Because Darling, I’m a Nightmare

[redlightgreenlight]

Characters: Valdis and Some Open
Date: April 2584
Location: Aifaran
Situation: Various
Warnings/Rating: In headers


The Dreaming never seemed to be on her side. Between getting caught in the Fool’s memories and the blatant disregard it had for her own memories, she was very glad when March ended. The rains and flooding weren’t much fun, but she had plenty of opportunities to move forward in this ridiculous world. Valdis didn’t hate it here, quite the contrary in fact, but she still struggled with the adjustment. At least she wasn’t alone, that helped quite a bit, now she just had to find a way to make herself useful. Idleness had never helped her before, so best to face everything head on and do the best she could, even if she hated taking orders instead of giving them.

Comments

[annihilist]

Devin threw a narrow look in Valdis' direction. "Excuse me for trying to help," he said acidly. "Would you rather I have stood by and watched?"

The point was moot. It was over and done. The glare he offered to X was undercut with pain as he propped himself up on his elbows and then worked his way into a sitting position. "Being willing to put the safety of others before myself is not carelessness." He paused while getting to his feet, moving as quickly as he dared. The edges of his vision went black again but didn't close over him, and Devin took several careful, shallow breaths. "I know my limits better than either of you," he ground out after a moment, doing his best not to sway where he stood.

[psituational]

Ah, bickering. Finally, Aifaran was starting to feel like home.

"Recklessness," X said in the lightly amused tone of a long-suffering parent, "isn't a bad thing when you're trying to help people, but it is careless to ignore the consequences just because you don't want them to exist. I don't want to know your limits, Devin. 'Limits' aren't something you should need to deal with when you're healing. Here."

X moved closer to help him to his feet, making the silent offer of leverage a little harder to ignore, just enough to take some of the pressure off of Devin's ribs. "I'm sorry," he said softly. He didn't know what happened, but he could see plain as day the results of it, and no amount of lecturing over the years had trained him out of his guilt reflex.

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis turned to she faced the two of them straight on, head tipped, eyes still narrowed.

I would prefer for you to not be injured on my behalf, came her reply. I heal far easier than you do. And I do not claim to know your limits, but I do know how much pain you are in.

She made no move to help. Paws were not useful in this situation.

[annihilist]

"Should or shouldn't sometimes isn't an option," Devin said darkly. Not in this case, hopefully, but there had been times when he couldn't afford to rest and recuperate. "And I knew what I was getting myself into, so both of you can spare me the remainder of your lecture. I wasn't planning on trying to stop either of you with brute force. Hellhounds outmatch me." Other than base speed, anyway.

This argument was getting pointless. It was done and over already, and no amount of disagreement with his actions was going to change his opinion of taking them. He'd do it again if he had to.

"I am reasonably certain this was not your fault," Devin continued after a moment, taking his hand off X. He did not feel steady, but he wasn't going to immediately fall over. It would have to do. Stiffly, he shrugged his jacket off with as little movement of his arms and torso as possible, and held it out to X. One arm gingerly cradled his ribcage, for all the good that would do. "Here. So you don't have to walk around the city disrobed."

[psituational]

"Hellhounds?" X asked, looking between Valdis and Devin in shocked confusion. Valdis was definitely a bigger canine than X was used to, and perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised that meant she wasn't a standard dog, but hell? What did that mean?

Maybe that explained all the dead plants amidst the physical destruction in the park. X closed his eyes and shook his head. Maybe it wasn't something he wanted to know.

"No," he agreed reluctantly, putting more effort into the word than usual. "Not my fault. But it is my responsibility. I --"

He stopped, and blinked at Devin offering his coat. It took a couple of seconds for X to remember he was naked, but once he did, he snatched the coat and pulled it on, hugging it close over his chest. "Thank you," he said quietly. The park was empty except for them, but who knew how far away a doctor was.

[redlightgreenlight]

That is not a fact I want known, Valdis snarled at Devin, ears flattening again, hackles rising. I keep your secrets, Vampire, and I thought you had the decency to keep mine.

Her fury was tightly contained, and while she had many words to follow, none of them held what she truly wished to say, mostly because she herself didn't know. She had given Devin that name as a precaution, but also as a sign of trust. That would not change, but she didn't need X asking questions. Since words were failing anyway, there was nothing else to discuss, so with another snarl, she spun around and took off towards the beach. Perhaps a run would soothe her anger.

[annihilist]

Devin watched Valdis depart and rolled his eyes slightly, then sighed and regretted it. Shallow breaths, he reminded himself, wincing. How Valdis thought she could get away with explaining what X had experienced without filling him in on that little fact, he had no idea. A Hellhound by any other name still walked their streets, albeit a much nicer Hellhound than average.

Anger over the use of the name was more reasonable, in Devin's mind. He was sure she would yell at him for it later, and he wouldn't try to evade that, however sound his logic might have been at the time.

"They're not as bad as they sound," he told X, and then paused. "Well, they are, but she's not; we're all very lucky for that fact." The vampire glanced around at the wreckage of the park, then to the surrounding city. He closed his eyes for a moment. The walk back to the Dreaming Bridge suddenly seemed much longer than it actually was. Pain had a way of warping time and expanding distances. "Just don't tell anyone in idle conversation, mm? Secrets, as she said. I'm sure Dreamfolk have done stranger things than wreck a park, anyway."