fortiscor | TDM #1

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TDM #1

"Well, good morning, Sleepy Head,"

The voice was sweet and pleasant on the ears. You open your eyes to find a smiling face looking down at you. A face that looks human enough. Two eyes, a nose and a mouth, all in the right places. But something feels off about it... "We've been waiting for you to wake. It's about time!" The nurse, for now that she's moved away you realise that she is indeed dressed how you would imagine a nurse would be dressed, continues to talk and fuss about the room. In doing this, she explains:

❝You've been asleep for such a long time! Several years ago there was an Event that caused many people to fall into deep, deep sleeps. Some woke within days or weeks of their fall, but there were some, like yourself, who have been asleep for so much longer. It's hard to tell just how long you have slept, and I fear the world you remember is very different now, but we are here to help you through your transition from Dream World to the Waking World.❞

The nurse leaves and you are left alone. You will find that even though you have been in a coma for years, you are as physically fit as you remember. Any injuries you believed you had are gone now, as if they were never there. At the foot of the bed are clothes and any items you own. Take them. Go. The urge will take you. Once you leave, you will find you can not enter the hospital again, nor can you quite remember how you got out in the first place. All you can remember is the strangely haunting nurse and her words...

Welcome to Williamsburg!

The town before you is a hodgepodge of colour and style. No two houses are exactly the same. Some made of wood, or brick or even strange metals. Some are no more than holes in the ground. But all are warm and welcoming inside and not many are inhabited. In fact you'll find that the town itself isn't that populated at all. The busiest place is Main Street. Here you will find all the shops you need.

From food to beauty and fashion and furnishings for home and garden, there is a café selling the most delicious of sweets and a pub that never closes. The Main Street is the place to be, if there is something you are lacking. And it is only a hop, skip and a jump from the Hospital and around the corner from everywhere else.

● [The Nowhere Inn] is the local watering hole where you can come and share a drink with a friend. Or, if just passing through, spend the night. Here you will be greeted by Bert, the owner and bartender. A seven foot tall bear of a man with a magnificent beard and a loud, booming voice! And a desire to one day create a cocktail that will take the world by storm. It's just a shame that not all of his little experiments hit the mark... Newcomers to the town will be offered a drink on the house. Choose wisely, as some of these drinks can often come with side effects, both good and bad.
✦ Apricot Smash: A refreshing glass of fruit squash. Made from the concentrated juice of a sour and sweet type of apricot, this is a simple and thirst quenching kind of drink. If asked nicely, this can also be made into a slushie! Anyone who tries this deliciously fruity drink will find themselves enjoying a chance to dance and/or sing at any given opportunity. (Side effect: It can cause insomnia.)
✦ Lemongrass Twilight: Made from spicy and sour lemongrass syrup, this mildly alcoholic drink is served in a tall glass with round, purple coloured balls of ice. The drink is a swirling green, yellow and purple colour. Those who try this drink will find themselves feeling very mellow and warm and more inclined to feelings of affection. (Side effect: It can cause headaches.)
✦ Mint Blast: Pale blue-green with light swirls and served in a wine glass. The drink is heavy on the mint and light on the alcohol, with even a little sprig of it resting on the rim of the glass. Drinking this will leave you feeling a chilled and shivery. A nice cuddle should soothe those chills away. (Side effect: It causes sleepiness in the drinker.)
✦ Blue Smooch: This drink is a deep blue with white, creamy foam atop. The drink smells like chocolate and tastes wonderful. It leaves the drinker feeling happy and optimistic, almost childlike. (Side effect: It is rumoured to cause truthfulness in the drinker.)
✦ Burning Wine: Pale gold with yellow-orange swirls, this mulled wine is served in a clear glass mug and tastes like cinnamon and oranges, with a hint of chili. It has a nice, warming burn as it goes down. This drink will put a fire in your belly and keep you toasty and warm through the cold nights. It may also make drinkers a little more amorous than usual. (Side effect: It can sometimes cause tingling and numbness in the extremities.)
✦ Frosted Starlight: Sapphire with silver flecks and glittering sugar around the rim of the glass. This is an intoxicating alcoholic drink that is only served in the evening and at night. The drink itself smells like coconut yet there is no coconut within the drink. The taste is almost floral, with a slight hint of grape. Those who have tried this drink often find themselves with the brief ability to touch another and see their surface thoughts. (Side effect: It can cause blackouts.)

