video; un: shiro

[shiro2hero]

[The video clicks on to show Shiro, sitting at a dining table - in the Mouse House, for anyone who's been there before. He looks... different. Hollowed-out. More exhausted than usual, which is saying something, for him. But the biggest difference? His greying hair has gone completely white. All of it.]

[His hands are curled around a mug, with the omni propped up on something else.]

Hey, feels like long time, no see.

[The smile he goes for falls flat. He reaches down with his left hand, the real hand, to ruffle the fur of his Omen, the lion with her head in his lap.]

First of all... I'm sorry for what happened, recently. [The Beasthood Incident.] I want to thank the people who helped me out. You know who you are, and - I'd rather not get into it more than that, please.

That aside - I've really noticed there aren't a lot of us left from the Dream. From Deerington. That's no one's fault. It's just a little alarming to realize. Maybe it's better forgotten - I don't know. But, I'm offering what I have to anyone who wants to learn.

Either what Deerington was, what happened there, who was involved. Anything I still have.

I don't think it should be forgotten. Not after what was done to get us here. After what people went through to make it possible to wake up here. And who we lost in the process.

[He takes a deep breath, and lifts up the coffee mug for a drink. You know, to get himself centered and everything.]

[Except... the mug stopped steaming halfway through his speech. Something heavy slides around inside instead, and impacts Shiro's face with an audible THUD. His head snaps back, which allows the object to go plummeting down to the tabletop.]

[It's a solid brick of frozen coffee.]

[It isn't even melting in the summer weather. Just sitting there. Mocking him. Another slow, deep breath, to keep his eye from twitching.]

... also, if any coldbloods out there want to... help with this... blood ability mess? I'm... listening.

Comments

Video | Clickclickbloom

[onekindsoul]

I didn't end up really doing much, but you're welcome.

[She also wont go too far beyond that. But she'll look at the coffee and give a little laugh.]

Have you tried-

Thinking hot thoughts.

Get the whole fire side of things working.

That's what I usually do.

[shiro2hero]

[Thank you, Ruby - for not going into things. He definitely appreciates it.]

Your abilities aren't acting up at all?

voice; un: gamemaster

[chessboardturn]

Uh, not sure I can help with the whole frozen coffee thing.

[ He pauses. ]

I'm pretty new, though. Just washed up! What is - was - the Dream?

[shiro2hero]

It's starting to sound like not a lot of people can.

[So no worries there, buddy.]

It was the world before this one. Literally a dream from one of the Pthumerians, but a child. She pulled us into it by accident, and tried to help us survive the nightmares she kept having.

[chessboardturn]

...that sounds kinda familiar. Or similar, anyway. And that's a bit of a story.

[ He pauses. ]

How long have you been here?

video; un: lady

[dohaeris]

[sansa's expression is one of sympathy, albeit faintly amused.]

You might be better off asking a Coldblood mage to fix your drink for you. I haven't known anyone to have very much luck melting their own ice.

[she pauses.]

I should like to learn what I can about the world before––the dream, and the role the Pthumerians played in it.

[shiro2hero]

[Shiro tries to coax the cylinder of coffee back into the mug while he answers.]

Hopefully - one of them sees this. Most of the ones I knew were... they're not around anymore.

[Or it's awkward for one reason or another.]

Yes ma'am. I'd be happy to. I could do it here or in person if you'd like.

[ video | un: keith ] 1/2

[tempredmental]

[Keith casually skims past the beasthood thing. He felt guilty enough about that, thanks. About not being able to help. About being one of the contributing factors to it happening. He'll just... ignore it and move on. That's healthy, right?

Except not, because his post-death appearance, while having dialed back a bit on the corruption appearances, was still not all that great. His hair was closer to black than purple again, but not completely, and when it shifted near his left temple during movement, a very pale violet streak, almost white, could be seen. The fangs were practically permanent now. There were other things, but none of it visible at this angle of the video.]

Maybe you should write that all- [What the-?]

2/2

[tempredmental]

[Keith winced as the ice came out of the cup.]

Why is your coffee frozen?

[Video] username: justanadventurer

[aetherweaver]

I'd be interested in learning about the Dream. I've read a book about the history of the Pthumerians, but I've precious little information about the Dream itself.

Er... I'm a coldblood, but I haven't really been able to use my blood magic yet, I'm sorry.

[shiro2hero]

No, that's fine. It... sounds like I'll just have to heat this up the normal way.

[He pushes a hand through his hair.]

Sure thing. It was the world before this one - a world made by one of the Pthumerians. Just a kid, really. She pulled us in by accident, and then did what she could to keep us alive during her nightmares.

There's... a lot more to it, but it'd take more than a couple messages to go through.

[Audio][un: A_Wesker013]

[subject_013]

[A baritone voice, not as throaty as usual, but still husky speaks.]

