View source for 2710/Prince of Bad Ideas

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2017/05/29
|Location=Earth Court Frat House
|Synopsis=Prince Endymion has a great idea: let's go talk to the Prince of Nightmares and get his side of the story! Good idea: Talking things out. Bad idea: Talking things out the window of a hundred-floor building overlooking a sea of lava...
|Cast of Characters=38,109,71,157
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"In some ways, yeah, I know it's a terrible idea," Endymion's saying cheerfully to the girl who's just arrived, undoubtedly secretly well-armed, at the ECFH. "But in my experience, it's also the particular kind of terrible idea that actually works nine times out of ten! Some people really want to be listened to, even if use of the term 'people' is stretching most traditional definitions..."<br /><br />A lot of people have recently cleared out of the apartment, probably because it's usually a good idea when Mamoru says 'okay leave going to do something stupid don't worry Kunzite knows about it' to listen. Possibly also because school or something. Or dates. Someone's not keeping particular track of what time it is.<br /><br />"And then we get his story, right? From his point of view. And maybe he can be helped instead of just fought. He might still be-- there might still be something left." The college prince's face has that earnest look he gets sometimes. That look that Seishi knows too damn well. That look that's full of hope and empathy and belief. The face that it's really hard for Kunzite to argue with, generally.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I can't tell him no on these things," Kazuo says conversationally to Seishi. "Largely because it's the approach that ''did'' work on us, so there's a limit to which I can argue about it before lapsing into utter hypocrisy." The resigned expression may perhaps suggest that that limit has been bumped up against two or eight times since Mamoru came up with this idea.

:'''{{#var:71|Akashimaru| (71)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"You are out of your ridiculous head." This acerbic opinion comes not from Seishi but from the odd-looking little creature who came with her to Mamoru's apartment, looking rather like an off-colored Drowzee come to very cranky life. Seishi herself makes a face at O-Yasu's lack of tact, but on the whole looks as though she can't entirely disagree with him.<br /><br />"...There might be something left," she agrees reluctantly. "I hope there is. Not just because, in a sense, I might be considered partly responsible for how he became what he is."<br /><br />(O-Yasu makes an abbreviated snorting noise.)<br /><br />"But still," Seishi continues after a sidelong look slanted down at her companion, "there are a lot of ways this could go wrong. Especially since he'll probably need some working on before he's ready to be helped."

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I get that a lot," the prince tells O-Yasu even ''more'' cheerfully. And he slings an arm around Kunzite. This is mildly comical, because no matter how tall Mamoru is, he still has to lean up to do that because Kazuo is a monolith basically. "From him especially."<br /><br />Then he lets go and veers off into the kitchen to get the tea. Not the caffeine tea. The tea that is technically not a tea but an infusion because there's no, you know, tea in it. "I'm hoping," he calls, "that the fact it's me calling and he doesn't know me from T-Pain, and I don't intend to be at all aggressive, and I do intend to offer him cookies and tea if he actually shows up--"<br /><br />Endymion's face appears in the doorway. "Maybe he won't shoot first and not actually bother with the questions. By the way, our friend Mako-chan made them, and they're really really good. They're so good they occasionally save lives, and at the very least improve moods. Would you like some before we start?"

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kazuo says resignedly to Seishi, "We're going to actually get the vengeance-seeking grudge-holding memory girl, aren't we. He's going to wake up convinced that when he was eight he was secretly exchanged for a pegasus and can in fact fly, and we're going to spend the next six hours afterward sitting on him so that he doesn't try to prove it by taking a leap off the balcony."<br /><br />He is clearly on O-Yasu's side in this conversation.

:'''{{#var:71|Akashimaru| (71)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Seishi opens her mouth to answer Kazuo, but O-Yasu butts in before she can actually speak. "If you're lucky," he opines pessimistically, before padding the several steps across the floor necessary to bring him close enough to snuffle at the legs of the Shitennou's pants. "Mind yourself if you're set on doing this," the baku advises, looking up (way, way up) at him. "You smell of nightmares as it is. How you haven't had something set up housekeeping already, I have no idea."<br /><br />Seishi eyes her companion narrowly for a moment before she simply closes her mouth, sighs, and looks over at Mamoru. "Cookies and tea sound good, since you're offering," she says. "Thanks."