● [Sugar ‘n Spice Café] is a peculiar place. From the outside it looks like any other store front, but as you enter and the little bell tinkles, you will find the interior to be bright and open. Warm colours and bright lighting, and from somewhere soft music is always playing. A very modern sort of café selling a wide selection of handmade sweets and pastries as well as an espresso machine.
For the next month, if you come in for a hot drink you can have your choice of their specially made, homemade cheesecake free of charge. Subject to availability, of course.
✦ Roasted strawberries and cream cheesecake: Made with a chocolate biscuit base, sumptuous strawberries and homemade cream.
✦ Coconut cheesecake with lime and passionfruit sauce: This zesty citrus cheesecake has a buttery base, creamy coconut filling and fruity lime and passionfruit sauce.
✦ Triple choc upside-down cheesecake: The name may say upside-down, but this cake looks right side up to us! Juicy raspberries give it a fresh bite and for the chocoholics - oozing sauce.
✦ Gingernut cheesecake tart with sticky maple pears: A creamy cheesecake with high visual impact for that special dessert finale to your dinner party.

● For those looking to add a little something extra to their wardrobe, they'd be best heading to [Dreams Come True Boutique]. For the month of April the clothing store will be offering all new arrivals free vouchers for up to three new outfits of their choosing. Within reason, of course. But most all of the clothes here are decently priced with an odd array of fashions from the very old fashioned to near futuristic.

● [Linlae Botanical Gardens] resides not far from Main Street. Part of the gardens are covered, housed within a large green house, but most of the gardens are outside and easily accessed. There is much to see here, from the [Hedgemaze] with the secret gazebo at it's centre, [Hanging Gardens] and the weeping willows reaching into the waters of a large koi pond. If you're lucky you might see a large white carp, said to be 2,000 years old by the name of Etherus. Who knows how long he'd lived in that pond, but they say if you catch sight of him it's a sign of good luck. And if you manage to see him during a full moon, he may grant you a wish.
There are benches all over, places to sit and take in the peace. But don't expect much quiet, the twittering of birds is a near constant companion within these gardens.

● [A Home]. As you explore you will realise that you're going to need somewhere to stay the night. Of course you could always go to The Nowhere Inn and wait until morning, or you could just... open a door.
87% of the houses within the town of Williamsburg is vacant, and well maintained, for many years. These houses wait for someone to come and bring life into them. Inside your pocket you will find a key. If your key doesn't fit the lock, that house is occupied, so find another. When you finally open a door, you'll notice that the key has changed subtly. That key is now unique and can be used only for this house. It is yours.
Some houses come fully furnished, some might need some work. You might even be surprised to find that the house is one that looks vaguely familiar...

A Familiar View

It may have been immediate or it may take days for you to notice, but when you do...

The memories of your Dream World are coming back to you. It doesn't feel much like a dream at all. Those things that happened, those feelings you had, all seemed so real!

And then you find it.

It could be something as simple as a book, or as large as a building. You know this thing. This thing has been pulled directly from your memories, whether those memories are good or bad is entirely up to you. But there it is, as large as life, right in front of your eyes. What does this mean? Which world is real and which isn't? How did these things from that other world make it into this?
This is your chance to explore this new addition to Williamsburg. Maybe you will find the answers you seek? Or maybe you will be left with more questions. Just know that you aren't alone. It seems that almost everything in this world was pulled from another, brought here by 'others', and left here.

Maybe this new landmark, or item, leaves you with a warm feeling and questions are the last thing on your mind? Perhaps you would like to share with your friends, or even a perfect stranger, the joy that this thing brings you? Tell them your story. Share with them it's the history. Or maybe the feelings attached are feelings of anger, of horror and fear? Misery does love company, so don't go through with this trip down memory lane alone.

Down the Rabbit Hole

It starts with something small shifting around you. Maybe it’s a door or window, but as you walk down the street things take a turn for the bizarre. It’s far too late to escape by the time you notice the buildings themselves bleeding into the sky or folding back onto themselves.

You are stuck in The Corridor now.

And you appear to be alone. Or are you? As the buildings creak in protest you seem to hear footsteps. Is that a fellow waylaid traveler?

