[IC] Phantasm

[auspiciousPetal]

The dream came as soon as Ilia fell asleep that night. As the world melted away around her, a new one took it's place, and with it came the feeling of coming home. Her feet landed on solid ground, and the new world came into sharp view. It had been weeks since she had allowed herself to drift into a dream realm, but this one seemed more than familiar to her. She had arrived in a cave, near the entrance, and the light shinning in from the moon that hung low in the sky barely illuminated the area enough for her to walk without tripping over her long, trailing cloak. Standing at the mouth of the cave and looking out sent Ilia into immediate shock.

The mountain that she was in was glowing silver in the moonlight, the white rock that it was composed of bouncing the light so much that it was nearly as bright as the moon itself. Of which there happened to be two; hanging in the sky, low on the horizon, was a large bright moon, but high in the sky laid another, smaller moon, reflecting off of the sea that laid before the mountain. The water was black, sucking up any light thrown onto it, and reflecting only what it had no room to absorb. Resting along the brief shoreline between the sea and the mountain was a group of giant turtles, each seven feet from back flipper to head, at least. Their shells sparkled like the diamond cut glass that they were. They seemed to look up at Ilia, as though they recognized her. Which they did, of course. It may have been years, but they still remembered their creator.

Ilia was in Eurasha. She wasn't sure how, but she was back.

And she wanted nothing more than to flee as quickly as possible.

Escape. Run. Hide. Do something other than just stand there like an idiot! The sight was enough to stun her. She felt paralyzed; fear, anxiety, joy, and panic all vied for control of her. All of them demanded she move, do anything, other than stand there like an idiot. But still, she stood there, her eyes taking in her creation. Eventually, panic took hold, jolting her into motion and thought. Her hands shook as she tensed up, her breathing rushing in and out faster than she thought possible. She stumbled back into the mouth of the cave, but as she turned to run into the safety of the Carrion Mountains, her hair blinded her, covering her eyes entirely as she whipped her head to the side. She stepped on her cloak, and preceded to fall forward, unable to balance on the uneven cave floor.

The air billowed through the cave as a figure moved from the wall in the back of the cave to the space just in front of Ilia's falling form within a millisecond. His leg shot out, and with the tip of his boot he halted Ilia's fall.

"Falling these days can be more dangerous than a wounded ego. It's good to see you again, Ilia." His voice was soft, deep, and filled with a mixture of relief and familiarity. Cadmus Bishop helped the woman regain her balance and crossed his arms, head tilted as he awaited her response tentatively.

There was a stunned silence, a long moment of quiet that followed Cadmus's appearance, for Ilia was at a loss for words. Eurasha and Cadmus? In the same night? Obviously the universe felt the need to punish her with this fictional "dream". It was an impossibility of the highest sorts for it to be real. She was locked out, permanently. Kellen had ensured that when he had sent her home.

She steadied herself as her old friend helped her to stand up, his voice a comfort in this painful dream. If nothing else, at least she could hear that voice again, one of two that she yearned to hear in the last six years. Losing both of them, Kellen and Cadmus, had driven Ilia from her home. She still hadn't returned to visit Aiden's or Kellen's catatonic physical bodies. Even the thought was too painful; pale, lifeless forms laying in beds. Bodies that lacked their souls. She shook her head, her curls bouncing slightly as she brought her thoughts back from their wondering path. After taking another moment to adjust to the dream, she glanced up at Cadmus. A sudden fire began to burn within her chest, an anger that built up quickly and, since this was just a dream after all, she let it out.

She swung at him, her clenched hands aiming for his chest. He dodged smoothly out of the reach of her fists, his hands moving in slight, quick movements that pushed her hands away. After a few swings, her anger evolved from physical to verbal, and she stared him down as she chewed him out, her voice getting slowly louder. "You. You.... Jerk! You let Kellen lock me out! How could you?! Do you know what I went through trying to get back to you? Can you even comprehend the pain of knowing that you were all locked in that damn realm and I couldn't help?! Cadmus, you damn.... Idiot!!" She threw her arms out as she ranted, her hands clenching and unclenching repeatedly as she tried to come up with insulting names to call her friend. The anger was enough to prevent her from even cursing at him, however, and she gave up rather quickly, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

She took a moment to look him over, to really see him again. She wanted to imprint the image of him in her mind, to keep him there as he appeared now. From his long coat to his spiky hair, he was the same man she remembered. Finally, her anger drained away. She tried to keep up the appearance of anger, but her shoulders sagged in defeat as she closed the space between them, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. "My god, I've missed you, Cadmus. I wish this wasn't a dream."

The dragon returned her hug lightly before unwinding her arms and holding her at length.

