Fantasy Sweet Dreams

[Levyn Ari]

A nervous cough tickled the back of Korith's throat [or perhaps it was the smell of this wretched room?] but he quickly brought a hand to his mouth and stifled the sound as best he could. This was unbelievable! Rising up, he now was the full extent of the carnage that had taken place. Guards were nonchalantly beginning to clean up bodies like the lunch maids did with trays. His upper lip curled with complete and utter revulsion, barely glancing around as he kept the hand over his lips and got up to flee to whatever room he would now consider their sanctuary. Anywhere had to be better than this, right?


He followed those who were ahead of him now, staying close to the walls. He was shaken but managing to come a bit more clear of it now that he felt he could take full breaths. His eyes narrowed at the thoughts in his head; his mind was seething with anger and betrayal regarding his family still and events like this only reminded him further. It was far too deep a wound to have already healed.


Maybe it never would.


The back of his hand brushed against the cold, matte wall and all he could think of was the way he had just painted the walls of his loft crimson. Before all this. Before blood had ruined the color for him forever.


How much further is it to this lounge, anyway?


And who the hell do I have to talk to?


It's not like they all bonded in monk-like silence over their scrumptious meals.


....Did they? Shit.


He hoped not.

 

[Silver Pansy]

Graham didn't leave the dining hall until a guard was poking his gun against his back, demanding for him to get moving before he became another corpse on the floor. Honestly, these guards were more blood thirsty than some of the prisoners here. He left slowly, just to push the guard as much as possible without actually being shot, and then when the gun was moved to a less life threatening position, Graham took off at as fast a pace as he dared, determined to keep that girl within his line of sight (and also to put as much distance between him and the guard when he found out his lighter was missing).


Whoever she was, it was obvious she wasn't meant for the harsh lifestyle at Fargoing. Few were, though he suspected her most of all. Even those in for more mundane crimes had handled the situation better than her (or at least with a good deal more courage), and he didn't think it would be too far off to assume she was here for something she didn't do, or perhaps had done, but hadn't meant to do.


He followed the other prisoners as they were herded down the hall, looking around for the one person he was sure to recognize, even if he didn't know her name. They were allowed to talk now, for the first time since he'd been here, and as little as he conversed even when he could speak freely, he was determined to at least introduce himself to his self proclaimed charge. God, he hoped he didn't come off as creepy.

 

[Seraphina Valentine]

Rumour took shaky breaths, her lungs having trouble drawing in the air. Pictures of dead bodies flashed in her head, and her legs began to feel like jelly. She had to stop and lean against a wall to keep from collapsing. A second later, a guard was next to her with a gun, telling her to move. She tried, she really did, but she couldn't make herself move. She felt as if she were about to throw up, or perhaps faint. Possibly both. You're having a panic attack, said a small voice in the back of her head.


"I-I j-just need a-a moment..." She whispered, but either the guard didn't hear or or didn't care. The latter was more likely. He demanded that she continue walking but Rumour could barely hear him over the sound of her own heartbeat. He pushed her, hard, and she almost fell but managed to regain her balance. She whimpered and turned her head to glare at him in a small act of defiance, because anything more than that would get her punished. Surely he could tell that she was struggling. This was just him being cruel.

 

[korigon]

The room was a dismal, muted cube as the prisoners strode in. The walls were a drab gray, and there was dust on nigh every surface.


The Paradise Lounge didn't look like it had been used in a decade. To the left of the room, there was a neatly folded pile of jumpsuits and wooden separator of some sort. They expected the inmates to change there, and most would probably take that opportunity, despite there being no shower in the room. The guards weren't wearing the staple blue uniform, but instead a matte gray with a kevlar vest that looked like it was on steroids. Tensions were high, and there wasn't a 'being too careful' after what happened in the cafeteria.


Eleanor finished studying the room, and turned to watch more inmates fill in. It was a good time waster, trying to analyze people. Were they murderers? Or had they been framed for a crime they were innocent of, and dragged away from their loving family. Most had a unique backstory that she would, one day, learn. She was still examining the inmates as her eyes caught a young girl slouched at the wall. She was short, probably smaller than 5'5", with a mess of red hair on her head. It seemed she was trying to stare down the guard, though Eleanor doubted that was possible. Had she looked like that once? An innocent girl, sickened by the bloodshed? Well, Eleanor was far from innocent, but she hadn't expected Fargoing to be so corrupted. The poor inmate was probably close to a meltdown, and they would lock her up like Eleanor herself had been locked up, in a soft, padded room. Call her stupid or heroic, Eleanor wasn't going to be able to sleep at night if this girl remained there. She tried to approach slowly, ignoring the looks other inmates gave her. When had she started caring about what they thought?


