Dream ♠ o14

[defector]

Warnings: Mild spoilers for Eureka Seven, implied death. Oh, and HTML abuse.
Dream Effects: A generous heaping of guilt and self-loathing, mostly.
Filter: None.

(Hollow words befitting of a hollow man.)

There’s laughter—spiteful, empty laughter.

“What can you do?” Anemone asks, still laughing, and Dominic has no answer.

Laughing—

What can you do—
 

Then—it changes. The laughter doesn’t stop even though Dominic wishes it would, but the tone gradually changes—from a girl’s to a man’s.

He recognizes it all too well. It's a poisonous voice, ensnaring him in its grip and he just wishes there was some way to free himself.

And then—it ends, with a whisper:

“Off

with

her

head.”

“—I give up! And if you do too, I…” Grieving words, shouted by a hurting child. And the one they’re directed to?

Renton’s far from in the best condition—he still needs the support of nearby crates just to stand, and yet—

“… But I can’t. I can’t, and I don’t think you want me to,” he says. “I don’t either. Giving up’s the last thing I want to do.”

Really, Dominic can empathize with him. But there’s a failure that rests on his shoulders, a painful reminder of what he understands now—a lesson Renton needs to learn.

“You should listen to the boy—” the first time he’s spoken since the child’s speech “—You have limits, Renton. Accept them.”

He has the scars to prove that he did all he could to protect Anemone. He believed and believed and tried to do it with everything he had—

—but believing and trying aren’t always enough, and they don’t mean anything if one doesn’t succeed.

“I, too, have been a fool… thinking, somehow, that I could save Anemone without anyone’s help. But I couldn’t.”

He couldn’t,

couldn’t,

couldn’t—

—So why did he think he could this time?
 

“I don’t know,” he admits, because he just doesn’t know. “Because I thought that comparing Vincent to world destruction, even if it was Vincent, was ridiculous, I guess.”

He was a fool. A complete and utter fool.

“… But it amounts to the same thing, doesn’t it?”

He didn’t protect her.

His own advice not taken, a promise broken again and again—

—A head on the floor, and he throws up.

(If we were to take away sweet little Anemone in the dead of the silent night, I do wonder what would be left behind. Sir Dominic.)

---

[Dominic wakes up to Gulliver, who's sitting on the bed, making what could probably be interpreted as a concerned sound. Smiling softly, Dominic pats it on the head.]

... It's all right. I'm all right...

Comments

Voice

[sinnerofdreams.livejournal.com]

[Have some lovely laughter on the other end, Dominic. Road is too preoccupied laughing to turn on the video feed.]

Voice

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[He recognizes that voice, unfortunately.]

What the hell do you want!?

Voice

[sinnerofdreams.livejournal.com]

[Her voice still has the laughter in it, but other than that, it's all sweet and sugary innocence.]

Is that what happened to your pretty little girlfriend?

text

[carpo-vita.livejournal.com]

-Minato Arisato is requesting a file transfer.-

Attached file:

< CODES.exe >

Please execute this, Dominic.

[It's an executable filter. He really doesn't need you to look for more trouble with your dreams, bff, and he was fairly sure that neither did you. He might be a bit late, but that should be at least solid enough to hit a 70% lock. Fallible however you OOCly wish, B|;.]

voice

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[He complies.]

Thanks. You didn't have to, though.

[Dominic could've done it himself if he really wanted to, after all.]

[charientisms.livejournal.com]

[...my my my. My.

He is silent for a moment, considering.

And he finds this fascinating for another reason, but first--]

Tell me, Mister Dominic, have you made the acquaintance of a Miss Road Kamelot?

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am.

[He doesn't need to ask why Break wants to know.]

[scientize.livejournal.com]

[That feeling of guilt doesn't go down so easily, even if it is just the lingering sensation from another person's nightmare.

Naomi's expression shows only concern for Dominic. No, they may not be on the most wonderful of terms, but to see him dream of something like this is difficult for even her to witness.]

Dominic. [A bit of a pause...] If nightmares continue like this, I have medication that will help you sleep.

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[To be honest, Naomi is far from the first person Dominic was expecting concern from. He looks surprised for a moment, before looking away.]

... I'll be fine. Don't worry about it.

private / 30% unhackable / voice

[failingsohard.livejournal.com]

...I talked to Vincent.

private / 30% unhackable / voice

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

... What did he say?

[thebutler-epic.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear.

I believe I spoke to her once. The hair was rather memorable.

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

Did you...?

[It's hard to decide what to say next without knowing which Anemone he spoke with, exactly, but it doesn't matter.[

... I guess it would be, yes.

[namelessqueen.livejournal.com]

[ GIGGLING MADLY. ]

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[SHUT UP.]

And what do you want?

[Text]

[insorrow.livejournal.com]

[Ken hesitated before sending this.

[At first he was going to call, but that seemed too demanding. Tactless though he is, he's not completely insensitive. He understands - though it's nothing like this, it can't even compare to this - what it is to have the entire damn place trampling over things you dearly wish could have just stayed private for no more reason than they're bored and it was there. And yet... well, he feels he's got to say something, even if it's no help. Even if all Dominic does is ignore it - what he does is up to him. But he can at least make the offer.

[To anyone who's received one of Ken's careless, barely-grammatical, ill-spelled and abbreviation-riddled text messages before this one is going to look pretty atypical, but there's a time and a place for everything. He's often clueless, but he isn't totally dumb.]

If you wanna talk or anything you can always call me. my phones on.

You gotta take care of yourself too okay?

[Text]

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[Dominic stares at the text for a few moments, before smiling.]

[47-l0w.livejournal.com]

[...]

It's a bit late now, but I can send you some precoded filters.

[Another pause.]

Are you alright?

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

It's all right. Minato already took care of that.

... And I'm fine. Don't worry about it.

[Text] | [Anonymous]

[suzumenet.livejournal.com]

[From: s3ng758h4y0nvl]



[There are things about his housemate he is learning all the time. He's undecided still - does this leave him uneasy? It's...

It's... to be honest, it's a little disconcerting.]

[Text]

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[Why. Does. He. Always. Get. The. Trolls.]

[lol]

[boat-lights.livejournal.com]

What a nightmare, Sir Dominic. What a dreadful, dreadful nightmare.

[B|] [1/3]

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

 

[2/3]

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[It's him. Anemone's murderer.

He killed her, and--

--and he doesn't know if he's ready to face him yet.]

[3/3]

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[... But he has to, doesn't he? Because he hasn't fallen apart, and he's determined to make sure Vincent realizes he won't ever.]

Vincent.

... Tell me, how's your brother doing?