"You, of all people, should know that every dream is a reality of its own. This is as real as any of the other worlds you have visited, more so because this is Eurasha." He paused to let that information sink in. "Moreover, I was the one who let you in even though I couldn't even find the damned place until recently." Cadmus's eyes went hazy for a moment, as if he were remembering something too complex for him to continue speaking. He shook his head slightly and returned his gaze to Ilia.

"We don't have much time to talk. Now that you're here it is only a matter of time until the locks that were placed around Eurasha come crashing around us. Its not a problem for me..." he paused and began to take off his coat. "Eurasha is degrading," he said as he held out the midnight black riding coat. "And its not just our world. All of the Everlastings are crumbling. You have to come back, with help if you can manage it." The hand holding the coat began to fade, turning to mist before becoming solid once more. "Take my coat. You will be able to return whenever you wish it. Meet me tomorrow night where we first opened the gates." Cadmus's head darted around and his eyes narrowed. "Trust in yourself, Ilia."

The ground rumbled and shook as Cadmus began to fade again. His entire body began to dissipate, turning to mist as he turned away. If only he had been able to bring all of himself into Eurasha, if only he had more time. He had done all he could, however, and he had to hope that it was enough. When Ilia returned he would be able to do more, but for now she simply had to trust him. As he faded away he waved behind him, walking out of the mouth of the cave and disappearing completely. Not a trace was left of Cadmus, save for the warmth in the fabric of the coat he had left in Ilia's hands.

She had barely taken the coat from Cadmus when he vanished like mist in the wind, waving good by to her as he did. With the moonlight shinning down, everything around her felt even more unreal, despite the Dragon's assurance that it was real. She tugged on his coat as the cold began to settle on her, coating her in a fine layer of lonely frost. The sky overhead showed no signs of the impending dawn that it should've. Instead, the normally clear sky of her realm was coated with dark clouds as far as the eye could see. The frosty loneliness was joined by a fearful shiver as she thought of what that could mean for the people trapped within the confines of her world.

Gazing out at the ocean directly before her left her with a longing unlike any she had known: She wanted to go home. Not to her physical home, not to her body. She wanted to go back to the Sirenian and the Draconian kingdoms. Home. She steeled her will and prepared to descend the Carrion Mountains.

Just as she stepped out of the cave, a quake began beneath her feet. The earth rumbled and she looked around in shock. Eurasha, and an earthquake? But no, it was not the earth that had moved... Ilia felt a presence hanging over her. It made her tense, a drip of ice down her spine as she stood stock still. She had to wake up. Now.

So she did the only thing she knew was a sure method to wake her and jumped from the peek, spinning to look behind her as she did. A glimpse of silver armor and a purple cloak... Black hair and thin, wire glasses that hide steely grey eyes.. Or rather, eyes that used to be steely grey. Those eyes that used to hold warmth and laughter were now glittering black stones, every inch filled with the soul stealing color. The pain in her chest near made Ilia cry in despair; it was Kellen, his form distorted by the possession of the Entity Beast. As she fell, the face she used to trust slowly developed a smile so sinister and joyous that the mage that she might be sick. She turned to face the ground, the distance now too great for her to distinguish anything of her prior friend and trusted conscious.

She turned to face the ground, the distance now too great for her to distinguish anything of her prior friend and trusted conscious. She shut her eyes against the incoming ground, and thought to herself 'it's just a dream.'

As she snapped back to reality, she tried to throw her hands out to stop her fall, but it was too late. There was a loud thunk as she rolled off her bed, her face quickly becoming acquainted with the floorboards. Her hands and legs were trembling and sweat slicked, making it difficult for her to stand. With the bedsheets clenched in her fingers, she finally got to her knees and froze, panting. It was only a dream, Ilia. It was only a dream. She repeated her mantra a few more times until she could stand up. She hadn't been back there.

.... Not yet.

[Smystar99]

It was 5am and her roommate was rudely awakened to the blaring of Fall Out Boy coming from the kitchen. What did she find when she walked into the living room. A full view of Sky dancing in the kitchen while she made pancakes. "Sky it`s 5am!" This certainly was not the time of day for loud music and dancing. It didn`t help that Sky was dressed like how you see sorority girls in the movies, she looked like an idiot.

Sky turned around and looked at her roommate a spoon dangling out of her mouth. It took two seconds for the girl to start smiling wildly as she continued dancing, very badly may be added. She made her way over to her very pissed roommate with an all but playful look. Using her right hand she took the general store spoon out of her mouth. "You know you want to dance too." She said simply, "besides I don`t have class today and I slept zero last night."