At a loss for words, Eleanor wordlessly stuck out her hand to the girl. She probably looked like an idiot right now! Let's hope they don't throw me in the crazy room, now.

 

[Silver Pansy]

It didn't take long to spot her. At this point, she was the only one still struggling with what had happened in the dining hall, and as such, as the only one not moving along in a swift and orderly fashion. Graham almost snapped when he saw the guard push her, but as things were, only ground his teeth together in well contained fury and hurried over to pull her arm over his shoulders, wrap an arm around her waist, and support as much of her weight as he could without outright carrying her. He stayed silent as he helped her along, thinking over exactly he was supposed to talk to her after this.


Graham slowed down after they'd left the guard behind, and tried to take his mind off of awkward conversations to come by avoiding as much contact as possible with the other prisoners. As long as he didn't focus on the girl he could almost pretend he wasn't dying on the inside from embarrassing. It wasn't long before they reached this so called "Paradise Lounge". Honestly it wasn't much more than an empty room, caked on all surfaces with dust, most likely from disuse. Graham set her down in a corner, determined to talk to her eventually, but really needing to go work all the awkwardness out of his system. There would be enough of it when he actually worked up the nerve to talk to her.

 

[Seraphina Valentine]

Rumour was surprised to see that not one, but two of the inmates were trying to help her. A middle-aged woman that she'd seen around but had never paid much attention to was reaching her hand out towards her. She held a look of understanding and something else Rumour couldn't quite detect in her eyes. Rumour was about to make her way towards her when she felt someone take her arm and begin helping her walk.


She glanced up and had to restrain herself from making an audible gasp when she saw who it was. As the man all but carried her down the hall, Rumour felt her heartbeat slow and her breathing finally began returning to normal. She hadn't been able to think straight until that moment, but now that she could, she felt mortified by her actions. Oh, god, everyone saw me, she realized, her cheeks heating up and angry tears filling her eyes. She didn't know exactly what she was upset with. Perhaps it was herself, or the guard, or her entire situation. She didn't belong here. She shouldn't be at Fargoing. It was all a mistake, an awful, horrible mistake, and she wished more than anything that she could snap her fingers and take back everything she'd done.


As she felt the man slow down, she wondered how she was going to thank him. He probably felt at least as embarrassed as she did, having to help such a small, pitiful girl in front of all the other prisoners. But, then again, it was his decision. She just hated the fact that she'd needed his help in the first place. She shouldn't have let her emotions overwhelm her like that. You need to learn how to control yourself, she scolded herself. She would be here for who knows how long, most likely the remainder of her life, and she couldn't let something like this happen again.


Rumour hadn't thought of the woman until just now, and she looked over her shoulder, spotting her as she walked into the lounge. She caught her eyes and sent her the biggest smile she could muster, trying to convey a "thank you" with her facial expression.

 

[korigon]

Eleanor had been standing there, ignoring her pride at doing such an odd act, and helping out someone who she would potentially never meet again, yet a random inmate simply barreled and ignored her! Her ego was injured, plain and simple. That's what happens if you try to help someone here. Part of her wanted to give up and fly off the handle. This place was miserable, and few committed crimes worthy of punishment here. Yet what would it accomplish? That was the whole point of Fargoing. They wanted inmates rioting so they could shoot them, for their own macabre enjoyment. Perhaps this explanation was far-fetched, perhaps it was absolute truth.


At least the girl had smiled at her. A smile was a rare thing in Fargoing, and it could give her strength to carry on. What stereotypical trash. I live in hell-on-earth and I'll continue to live in this nightmare until someone has the actual decency to put me down. But until then, everything is wonderful! Sarcasm would get her nothing, but at least she had something to be angry at without screaming it for all to hear.


Perhaps she would talk to the girl later. Young inmates didn't last long at Fargoing. They just disappeared on irregular days, never to show up at the meals or any other activities. Eleanor could warn her of the dangers of smiling near guards, or allowing herself to be practically carried around by unknown inmates. For now, however, Eleanor was content with picking out a different jumpsuit and removing her blood-soaked outfit.