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Luckily I'm on good terms with gravity," Mamoru calls in Kazuo's direction, and he accomodates Seishi's acceptance of the offer in his kitchenings. He also adds some for O-Yasu because if anyone could use a mood-improver it's him.<br /><br />He's also not at all surprised that Kazuo and O-Yasu are in ascerbic agreement. It does not daunt him. In for a penny, in for a yacht.<br /><br />Coming out with the tea tray, Mamoru sets it -- and a big plate of the latest batch of Makoto-deliciousness involving rose honey -- on the coffee table. Four cups, one of which is actually a soup cup because he's not actually sure of O-Yasu's preferences in 'how to people' (he's too big for the Chara furniture and dinnerware).<br /><br />"Leave him and his nightmares alone," he scolds O-Yasu. "I make sure he knows he has to ask for help when he needs it, and I'm always mucking around in his dreams anyway, so I'll be able to ''tell'' if he does."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kazuo answers O-Yasu with a resigned nod toward Mamoru. "Team effort," he replies to the entity. "And Akashimaru has made pointed mention of future discussions on the subject before now. Sometime when matters are a little more stable, should that unlikely condition ever come to hold."<br /><br />He doesn't echo the 'leave alone' part, mind. Whether this is because it's already covered or because of cranky pessimist bonding is hard to tell.

:'''{{#var:71|Akashimaru| (71)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Either chastened by Mamoru's scolding or mollified by the assurance that Kunzite's dreams are in some way being looked after, O-Yasu huffs himself into silence and turns his attention toward nosing at the soup cup of tea once it's been presented to him. (The soup cup seems to be a better option than a teacup; that tapir snout has some flexibility to it but his paws do not seem to work as hands at all. Anyway, bottom line is that the baku is shutting up, at least for a while.)<br /><br />Seishi quirks a crooked smile and tips her head in an acknowleding nod, reaching for a cookie. "A conveniently safe promise to make," she quips lightly. "But it's true that we have much bigger fish to fry, so long as you're able to manage things between the two of you. I don't intend to meddle until I'm asked, unless I have to."

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mamoru definitely nudges a small plate of cookies toward the baku to go with the tea. The coffeetable being a comfortably low affair is undoubtedly also helpful. Then he eyes Kazuo sidelong for a half-second before glancing down at the plates, possibly regretting having answered before Kunzite could. "We'll definitely ask for help," he says quietly.<br /><br />The prince covers it pretty quickly by taking a seat, finally, and wrapping a few cookies into a cloth napkin as he looks up at Seishi. "I have no idea if it's possible to take things ''in'' to dreams, like my roses-- or that book-- can be taken out? But if they can, you're likely the one who can do it. It wouldn't be the same if they were dream cookies only. They're actually magic. They're even more magic than the ones that partially broke Dark Kingdom control over one of the guys. So if we can bring some and he'll actually ''eat'' them, that's definitely more of a sanity buffer."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Sanity buffer," Kunzite mutters, very low. "Route for him to try to corrupt your roses. One or the other." He exhales, then concedes, "But I couldn't backtrack along that route when I tried, and I actually had one nearly intact, so the odds of it going bad are low."<br /><br />Either he thinks Mamoru said enough about the asking, or he presumes whatever he might have to add is obvious to Akashimaru. There were, after all, those previous discussions.<br /><br />... or else he thinks it'll be more obvious in dream than in the real world.