Spinning on one foot the redhead made her way over to her well baked pancakes and slipped them onto a plate, resting them right beside the bacon she`d made. It was then that her roommate realized there was two plates and went over to the speaker on the counter, turning it down to a very background noise level. "I was trying to get an extra hour of sleep before I had to get up for class, looks like I won`t be getting that."

"But ya get pancakes!" Sky said as she walked over to the bar seats on the other side of the kitchen counter and set both plates down. She took her seat and drowned her pancakes in syrup before digging in, drinking her black coffee every so often.

"You know, you kind of act like a five year old most of the time." Her roommate said as she reluctantly took her seat.

"What`s the fun in acting all serious though? When you take everything too serious it`s when the world starts to become boring and that my dear beloved Joanne is how some people kill themselves." Sky responded before taking another bite of her sugar coated pancakes.

"I guess," Joanne replied as she ate her pancakes. She glanced over at Sky`s plate to see an almost empty plate. "You truly amaze me sometimes, how do you eat so much so fast? Do you just swallow it?"

"I could make a joke there but for your sake I won`t." Sky said and slide off her chair carrying her plate to the sink, where she quickly did the dishes before heading to her room, leaving the door ajar. "To answer your question, I work out and make sure my body is in good shape." She said as she changed into athletic clothes before coming out of her room. "Besides, my insomniac ass can`t sleep. My body is kind of using any energy it can."

Sky walked to the door, "enjoy your breakfast and have a good time in class." With that she put her headphones in and turned her music on before leaving the apartment on her morning run.

As of late she couldn`t sleep, she didn`t really know what it was. Whenever she did sleep all she had were nightmares. The most recent one was the other day. She was being chased by some dark creature, overwhelming fear overtaking her entire body. All she could do was run and run and run through a dark hallway, or was it a tunnel? A cave maybe? It had been damp and dark, so maybe it was a cave. The one thing that was strange about the whole thing, besides the monster trying to kill her that is, was that she was in armor. It was almost like she was in the dreams she had as a teenager. The armor was certainly as heavy and the sword on her back was heavy as usual. It was all too familiar. The place of her dreams hadn`t come to her in a long time and now it`d just came as nightmares that haunted her daily.

Joanne had asked about it but Sky always claimed it was simple insomnia. Anyone could develop it. That wasn`t the case though. She literally was avoiding sleep, using caffeine and water to keep her awake every day. To say it was unhealthy was an understatement, but she felt mentally ill. These dreams scared the hell out of her and she didn`t know how to stop them. They were so vivid that she felt like they were real. Sky hadn`t told these dreams to anyone however, and she wasn`t going to start. Back then she hadn`t told a soul and now wasn`t any different. Joanne would claim she`d lost it anyway.

Two hours slipped by pretty quickly with this run and it wasn`t too long before Sky was home, showered, and watching the newest episode of Guilt on the living room's television. By this time Joanne was off to class and she was alone by herself until 3pm when she`d have to head to the bar to start prepping tonight`s service. If she was being honest she loved her job. She was able to be her bubbly sarcastic self all the time and half the people she talked too were too drunk to even question her anyway. It was kind of weird that she happened to work with her friend Ilia from high school. It wasn`t like they`d ever been on bad terms but it was kind of like fate pushed them together again when they both got jobs at the same bar. It was actually kind of refreshing for once.

[Fetzen]

Gregor was feeling something seeping through the thin, worn out skin of his sneakers. He took several fast and shallow breaths to get the smell of it. "Ahhh... the smell of paraffins, cycloalkanes and olefins. And all that coming from poor creatures and plants that died in some swamps or shallow waters millions of years ago. I like it." Yes, he had just pulled the nozzle out of the filler too fast and spilled gasoline in front of him, including several big drops onto his shoes, and was now mumbling to himself as he stood there.
"Shit. I'm already talking too educated..."

It was late afternoon and the strikingly broad-shouldered young man walked into the shop to pay for the thirstyness of his... car. Could one really award this rusty hulk with such a grandiose name ? If one asked him that, he would either pull the quick release for the hood and start smiling or he would let you smell tyre smoke and start smiling then.

Today however, Greg wasn't in the mood for pulling off any stuff like that. He felt extraordinarily tired. It weren't his frequent physical exercices, it even wasn't having been changing location and switching from one cheap hotel room to the next on a daily basis for the last week. It was just flat out sleeplessnes, something he found hard to explain. Normally he was considered someone who addicted himself to coffee in order to keep powered up, but today he found it tempting to get a sleeping pill. It wasn't long until he would run out of time for continuing his journey and would have to return to his love-hate relationship with his college, so he had to keep an eye on his ability to concentrate. One couldn't do that without a proper amount of rest.

