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January 29th 2005 -- backtracking : "Esctasy and Confusion"

Did he?

The question strikes him as odd. Of course he wants to know, why wouldn't he? It's his own past, and he doesn't even remember it. He's separated from all of the others like him in not remembering.

But, is this the way to do it?

Dare grows angry at her suggestion, biting sharply on his lip at even considering her suggestion. The Files might be documentation, but there is the risk of him seeing what he doesn't want to see.. like his own death.

Truth watches as the Files decrease in their incoming number, noting silently to herself that her time to convince him is still limited. She could do none of this legally, risking her job and her life by doing so. He needs to answer, and that's that.

"It's either yes or no, Dare. There's nothing hard to understand about the question."

Dare frowns, furrowing his eyebrows at her and forgetting his vow of silence. "Of course there is!" he shouts angrily. Nearby Files quiver, but continue their course after a jittery flaw in its path. "I can't do that to myself, put myself through that again! Even if I don't remember it now, I'd remember it if I saw it again. I don't want to remember."

He says the last part through gritted teeth. Truth just shakes her head, not understanding his anger with her. As the last File worms its way past, she continues to stand and hold open the door.

Again, she seems to rapidly change the subject, but its underlying meaning would come out soon. "Go get that last File for me, would you? We can't close until it comes, it'd be irresponsible."

She points out in the direction of the darkness to a speck of light unmoving in the far distance.

"What, all the way over there?" Dare scoffs. "It'd take me forever to go get it."

Truth rolls her eyes. "Oh please, don't be an idiot."

He narrows his eyes at her, complying just to prove that he isn't what she calls him. He steps down three steps of the long ladder leaning against the gigantic hourglass before she stops him.

"Why the hell are you going the long way? You're right, it WOULD take you forever if you went that way. Just teleport, dumbass," she barks with a soft, half-pitying laugh.

Dare climbs back up to give her a glare. "Teleport? I'm not some flipping magic monkey."

She shakes her head, smiling to herself. "Come over here and hold this open then, and I'LL go get her."

Dare climbs back onto the golden platform, continuing to give Truth his version of an evil eye. What, she's going to show off to him now, with her flipping tricks and powers? He grabs a hold of the door, snatching it up from her grasp. He'd underestimated its weight and nearly dropped it on his fingers, catching it with the power of his surprised legs before it did.

Truth stifled a laugh, truly amused. She takes a few steps away from him, turning his head to look over her shoulder.

She fades away. It is not quite this simple to explain. It is as if the entire time she had been made of dust, sand in the desert, and a wind had come and eroded her away before his eyes, in a more elegant way than this. If he would have blinked, it's quite possible he could have missed the entire process. But he watches with wide, inquiring eyes as she fades out.. and then in again.

The File is in her arms, a light pink one with all too much shine. It struggles tiredly; it probably lost all of its energy trying to keep up with the others.

"We get babies sometimes. They've got a lot of life in them, but all too often they drop off trying to make the journey. Sad, really, seeing how they shouldn't have had to die so early without experiencing life.."

Truth releases the File from her grasp above the open hourglass, and the light pink disappears into the vast space below. Dare leans over and closes the door with caution; he is about to reach for the latch, but it snaps up and locks itself on cue, making him draw back.

Truth touches his arm, brushing at him lightly as he stands up agian. She comes up just above his shoulders, he realizes, when he's at this height. He maintains an emotionless face, but allows his eyes to meet hers.

"You have too much to learn," she whispers sadly, taking a hold of his sleeve. Her eyes plead silently with him, her black hair falling back against her cheeks and reveal her pierced ears for the first time in ages. "It's all so sad.. you don't remember.. you don't remember us."

Before Dare can decode any possible meaning from this, Truth takes the initiative to show him. Bringing her hands up from his sleeves, she takes the sides of his face in them and pulls him down toward her. Their lips meet, and she continues to hold him there for a few seconds for pure lust. It had been ages, ages since she'd been able to do this, and oh, how she's missed him..

Completely confused and overwhelmed, it takes Dare those moments of Truth's esctasy to decifer what is going on. He breaks off from her, pushing away her arms from his neck where they had rested. What- what was that for..? How- how could she take advantage of him like that?! Why- why did it feel so righ --

Enraged at her, but equally with himself, he opens up his mouth to stay something. Dumb luck on Truth's part - or was it her doing? - strikes them when all disappears as they separate for another night. Dare stumbles forward into the scene he'd been dreaming before the interruption.

Before.. before.. before-

What the hell was that?!

February 6th 2005 -- backtracking : "A Whole Lot of Change"

[As documented by Kam, as part of Chandra's child quest!]

February 12th 2005 -- "Minority"

Like most of Dare's decisions, this one is a momentary decision compiled from the effects of the current, not necessarily taking into consideration the effects for the longer term. So, as to be expected, the dreaded thoughts of the aftermath hit the Legend during his wanderings on the public streets.