:'''{{#var:71|Akashimaru| (71)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"...I actually have no idea either," Seishi admits, after a distinct pause for thought. "I've never tried it that direction. My Shinken crosses over both ways, but after all it's a weapon against nightmares." <br /><br />She falls quiet for a short space, studying the cookie she's holding with careful scrutiny. "I can't swear what we end up with won't be a... a copy, constructed out of my mental image, instead of the real thing with its own magic intact," she says at last. A pointed sidelong look towards O-Yasu - but the baku has his snout in his soup-cup of tea, and has either suffered a sudden attack of manners or perhaps been struck temporarily deaf. Either way, he's not contributing any wisdom. "Well, I'll do my best," Seishi concludes at last, and very deliberately bites into her cookie.<br /><br />There's not a lot one can do to rush this kind of thing, but some relaxing with tea and magic cookies certainly helps it along. In time, after tea has been drunk and cookies eaten and the participants in this risky endeavor have settled themselves in, the world of wakefulness gives way to the world of dreams... Endymion's dreams, particularly, with a couple of familiar visitors.<br /><br />Akashimaru pulls a napkin-parcel out of the deep sleeve of her red kimono and weighs it in her hand, wearing an expression of consideration. It ''seems'' real enough, but so do many things in dreams.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Endymion's much like Akashimaru saw him during the Xenian fiasco: it's not his armor and cape, though his sword is at his side, sheathed. He actually looks even more like the Endymion she met at the very start, the one who was waiting, the one who couldn't wake up-- dark skin, still those too-blue eyes, a gold-embroidered royal blue silk sherwani, dark trousers, boots... and a pleased look. "Oh I think it's a good sign you have them, though. Better shot at them being real. And they'll be delicious ''either way''--"<br /><br />They're in the Mediterranean seaside villa again; it seems to be where Endymion's most comfortable receiving guests. The mosaic on the courtyard floor is different from last time, though; it's all roses and suns and stars. Maybe it's like the Picture Picture on Mister Rogers. He leans to grab hold of Kunzite's arm and says urgently all of a sudden, "I can't make a pillow fort in a ''courtyard''. Unless it's in a tent."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kunzite looks like Kunzite always does in dreams. Almost always. There were the two incidents that shall not be mentioned at this time. At least Akashimaru got to skip the bare-chested one. He inclines his head toward Akashimaru's silent gesture with equally silent interest, remaining ready, and --<br /><br />-- his arm is grabbed.<br /><br />He turns his head to stare at Endymion and his urgency; his expression slips to an increasingly familiar resigned one. "One. Why do you need a pillow fort. Two. If you need a pillow fort, there is a building ''right there'' in which one could reasonably find pillows. Three. Why is this ''my'' problem."<br /><br />(That last is, yes, sighed in the tone of one who knows perfectly well that he voluntarily signed up for these things to be his problem.)

:'''{{#var:157|Ariel Theodore| (157)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's a bold and audacious idea, that much is for certain. Inviting a terrible figure of nightmare and negativity into one's own dream. Though some dreams are far more protected than others, indeed such as Prince Endymion's villa, the fact of the matter is that over the past few weeks the boundaries between dreams has been thinning dangerously. Though the lovely seaside home has not experienced any such bizarre or negative bleedover, it does lead to some effect.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They say if you call something dark by its name enough, you will get its attention. Continue to call... And it will come. It is hard to tell the flow of time in a dream, it could have been minutes, it could have been hours. In the end it doesn't matter when a door ''appears''. Framed in dark stonework, it is a heavy, old, castle door. Not a gate, but simply a door, made from age worn planks of wood rivetted together with dark metal.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And from the other side of the door comes a knock.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There's a knock! On his door. Well-- on the other side of a door that leads into his place: that is most assuredly not Endymion's door. Still, though, it's a knock on a door that leads to his space, so it's pretty much reflex that leads the prince of a bygone golden age to start moving to answer it.<br /><br />It is also reflex that stops him, causes him to turn to look sheepishly at Kunzite. It's definitely not asking for permission to open the door, that look.<br /><br />It's 'I'll fix it if he hurts you'.<br /><br />It's 'I'm sorry I'm putting you in danger again, and it literally only occurred to me now'.<br /><br />It's also 'be polite', somehow.<br /><br />"Hi just a sec!" he calls, really rapidly bending to re-tie a bootlace, and in so doing, assert detail in the dream again. Detail: that door is wooden, to be sure, but it's painted brick red. It hasn't got rivets. It's set in a whitewashed wall beneath a red-tiled overhang. It's ''his'' door-- at least this side is.

