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[Nexus Alt-Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
A painfully thin, pale girl with lank silver hair sits alone in a small bedroom, her bruised and cut legs dangling from under the borrowed nightdress she wears.
Adjusting the dark glasses she wears over her eyes, even more sensitive now than usual, she stretches her bat-wings and lays back and stares up at the ceiling, mustering up her tired, quiet voice.
Spoiler
Show
A heart that's full up like a landfill
A life that slowly kills you
Bruises that won't heal
"You look so tired 'n unhappy
Why won't you eat something?"
They don't, they don't understand
I'll take a quiet death
A handshake of carbon monoxide
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
Silent, silent
This is my final fit, my final little twitch with
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises please
Such a petty life and such a petty world with
No alarms and no surprises (let me out of here)
No alarms and no surprises (let me out of here)
No alarms and no surprises please (let me out of here)
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
A tall young woman with short brown hair, reasonably pretty, and certainly in far better shape than the other girl, waited outside the door, allowing Nycca to finish her song before she knocked. Knowing the bat-fey, it would have been rather awkward if she knew that she'd been heard.
"Can I come in, Nycca?"
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
((BTW, we're running on musical logic---that is, songs are treated like normal speech or introspection unless they're supposed to be singing in-universe.))
... Yeah...
She sits up, rubbing her shoulder uncomfortably.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
((Makes sense. Nycca's song was the latter, correct?))
Talina slips in, shutting the door behind herself, and takes a seat next to Nycca, if there's room.
Having noted when she came in that the other girl's shoulder seems to be bothering her, and not having any reason to come up that would take precedence, she smiles at the bat-fey, and asks "Would you like some help with that?", gesturing towards the area Nycca is rubbing as she does.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
((If by "latter" you mean actually singing, no, it was just... thinking and stuff. Introspection, I guess.))
Nycca nods and pushes up her sleeve to show the bruise on her arm.
She leans against Talina a bit---all the gals admire her and some are extremely affectionate.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
((Ah, alright. Assume that that's what Talina thought earlier, then, since it seems like the outcome would have been much the same. Unless she wouldn't have heard it at all, in which case, she simply happened to arrive when Nycca reached the end of it.))
Talina doesn't mind being leaned against, and would normally put an arm around Nycca, or something of the sort, but for now she's more concerned about the bruise on her arm, reaching into the bag she almost always carries, and pulling out a small jar of glazed clay, which is quickly opened, and set onto the bed next to them; the contents prove to be a sweet-smelling blue-white salve, somewhere between thick oil and jelly in consistency.
Gently grasping an unharmed section of the battered batgirl's arm, the healer then proceeds to carefully spread it on the bruised area, doing her best to avoid pressing hard enough to hurt the other girl, though making sure that it does actually get rubbed into Nycca's skin.
It should, assuming nothing goes wrong, relieve the pain from the bruise, and greatly speed its healing, probably making it take at most a day to go away, and possibly far less, depending on how far along it is.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Nycca smiles a little; Talina can probably see the cuts and bruises on her legs, though Nycca does not mention them.
Thanks, Talina...
Are the other girls okay?
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Talina returns the smile, and nods, starting to apply the salve to the bruises on Nycca's legs as well, if she's allowed. Not the cuts, though. There are other things for those, and all this would do is sting, aside from interfering when something more appropriate is used.
"You're welcome, Nycca. And the other girls are doing alright... Marina's shoulder is healing now; Sherry's been learning quite fast, so she's been able to do almost as much as I can even when I can't be right there."
((What exactly happened to Marina's shoulder, anyway?))
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
She allows her, swinging her legs up to rest them in Talina's lap.
((Probably got hurt in the escape process?))
Nycca nods. Th-that's good...
Have you found a doctor for checking out, y'know...
She glances down. I don't think those kinds of infections are in your skillset, are they?
((Feel free to control NPC gals in the group if you want.))
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
((Maybe a burn, perhaps with a deep cut and bruising from a falling structural support, then?))
She'll probably be working on the bruises for another post or two then, depending on how many Nycca has.