Kicking at an empty pop can, Dare glares at it spitefully as it hurtles out across the curb and out of his immediate path. There had been so many things he hadn't taken into account - for one, where the hell is he going to live?

He had managed to compile a total of $318 dollars from raids of various family member's "secret" stashes. Dare laughs hastily under his breath at the thought. Secret, that's a laugh. Nothing's ever secret when you've got so many nosy people breathing down your neck.

His head down and eyes on his feet, Dare continues down the street on his path to nowhere. With nothing more than the backpack and his precious guitar, the exhilaration of the escape had long dispursed from him. Now, it's worry, dread, and doubt that surpass all other emotions for the lead in frame of mind.

There was never a need for Dare to have a watch - he is always aware of what the time is, annoyingly enough. He tends to keep this secret, like many elements of his powers, for the safety and security of himself and others.

Now, there isn't any reason for worry about anyone else. April is safe at home, where I can't ruin her life anymore. The rest of the family will no doubt forget me and ignore the fact that I had ever existed in their damn household. There isn't anyone left back at the Headquarters for me, not now that Chandra's -- .. And now, I can do whatever the hell I want, for me and no one else.

Peering up at the sky with bleary eyes, Dare guesstimated the time: 8:24 pm and 17 seconds. How long had it been since he left home..? It doesn't matter anymore; his legs can't take walking continuously anymore. When he doesn't see any type of seat within walking distance, the Legend stumbles to a stop at the corner of a.. what is this place? The fluorescent sign blinks in and out, announcing it to be a cafe.

Shaking his head, he decides this'll have to do. Setting down his guitar against the brick wall first, he uses his left hand to drag himself to the ground. He lets out a small groan as his knees throb angrily at their overuse. He received no more than a quick look from those hurrying by him on the streets, and that's perfectly fine with him.

Leaning his head back against the rough brick, Dare closes his eyes on the brightly lit scene of the evening. His bangs fall back in front of his eyes, but he doesn't make the effort to move them. His thoughts swirl back and forth, trying to find a focus point.

It had been days since he broke his delicately valued hourglass. Days, in turn, since he'd seen Truth, or those damn Files. And he is perfect satisfied with it this way.

In fact, if he didn't know any better, he'd allow himself to assume that he'd also seen the last of the High Council. They ruined his life, destroyed his innocent, and forced him to begin to rot down at the core. A bitter taste arises in his mouth at the thought of these villians of authority. Bringing his hands across his cheeks, he leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees and opens his eyes again. <******** them," he growls softly, and kept his voice nearly inaudible for three reasons. The first and most prominent is that, as much as he'd like to assume the role they'd cut open for him as a defiance, he still fears them as he's supposed to. Secondly, such profanity hadn't left the secrecy of his thoughts before this point. And the third reason was.. avoiding the people on the streets thinking that he's a nutcase in talking to himself.

Without thinking, Dare wearily removes his guitar case from its resting spot and rests it across his lap, snapping open the locks. The instrument, as new and beautiful as it was the day he received it, gives off the reflection of light from the signs speckling the now-lively streets. With one hand he sets the case beside him, leaving it openin simple carelessness. He holds the instrument by its neck with one hand as he pulls the strap over his head, where it rests against the top of his bag.

"This is for you, High Council bastards," he mutters to the sky with a smug grin.

Much like any song he's ever played, Dare recalls one he's never heard or practiced before. Hands striking the strings quickly, Dare closes his eyes on the quick, powerful introduction before slipping away accidentally and letting his voice accompany with lyrics.

"I want to be the minority
I don't need your authority
Down with the moral majority
'Cause I want to be the minority

I pledge allegiance to the underworld
One nation under dog
There of which I stand alone
A face in the crowd
Unsung, against the mold
Without a doubt
Singled out
The only way I know, 'cause --"

People had vaguely stopped at this new sound added to the landscape. Dare hasn't noticed, nor has it interrupted his song, but he is gaining attention after all. A teenaged couple stop at the foot of his guitar case, giving each other a look of surprised approval before the female digs into her purse for something.

"I want to be the minority
I don't need your authority
Down with the moral majority
'Cause I want to be the minority

Stepped out of the line
Like a sheep runs from the herd
Marching out of time
To my own beat now
The only way I know --"

The clang of money inside Dare's guitar case breaks his concentration slightly, sending him into a slight musical interlude as he gives a stunned look at the money accumulating beside him. An approval crowd, some leaving with a smile and others curiosly gathering in the new space, give him a strange sense of encouragement he's never felt before.

"One light, one mind
Flashing in the dark
Blinded by the silence of a thousand broken hearts
'For crying out loud' she screamed unto me
A free for ******** 'em all
You are your own sight

I want to be the minority
I don't need your authority
Down with the moral majority
'Cause I want to be the minority..!"

Leaving them with an extended amount of entrancing guitar music, Dare watches as the crowd begins to leave their separate ways. Breathing hard from his burst of singing, the music prevents him from hearing the doors of the cafe swing open behind him.