Before you can determine the direction of the sounds, one thing becomes clear to you: these homes and businesses, all that brick and mortar, seem to be closing in on you…

It is a gradual squeeze but you can tell that if you don’t get out of there you’ll eventually be crushed. As you explore this place where time and gravity seem to have lost all meaning and your senses may even betray you, you search for a way out or an end to this madness and that is when you finally realize that the buildings are taking shape according to your will. The more you panic, the more claustrophobic and chaotic things become. But if you remain calm and focus your attention you find you can tame the buildings back into their original shapes and places. Of course, it helps if you have a partner.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Sephiroth stood there dumbfounded for a moment when Angeal embraced him, but then the reality hit him that this was real and his arms rose almost of their own accord to wrap around Angeal. He held his friend tight for a long while before letting go and stepping back. It was all thanks to Aerith, really, that he was able to express himself so freely. ]

Years too long.

[ He still had his hand on Angeal's arm, as if to make sure he wouldn't fly away. ]

How...are you?

[Angeal hadn't really been expecting a hug in return, and when Sephiroth actually did hug him he had a brief flash of concern that as solid as his old friend seemed, that maybe he was just a figment of his imagination.

But years had past and things could change. And the hug was a welcome one.

When was the last time anyone had hugged him? Angeal had no idea.

They separated but Angeal remained where he was, a relaxed and warm smile upon his lips.]

Good. Better. Better now I've seen a familiar face.

Have you been here long?

[ Those words were balm to Sephiroth's ears. He nodded slightly without realizing it. ]

I just arrived. [ Not "woke up," because he absolutely refused to believe the lies they were trying to feed him. ] I take it you've been here longer?

Much.

[The corner of his mouth twitched, quirking up into a half smile on realising that the wool hadn't been pulled over Sephiroth's eyes like it had so many others.

Most people who came to this world were more than ready to throw away the old and believe the whole 'it was a dream' idea. It had actually taken Angeal a long time to realise it was a lie himself.]

A few years, I think. Long enough to build all of this.

[Now he was smiling again, warm and relaxed as he waved a hand to gesture to the trees around them. His dumbapple orchard. His pride and joy.]

[ Something in Sephiroth eased at this. It seemed this was where Angeal had been all along. Although Sephiroth had initially been displeased to have been taken from Nippon and brought here, it was starting to make sense and he found that he couldn't object. At least, he wouldn't when he found Aerith. He absentmindedly touched his engagement ring at the thought of her. He'd "woken up" with that too. Absurd to think he was supposed to believe all their time together a lie. But no matter, Sephiroth would find her.

For now though, he was content to catch up with Angeal. He meant what he said. It had been too long. ]

You did this all by yourself?

[ There was a light note of teasing to his voice. In truth, Sephiroth was happy for him. ]

[The teasing was not lost on Angeal and the man huffed out a heavy sigh, remembering those Dark Times in the beginning.]

Through trial and error, yes.

My first attempts were... thoroughly embarrassing. The trees died. It took over a year to grow my first tree that produced edible apples. [He chuckled.] Sometimes I'll have help picking them at harvest, but I can usually maintain everything on my own.

[He often preferred to be on his own. For a very long time believing it was his penance for how things had ended back home...]

That's what I expected to hear.

[ There was an amused curl to Sephiroth's lips. He took the time to look around him though. There were so many trees and they all seemed to be healthy. Angeal's hard work was obvious to see. ]

What do you make with them?

[Other than forays into town, Angeal had been keeping mostly to himself. The trees were, for the most part, all his own work and he was very proud of just how far he'd come with it.

He chuckled again.]

I... dabble. Most I sell and they're used to make cider, preserves, desserts, the usual things.

Personally? I've tried my hand at cider. I pickle them and dry them. I can make a mean apple pie.

Apple pie?

[ Sephiroth had experienced many new foods since leaving Gaia, but this wasn't one of them. Still, he knew it would probably be good if Angeal made it. ]

I think...I'd like that.

[ He bobbed his head a little but mostly it was because he was thinking of Genesis and wishing he was here for this too. He felt sure it would be even better with the three of them. ]

Then, my friend, follow me.

[Angeal laughed and clapped a hand upon Sephiroth's back, encouraging him into motion as he lead the way through his orchard and to his home.

His house was a quaint little farm house type of building, almost reminiscent of his home back in Banora, only a little bigger. There were bushes growing around the building, vines up the sides, and just off to the right was a truck that had seen better days. It ran well enough. Good enough to get him to town and back on occasion.

He pushed open the front door and stepped aside to let Sephiroth in.

The room was very open plan. Large and inviting, very rustic with wooden beams across the ceiling and a crackling fire built into one wall. To the left was the kitchen, seemingly well used, a combination of the old and new, what with the old iron stove and then a chrome kettle right there on one of the rings. Straight ahead a set of wooden stairs that lead up to the next floor where the bedrooms and bathroom lay.]