On the other hand, sleeping pills were bad. Beer wasn't. So instead of heading to the drugstore, he hauled himself and his rumbling vehicle to a parking lot next to one of the bars he had looked out in the internet before he had come into this town. It was rather early for nightlife and so there were plenty of bar seats available to put his large frame upon.

"Hi! Beer... and a coke, please." Damn. That wouldn't help, but spoken words didn't return.

[auspiciousPetal]

The day began as any other day for Ilia; with her part time job at the mental health clinic in the middle of town. She tried her hardest to keep her mind off of the night time adventure she had had.. The six hour shift passed by slowly with the majority of her time taken up by paperwork. After work, she was stuck in afternoon classes for several more hours. Her psychology courses were demanding, but nothing she couldn't handle. Three classes later, and most of the day was gone. Her instant reaction was to praise the sun and head back to her apartment for a calm bight of reading and daydreaming, when she remembered that she was scheduled in less than two hours for her second part time job. The Winchester was a decent bar to work in, all in all. The pay was fair, and the "clientele" never got too handsy or rowdy. The only problem Ilia had ever had with it was the noise, which brought on the headaches at were her leading reason for staying hone most nights. At least she got to work alongside Sky, the copper haired friend from school.

Back at her apartment, Ilia's mind began to wonder as she changed into her much more casual bartending attire. Gone was the purple peacoat and the slightly longer black dress, and on went the tank top and half sleeved button down over the black jeans. Her thoughts drifted as she manually went through the motions, back to the dream that had scared her awake. If it had been real, and she had really seen Cadmus, then her life was about to get incredibly interesting tonight. The dragon had never failed to pull through on his promises- or his threats, for that matter. And the assurance that she would return to Eurasha seemed like both to her. Before she had realized it, Ilia had tugged on her heeled boots and was heading out the door and down the stairwell to work. She gave her head a small shake, determined to out it out of her mind until she was off. She would have plenty of time to plan and prepare before sleeping that night.

The bar was only a few blocks from her apartment building in downtown. It wasn't her favourite location, not by a long shot, but it offered her proximity to both jobs and the college. By the time she arrived for her four hour shift at seven, the bar was already in an early swing for the night crowd. Several of the other bartenders looked up with relief as Ilia entered. It was a well known fact that once she showered up, it meant the secondary crew would be pulling in within a few short minutes. She was always first one to arrive, and the last one out the door. She hurried around the counter, storing her purse under the bar before she took over for one of the senior crew members, a slightly older man by the name of Harrison. He gave her a grateful smile as he uncuffed his sleeves and made for the door. She got a small pat on the shoulder from another female coworker who hollered over the noise, "Is Sky going to be here soon? I have to pick my daughter up from the daycare soon. They close in less than half an hour."

"Don't worry Marge, I'm sure she'll be in just a moment. You know how she is." She flashed a bright smile before turning her attention to the crowd in front of her, her hands beginning to work with the bottles and the glasses. Though the smiling and attentive front stated up for the crowd, inside her head was a whirlwind of thoughts and images. Try as she might, Eurasha seemed to permeate her every thought. Now that the idea of being back was there, she wanted it more than anything. She put together a Bloody Mary while imagining the black ocean reflecting the silvery blue sky overhead. She poured a whiskey while imagining the feeling of running at a speed impossible in reality down the side of the Carrion Mountains alongside her dragon friend. But more than anything, she thought of Kellen.

The image of black glittering eyes and thin, spiraling horns on the fave that she grew up alongside was haunting. That thing, that monster that was possessing her best friend, was going to pay. It had destroyed her home, murdered her friend and took his form, and locked her out of her own creation. She was going to rain hell on it. It was going to regret every trying to take on Ilianna Grace.

A voice drew Ilia out of her head as she looked up at the man sitting in front of her. She was taken aback by how she didn't notice the rather large blonde man sink into the seat before her. His grey eyes seemed tired as he spoke up, the words failing to register for a moment. Ilia was still trying to come back from the recess of her mind, and found herself hoping she didn't look like a complete idiot for the momentary delay in her cognitive abilities. She processed his request and quickly shot back, "You have a particular brand you like, or would you like to try the lager we're pushing with that coke?"

[Fetzen]

Greg noticed Ilia coming in and he couldn't help but let his eyes lock onto her for a noticeable bit longer than usual, though it was likely too far away for her to notice. Hopefully the upcoming smoke and crowdedness had concealed the event from the view of other guests. It was his very first time in this bar, but he had enough knowledge about body language and facial expression to suspect that the bartenders and other personnel were quite happy about her appearance. The reason for it he didn't know however.

