Dream Magic

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Who: Hibiki and ~*YOU*~
What: Hibiki's getting a canon update! Unfortunately, it's one of those fancy waking dream types. Some healing may be needed.
When: Day 534
Where: Sigyn district.
Rating: PG for injuries probably!

It's been a few days since the curse abated. And yet, around lunchtime a certain young girl can be found frozen in a similar state to those who were caught in the last stage of the curse; her body seems frozen mid-step, and she stares dully ahead.

What can't be known, given her unnatural stillness, is how much she sees. Both her surroundings in Asgard, as well as events in her own home; it all flashes by so quickly, and yet she absorbs all of it at once: every word of relief Shii-chan gives when she wakes for the first time after the accident, the tears Ahito sheds when he, too, awakens from his own injuries. She sees and experiences it all.

However, her body in Asgard gives little such indication. Instead, a rather concerning sight may be seen as time progresses and Hibiki remains utterly still. Scabbed wounds in the midst of healing appear on the right side of her face and down her neck, clearly on the way to recovery but not quite there yet.

Unfortunately, the odd little situation begins to garner the attention of the natives. Someone may need to get her out of there before the crowd starts a disturbance...

Comments

[abhero]

Hamel holed up in his room ever since he came back to life four days ago. Being killed by his own ghosts was a truly harrowing experience, and the only reason he ventures outside today is that he starts to feel like he'll go crazy if he stays in. It's supposed to be a short errand – just to get something from a shop in Sigyn, and go back. He even flies all the way so he won't have to see anyone but the shop owner.

When he lands, he spots Hibiki on the other side of the street. It doesn't look like she saw him and since he doesn't feel like engaging, he enters the store. When he comes out she's in the exact same spot, still with her leg in the air like she's trying to avoid stepping on gum.

That's weird. He crosses the street, and when he comes closer he notices the wounds and her blank expression – just like the one people had a few days ago, when the curse still raged. Hamel frowns and waves a hand in front of her eyes.

"Anybody home?"

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It's so strange... On one hand, the events in her world seem rushed. People come, people go. She rests. She dreams. She heals.

And on the other... She sees Hamel stand in front of her, waving his hand and speaking to her. But no matter how hard she tries to move or speak and acknowledge as much, she can't.

It's as though she's become a living statue.

[abhero]

This is getting creepy – she isn't even blinking! Hamel holds out a hand, gingerly, and pokes her shoulder. He winces when he makes contact, half expecting to get sucked into another horrible vision, but nothing happens. Hibiki is just frozen in place for no good reason.

People are starting to gather, and Hamel can tell by their looks don't know what's happening any better than him. That's no good – what if someone knocks her over and steps on her?

"Right, uh… we should go. Blink once for 'yes', twice for 'no'." No response. "Okay, zero blinks are closer to once so that's a yes…"

Hamel picks the Hibiki statue up and tucks her unceremoniously under his arm. He takes off and flies to Hibiki's apartment – it's the best place for her to unfreeze, right? Luckily there's an open window he can go through, and Hamel sets Hibiki in the living room. Somehow it looks even weirder than on the street. Should he go get someone? She's still frozen, like a mannequin on a… display window…

Huh.

"Wait here – actually you have no choice, haha – I'll be back soon!"

Hamel flies through the window again. He knows exactly what to do now. He just needs to get to Baldr and back.

[saving_sound]

Gosh, it sure was nice of Hamel to take her back to her home while she's stuck like this. She's puzzled when he leaves, but only for a moment - those sights and sounds and sensations from her world are rather distracting, so she allows herself to be caught up in them once again.

Meaning she is absolutely still frozen in the same spot when he does make his return.

[abhero]

Hamel comes back carrying a pack, and spills an assortment of clothes and accessories on the carpet. He brought back a bunch of costumes from the party in Utagard, and now he has a chance to put them for good use.

After some deliberations, he picks a black eye patch and puts it over Hibiki's left eye. The eye patch is soon joined by a hat too big for her head, a heavy coat and a parrot plush toy with a terribly sad expression. It takes him a while to balance the parrot on her shoulder and when everything is finally in place, Hamel steps back to admire the result.

"Haha, this is great! Something's missing though…"

He digs through the costume pile until he finds a hook and a toy sword. Unfortunately, they keep falling off her hands.

"Right, there has to be duct tape somewhere…"

[saving_sound]

She's confused when Hamel comes back with clothes in his arms, and mildly horrified once she realizes what's going on. But she can't do a thing to stop it - the flashes of her home continue, and she still can't move.

It isn't until she falls asleep in her hospital bed at home that she is finally released, tumbling over in a heap. The poor parrot falls right off onto the ground with her.

"Ah-- I-I can move again...!" She's got a couple of extra scabs for it, but at least she isn't frozen anymore-!

[abhero]

Aw man, and just when he found duct tape, too!

Hamel comes over to help her up and – no, it's to try to put the parrot back in place.

"Jeez, you're wrinkling it." He straightens the hat. "What happened to you?"

