action / video

[threemoms]

[ Action ]

[ Sleeping was never really one of Hotaru's favorite activities. Sleep meant dreams. It's part of the reason she never went to bed until she was too exhausted to stay up any longer. It was the best way to sleep without dreams, at least that she had found.

For Hotaru, dreaming usually meant dreams about her father. Sometimes it involved his death. Sometimes his life. They were equally brutal. Other times she dreamed about the people she now lived with; Haruka and Michiru, Setsuna, Ogami and Sakura and even Rise. They were very nice people, once you got to know them, but not in her dreams.

Lastly were the dreams that were harder to place. Dreams of far off places, places she had never seen. People she didn't know, or faces that she could almost remember, but never from where. They were dreams she'd had ever since her father had... done his work on her. Tonight was one of those dreams.

The city was in ruins. It was... Union? She thought it was. She could make out towers reaching for the sky. But behind them was a swirling darkness; a vortex of destruction, pulling those towers, tearing up the streets. But most of all, it was eerily silent. The people stood, frozen. In the middle of the people, one person stood out to Hotaru. She couldn't place who it was, but caught a flash of blond hair.

And then darkness overtook her.

Hotaru woke up screaming, jerking upright. The lights were off, it was still nighttime. Her Litwick, Celosia, and Gothita, Lilah, were on the bed in seconds, trying to find out what was wrong, comfort her. ]

Just a dream... just a dream...


[ Video ]

[ Some time later, Hotaru's making a video post. She has bags under her eyes, like she had a horrible night's sleep. Heh. ]

Does anybody have any tricks for getting a decent night's sleep? Preferably a... dreamless sleep.

Ah... Psychic-types don't have any effect, before you suggest it. Sorry.

Comments

[incousinswithyou]

[Michiru shakes her head.] Just Haruka, Setsuna, and I. [a pause] And you.

That's why we joined the Force, to keep it from happening.

[actsmagnificent]

And that's why you have to stay here. [ How long has Haruka been posing standing in the doorway?

Not very, actually: she became concerned that Michiru wasn't returning and rose to investigate. And while she only really caught the last exchange between the both of you, the context fills in the blanks.

Even if the results are impossible. Hotaru Tomoe....? A comrade? Absurd. ] We will discover where the gods went before disaster strikes again. History won't repeat itself.

[threemoms]

[ TOO MUCH... EXPOSITION....

Hotaru seems to be trying to take it all in. What she's picking up from it- ] You think the dreams are.... prophetic? And the gods have something to do with it...?

[ ...Well, it actually explains most of what they were doing in Caldera, at least. ]

[incousinswithyou]

[hey, you should feel lucky you're getting any relevant information at all.

Glancing over at Haruka. Why, hello there.] Sharing the same dream isn't very common, is it?

[that in itself should mark it as something special, even if she didn't already know it in her bones.]

[actsmagnificent]

[ Haruka stays focused on Hotaru. If this girl's having dreams that mark her as a full colleague - well, that changes things. That changes pretty much everything, in fact. If only there were some kind of more concrete proof....If only she remembered more...

But either way, she's involved. So Haruka keeps talking. ] Understand? This is our mission. If you become a part of it, you can't slow us down.

[ This might, however, be the first time she's ever deigned to look Hotaru directly in the eyes. It's...something. ]

[threemoms]

[ Solemnly, Hotaru nods. She's been training, recently. So that she wouldn't slow them all down. Just.. now it was even more important. ]

If those dreams really could happen.... I don't want that.

[incousinswithyou]

[a nod] Neither do we.

[that's a good start. Better than somebody else's initiation into the whole thing, in any case.

Glancing at Hotaru. Any other questions?]

[actsmagnificent]

[ Haruka has gotten her exposition out of her system, fortunately. ] If you're feeling okay, you should try to sleep. Everything else can wait until tomorrow.

[ If you're not feeling okay, though....well, she's not going to say it, or come and sit with you like Michiru might. But she's standing here. And that's something. ]

[threemoms]

[ Hotaru pauses for a moment. She... still remembers that dream. She doesn't want to go back to sleep. Not right now.

But it seemed like they expected her to. She didn't want to bother them. So she nodded. ]

..All right.

[incousinswithyou]

[Michiru pauses, considering the impact the dreams had on herself. And, well. The child is barely settled (if we were to ignore the ever increasing collection of lamps) and everything is changing again.

She'll hold out an arm and will draw Hotaru into a hug if she lets her.]

[actsmagnificent]

[ Haruka looks away slightly, giving Hotaru some privacy if she wants to accept the gesture. Michiru will be Michiru.

And this just got far more complicated. ]