becoming farther and farther away.

Riyo took in deep, gasping breaths as her torn arms were clamped down upon. The feline's eyes narrowed, balling her fingers into fists as she tried to concentrate on using her FEAR.

But nothing happened.

The cat ghoul finally realized just how ******** she was.

As one of her arms was released, Riyo struggled in vein against the clawed hand that still had her, focus shifting to Morpheus as he gained the creature's ire. "Don't worry about me!" She pleaded. "Save Titus!"  

[Inu-Mitsu]

Morpheus had managed to vanish right before the creature's claws made contact. He reappeared right in front of the shadow fiend's path and snatched Riyo from it's arms and made his way back to Titus. "I can't just leave you here." He said in a surprisingly calm tone. "Pretty sure the boil would be mad at me."

The nightmare let out a screech of rage, turning back as soon as Riyo had been liberated from its grasp. It was quick on Morpheus' tail but the older demon managed to keep his distance while he swooped and maneuvered. "It might be best to go back. There are more nightmares than I thought."

The shadowy creatures were once again clawing their way up Titus, overwhelming his tall form by mere volume alone. The black began to consume him, the nightmare demon's head suddenly lifting in reaction. Pain flitted across his features, his mouth opening like he wanted to scream but his voice wasn't there.

"Titus! You need to fight it boil!" Morpheus called. "You are in control here! Not them!"

But Titus didn't seem to be listening.  

[Sexy Cocaine]

Where had he- OH.

And suddenly Riyo was on her way back. She almost let out a sigh of relief. Almost. "I'd rather he be mad than what he is now." She mumbled, surprised by how calm his uncle managed to stay through all this. Though, she supposed this sort of thing was just second nature for a nightmare demon.

"But... But won't he get worse?!" And what if his father managed to find him before Titus came back around?

The feline watched helplessly as Titus was slowly sucked into the void, the look of pain on his features shooting through her like an arrow. Why wouldn't he respond? Why wasn't he listening? What had Mirren done to him?

Riyo scrambled and scraped, trying to think of something. Anything that might at least snap him to attention. She could feel herself shaking, and she couldn't rightfully tell if it was fear or anger anymore. "You're so ******** selfish Titus!" The demoness finally yelled, her brow knitting together. "We came all this way to help you and you're not even trying to help yourself!" It was hard to tell if she was saying these things for his benefit or for hers anymore. "I don't even care what the reason is, because it's probably pitiful and sad and just an excuse to wallow around. You're not a pet, so stop letting yourself be chained up like one! Be a man you stupid p***k!"  

[Inu-Mitsu]

"He might but Titus is surprisingly resilient at times. He's bounced back from this before." Because this wasn't the first time Mirren had done this to the poor boil. Morpheus would have thought Titus would have learned a way to escape his sister's torment though he imagined as each grew in their abilities his sister's power was always just out of reach.

When Riyo started to speak Morpheus might have expected words of positive motivation but what was actually spoken couldn't have been further from that reality. He chuckled nervously as he swooped in closer, really he should have known. Titus would have said something similar so of course his friend would be the same way. What an odd form of encouragement.

As strange as they were Riyo's words began to break through and that pained expression faded as Titus' eyes focused on the pair flying around him. he watched them with great attention as his limbs started to slowly come back to life and pull against the vines holding him down.

"R-Riyo?" His voice was strained and cracked from the effort to speak like he had been yelling and screaming for hours.

"I think you might have gotten his attention." Morpheus seemed pleased, it was the first step. Now they just needed to get him free.

"B̺̳͍̩͇͢e̱͍̮̘̺̞̪ ̵̝̙͎a ͚m̨̹̼͔̦a̵̠ͅn͙̤?"

The nightmare fiend had caught up and was now flying beside the pair. His voice was strange and yet oddly familiar. "T̮̪̬h̯̦͙̩͝e̠̳r̷̳̗̜͕e̸̥̳̰̗̺ ar̳̪͈̩e̖̲͕͖̻͠ ͈̱͕n̸̜̻̦o͙͓͔̥ ̘̯͖̳̞m̩̮̜̮̼͍ͅe̷̦̙̗͓̰n̗͢ ͕̼͙̘̳͍he̜̮r͙e̷̦ ̼on̸͎l͙̹͖͔̟y̩̬̳̼̕ͅ ̲͕͍̜͈̞n̵͇͖̙͍̳i̘̫ģ̫̮̫̹̟͍̯h̜̱̤̤͙̯̕ț̡̪̬͈̦m͢a̸̻r͈̻̳͖ḙ̖̼̙͉s͙̝͉̫͎."

The creature finally peeled away from them and swooped down toward Titus. Claws dug into the boil's shoulders as the nightmare latched onto his back but instead of clawing and biting like the rest it's form began to liquefy and slowly engulf the nightmare demon covering what little of his figure that remained above the sea of nightmares. At first Titus looked like he wanted to pull away, struggling a little more intensely against the vines but soon he gave in allowing the creature to cover his arms, torso, and even his face until nothing was left except the shadowy nightmare.

The nightmare fiend's mouth cracked open again as it bellowed out in rage pulling free of the vines one by one. It's wings stretched out and began to flap with effort, pulling free of the last few vines and sending some of the nightmares sailing away.

"I...think you really got his attention. It might be time to go." Morpheus stated in a thoughtful manner.  

[Sexy Cocaine]

When she heard a familiar voice say her name, the ghoul's eyes filled with hope for the first time since they'd arrived. She had managed to reach him, and that was enough to reaffirm her that all this wasn't in vain.

The second voice caused Riyo's ears to twitch, her head turning slowly. What... Was happening?

The small amount of hope she had managed to accrue was completely destroyed as she watched the nightmare swoop down and latch itself onto the boil. "TITUS NO!" She screeched, her arms reaching down towards him as he slowly disappeared in the blackness.

Her crimson orbs remained glued to the creature as it slowly broke free from the thorny prison. Maybe... Maybe both things were Titus. Riyo had her own mental separations, and perhaps this was his? She couldn't be sure.

"But he's right there.." Her expression shifted to a calm sadness, unable to tear herself away from him. He was in there. That was all she needed to know. What she had been searching for was that creature. The shape and form didn't matter. "I can't leave him like this."