Home, sweet home. Make yourself comfortable. I'll make some tea.

[ Sephiroth stepped inside not knowing what to expect but as soon as he saw it everything made sense. It was all so Angeal somehow. Sephiroth had never been one to fill up a space with his personality. It was hard for him to even express himself in his own mind. Yet seeing something like this he thought he understood somehow because even without Angeal there he would have known it was his. ]

It looks like you.

[ Sephiroth picked up several things and put them back where they belonged. ]

[Angeal laughs as he fills the kettle with water and lights the hob to boil.]

I'll take that as a compliment.

[Even if it was a strange one. He liked his home though. It had kept him safe for the last several years, after all.

He turned then, leaning back against the counter with his arms folded across his chest and just watched Sephiroth walk around. Angeal said nothing about him touching his things, it didn't bother him. But his smile was a fond one. There was something... very different about the man in front of him. An ease that hadn't been there the last time they had met.

Angeal wanted to ask. But he had no idea where to start...]

... Are you here alone?

No.

[ Sephiroth's fingers trailed over one last thing and he turned to face Angeal. ]

My fiancee is here too.

[ He has no doubt of this despite not having found Aerith yet. There are others he could mention as well but they aren't important to him the way she is and he senses the question isn't about that anyway. ]

There is a lot you don't know.

[Angeal was expecting a no or a name or list of names. He wasn't expecting to hear that Sephiroth had a fiance! His eyes widened, lips parted in his surprise and words failed him. Sephiroth went on that there was a lot he didn't know and Angeal was inclined to agree with that.

He cleared his throat and nodded quickly.]

So you're engaged...? Let me finish making this tea and you can tell me all about these things I don't know.

[Because Angeal really wanted to know about the things he'd missed with his friend.]

[ Sephiroth couldn't help the small, amused noise that escaped him. He understood how shocked his friend was and why. Who knew that he would be the first of them to find someone? He certainly never suspected it. ]

I understand only too well how lucky I am, Angeal.

[ He sat down and watched him bustle about the kitchen. ]

[Angeal shook his head slightly as he busied himself around the kitchen. It was incredible to think that Sephiroth had been able to find love when he hadn't even tolerated friends all that much.

Except for himself and Genesis...

... And Angeal had done his best not to think about Genesis all that much over the years...

Once he'd made the tea, in mismatched mugs, he brought them over and set one down on the table in front of Sephiroth before stepping away to sit himself down in a comfortably worn armchair. He blew upon his tea before taking a sip.]

I'm all ears.

Her name is Aerith Gainsborough... [ Sephiroth paused, his lips quirking because he couldn't not feel joy when thinking of her. ] She's from our world but we didn't meet there. We first met on a world called Aellyn. After some time we were taken to another world to a country called Nippon. I haven't found her yet but I know she is here because I am here. We are fated to be together. Forever.

[ Sephiroth looked a little...intense at the end there. ]

Aerith is my home now. I will not return to Gaia or let the future I know about come to pass. I am not him.

[ Sephiroth did not clarify but took his neglected mug and sipped his tea. ]

[Angeal froze, his expression complicated as he listened to Sephiroth speak. In all the years he had known the man he had never heard him so... animated. Though the clear obsession he heard in those words were somewhat concerning.

Nothing as concerning as that name, though. It was a name he hadn't thought about in a long time. A distant memory, but it tickled a memory that had almost been forgotten. A church and a girl...

Before he could grasp onto those fuzzy memories, Sephiroth said something that confused him even more.]

We'll come back to the girl. Explain the 'not him'? What future? I thought...

[He'd thought after his death, after Genesis was gone, that the danger would have passed and life would have gone on... Had he been wrong?]

[ Sephiroth stared at his hands. The soft glow from his eyes bathed his lower face in an eerie green light. Despite his determination, this was still a complex and painful topic for him and this showed in his hesitation. But he'd had years now to deal with some of it and Aerith had helped him a great deal. ]

I die, Angeal. But I don't end there. I become...a monster.

[ Sephiroth finally smiled but it was nothing close to happy. Bitterness was etched into the upward curl of his lips as well as his tone when next he spoke. He raised his eyes and met Angeal's gaze and because it was him and only because it was him, something of his bitterness showed there too. ]

I almost end the world. Twice. Genesis told me everything I...he did.

