[dream]

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

[warning for light torture elements]
[She's Cinderella, running down polished glass hallways. (She is also, at the same time, a rat.) A labyrinth, with walls stretching above her head, too thick to shatter. There's a goal, a reward, a way out somewhere, if she can just find it.

[The center: sunflower seeds (huge to a human, normal-sized to a rat), colored green and silver. She reaches for the reward.]

ZAP

[The shock is painful and from nowhere (or a hand on the dial in Milgram's experiment). She backs away, turns to try the maze again.]

ZAP

[She freezes, waiting for the pain to fade.]

ZAP

[It continues no matter what, and there's nothing to do. And now the maze is clear (her perspective is overhead, even as she's stuck below) and there is no exit, no reward, only endless glass walls, teasing offers of treats, and now the shocks.]

ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP

[She sags, sliding down the wall and pulling her knees to her chest, and tries to restrain the twitching of her muscles against the torture.]

Comments

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

[She rolls over to check out the rustling, then winces.] oh, great, this again... Since when am I the most interesting thing here? Is there something special about my embarrassment?

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

Jessica... it's just me. The vine wouldn't be that cruel.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Oh. um. hi.

It's done it before...

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

Oh. I'm sorry. But, umm... how are you?

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Extremely awkward and kind of contemplating going and hiding in Antikythera right now.

Uh, you?

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

Just worried about you, but I understand the hiding feeling. I just... I wanted you to know that if you wanted to talk about that, you can trust me to keep it between us. Dreams don't come from nowhere, after all.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

[She agonizes over this for a few moments.]

Don't really know what to talk about. It's, um, really nice of you, though. I don't know what's wrong with my brain.

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. If you need anything, though...

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

[She sighs and sinks into her pillow.] I have no idea what I need.

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

A hug? Sweets? An escort to Antikythera and an alibi for a while? [Canada rubs at her eyes, obviously tired, but concern for Jessica is more important than anything trivial right now.]

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

tell you what: I'll take you up on those first two tomorrow. I'm [yawn] way too tired to get out of bed.

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

[Oh, that was good. Canada smiled, relieved.] Perfect. What's your favourite flavour?

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Chocolate, of course. Even after that ridiculousness a few months ago.

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

Chocolate it is, then. Try to get back to sleep, Jessica. I'll come visit you tomorrow.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Will do.

Hopefully I won't be seeing you until then.

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

Let's hope. [Canada smiles warmly, trying to be reassuring, then murmurs a quiet 'thank you' to the vine, ending the conversation.]