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 Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 12:23 am
Nightmares had been plaguing the city for a while and mostly they seemed to be almost mundane at this point. Zia had been suffering from night terrors on and off since Operation Rota, although severity and frequency went up and down with current events and uses of self medication to numb her problems. Caroline had been trying to subtly and stubbornly try to pressure her into some sort of actual help, but as the nightmares of enclosing darkness persisted, Zia found herself on autopilot and coping in what felt most natural.
It just happened to be that natural wandering on autopilot somehow led to walking around the carnival’s big top in her pajamas and bare feet.
Breaking in was always easy, especially when one could shift to a cat and back at will and had absolutely no fear of repercussions if she was caught. If anything she wasn’t even sneaking, she came and went as if she owned the territory, although the flannel pajama bottoms might've drawn some questions or smart commentary depending on who she ran into.
For once she didn’t invade Chester’s office to see if he was working late. Instead, she drifted aimlessly around tarps and tents, eventually pausing to fiddle with some rope until she heard movement and assumed it was one of the boys or Megs patrolling the grounds. She was so far in a daze she didn’t really look.
But she did manage to murmur, “Coming or going?”
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 7:52 pm
Chester was not one to give in to his nightmares. He did not really spare much thought to the intangible. Things like dreams and fantasies had never held much weight to him. It was only when he learned that the impossible could be real that he started to worry about his dreams. All his life, he had considered nightmares part of the impossible, just something in his mind reacting poorly to some other stimuli. Nothing concrete, nothing that could impact his real life.
But ever since being able to power up and travel to another planet, all impossible things, he had begun to consider dreams and fantasies in new light. When he saw Zia dying in his dreams, when he saw himself unable to save her, being forced to live on with his failure, he saw something he could not forget. Something he had to strive to never allow into reality.
It made him more protective of her than normal.
Tonight he was out and about, but not powered. He was hoping he might see Zia, avoiding his dreams as he was, much rather wanting to see her in person, and to take comfort in her being whole and unharmed.
"I live here."
He found her wandering around his park, as he had come to expect her to, these days. She had free reign to come and go as she pleased, and he never called her on it any more. It was just something he'd come to accept. She liked the place, maybe, and wanted to use it as a thinking ground. He would not stop her, though sometimes he just liked to join her and wander around, mostly silent, like a guardian always at arms length.
When he saw her tonight, he approached in his usual detached way, and her question told him she was thinking about something, or in a mood that he might not understand. He watched her passively, either way, still walking towards her.
He opted not to say anything. If she wanted to talk to him, she would. Instead, he just reached for her hand silently and held it lightly, just to let her know he was there.
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Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 5:58 pm
When Chester's voice rang in her ears, a smile crept across her face before she turned to look at him. She hadn't been consciously expecting him or waiting for him, but once he was there it came with a wave of relief, like 'good, you're finally here'.
"So you do!" She chirped and looked at his offered hand as it lightly took hers and squeezed with a weak grip.
Silence followed. Zia had weird moods, and usually those weird moods ended up in the carnival in the dead of night. It wasn't anything new; That behavior was how they met, after all. And sometimes those moods just involved staring at things like she was trying to locate and grasp at a memory beyond her reach.
But mostly she just came up empty, save for the occasional ramble about mirrors or dreams and that there was something about a circus. Something important. And it was missing from her memory banks.
But tonight it seemed frustratingly exacerbated by the fact she hadn't slept for a full night in ages and she ended her silent wandering by just letting her head flop lazily against his shoulder. "I can't sleep."
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Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 3:25 pm
Luxor stood with her, a silent guardian. He would always protect her, as he was a caring and motivated man. He wanted her to be safe and happy, and he would not let anything come between him and that goal. She was the most important thing in his life, and he was dedicated to protecting her.
Even if it did not vividly show in his words or actions. He was quiet, he was thoughtful, and he did tend to scowl a lot. But he also never left. He was dependable, like an old stone fence. For better of worse, no matter how he was battered or even simply forgotten about, he remained at his post.
He did hope he was a step or two up from a gargoyle, but it was close.
"I'm sorry," he said gently, kissing the top of her head when she leaned against him. "Do you want to come inside?" His little living space that was once an office, of course. He was not sure being outside was the best idea for someone with insomnia, but he knew that she liked to walk around the grounds when she was thinking.
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Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:45 am
Small comforts. Always quick to love but slow to trust, yet Chester’s reliability had managed to find some capacity for trust in Zia again. Small, restrained gestures where he or others might’ve found his capability for them lacking. For her they were safe gestures, and their consistency over several months had eliminated whatever skittishness left in her. He never pressured her to open up more or be less difficult. His brand of protection did not come with rules or limits. His presence was a bedrock foundation.
The small kiss on her head seemed like such a casual motion outside, but internally it was like a quick spark of contact, as it always was. Her hand’s grip around his tightened in reaction. “No. I--... wait. Maybe. Yes.”
There was a brief moment of lifting her head and knitting her brow, as if she was just waking up and trying to figure out what they were talking about, and then nodded with more certainty. “Yes. Do you still have a bottle of that… that Scotch from last time? I liked that vintage.” And she didn’t think twice about revealing she had gone pawing through his liquor.
Her other hand slid up his arm as their walk seemed to steer in the direction of his living space instead of aimless meandering through the grounds.
“Have you been staying safe on patrols?” Whenever he was bruised or battered might not have stopped him from silently hovering, but it didn’t mean she didn’t worry ostensibly and constantly. It hadn’t been such a daily paranoia before, but like her easy trust it had just sort of built up and creeped in, and then stayed there. One of her hands instinctively found its way to his side where he had been split open by a nega in the past as if the wound was still there. Flesh healed, but her concern hadn't.
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Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 5:19 pm
"I'm trying to," he said honestly, though he was sure his efforts would not appease her. He did not go into detail about how he was staying safe or not, though, just avoiding the topic entirely as they walked. He led her to the office, which was not really his office any more considering that he basically just lived there.
And she was getting to that point, as well.
"I'm fine. We should just... take a little break."
He was worried about her wandering, and wanted her to be safe inside his home, where he could keep an eye on her and they could pretend to be safe from the world for a little while. Maybe she would be able to sleep with a drink and the comfort of his company, if he could claim to offer that. He liked to think he could.
Once they got inside, he powered down and relaxed a bit. No patrol tonight, he would rather just spend his time with her, and making sure she was alright. He was quietly protective, not voicing his thoughts about it, just wanting her to be happy.
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