"Just give me what's at hand, I'm not choosy today." Greg replied with a gentle smile. He really wasn't, but aside from that he wanted to make sure to her that the short delay didn't bother him. He tried to let his smile just be an indication of that and not something else like... a silly hit on. The sleeve of his wide shirt was stretched almost to its limit by the biceps underneath it as Gregor lead his hand up to his chin for some unwitting scratching. He quickly brushed the outcoming debris down from the table.

The blonde man looked around, not trying to stare at anyone. The growing number of people behind his back made him feel a bit less comfortable, but he should have known that even before he had placed himself on that stool. Not that Greg was really afraid of anything, but it was a natural reaction to him. A series of loud coughs rocked his body as he was waiting for the drink.

[potatochipgolem]

The sound of dripping water echoed off the walls as her quick footsteps splashed into the damp stone floor beneath her feet. It was after her again, the dark monster. The one that looked like shadows. This time however she ran into a dead end as she was met with a wall touching her shaking hands. A horrifying chill ran up her spine as Sky turned around and looked at the creature. Red eyes pierced into her soul. The brave hearted ginger was locked dead where she stood as she watched the creature raise its clawed hand. Sky swallowed hard, "I don't want to die." She whispered before the clawed hand came down and she readied herself for death.

The next moment she was staring up at Joanne sweat making her clammy.

"Sky what the hell is going on? I come home and find you screaming in your sleep. You look like you've just seen a ghost."

Sky didn't know what to tell her roommate, how could she tell her that a dream has been haunting her, and driving her slightly insane? That just made absolutely no sense and she didn't want to worry her. "I'm fine, just an awful dream." She stated and then noticed the clock. "Fuck! I'm late for work!"

The ginger sprinted up form the couch towards her bedroom and proceeded to get dressed in the button down top and tight fitting black jeans that she wore for her uniform. Running into the bathroom she fixed her hair and did her make up quickly before running out the door, only pausing to put on her shoes. Since the bar was within walking distance for the apartment she started to run as fast as possible without pulling something.

Sky got to the bar in a few minutes and opened the door quickly putting her stuff under the bar before clocking in. With that she went to her station and relieved the person there before turning to Ilia.

"I overslept," She stated simply. "Stupid nightmares," She mumbled under her breath as she started to arrange the glasses and supplies the way she wanted them to be laid out. There was a certain efficiency to her madness and she needed it to be that way.

Like the lament of a siren's longing, a ghostly echo seeped softly into the room through the band's speakers. The bar's lights dimmed and piano keys occasionally danced inbetween the notes. The tune made one feel lonely beyond all measure. It made the world feel inconsequential before it plunged one into a feeling of lingering desperation, of loss and scarring heartbreak from times past.

The melody continued for a minute, driving home the point of a muted world. Of grey and black. Where footsteps were not even heard. Of a world where our tragedies are nothing but radio static to a divine ear. This is the reality we live in.

But suddenly, out of nowhere, the slow racing of drums began, bringing a spark of hope ...and a voice.
Is our secret safe tonight? *takes a deep breath*

And are we out of sight~

Will our world come crashing dowwwnnnn?!
------------------------------------

Will they find our hiding place?

Is this our last embrace~

*cries out* Will the world start caving iiiiinnnn~~~

-------------------------------------

ItcouldbewrongCouldbewrong - But it should have been right!!~

ItcouldbewrongCouldbewrong - Let our hearts ignite.~

Skylar could feel a pair of eyes watching her.

This is our Resistance~~~

They'll keep us apart and THEY WON'T STOP breaking us dowwwnnnn~~~

It was at this time that she looked up at the stage only to lock eyes with the singer. He was staring at her in almost shocked confusion it seemed, but he`d never met her before. Did her make up smear on the way here? She`d done stupider things in the past. There was something about his eyes though, it felt strange, like she knew him even though she knew she didn`t. There were certain people that you kind of clicked with like that for some reason. Whatever the case was she noticed how his singing was getting softer and softer and she smirked in amusement before mouthing, 'forgotten how to sing pretty boy?'. Amusement lit up her face making her grey eyes almost seem like roughly polished stone.

[auspiciousPetal]

@potatochipgolem@Fetzen

With a relieved smile, she started to fill one of the bar's trademark hammered copper mugs up with a local brewery's special and topped it off with coke before passing it down the counter to him. It slid to a slow stop in front of him. About the same time, the band struck up. A voice she didn't quite recognize filled the bar with it's uplifting melody. She recognized the song almost immediately, and hummed along quietly as she worked.

There was a moment as the boy's voice began to falter, growing quieter when it should have stayed strong. She spared a glance to see what was distracting him when she saw Skylar. A small small lit her face, and she leaned over and nudged Marge, nodding toward Sky's form. "Looks like you can get out of here and go get your daughter now. Drive safe."