:'''{{#var:71|Akashimaru| (71)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Akashimaru goes quite still as the door appears and the knock sounds upon it. "I suppose this is a bad time to mention," she says quietly, in that moment when Endymion is bending to see to his bootlace, "that I was pretty rude to him the last time we met face to face."<br /><br />She does not move toward the door, for the same reason that the price does - this is not her dream, not her space, and she is a guest with no authority to invite anyone else into it. Better to preserve that distinction. She'd ''like'' to reach for her tessen; instead, she holds the napkin parcel of cookies between both hands and watches the door with keen dark eyes.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kunzite is already moving, just as Endymion is, slipping in front of him in the instant that his prince stops. There's no blink, no pause to return the look; a brush of hand against hand in passing, that's all. Reassurance. This isn't just his job; this is fundamentally who he is, what he is ''for,'' and even if there are changes Endymion wants to make to that ... well.<br /><br />He's a great deal more at ease putting himself between a Nightmare Prince and his own than he is, say, setting the table for sharing curry with allied, recently-minted mages.<br /><br />"Could be worse," he says to Akashimaru, casual and low. "You could've brought flowers." And then whichever way the door appears, he reaches to open it, equally ready to bow in polite welcome or to fend off a monster, or a storm, or a storm of monsters.

:'''{{#var:157|Ariel Theodore| (157)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There is silence from the other side of the door; though whether the person on the other side is waiting patiently or not is impossible to tell until the door is actually opened, once Endymion has re-asserted dominance over its appearance. There is no attempt to change it back though, and once the prince's faithful knight and general pulls it open...<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well there is no attack that much is certain. The youth on the other side is in more casual garb than the last time Akashimaru and Kunzite had seen. The full princely regalia has been left behind, as though already ready to visit a lovely seaside home. Dark breeches, sans socks in favor of simple shoes, and a white ruffled blousy shirt. The mask is in place though, white porcelain, covering the upper half of a smirking face with dark hair slicked back. But the mask does not hide the gleam of coal dark eyes as he looks to the trio that have ''called'' him here tonight.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's been so long since I've been invited anywhere as a guest. And by such polite company no less. I hope you don't mind if I chose something of a more... Relaxed wardrobe."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It is the Nightmare Prince. And though he gives a bow of his own to Kunzite at the door and Mamoru beyond, that is a terrible smirk when he looks to Akashimaru. "May I come in?"

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It's impossible to tell whether Endymion has any misgivings on seeing the masked Nightmare Prince for the first time: nothing's betrayed in his face, and he has tight enough control, at the moment, of his own dream that there wouldn't be any unsettling of the landscape if he felt threatened.<br /><br />Spoilers: He doesn't feel threatened. Only like there's a lot of work to do but also a potential opening.<br /><br />He inclines his head slightly, making an expansive gesture of invitation. "I am Endymion, Crown Prince of Elysion; welcome, Prince of Nightmares, to my house. Enter freely and of your own will--" there's a twitch at the corner of his mouth "--and mind that guest law is enforced. You'll come to no harm here, as long as you do not bring it."<br /><br />Then he gestures to his fellows. "This is Kunzite, my head guardian and best friend. Please forgive his wariness; your reputation is formidable and my well-being is his responsibility.<br /><br />"I understand you've met Akashimaru. She bears a gift I asked her to carry through from the waking world-- it's of no special value, I fear, but I hope you'll enjoy it. If it's been some time since you've been invited as a guest, I imagine it's also been some time since you've had homemade cookies." Okay, that's definitely a bright grin. "They're ''really, really'' good."<br /><br />There's a table there with some kind of iced sweet infusion that smells of rose and orange and mint, and chairs, and it's beneath the shade of a tree that leans over the wall, and it's that which Endymion moves toward. "Please, sit. I've invited you in order to hear your story from your own lips, if you wish to tell it."