 

[Levyn Ari]

The lanky blond watched whatever it was transpiring in a whacky little triangle as he reached the lounge, raising a brow at the man who had swooped in so heroically to aid the damsel in distress. Something about that gent didn't quite sit right with Korith but he had nothing but a lingering gut instinct to go off of.


The clean (but forever garish) clothes called to him like a siren song and he wasted no time digging through it to find one of suitable size. Finding himself a small table (bolted to the floor) took a moment of looking around but once he made his way to the opposite side of the room where one was, he slid off his shoes and quickly removed his food-and-splattered garments without a thought for privacy. Such luxuries, he knew, would no longer be afforded to him. He had his threadbare prison issue underwear anyhow, for all it was worth. The dust displaced as he threw it down on the sidetable, secretly wondering if the guards would see it as an affront to the beautifully kept establishment.


I could really do with a proper bath. Korith grunted in renewed frustration as he rubbed one shoulder inked to resemble medieval shoulder armor, wishing for a day at the spa as he began stepping into his new jumpsuit. He raised his eyes to the others present around the room as he did up enough buttons to cover to his torso and finally spoke in a calm, thick Aussie accented tone like they had all been mates for years.


"They said we can talk, not eyeball each other for shagging or stabbing. Forget your voice boxes?"

 

[Silver Pansy]

When Graham was done mentally stabbing himself, he finally walked over to the make shift changing area, grabbing a new jumpsuit in his size and making sure to switch the stolen items over to it unnoticed. Well, he'd had time to work out as much embarrassment as he probably could. Time to go socially ruin himself. He went over to her, absently noting the guy on the other side of the room stripping. Geez there were some weird people here.


She was in much the same place he had left her in, this time smiling awkwardly at a middle aged woman who looked about as mortified as he felt. Stopping to the side of them both, he managed as much of a smile as he could considering both the situation and his nerves (he was proud when he managed a shaky lifting of his lips). He hadn't bothered smiling in a long time, but as he tried now, he seriously wanted to crawl into a hole and die.


Glancing at the girl, he partially extended a hand, mumbling a barely audible "Hi, I'm Graham" before looking at the other woman, his gaze shifting between the two of them and hoping one of them would respond.

 

[Seraphina Valentine]

Rumour averted her gaze from the man who was changing in the middle of the room and hurried towards the clean jumpsuits. She changed quickly and almost laughed when a gum wrapper fell from under her collar. She hid it in her bra, then walked back to where the man had left her. He exited the changing room a moment later and made his way back to her.


He held out his hand for her to shake and introduced himself. Graham. Like the cracker, she thought to herself. It suits him. "R-Rumour," she returned, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear with her left hand while she gripped his with her right. She'd never liked handshakes. They felt awkward to her. Before Fargoing, she'd always given hugs when she met someone, but she couldn't do that here. Nobody hugged at Fargoing. Thinking about that made her feel more depressed than it probably should have, but she missed and longed for the kind of human contact she'd had in the past.


"I-I k-k-know it d-doesn't m-mean much, but I-I'm v-very sorry," she made a feeble attempt at an apology. She was surprised her voice still worked, as she could count on one hand the times she'd used it in the past month. Her stutter made an appearance without fail, as it always did. She didn't used to have it, but in the years she'd spent with her now deceased boyfriend, being abused and ridiculed almost daily, it had come into existence and developed. Around the time of the murders, it had grown so bad that she could barely speak. You need to stop thinking about this, she reminded herself, though she knew it was useless. She would never stop thinking about it. The memories haunted her like a ghost.

 

[korigon]

(( You guys don't sleep. ))


The man was now apparently telling her his name! Now everyone could form a tightly knit bond and break free. He probably had tried to do the right thing and be polite, but still, not a smart thing to do at Fargoing. At least he attempted a smile, so she rewarded him by a sarcastic "That's nice to know." and left the pair. They were still talking as she strode away to change, and Eleanor managed to catch their names. Rumour and Graham, not your usual names.


She changed behind the divider, left her jumpsuit on the floor, and continued to think about the pair. That was the problem with fancies in Fargoing. You get one opportunity and you immediately think you're both in love, but how do you know? You're starved of all contact with anyone normal, so it might just be a longing for companionship and someone to talk with. No use caring about what other prisoners did, though. If they did something that brought them happiness, good on them! Inevitably, they would all die quiet deaths like so many of the prisoners in the cafeteria.


Now here Eleanor stood, in the middle of an empty rectangle, rambling in her head and coming up with long-winded ideas. It had become a nasty tendency now, and she was constantly forming bizarre speeches and words of wisdom in her head.