[ Sephiroth amended to put the necessary distance between himself and his future self before falling silent. He didn't say what was on the tip of his tongue: that he was already a monster, because Aerith told him he wasn't and he believed her. His eyes did drop once more though because he wasn't sure what he would find in Angeal's gaze or if he was ready to see it. His throat felt suddenly dry before he buried the emotions threatening to overwhelm him. Then he was himself again, or close to it. At least that's what he told himself as he looked out the window, anywhere but Angeal's face. ]

[Angeal listened as calmly as he could... Because he remembered an argument he had with Zack. He'd believed he was a monster. Irredeemable. He'd made his young friend kill him because he'd been too much of a coward to end it himself.

But Sephiroth?]

You were always the best of us, Sephiroth. I'm... I'm sorry, my friend.

[His eyes fell closed, pain pinching his features. Angeal had to wonder if his being there would have made any kind of difference. Would he have been able to protect Sephiroth?

Over the years, with time enough to come to terms with himself, Angeal had realised that no he wasn't a monster. There were no monsters. Just monstrous actions. Sephiroth had been driven to that extreme somehow, but that wasn't who he was. That, Angeal knew, without any shadow of doubt.]

Why? Why did it turn out that way? You're no monster, Sephiroth. You're human. And I'm sorry I wasn't there to tell you that.

[ Sephiroth's eyes snapped back to Angeal when he spoke. He didn't know what he expected but that wasn't-- He didn't deserve-- Sephiroth shoved those thoughts along with the surprise widening his eyes down with the rest and fought himself back to some semblance of calm again. He was his usual expressionless self and yet... ]

Angeal. I-

[ Sephiroth closed his mouth, but there was no point. He'd come this far now and Angeal deserved to know the rest. ]

I'm not human. Jenova, my mother, isn't human. She's a monster. Genesis called me the perfect monster. That's what I a--what I become.

[ Distantly, Sephiroth remembers there was a question somewhere in there. He purses his lips slightly. ]

I...didn't take the news well.

[There was a loud clatter and then a smash as the cup Angeal had been holding slipped from his fingers to hit the floor.

It took him a few seconds to come back to himself, his expression had been frozen in shock before they went somewhat slack as his head dropped, eyes focusing on the shattered remains of his cup. He should be reaching for it, he knew. Should have gotten up to find something to dry the tea up with before it stained the rug. But Angeal couldn't move. He kept on replaying Sephiroth's words over and over and over again... until a soft, hollow laugh slipped from his lips.]

... Now there's a name I'd never thought I'd hear again...

[Slowly, Angeal raised his head and leaned back in his seat. He looked a lot more calm than he felt.]

Looks like none of us took that particular news very well.

[ Sephiroth's gaze dropped to the broken cup. He remained expressionless but there was a stillness to him that was something of a defense against all of this. Here he perceived the surprise and rejection he had expected. After all, if even he couldn't accept his future actions as his own and had to distance himself even in his speech, how could anyone else accept all of him? Sephiroth was lucky enough that Aerith did and that was both just enough and more than he could ever ask for.

He nodded, once. It was the most he could manage at the moment. However, his gaze remained on the broken remnants of the once whole cup. It seemed symbolic somehow. ]

[Angeal wasn't really expecting an answer, honestly. And even if he got one he wasn't sure if he would even hear it. He was taken back so many years ago, to those last minutes of his life... To those bastards words to him.

'The perfect monster'.

He'd been called that, too. It was why he had made Zack end his life. End his suffering... and the suffering he had been afraid he could bring upon those he loved.

A hand rose and rubbed tiredly at his face, then up to brush through his hair. Hair that had grown a little longer and that even held a few strands of gray. Angeal thought it gave him a distinguished air. For a monster.]

Genesis called you that... Hollander did the same for me, before I gave Zack no other choice.

My mother was part of his experiments. She was injected with Jenova cells. The same ones in Genesis... and the same ones that are inside of me.

[ Sephiroth's gaze snapped up once more. He was mistaken and he was glad for it but-- ]

What?

[ He knew the details, or as many of them as Zack was willing to share both personally and in his report. He did not recall Hollander saying that. Sephiroth would have remembered that.

There was something that bothered him even more though. He thought... ]

Why would they inject you with my mother's cells?

[ Sephiroth knew terrible things had been done to Angeal and Genesis. They were grievously wronged by Shinra somehow, but what did that have to do with Jenova? ]

TDM #1

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I am too lazy to do any more research for this tag bye

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