:'''{{#var:71|Akashimaru| (71)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Akashimaru's poker face is not as good as Endymion's. She does not actually physically recoil from the sight of the Nightmare Prince and the smirk he turns her way, but she looks rather as though she would like to.<br /><br />Nevertheless, she follows Endymion's lead. At his cue, she steps forward a little reluctantly to offer the napkin-wrapped parcel of cookies to the Prince, doing her best to keep her expression composed, or at least more neutral than hostile. "I'm also here as a guest," she feels the need to point out. "It's a subject of interest to me, too, considering."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kunzite, on the other hand, is capable in dreams of still more of the polite mask that befits guards and servants than he uses in the real world. There, Kazuo's temper ruffles it from time to time. Here, he can lapse back almost entirely into being his first self, emptied out of all but service and protection, at which time the Nightmare Prince's reputation and habits become no more than a tactical consideration.<br /><br />Therefore he bows again, when invited, and does not look too sharply for reaction when Endymion describes his position the way he does; he closes the door behind the visitor, and shadows Endymion's movements at a little distance. It's unlikely he'll be called on to play the servant's role, here, where Mamoru's dreams dominate and are long since uncomfortable with the difference in their status. He stands ready to all the same, out of courtesy to their guest, and because it permits him to remain well-placed for emergencies without making any point of the matter.

:'''{{#var:157|Ariel Theodore| (157)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It is perhaps worthy of note, that the Prince does not cross the threshold until truly invited. Though the bidding of welcome to come and go as he pleases seems to earn something of a small chuckle, it is a gracious invitation and to that he dips his head in appreciative nod. "We are acquainted." He confirms. Not just he and Akashimaru, but he looks to Kunzite as well. "I will at least give you the good tidings that I am not fae." He finally notes.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It seems he'll play by the rules, prince to prince, for now.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dark eyes slide to the wrapped bundle of cookies, and with a perhaps surprising level of care he gingerly accepts. Though he opts to not directly touch Akashimaru in the process lest he trigger her to recoil. "After all, Akashimaru is an associate of my unicorn's daughter. And Kunzite has stepped into the bounds of my castle not once, but twice."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On that last note he does not expound, when invited to sit. He sits. But when he looks up next, dark eyes narrow in the slots of his mask. "My story?" He asks, beginning to unwrap the cookies. "It's not a pleasant one. One I prefer to forget altogether."

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Oh, I hadn't realized that was your castle," Endymion says in mild surprise as he takes a seat across from the Nightmare Prince, then adds more gravely, "I apologize for the intrusions. When your unicorn's daughter calls for help, any who can answer ''do''; she's precious to many, and very special."<br /><br />Yes. Head guardian-- also, sometimes, his hands, his eyes, or his voice.<br /><br />He glances quickly at Akashimaru, since he can't innately read her reactions -- even in his dream -- the way he can read Kunzite's; he moves on to address the next point as he reaches to pour the icy drink into the other prince's glass, then Akashimaru's, then his own. No, he's not going to let Kunzite pour it. Yes, he will concede to not making Kunzite sit down and drink some.<br /><br />"You needn't tell it; it's only if you wish to make sure it's heard from your point of view," the Earth Prince says easily-- maybe even gently.<br /><br />(He thought briefly, a moment ago, of donning his own mask, and decided against it on the grounds that it might be seen as mockery.)<br /><br />"If you'd rather not tell it, would you be willing to divulge what it is that you wish to accomplish? Many of us who've been called to help Ariel aren't at all sure what's going on, only that she hurts."