As Eleanor left the changing area, she manage to catch the final words of an inmate's sentence. "..Forget your voice boxes?.." It was as if the prisoner expected them to communicate. What would they talk about? The variety of colors and smells everyone had just witnessed? It was pointless. . . . . Still, it didn't stop Eleanor from looking around the room for the source of the voice.

 

[General Deth Glitch]

James walked over to the man and the woman he had carried over here, violently cleared his throat and said "it was a noble act, to save a damsel in distress. I commend you for your actions, I should have been the one in your place, thank The Lord you were there to save her!" He then felt a little embarrassed, feeling his words were rawer then usual. He had not spoken a word since he had been locked up, not even muttered to himself in his cell as most do. He felt that you only need say something, if it needed saying. He then looked over to the girl or woman, whatever age she was and said "My lady, do not feel embarrassed, places like these are not for the women folk, it is a cruel torturer who forces the men to witness the women suffer so. You have both won a place in my eyes, you are not worthy of this place, but I know not if you are worthy of my trust or friendship, just know that you have my respect." With that he left, not waiting for a response, as the people are not there to respond unless questioned, and wandered off to change jumpsuit, as his was now bloodstained and was already worn and battered.

 

[pandification]

Vasiliy had made his way past all of the commotion - a damsel in distress, a knight in tin foil to rescue her, a failed aid, and a prince trying to butt in. Vasiliy snorted out a quiet laugh, shaking his head at the sight. Everyone needed to feel seen apparently, but Vasiliy was trying to do the opposite. While the crowd was busy and the guards were watching the commotion, he had grabbed himself a fresh jumpsuit and made his way to a solitary corner to change. He didn't want to get too close to any of the inmates, physically or emotionally. The last thing he needed was baggage, like sir knight in tin foil had just acquired.


Once he tossed his blood stained jumper off to the side, he found himself leaned up against the wall, watching the group intently - they were beginning to dissipate. The middle aged woman obviously upset and someone slurred something hateful - which Vasiliy found himself smirking at.


Once the group had thinned out, the guards began to relax a tad, but remained in their positions at the door way, guns in hand. Vasiliy glanced at their gear, and sighed at the thoughts that began to flood his mind. He remembered back to his first couple of years in the Russian military. He was one of the best soldiers, and not just because he was proud but because it was true. He did everything he could to destroy their enemies, but in the end, he became the enemy.


In the background, he heard something that snapped him out of his thoughts. Once back in the real world, he looked around, watching carefully. It was strange that only a few of them were left to survive. Fargoing wasn't a popular penitentiary. Vasiliy doubted any new inmates would arrive any time soon.

 

[Silver Pansy]

"What are you apologizing for?" Graham asked, his voice quiet so that only Rumour would hear, eyebrows furrowed in genuine confusion. There was no reason for her to apologize, it was entirely his decision to help her and weakness was only proof she still had enough humanity to make in the real world. Maybe that wasn't a good thing here, but at least she would be able to hold on to the fact that Fargoing hadn't changed her, hadn't gotten her used to a cruelty no one should even know exists.


He made his thoughts known, "There's nothing wrong with a little well placed disgust."


He heard a man clear his throat and glanced over to see the man who always sat at the head of the center table (@General Deth Glitch ). At least he had been right in assuming he thought himself someone important. That he was so chivalrous was a new revelation Graham filed away for later use. He hadn't meant to play the gentleman, only following what his gut told him was right, what would keep the guilt of not helping her release the flood of emotions he'd rather not face. Not here, not now, maybe not ever.


Shaking his head slightly to clear the depression that was settling over him at those thoughts, he looked back at Rumour and added, "It was nice getting to talk to you."

 

[Seraphina Valentine]

"I-I don't k-k-know...I-I suppose I'm a-always sorry f-for s-something," Rumour answered, feeling a bit confused herself. She was so used to apologizing that it just felt natural to do, whether she was in the wrong or not. "T-thank y-y-you for h-helping me," she looked up at him through her lashes and gave a small smile. She wasn't sure if his reaction to her freak out had been out of pity, kindness, or genuine concern. Perhaps he'd felt a mixture of the three.


She jumped and spun around when she heard a man clearing his throat. She raised an eyebrow when she saw the man that she'd watched in the middle of the cafeteria, not long before the shooting occurred. Rumour squinted her eyes when he referred to her as a "damsel in distress", a bit insulted at the fact that he viewed her as helpless, defenseless, in need of protection. But, then again, that's exactly what she was. Maybe that's what made her so upset, the fact that he was merely stating the truth.