The woman sighed in relief as she quickly snagged her coat and purse, squeezing Sky's shoulder as she passed her on her way out. "Not a moment too late, sugar."

Ilia scooped up a fresh tray from the window next to the kitchen door and ferried it past Skylar, giving the girl a fake, flirtatious smile. She waggled her fingers as she delivered the tray, asked briefly if there was anything else the group needed, and then returned to her station. The night was picking up, and more people were starting to come in, only a few chancing seats at the actual bar. The rest of the crowd seemed content to sit out in the lounging area near the band stage.

As she returned to the counter, she turned her attention back to the intimidatingly sized blonde that she had served the beer to a little while ago. "Anything else I can get for you, sir?"

[Fetzen]

Greg couldn't help but to inspect the mug instead of consuming its liquid content. This design was something he had not encountered before, neither in his home state nor along the many routes he had already traveled in his life. With curiosity in his eyes, he consumed the beverage. It was so quick that one could raise the suspicion that he had done this because now he could turn and twist the copper mug without any restraint. Indeed he did.

A band started to play, something he either had missed right from the beginning or while he had been sitting here with his face turned away from the main room behind him. It didn't reduce the pleasant effect of music overlaying the increasing amount of chatting going on. The bar clearly was filling up. Instinctively, Greg started humming and subtly seesawing with his feet in alignment to the rhythm.

"No thanks I..." The blonde was disrupted by a rather worrying creaking noise emanating from beneath him. Now that he had changed his posture the old wooden chair was strained even more than before. "I don't want anything else, thank you."

[Smystar99]

Sky looked at Marge, "I`m so sorry I wasn`t here earlier, have a good night." She told the older woman as she made her way out of the bar to get her daughter. It was after this interaction that she gaze back at the stage again. What was up with that guy? Did he know her or something? Too many people throughout her life had said hello to her when she had no idea who they were. It wouldn`t exactly be a new experience.

She looked over at Ilia and waited until her conversation with the guy at the bar ended before she went up to her. The whole time prepping a drink someone had ordered. "Did you see that guy? He almost looked shocked to see me." She mused as she finished off the drink she was working on with a garnish and put it on top of a napkin on the bar top so the girl that ordered it could take it.

It was however that Sky noticed she felt a lot more awake. A nap after a week of no sleep was probably the reason behind that. The sleep had also made her even more aware of how warn out she felt. The nightmares were horrible however, and she didn`t want to keep reliving them. What the hell would have happened if Joanne hadn`t woken her up?!

Wait. A. Damn. Minute.

Did she just think about what would 'have' happened? It was a dream! It wasn`t like she was in actual danger in a dream. Nightmare or not. So why did she feel like she had to stay awake no matter what? The fear was an important factor but it wasn`t the only factor in the madness she was descending into. If she wasn`t careful all of this was going to consume her entire life.

The demon that haunted her sleep wasn`t real, it was some crazy mind game her brain was playing. Maybe she should go see a doctor or maybe enter a mental ward. This was all becoming a bit too much for her to keep a secret very long. The make up she used to cover up the lake of sleep was starting to not work. Every time she got out of the shower she saw just how awful she looked. People in her life hadn`t asked about it yet, well except Joanne, but others would start too and she knew that. Despite how normal she looked on the outside she didn`t know how many people would be so accepting if her full colors were shown. The face she didn`t show anyone.

[auspiciousPetal]

Ilia rapped her knuckles on the counter and flashed the blonde a smile. "Well, if you decide you want something else, just let me know. I'm Ilia, by the way. Enjoy your drink." With that, she breezed away toward the center of the bar to collect more drink orders. Sky was there, mixing a drink.

"Did you see that guy? He almost looked shocked to see me."

She glanced over her shoulder to the stage setup for live music. The band, one they hired frequently, was playing with a new vocalist. His face was vaguely familiar, but Ilia quickly glanced back to the shaker in her hand before replying to her lovely red haired friend. "Maybe he was just struck speechless by your graceful tardiness and fabulous hair. You walk in and it's like a miniature sun follows you." She gave her friend a small smirk before shrugging and answering in a more serious voice. "I honestly have no clue. He looks kind of familiar, but if he was, then it wouldn't make sense for him to be so shocked that you're here. Have any missing childhood friends?"

Ilia distributed a few drinks before returning to her space next to Skylar, her mind still vaguely occupied by what she knew would happen tonight. The nervousness almost made her want to slam back a shot- if she weren't vehemently disgusted by the flavour of all alcoholic beverages, that was. As it was, she wouldn't drink any of the things she mixed to save her life, much less to calm her nerves.