:'''{{#var:71|Akashimaru| (71)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Akashimaru sits after the Nightmare Prince does... albeit gingerly, perched upon the edge of the seat and sitting bolt upright with her spine very straight. It's not a posture of relaxation. She does at least lay her hands one resting over the other on her lap.<br /><br />"When the past is not remembered," she says quietly, "there is nothing to prevent it from repeating itself." A pause; those dark eyes watch the Prince closely. "Or maybe that ''is'' your aim... considering Ariel's mother, and the others."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kunzite's head is inclined in time with Endymion's statement: ''hadn't realized that was your castle.'' It didn't, after all, begin as his. And displacements like that one, places that seem unusual, aren't exactly uncommon in dreams.<br /><br />He does not mention, not now, that the first encounter was invited. After all, that one by definition wasn't an intrusion.<br /><br />Neither does he offer speculation on what's going on, far less on the Nightmare Prince's wishes. He does half-relax, after a fashion, stepping aside to lean against the wall rather than loom near the table. The one whose hands have been into things they only dubiously have the right to does not seem intent on putting his words into them, too, right now.

:'''{{#var:157|Ariel Theodore| (157)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The first encounter was invited, though the Nightmare Prince neglects to bring up just when the second occasion had ocurred. No, instead he takes a sip of his drink, before sitting back at ease. Again he flashes that smirk at the samurai in red remaining rather uptight, and casually crosses one leg over the other as he leans back in his seat. Before he scowls.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I remember the pain." He says after a moment of reining himself in almost as fast as he let the show of dark emotion slip. "And I think that's enough." Mused as fingertips drum together. He allows himself a pause to compose thought and demanor, plucking a cookie in the interim for a bite. It makes him pause, seemingly reflecting on the taste, dark eyes taking a distant focus, before he pulls himself back. He has made his decision.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Someone I loved dearly was taken from me. From that day on I could find no joy in the world, no solace for that sorrow." He keeps it at that as another question thins his lips into a slight quirk. "I think at least one of you should have an idea as to what I have been doing up until now, though. After all. Eliminating the guardians of other dreams. What could that possibly lead to, after all?"

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Endymion glances at Akashimaru, something clicking behind his eyes as he does so. Then he listens, microscopically fractionally letting nearly invisible tension go when Kunzite leans against the wall, and picking up his drink. He sips as he listens, and there's no other apparent reaction -- not at the flash of darkness, the scowl; not at the beginning of the story, nor at the obvious implication inherent in the Nightmare Prince's last statement.<br /><br />The Earth Prince turns his glass in one hand, leaning on the table a bit, and one eyebrow lifts. He doesn't look like he's laughing, but he doesn't look like an unshakeable saintly zen master, either. There's the quirk of the masked man's lips, and it's answered with a strangely casual gravitas. "Yes, but what will that accomplish? Think carefully on what you will have if you gain everything you attempt, and what you expect your life to be like thereafter-- then take care to examine your plans for undefined variables and wildcards."<br /><br />He sets his glass down and straightens a little in his seat, arms still on the table. "If there's a problem that's ongoing that you think this may solve, would you tell me what it is? My stock in trade is alternative solutions, and--"<br /><br />Here Endymion hesitates, very firmly not looking at Kunzite. "And I don't like seeing you in pain."

:'''{{#var:71|Akashimaru| (71)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Among other things," Akashimaru puts in, somewhere in the spaces between the Nightmare Prince's question and Endymion's final comment, "if the dreams of humanity aren't protected, the thing that took away the person you loved will be free to devour until nothing is left."<br /><br />A beat; two. She lets that settle before she adds, "Maybe that's what you have in mind. Maybe it isn't. I honestly don't know. but I do know that what you've been doing so far is only helping him."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The one leaned against the wall mutters, almost under his breath, "He wouldn't be the first to have made that mistake."<br /><br />Kunzite is also not looking at Endymion. Or Akashimaru. Fortunately, patches of mosaic rarely stare back even in dreams.