Her eyes widened and she almost scoffed as the self-proclaimed King commended Graham for his valiant efforts, as if he were one of his Knights. And what right did he have to say that Fargoing wasn't for the 'women folk'? What does that even mean? What does gender have to do with anything? The woman who tried to help her earlier looked as if she were doing well enough here, or at least as well as you can do whilst imprisoned in a place like this.


She watched as the man walked away, then turned back to Graham. "I-it's m-m-my pleasure," she responded when he told her it was nice talking to her. Had she managed to make a friend in this dismal, depressing place? No, not a friend, not yet at least. But an acquaintance, someone to converse with, someone to help her cope with the immense feelings of sadness and loneliness she'd been having since she got here.

 

[korigon]

9:00 PM, Fargoing Penitentiary

The halls of Fargoing are quiet once more, the eventful day coming to a warm ending as our protagonist spent the rest of the day mucking around in their jail cells. Now the lights flicker on and off, causing many inmates to wonder '..What the !@#$ is wrong with these people..'.

In their snug ( Though uncomfortable and distressing ) cells, the inmates slowly drift off to sleep, with low hopes for the next day. At least they could savor this solace in their nocturnal fantasies and illusions.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6:30 AM, The Bawdy Boar.

They were still at it again, weren't they? You had tried to get a wink of sleep, but those patrons who frequented the inn day and night kept you up with their raucous and blaring cheers. But as you stifle a yawn, you realize that it is not overly boisterous drunkards, but the heavy falling of sleet and hail on the durable roof. A quick glance out the window shows that a layer of snow has encompassed the lodge. It had been snowing when you staggered in last night, hadn't it?

The smell of sausage and other breakfast foods soon wafted into your room. The bartender had said that breakfast was free, so what was their to lose?

​

 

[General Deth Glitch]

James liked the idea of breakfast, and it smelt damn good. Was that bacon he could smell? He grabbed his overcoat from the back of his room door, otherwise he was still fully dressed. The room was warm, so he stuffed his coat under his arm and headed downstairs. He found a table in the corner and sat down, hailing the bartender to get him a drink, he wasn't bothered as to what exactly, just something alcoholic. He sat back resting against the wall behind him and soon his drink had arrived, so he got up grabbed a plate and got some bacon eggs and potatoes and sat back down, taking a deep gulp of his, ale was it?


((Kinda not sure exactly how much to be my char and the exact definitions of the 'dream'. But I tried my best :/ ))

 

[Seraphina Valentine]

Rumour awoke to the smell of delicious breakfast food. She groaned, not quite ready to get out of bed, and turned over. Sadly, she had been closer to the edge of the mattress than anticipated, and, with a small yelp, she fell to the floor, blankets and all.


Her eyes drifted closed for a moment, her tired mind making the executive decision that the floor was, in fact, just as comfortable as the soft bed. But as she caught another whiff of what she detected as sausage, she realized that falling back to sleep wasn't an option. Taking her time, Rumour pushed herself up off the floor, disentangling herself from the mess of blankets and pillows. She strode over to the small mirror on the wall of the room and took in her appearance.


Her hair was disheveled and wavy, a brilliant shade of red that looked almost unnatural. There were almost undetectable dark circles under her eyes, which she guessed were from her lack of sleep the previous night. Speaking of her eyes, they were a piercing violet color, with swirls of darker purple and a strange sort of gold tinge around the edges. They were mesmerizing, and she couldn't believe she hadn't taken notice of them before. She wore a white cotton shirt with long sleeves and a brown vest to cover it. Her pants were form-fitting and the same color as her vest, her boots black and reaching halfway to her knees. She furrowed her brows at her reflection. Something seemed different, new, but she couldn't tell what. It was almost as if she hadn't seen herself for a while.


Rumour laughed, blaming it on sleep deprivation. With a glance out the window, she saw that the world had been turned into a white wonderland. Icicles hung from the trees, and the early morning sun shone onto the snow, creating a sort of glimmering effect. It looked magical, as if minuscule diamonds covered the ground rather than frozen water.


She sighed, running her fingers through her hair, and adjusted her shirt before heading out the door, following the smell of food and the light chatter coming from the people already eating.


(Sorry it's taken so long to post, I've been really busy the past couple days)