The healer shrugs. "I can do a general check for infections and similar things, which should catch just about anything. After that, it depends on the specific thing whether or not I can treat it, so I can at least try while I look."
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
((Sounds about right to me.))
Nycca nods, resting her head on Talina's upper arm.
Sounds good to me, I guess...
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Talina smiles, and nods, finishing up with the bruises, and going to take Nycca's hands.
"I'll scan you now, then."
The check should detect just about any infections not including some magical means of preventing them from being found, or capable of disguising themselves as part of the natural function of the host's body.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Nycca is scanned... thankfully, she's clean in that regard.
She blushes a little as her hands are taken, though.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Talina seems relieved by that, though she makes no move to let go of Nycca's hands just yet, unless the other girl seems to actually be uncomfortable with it, in which case, she'll let go as soon as the scan is complete.
"You're clean, so far as I can tell. No infections of any sort."
It probably doesn't hurt that she gave all of the girls things to help boost their immune systems when she was coming to see them, specifically to help prevent them from catching anything from the customers, though it was only a partial measure.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Thanks...
She musters a small smile, sitting back a bit.
So, um...
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
"You're welcome," Talina answers, returning Nycca's smile. "And 'So, um...' what?"
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
What, um... what happens now?
She blinks, a little unsure of what to do.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
"Well, right now probably I do something for those cuts on your legs, and whatever other injuries you have that you aren't mentioning," Talina replies, pulling a small flask with a narrow tube projecting from one side, filled with some sort of golden liquid, out of her bag. "After that, though, it's up to you. We could talk for a while, or read together, maybe go out someplace quiet. Or even just sit together, if you prefer."
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
I... you should pick.
She's been telling others to pick stuff in such situations a lot lately, as Talina may have noticed.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Talina sighs, and goes to pull Nycca into a gentle hug.
"If you insist, I will. But you have to make your own decisions sometime, Nycca..."
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
She nestles closer.
I know, just...
So, what do you want to do?
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
"I guess go out somewhere quiet, and we can figure it out from there...", the sorceress answers quietly, stroking Nycca's wings.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
She blushes again.
Okay, um... I'll get dressed then...
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
"First, the cuts, though," Talina points out, smiling at her. "No reason to have you walk around when those are still hurting if I can do something about it in a few minutes."
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
She nods, hiking her nightdress up to keep the cuts exposed.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Talina sets about applying the golden liquid to the wounds, which should cause them to stop hurting and seal almost immediately, though the areas will still be tender for a short while after the numbing effect wears off.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
When she's done, Nycca smiles a little and goes to get dressed, unconcerned with Talina's presence while she does so.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Talina simply waits quietly while Nycca dresses, neither specifically watching or making a particular effort to avoid doing so; as a healer, she's used to people being undressed around her, and it's quite possible that that's included Nycca in the past, depending on what sorts of injuries and such the bat-fey has been treated for.
Once the other girl is in more suitable attire, the sorceress hops up off the bed, and goes to slip an arm around her before they (presumably) depart.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
She lets her put an arm around her as they head out and down the hall; their lodgings have been donated by benefactor preferring to remain unknown, and there is a good amount of space.
They'll head downstairs to the ground floor, where they'll see others wave to them, and out the front door. Outside, the weather is cool and overcast.
Nycca is dresed in worn grey jeans and a black top, picked from the donated clothing people have brought for the girls.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Talina returns the others' waves as they go; if Nycca has a destination in mind, she'll be happy to allow her to lead the way.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Nycca lets her decide where to go, her wings folded against her back.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Then the pair will end up moderately deep in the nearby pine forest, specifically next to a spring, the area around which, while clear near the ground, has almost all of the light blocked from it by the branches overhead.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
She takes off her glasses, smiling a bit.
This is nice... thank you.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Talina returns the smile, going to sit down next to the water.
"You're welcome, Nycca. I'm glad I could do something nice for you."
