light_mischief | [come sail away] ic inbox (season 1)

[ This message will come in strangely in the middle of the night, past Fio's usual sleeping hours. Skulduggery was one of the individuals that she had been thinking of contacting, much earlier in the week after the first nightmare, but... well. She didn't want to tell anyone. Better late than never!

And better to hide her hesitation through text. ]

Duggy?

Are you awake?

[ No, she still does not know he doesn't need sleep... ]

[He responds quickly, fast enough that it's probably clear she hasn't woken him but instead caught him in a moment of quiet, with nothing to occupy him but Fio's text.]

I am. Is everything alright?

[ She doesn't want to say no... although, it's already worrisome enough that she's messaging him at this hour. There's a delay, before she finally replies: ]

Not really.

Is the ~~suntrees?~~ sundrees [ ??? Close enough. ] shop supposed to give sad gifts?

I think I'm being punished.

The gifts aren't meant to punish or reward. Are you in your room? Can I come to see you?

[ Luckily she is tonight. She'd quickly given up on wandering the ship aimlessly as a way to keep herself awake... ]

I'm in my room. [ ... ] You can come over. I want to see you.

~~Please help me~~

[He's there after only a short lull in texts, knocking on her door softly and announcing himself in case her paranoia is secretly as bad as his...]

Fio, it's me.

[And when she does inevitably open the door, his head will tilt as he checks her over for any visible wounds or marks.]

What happened?

[ When she opens the door, she can be seen with Judith clutched tightly to one side. No wounds or marks. Dreams can't hurt you. If anything, she looks exhausted, eyes weary from lack of rest. And some faint redness from crying. ]

Um... I- [ She's reluctant to say, her voice going low into a whisper. With her free hand, she reaches— not for his hand this time, but she reaches up, as if asking to be lifted into a hug. ] I'm... dreaming again. I'm not supposed to have scary dreams anymore.

[The request is immediately obeyed as he bends down to take her into his arms, giving her a tight, reassuring squeeze as he maneuvers the door shut behind him. Fio is at the forefront of his thoughts these days, and so he remembers the things she'd said about her dreams. But it's one thing to know something and another thing entirely to see it first-hand, and seeing her so tired and upset is enough to break the heart he doesn't have.]

You're talking about... with the Cage? [He doesn't want to turn this into an interrogation, but he's still missing some valuable context. He doesn't quite understand how her powers work, what they do exactly -- but those questions will be answered in their own time.] Did the bad dreams stop when you arrived here, or before?

[ With her one arm, she hangs onto him tight, then after a moment her body relaxes as she thinks about giving in to much needed sleep. She doesn't want to, not when there's the high chance of another nightmare. ]

Before. I thought- I thought Mr. Monster took care of all of my dreams, that's why I stopped having them. But...

[ Fio trails off, leaving her thought unfinished, seeming to remember something else. She had assumed it was the reason why the dreams stopped. And now she's not so sure, when she thinks about it. Something happened in the human world. Then she died— only to wake up on the Serena Eterna afterward. Months of uneventful, peaceful sleep followed, but now... ]

I... opened the package I got from the shop after Mister Stede's party. And then the scary dreams started happening again.

[Skulduggery smoothes back her hair before moving to pick her up. She needs rest -- but there's no way to guarantee the nightmares won't return. Maybe there's some way for him to soothe her while she sleeps, but that's a temporary reprieve. A way to return the gifts, or exchange it, maybe...?]

I'm sorry, Fio. This shouldn't have happened. [Rin had suggested it, and now Skulduggery wonders -- if he'd opened the gift instead of her, would that have helped?] Is there anything I can do to stop them? Like Mr. Monster did, maybe?

[ And she easily allows herself to be picked up, being far too drained to move around much. She nuzzles her head against him a little. Then a beat of silence, which almost sounds like she might have drifted off. She wanted his help and yet she can't actually think of anything...

Fio pipes back up in a small, meek voice. ]

...I'm not sure. Mr. Monster, he's... he's a dream-eating monster. [ So she isn't sure he can help in the same way he did. ] Do you know any magic for nice dreams?