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"O-oh... sorry." She pats down the outfit a little, ensuring it is as close to wrinkle free as she can get it while kneeling on the floor as she is.

"It was really weird... Suddenly I couldn't move, and I started seeing everything going on at home. But at the same time, I could see everything happening here, too. Ah--" She almost forgot! "Thank you for getting me away from the crowd. I wasn't sure what I'd do if I ever got unstuck."

It had been an odd experience for sure, but... Things at home had ended happily, and it reflects in her overall mood.

[abhero]

More visions from home? At least Hibiki looks pretty happy; not like the waterworks he witnessed the last time it happened. Hamel gives the scabs a suspicious look, but they don't seem to bother her.

"A hero always helps people in need," he says as he tries to duct tape the parrot to her shoulder. "You're not having a headache or something, right?"

That's what happened when they touched the demon rabbits. It's like you couldn't walk down the street without having to worry about weird flashes anymore.

[saving_sound]

She shakes her head, which may just cause the parrot to wobble a bit. Sorry, Hamel, but she's a little excited. "I didn't get a headache at all - I didn't touch any of the rabbits this time. But--" and here's the important part-- "When I went back, I got to see! All of my friends are okay, and I'm safe and sound too. Everything ended happily!"

...She probably should have slowed down and actually explained where any of that came from, but she's just too happy to focus on pesky little details like that. She's alive, Ahito is recovering alongside her - everything is going to be okay.

[abhero]

"Yeah? That's nice."

It may not be the most enthusiastic response, but Hamel really is happy for her. He remembers how worried she was for her healer friend – the one Hamel thought of as "Guy Flute" because they had the exact same power – and he's glad they're all okay.

"If you didn't touch the rabbits, how did that happen?"

He wants to see more visions from home, too!

[saving_sound]

"Umm... I'm not sure. I was just walking like normal when suddenly I got stuck and couldn't move. That's when I started seeing two things at once..." She tilts her head to the side as she ponders this.

"...Maybe it's just random? Like all the other times when people go back. Or..."

...Oh, no. Her expression becomes worried. "I hope they aren't having trouble keeping my soul here..." The gods had so much to deal with as it was. It wouldn't be terribly surprising if they were losing their hold on the souls they had gathered here - it's a miracle in of itself that she's been here so long already.

[abhero]

No Hibiki, don't look worried, this is a happy occasion! And here he thought it was a perfectly innocent question…

"I don't think that's it," he says, even though he kind of does. It makes sense, these gods can't do anything right. "They wouldn't just let go of our souls, not when they need us more than ever."

[saving_sound]

"They might not have a choice, though... I hear sometimes they just can't hold onto us any longer." Worry worry worry fret. "I'm happy I got to sort of go home, but... I don't want to leave here either-!" There's still so much she has to do...

[abhero]

That's it, Worried Wendy, you are getting dope slapped on your big pirate hat.

"Knock it off. Even if it happens, it's not up to you so stop thinking about it. Just be glad you know everything's okay back home."

[saving_sound]

"Wah-!" Wh-why do you have to be so violent, Hamel... Her hands curl as best as they can over her head and, by extension, hat. There's a rather pathetic whimper to go along with it.

"...I'm glad I got to see everyone. I really am. I just... don't want to leave here. Not yet."

How can she help all the friends she's made here if she ends up back home...?

[abhero]

Nope, he is so done with all that fretting. How can you concentrate on being awesome and kicking enemy's ass if you keep worry you might go poof any minute?

He steps back and starts putting the rest of the costumes back in his pack.

"Don't tell me that. Take it up to Sigyn if it bothers you so much."

[saving_sound]

She hangs her head with embarrassment. She gets it; talking about it here doesn't really help anything at all...

"Sorry... I'll. I'll try to figure something out."

So basically, she'll shut up now, sorry, sorry.

[abhero]

"You do that." Hamel shoulders the pack and heads to the window. Time to return to his room…

He's already on the window sill and half way out when he remembers something, and turns around.

"Might wanna get someone to look at those wounds."

[saving_sound]

Now she just looks confused.

"W-wounds...?" What wounds? She never got hurt here in Asgard...

[abhero]

"There." He taps the side of his face. "It's not bad or anything but it's pretty dumb to walk around like this when we have magical healers."

[saving_sound]

She raises a hand to her face, looking confused and then surprised once her fingers brush up against the scabs.

"Huh-? B-but these are from the accident at home-!" How did they end up following her here-?

[abhero]

He scratches the back of his head.

"So you did go back? Maybe the gods cloned you or something, so you can be in both places at the same time."

[saving_sound]

"Clone...?" What. What does that actually mean.

"But... How did this happen? I didn't get hurt here-- I didn't even have these when I got stuck!" She covers the ones on her face with the palm of her hand. "Were they already there when you picked me up and took me here?"

[abhero]

He nods and quirks an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I thought you got them a couple days ago or something. During the whole," a vague hand wave, "mess."