There are fewer, it seems, of the Sleepers who'd awakened in Sodder's Nightmare, but some of us are still around. I'm one of the younger of what I call "the Elder Sleepers". Perhaps a census is in order, as well as compiling our experiences, however brief a time we spent in the Dream.

It's better if the younger Sleepers know about the Dream. It birthed this world. To forget it is to forget the origins of this place.

[shiro2hero]

Is that the term people are using now? "Elders"?

[Wow that. Makes his hair feel even more appropriate.]

I was there when the first round woke up in Deerington. It's... been years. So I'm happy to try and go over as much as Peter Parker and I were able to compile.

Video; un: darkness

[survivalthroughhate]

Are you going to mention to people how many people in Deerington chose to sacrifice a little girl at the end of it all?

[Guess who is still bitter, angry, and absolutely salty about how he wasn't able to save Julia?]

[shiro2hero]

I have to.

It's part of what happened. It's a disservice to her to do anything less.

video, un: Oracle

[adaine]

I have a few questions but - if you're one of the people who's been here the longest, I have an idea that I think might help with ensuring that it gets remembered?

[She's not even going to bother to offer help with the blood abilities, it's been... a nightmare, considering the sheer amount it's fucked up her blood magic.]

There's an archive here run by Remina, and then the school run by Never-Mind... But that just means that any information we get is filtered through those two, who we still have no reason to trust. I was wondering if maybe we could uhh... set up, like, an archive of our own?

[The joke was sitting right there.]

You know, to keep information together about the dream, the sleepers who have gone but who made an impact, events in the past, what to expect in the future, the mysteries behind this place as we unravel them, a sort of general bestiary of the types of monsters that linger around this place...

[shiro2hero]

I'll answer what I can, as much as I can.

[He's quiet for a minute, while turning that over in his head. And... trying to coax the frozen cylinder of coffee back into the mug.]

I think it's worth a shot. In Deerington, we kept as many copies of the records as possible. Just in case someone who had a copy disappeared. Or got corrupted. Having a central place for our findings is a good plan - as long as we also keep other copies out there.

Maybe I'm just paranoid about it, but old habits and all.

Text | un: duty

[martyrofduty]

I'm interested in all the information you mentioned. Trench may not be the Dream, but they are connected. If we can avoid shooting ourselves in the foot over something we could have known- we should.

As for the coffee... are you more interested in fixing that (by yourself or someone else), avoiding it in the future, or actively controlling them so long as you... have coldblood.

[shiro2hero]

I'm happy to share what I have. I've kept a record ever since a friend of mine put it together. It doesn't have everything, but hopefully I can fill in the gaps.

Can I say 'all of the above'?

video; un: ushiromiya

[entreats]

.. are you alright?

[ Shiro says he'd rather not go into it more than that, sure. But whereas Ange isn't the type to put her foot down and demand he talks about it, just because she happened to be involved in the entire mess, she at least wants to know this much.

Because she did worry, especially since she wasn't there to see how it ended. How Shiro ended up back here as Shiro. And that worry is obvious even now. It's in Ange's eyes and tone, in a way she can't hide like everything else. ]

Sorry. We.. We really don't have to talk about it more than that, if you don't want to. I just.. I was worried.

private

[shiro2hero]

[He... debates how to actually answer this for a bit longer. Mostly out of shame. Out of embarrassment - that it happened, that it got Ange swept up in it all. That he could have hurt her.]

I should be asking you that question.

And... and I'm sorry, Ange. For all of that.

video | un: graham crackers

[possessum]

( Peter doesn't know the older man too well, despite being in the same orbit as him for... quite some time. How long has it been since he came across him...? He can't remember.

Still, seeing Shiro appear on the feed is some dose of relief (even if the state of him is worrying.... how tired he looks, and his hair....) Peter's frowning softly as he listens to the message, heart giving an odd little pang at the words. Deerington. )

Ouch dude, are you okay? ( Peter's wincing as he turns on his own feed, staring down at the frozen brick of coffee for a moment before he gives a soft sigh, solemn. )

...It's sad to think about, that there's so few of us left. ( From Deerington. )

I used to be able to count the people who left on one hand. Then two. Now.... sometimes I struggle to remember all their names. Maybe I should... write them down somewhere, or something.

[shiro2hero]

Yeah... I'm good. But I think my pride suffered a fatal blow.

[He's not serious, which is either good or bad, as far as Shiro's concerned. He's frowning down at the coffee brick, trying to nudge it back into the mug. He is mostly unsuccessful.]

Me too. [That he struggles to remember sometimes. That it's depressing to think about - that he doesn't like to because of the ache in his chest.] But hey, I think that's worth a shot. I think... maybe Richie was trying to do something like that too. Maybe you guys could pull something together?

( video | un: kenobi )

[jedies]

Is this you feeling nostalgic?

[ for a certain definition of nostalgia of course. ]

[shiro2hero]

It's... No. I wouldn't say it's nostalgia.

Something I thought would be important to remember, is all.