[Skulduggery cradles her close, heading again for the bed he assumes is still hers, although he knows that Dimitri also shares this room now. It's the one that looks slept in, at any rate, that he sits down on, toeing off one shoe and then the next.

There's not even a question about it. He can hold watch for Fio just as well as he had for Darcy.]

I'm afraid I don't. [Not now. Dream dolls, maybe, but he can't exactly go to Cassandra and beg for her help...] But I can stay here while you sleep. Maybe I can intimidate the bad dreams away. [He doubts it, but you never know with dream magic...]

Maybe. [ Her eyelids are heavy and she's still fighting to keep them open, despite how soothing the cradling feels. A small huff, almost like a silent laugh. ] You make the fears go away. You're always helping me fall asleep...

[ This time too, maybe she can catch another peaceful night's rest. The dreams are more sporadic than her past experiences, she's noticed. Unless the frequency increases later. She doesn't want to think about that... There was once a time she couldn't rely on any dream-eating monster to deal with her dreams. Every single night, there would be a nightmare. Not even daydreams were spared. It's a life she might have to adjust to having again. ]

...They're always so scary. Or sad. Someone always gets hurt or dies.

I like to think I'm tougher than any bad dream. [He pulls his legs up onto the bed, carefully coaxing Fio until he can rest comfortably with his back propped against the headboard. He may not be as comfortable as someone with skin and meat to cling to, but as long as she wants, he's going to hold on tight.]

They're not about you, are they? [It's a question seeking confirmation more than knowledge. He can imagine from what she's told him that the dreams are somehow separate, maybe leaking in from other people as they sleep? Would changing her sleeping schedule help? He doesn't know. It's uncomfortable, not knowing how to help her.]

[ Not the most comfortable compared to a flesh person, yet she always wants to hold his hand or be lifted up in his skeletal arms. And now, she continues to rest, huddled up in his arms. She has plush bear too, in her grasp acting as extra cushioning and comfort. ]

...They never are. I don't recognize anyone. [ One dream so far reminded her of another passenger. Just a small similarity is all it was, or so she thinks. ] It's been that way before. I don't know why it's always like that.

[ "Sad" and "scary" dreams is usually how she describes it. It's always in her own childish, simple way of speaking of things. (She doesn't know how to precisely say her dreams are the memories of sin...) Carrier knows the truth the best, but he's in another world away... ]

[Nightmares of other people... Skulduggery doesn't have the context of her world to work off of, but there are some similarities he can see with Sensitives. Her dreams could be visions, perhaps of the future or the past. She could be simply tapping into the dreams of others around her -- there are plenty of trauma-worn people aboard with uneasy dreams...]

I can't say for certain, not knowing your world, but.. this does seem to be your power. It's an unhappy one, and I am sorry for that. But what I do know is that every power can be mastered. [He isn't sure if he should encourage her to engage more or less with what she sees... But in the face of her exhaustion, watching her struggling to stay awake, all he wants is to ensure one good night of sleep.]

We'll find a solution. You and me... and Ava, too, if you'll let me tell her. I'm sure she'd want to help.

...I don't want this "power".

[ She never thought to refer to it using that term. Just a terrible problem. If only she could travel back to The Cage, then Levania and Carrier could easily solve her problems. A reluctant pause, before she answers softly in a murmur. ] You can tell Ava. [ After a moment, she adds: ] ...It's— it's okay to talk about it around Jade too.

[ Pretty much the two other adults that she feels most comfortable sharing sensitive information with. And Ava had already caught her outside of her cabin earlier in the week, late in the night, in the middle of a nightmare. An apology feels necessary for avoiding telling her the truth that time...

Fio feels a pang of guilt, that he's willing to seek out a solution. On top of the other, more important problems that require investigating aboard the ship, she feels like an added burden. ]

I'm sorry, Duggy... I'm really sorry for making you worry about me.