She looked down at the drink she was mindlessly assembling, vaguely surprised she hadn't missed anything, before taking note of her trembling palms. Was she really that nervous? It wasn't as though she didn't know what to expect... except, she really didn't. What kind of destruction and chaos could the Beast possessed Kellen have brought about? Was Aiden still protecting the Sirenian kingdom, after all these years?

If nothing else, she at least had to return to make sure that her few friends were safe. With a deep breath, she let some of her anxiety drift away and returned to the present. She tuned back in, hoping that Sky hadn't said anything of too great importance.

[potatochipgolem]

A few minutes passed, by now people seemed to have forgotten the awkward pauses that took place during "Resistance", at least he hoped. A couple of feigned coughs after the song and a pallid expression had allowed the singer to take leave of the stage on pretence of being ill, giving him time to mosey over into sight of one of the bartenderesses while another took his place on stage.

Carefully choosing where he sat, using a blonde patron as cover between him and the bar. Illia would soon find herself silently flagged down by one of customers while Skylar was busy,

The young man looked pale, perhaps by fault of the lights in the establishment or the lack of sunlight ever touching him. Maybe both. Dark hair with rather handsome, though gentle, features and long straight sideburns, hint at his asian ancestry. His quiet eyes contemplating some internal thought as he stared at the table unflinching. He seemed tired, but then again he had always seemed tired the few times Illia had barely noticed him when their band played here. Or perhaps depressed. Given that she had never seen him smile either.

"A collins, rum, not gin, if you please." He said, only looking up when she arrived. He figured a drink made of ginger, alchohol and lemon would make sense if he was feeling unwell. "That wait---" Would calling them waitresses be considered an insult? "--girl at the bar, does she work here often?" He asked non-chalantly, slipping in the question while Illia was taking down his order.

[Fetzen]

Greg didn't notice Gwyn until the rather ill-looking man ordered a drink. A Collins ? "Hey I'd like to take that, too." He hadn't even completely understood the recipe Gwyn had instructed, but when it came to beverages, the blonde was very open-minded. He made himself more noticeable by raising his flat hand a bit while he spoke.

Gwyn's ultimate 'error' however was the second time he spoke, this time barely turning the corner before saying something one could perhaps consider a bit impolite. It made his screen wall - Greg - turn round on his stool and become ineffective. A somewhat calloused hand with a lot of muscle attached to it was stretched out as a greeting. "Hi there. I'm Greg. Why don't you come here up front ?" Greg used his other hand to make a small, associated gesture by letting his fingers flex back and forth in his direction.

He was aware of the risk that the band's vocalist might be ill and that he might infect him with a chill or the like if he came closer, but he had a bit of an impression that the man was almost trying to hide himself and he didn't see any reason for this. It made the blonde feel pity for him.

[auspiciousPetal]

Before she had time to respond to the musician's comment, the blonde she had been serving before pipped up. Sh quickly jotted down the two orders, trying to suppress the laughter that threatened to bubble out. With a slight smile, she nodded her head and flipped the pad closed, gesturing to the two with her left hand, flashing a delicately drawn tattoo on her wrist. "I'll get those drinks started for you guys right away."

She turned and headed further down the bar before either of them could say another word to her. Her mind was working, and a sly and slightly cruel idea came to mind as she sauntered up to Skylar. She placed her pad, open, on the counter next to her before checking the time. Two hours and ten minutes into her shift. Perfect. Ilia turned to Skylar with a sparkling smile, mischief in her green eyes. "Hey Skylar, I need to take my break and was wondering if you could hook the two guys at the end of the bar up with these? They ordered the same thing. You can't miss them, it's the singer from earlier and the blonde at the end who looks like he's super uncomfortable being here."

She gave a small clap at the end as she started to slowly back up toward the kitchen doors. "I won't be long. I just need to call my other boss real quick."

[Smystar99]

Sky scoffed, "Why wouldn`t he be entranced by the walking sun? I`m flat out gorgeous." She joked sarcastically as she finished making a drink, handing it off to a customer. "I don`t really know if I have childhood friends in the first place." She said with a smirk as she continued working, trying to graze past her childhood. Not a topic she just discussed with just anyone. It`s not exactly a great conversation starter to discuss your drug overdosed mother and in turn broken childhood.

As Ilia walked away a women came up to the bar and ordered two shots of tequila, this wasn`t a good night starter for this woman. Sky was there to serve drinks and talk to intoxicated people, not judge. She wouldn`t judge anyway, we all have those kind of nights. Once she did that Ilia seemed to think it was the perfect time to come up to her and announce that she was going on her break. "Well not much of a warning there huh bud?" She said as she watched the raven haired woman go to the back.