:'''{{#var:157|Ariel Theodore| (157)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What would it accomplish? What problems would it solve? These are good questions. Though the prince clicks his tongue. "I don't think we need to dance around it when you say wildcards, I'm well aware that even while I am here, you and your companions are doing your best to countermine me. Not to spit in the face of your hospitality, I can see your attempts are of a far more subtle variety, Prince Endymion."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;he folds his hands together. "Unlike say Akashimaru's or the all of the others' more overt efforts." That said though he pauses briefly, eyes narrowing behind the mask.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It would accomplish what I desire, of course. For as long and hard as I searched... Love, and happiness never came to me. Instead it was taken. Snatched at every turn and..." And he trails off, dark gaze suddenly focused so very intently upon Akashimaru. "What. Would you know about what did that to me?"

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"You've kept me out of these situations. You've kept me out of even my guardian's dreams," Endymion says, forthright, stepping between Akashimaru's answer and the Nightmare Prince. "I didn't think anyone could do that. I'm not, personally, countermining you -- you've made certain of that, or someone has. I've told no one but Akashimaru and Kunzite that I wished to speak with you, so if people are acting against you even now, I have nothing to do with it."<br /><br />He folds his hands on the table, now, and his tone is sharper, demanding ordered flow of information. "I'm not talking about the allies of Akashimaru, about the allies of your unicorn's daughter. When I say undefined variables, wildcards, I'm talking about assumptions you may have made based on incomplete information -- or conclusions you've drawn and centered plans on that are based on misinformation. I'm well familiar with what it does to a soul when everything that matters is ripped away-- and I'm well aware that a broken heart is blind."<br /><br />He glances at Akashimaru, now, too, and now Endymion's mouth is twisted a little in something like exasperation. "And that when you don't know everything you need to know to make sure that what you're doing will get you what you want, everything absolutely goes pear-shaped. What happened, Akashimaru?"

:'''{{#var:71|Akashimaru| (71)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>By way of an answer, as though from the thin air within her draping scarlet sleeves, Akashimaru holds up an old leather-bound book, age-worn and battered. Handling it with great care, she opens it, and reads aloud from its pages. <br /><br />"''The little boy lost his will, you see.''<br />''His dreams taken, claimed and devoured.''"<br /><br />A brief pause as her eyes track to another page. "''It happened again, it happened again...''<br />''The Prince of Dreams was filled with love so great.''<br /><br />''But more and more something dark their dreams did eat.''"<br /><br />She stops there, carefully closing the book again before she looks up at the others. When she does, her eyes are very grave. "Dreams devoured, taking away the dreamer's will. Leaving only an empty shell. It's surmise on my part, but... I only know of one thing that does that, and it's the Eater of Dreams. My enemy. He was defeated long ago, and sealed, but the seal is weakening. Every new nightmare that's sown gives him strength and weakens the seal more. That's how I got involved in all of this to begin with."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"If she's correct," Kunzite says quietly, from his place against the wall, "then we share an enemy."<br /><br />He leaves the rest unspoken, given the amount of opposition he showed the Prince in a certain castle. Not only an enemy. But an enemy who's been using the Prince as surely as he's been using his corrupted defenders.<br /><br />Whether the Prince is capable of seeing things from that perspective, of course, is likely to be another question.

:'''{{#var:157|Ariel Theodore| (157)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You are trying to understand me." The Prince replies coolly. So he can see that much. But his focus is wholly on Akashimaru now, brow knotting when she produces the book.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In an instant the rest of his face is a mask of stone.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Stop..."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;His voice is a whisper as she reads, fingers curling into his glass. "Stop." This time he's more forceful.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then the glass shatters in his hand.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I see..."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From behind the mask his eyes glow like coals, as he takes a slow, seemingly, calming breath and rises. "IF that is true it is... Enlightening." Murmured as he slides his seat back into place. "Originally. It was out of simple spite, but now. Now I see. "Yes. Yes we do share an enemy. And when I am done... There will be ''no'' dreams for the Eater of Dreams to feast upon. All he will find will be Nightmares. My Nightmares. An endless night of them, all loyal to me."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He is calm as ice as he takes his bow and makes for his door, pausing ever so briefly.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Thank you for the cookies."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Exeunt.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"...oops," says Endymion, slouching in his chair after the door closes.
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