No, I can't imagine you do. [But a power can be trained, controlled, and directed. He doesn't know how, yet, but he knows that there has to be a way. And her giving permission to him for both Ava and Jade to know means that a solution will be that much easier to find.

But her apology catches him by complete surprise, enough that it distracts him from the plan loosely formulating in the back of his mind.]

You never have to apologize for that. I worry about you because I want to, not because I feel obligated to. [He combs his fingers through her hair gently.] None of us are being forced to care for you.

[ The gentle touch is calming and she's starting to feel convinced that maybe she can actually have a dreamless sleep tonight. She emits a soft sigh.

Having no one left in the world to care for her is something she's always afraid of. And it was how she was in the end, all alone before being whisked off onto a boat. She should be content that he tells her this much and maybe there doesn't really need to be any reason... but she's curious. ]

...But why? Why do you care for me? I know there's other important things you gotta focus on too...

[There are plenty of reasons, really. She's young and needs protection. She's a sweet girl, and he feels she deserves better than what she'd had to endure. He knows any one of them would probably satisfy her curiosity. This time, though, he settles on the deeper, more honest truth.]

...You remind me of a child I knew a long time ago, before I died. You're kind and creative and brave, and caring for you is familiar in a way I hadn't thought I'd feel again.

[Oh, too much, far too much of the truth spilling out there, with no rain to blame for it. But he lets it be; he can't take it back, and to joke about it would only hurt them both in the long run.]

[ He's perceptive, able to see the best in others. Reminding Fio of the best in her, even if she might not agree with them. Yet they're things she needs to hear sometimes. Her own parents loved her for the same. But they would later think of it as a mistake taking her in, especially when she started to grow older. She hopes he never thinks of it as a "mistake" to care for her...

And Fio remembers how he mentioned he was once a flesh, living breathing human. Exactly how long ago was that she wonders. As well as how his human life was... ]

...Did you have a family too?

I... yes. I did. It was many, many years ago. Hundreds of them.

[The tenderness that accompanies his confirmation is undercut by sorrow. It was so long ago now that he can't remember their faces, most of the time remaining nothing more than hazy blurs on the periphery.

He worries sometimes that if they weren't so deeply connected to his death, he might not even remember they existed at all. Then there are moments like this, where he can almost conjure their voices, and their faces nearly come into focus.]

[ Far too long ago and though curious, she doesn't want to put pressure in remembering by asking more questions. She wonders if caring for her must feel full of warmth as it is sad... ]

I'm... [ Nearly another apology slips out, only to trail off into silence. Instead, Fio chooses to tell him the reason behind her attachment towards him, why she cares. Much like what she had shared with Ava on a weekend of rain, but she doesn't really need to be cursed to say any of these things. ] You're really smart, brave, and kind and-- [ So much more.

She finally allows herself to close her eyes. ]

You remind me of happier times. When Mommy and Daddy still cared...

[ Before her own passing, but not so long ago that it isn't difficult to recall. About a year or so before everything started falling apart. ]

[Smart and brave he may accept without hesitation, but he doesn't know anyone who would call him kind. Valkyrie might've, when they first met, when he'd taken her under his wing and taught her magic, but she's outgrown that notion since. And he's never stood as a reminder of anything good in his life.]

I'm sorry that they ever stopped. I promise to not repeat their mistakes.

[ In this little girl's eyes, she sees him as good. Good enough for her. No one's flawless, she knows that. People make mistakes. But the one mistake she's most afraid of is if anyone changes their mind about caring for her... ]

You won't. You're not like them.

[ So she believes in his promise.

She shifts around a little, adjusting the stuffed animal in her arms to act more as a supportive pillow. Then for a moment, she lies still in his arms except for her soft breathing, not quite asleep though her eyes are closed. ]

...Can you hum a song for me again, like you did before?

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light_mischief - 2022-08-23 08:56 (UTC) - Expand

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sabigoe - 2022-08-26 04:54 (UTC) - Expand

[come sail away] ic inbox (season 1)

after her first week of dreams (before the event, somewhere!!)

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