Walking down the bar she stopped in front of the two guys that ordered the two Collins. "Well hello there boys, seems like I was summoned to make your drinks." She said with a smirk as she started making them. "Sir with the black hair, you seemed to have lost your ability to sing on stage earlier. Any reason for that?" Sky asked as she handed Gwyn his drink before handing Greg his.

She noticed Greg`s eyes and gave a small laugh. "You sir share a very rare thing with me." She said as she was always the alert one. "I`ll give you a hint." Sky pointed to her grey eyes. It was a little weird that she`d meet someone with grey eyes and have a guy literally loose his singing voice at the bar tonight. "This night is turning out very interesting." The ginger announced holding out the very a little.

With everything that`s been happening lately, she was very happy to have a night just to get her mind off everything. Tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so and she was overjoyed by it.

[potatochipgolem]

-Why don't you come here up front?-

Why don't you just turn 33 degrees to the right and tilt your head a little to the left? Was what he wanted to reply. Of course, there's also the fact that he's not going to go up and sit right next to a stranger just because they asked him to. Heck, moreso especially because they asked him to.

Then he remembered the words. "Hi, I'm Greg." ...oh sh--- it means that now he has to introduce himself? Social normalities be damned, this world is doomed anyway - breaking a few social norms can't make things worse.

"No." He simply said. To everything.

He tried not to be rude because maybe this guy was just trying to be friendly, but as life has shown him, no one's ever really friendly. They few good people left in this world are dead or dying, everything else is a scam.

"I'm good." He said, not wanting to hurt the guy's feelings or anything. "Cheers."Thinking that it would put an end to the awkward situation. Little did he know that however, life was a time-tested bitch and the girl he was trying to use Greg as cover against, was now right in front of them before he could even notice it.

"Sir with the black hair, you seemed to have lost your ability to sing on stage earlier. Any reason for that?"

He was too late to do anything, now stuck in a pose between looking elsewhere and covering one side of his face with a hand. "...because I'm a bad singer." He said as a matter of factly, after a moment's deliberation, putting his hand down. Was it not the truth? He did not truly believe in his song's words, didn't that make him a bad singer? "And a stand-in."

Looking at the bartendresss for a moment, he narrowed his brow.

"Have you been in..." He stopped abruptly, then slumped back against the chair. Taking an audible breath, giving it some thought, then slowly, letting it out once more. "...sleeping well? You look tired." He explained the reason for this question.

[Fetzen]

No ? Well... a simple and short answer was an answer as well. It just wasn't necessarily a satisfying one. Yet Gregor was far away from considering the other man's behaviour as rude. Who knew what was going on inside of him ? Perhaps something bad had happened, or he was just dead tired, or maybe even depressed.

The 'Cheers' was silently answered with a little smile on Greg's face before he turned around. The large man tried to peek into the kitchen when there was the window of opportunity as the waitress passed through its doors. Partly it was because of interest, partly because he wanted to know if there was progress on his drink to discover...

'...because I'm a bad singer.' The really rather depressed sounding comment made Greg turn around again, this time a bit more slowly, but also considerably more decisively as he now actually moved his stool towards the black haired man until the desk he was sitting at was in range of his arms. A welcome rest for them. "Hey, perhaps I didn't pay that much attention to the band, but I would notice if someone intended to rip apart my ears. You didn't sing bad."

Gregor didn't really know what he had to expect now, but he wasn't the one to give up that easily if there was a lost soul that seemed to require a bit of a cheering up.

[Smystar99]

"Bad singer and a stand in, huh?" Sky questioned leaning over the bar to look at him a bit closer. "I don`t think that`s it." She said studying his face before leaning back on her heels. "You definitely have the voice, that`s for damn sure. Maybe it was my good looks." The red head joked around before looking at him seriously. "Or maybe you saw something shocking, something you didn`t think you would?"

"As to what that was, I have no clue."

This guy was certainly strange when he started her question she looked at him intently. Been where? That question didn`t seem to be going in the direction of tired. What else could he have asked though? Something else was on his mind and it included her in some way. Whatever it was she didn`t know, but she wanted to know. That being said she just met this guy, well actually met was a strong word, more like encountered him. He definitely was the socially awkward type as this conversation was going.

"Tired, I guess you could say I am. To be honest I`ve been having a lot of nightmares lately, it`s been a struggle to sleep." Sky admitted sheepishly. "I thought I hid it well with make up but I guess I was wrong." She said with a small chuckle before she studied him before she looked at Gregor. "I agree, I don`t think he`s a bad singer at all. People around here don`t exactly take well to bad singers. It`s more like the more they drink the worse they get." Sky joked before looking back at Gwyn. "Definitely not bad though, name`s Sky, although from your introduction with Gregor here, it doesn`t seem like I`m gonna hear your name, but you could always surprise me."