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
She sits next to her, staying quiet a while---just enjoying the environment.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Talina is perfectly happy to simply sit with her friend for a while, especially since Nycca doesn't, from my understanding of things, actually enjoy herself all that often.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
She lays her head against the taller girl, eyes fluttering closed.
((Depending on the content of the song, Talina's first song could go here if you wanted.))
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Talina slips her arms around Nycca, gently holding the bat-fey.
((Since it ended up being more of an atmospheric piece, I have no clue how to work it into Talina's actions, but it seems like it fits here... I guess it's sort of like a prologue or an aside to the audience?:smallconfused:))
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
((Works for me.))
Nycca is drifting off to sleep, lulled by the sounds around her and Talina's presence; for a moment she can even forget everything that hurts.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Talina smiles, glad that coming here seems to have worked out well, and gently strokes Nycca's wings as the other girl drifts off.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
However, her sleep stays peaceful... well, not for long.
She's soon making fitful little sounds and moving in her sleep.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
If Talina has enough experience with her to recognize that this is almost certainly the start of a nightmare, she'll try to rouse her friend; otherwise, things will have to get somewhat worse, though not terribly much, before she does so.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
She might not know her nightmares very well yet; as such, it does get worse.
Shaking-and-crying worse, to be exact. She seems to be reliving her time in the blindroom, judging by her whimpering about her eyes.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Talina can most certainly recognize that as a nightmare, and, as movement clearly isn't waking her, digs frantically through her bag for various things, which are quickly and unceremoniously dumped into the spring.
As soon as as the last of the few ingredients for the spell enters the water, which takes surprisingly little time, the spring freezes solid, and the air temperature drops around ten degrees; Nycca herself should feel like she was just dumped into a tub of ice, with just enough water in it to make sure that no part of her body isn't chilled.
Not the most pleasant way to wake up, obviously, and not one Talina would have chosen if Nycca weren't having a nightmare, but at least it should be better than the dream.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Nycca sits up, shivering uncontrollably, and clings to Talina.
... Th-thanks.
... Wait, h-how the hell'd you do that?!
She double-takes at the frozen water.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Talina holds her close, both to comfort her and help her warm up.
"That would be a side-effect of the way I woke you up. I sort of have an affinity for cold spells, and that one has a bit of a backlash anyway, even when the weather's hot, so... Yeah."
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
She smiles weakly, holding tightly against her, wrapping herself in her wings.
Well... thanks again.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Talina strokes Nycca's hair, and gently rubs her wings.
"You're welcome... I'm sorry about not waking you up sooner, though. I didn't realize you were having a nightmare at first; I thought you were just moving around in your sleep."
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
'S okay, you're not used to dealing with my sleep problems.
She shrugs, relaxing a little.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Talina frowns slightly, reaching into her bag for a small vial, and going to hand it to Nycca, presumably intending for her to drink it.
"Are these common, then?"
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
She hastily uncaps and drinks the vial, nodding.
At least one a night.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
It should help her calm down, though it won't do anything to prevent her from having further dreams tonight.
"Do you want me to stay with you, so I can do this for you whenever you have one?", Talina asks, sounding concerned, and going to hug her again.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
She blushes.
Um... i-if you want to, sure...
((Dedtiem. Waking up early tomorrow for wisdom tooth removal, so I may be feeling off for part of or all of tomorrow.))
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
((Night! Hopefully everything goes well tomorrow.))
Talina seems to find the idea that she might not want to stay with Nycca rather surprising.
"Of course I want to. You're my friend and I can help keep you from having to suffer through horrible nightmares. And even if I didn't know you, I'd be a pretty pathetic excuse for a healer if I didn't."
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
She smiles a little and nestles against her closer.
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
Talina smiles as well, snuggling back.
"Why didn't you tell me about these, anyway?"
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
I... I just didn't wanna...
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
The sorceress sighs.
"Didn't want to what, inconvenience me?"
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
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Re: [Nexus Musical Plot] Nothing and Nightmares {Beans & C'nor}
"In the future, just tell me anyway, okay? Helping out people I care about isn't an inconvenience, and you definitely fall into that category."