"Hey! Hey, KID-"

Dare finishes out the last chord to fade the song almost abruptly, his fingers working a quick sound like how he had begun. His face goes blank and slightly afraid, but he tries to remain emotionless. Is the guy angry he'd played outside his cafe..? He should have been prepared for the street life, but the Legend is much less than that at the current moment.

The man, possibly in his late twenties or early thirties, gives Dare a sullen look over before crossing his arms across his chest.

Dare opens his mouth to begin to apologize, but the man holds up his hand in a way that says, "I don't want to hear about it," to the Legend.

His face still sullen and unreadable, the man twists his hand and signals for Dare to follow him. "Come inside, kid, so I can give you a proper talkin' to."

March 1st 2005 -- "City Lights"

It had been quite a long time since Dare first set eyes on his new home. He had gotten quite caught up in the process of moving into a new home, as well as refurbishing it as best he could on such a lowly budget, that he'd allowed himself to ignore all of what used to be valued before his running away.

Not once in the past weeks had he allowed himself to think about his family - how they might be doing, if they were worried and looking for him, mad at him for taking the money, or even noticed his disappearance at all. Along the same lines, every tie he had with other Legends and the Headquarters itself had become completely cut off. Nothing, he decided, would tie him back to his past.

It is one evening by the faint glow of the city lights, stretched out beside his only window that he allows himself the chance to think. Tonight is his only night off this week from work; he had been pouring himself completely into his work, and his employer, the cafe owner, insisted that Dare take a break for the sake of his health and sanity.

Thoughts of his past come rather painfully. As he had assumed, the dreams of his Time Ranger origin disappeared completely after he shattered his hourglass - it wouldn't be until later days that the hourglass itself would prove to not be the cause of this - so nothing is actually there as a reminder to face the truth about what he had going for him.

Gazing out at the city lights, the streets below undoubtably and unbrokenly alive with traffic and busy people, Dare's eyes glaze over as his vision melts the stars into bleary specks of light. The typewriter, for one odd reason or another, comes directly into his almost blank mind. It had stayed unused since its discovery, but now it begins to bother him full fledged, shoving its way undoubtably into his mind as first priority.

Complying grumpily to what his mind seems to be saying, Dare rises to retrieve the heavy device. Dollar store lined paper, used regularly for outlets of songs and ideas, takes the place of the cryptic paper in the machine. Adjusting the different parts awkwardly, Dare bites his lip gently before beginning to write.


Quite satisfied with the end result, Dare gently tugs the paper free from the grasp of the ancient typewriter, folding it in two between his genuinely sore fingers. Gathering this paper alongside the one originally left inside the machine, he hides them in a small cabinet he'd purchased with scraps of money, acting as if they are of greatest value.

The typerwriter remains on the rough table surface near his window, after Dare gives it a brief look before deciding that bed sounds like the best solution. Surprisingly, to him at least, all of his bones ache for rest and recovery. My boss, he muses, knows me better than I do.

Barely standing on his toes in order to reach the chain for the single, uncovered lightbulb, he draws back the curtain of his bedroom and surrenders to the intrigues of sleep.

April 3rd 2005 -- "Unexpected Visitor"

Vision blurred and his cheek numb from the frigid bathroom floor, Dare's eyes struggle to open. From this angle, one he's never quite taken before as he's never had the chance to just lie around on his bathroom floor before, everything is skewed and unclear for the first couple seconds. He knows these all too well; for a few oblivious seconds, he doesn't know why he's here or what happened to make him choose such a painful resting spot.

And then it hits.

With a sharp intake of breath, Dare curls up on the cold tiles, one arm finding a place tucked around his knees. Comparible to a bandage being peeled off slowly, or medication stinging an open wound, the newly-shrunken Legend waits for it all to sink in completely before attempting to move anymore. His eyes shut on what little light the grimey bathroom window allows in, finding comfort in returning to the darkness of the back of his eyelids. Familiarity is what he needs right now, and straying away from consciousness seems like the logical choice. His body isn't ready to return just yet to a sleeping state, complaining through numbness or sharp pin-pricks that this isn't comfortable.

Supressing a small groan at his body's dislike, his hand slides off of his knee and he straightens his legs. Normally, his feet would definately be able to kick across to the opposite wall, but when his feet meet nothing in this path it does nothing to help the plan of going back to forgetting.

He'd get sleep, even if he'd have to force it. Clenching his eyes tighter, Dare finds his sense of hearing opening up onto a broader range, annoyingly zeroing in on seemingly random noises. From what he can tell, the old lady down the hall is watching one of her cheesy soaps again and the computer geek next door is typing away frantically, as if his ideas will leak out if he doesn't get them on screen fast enough.

Sighing audibly, Dare fidgets in his spot, accidentally knocking his heel into the cabinet under the sink. Ohh, so THERE it is, he thinks spitefully, sitting himself up to rub at his now sore heel. The sudden lift gives the Legend a feeling of lightheadedness, causing a brief but unmistakable moment of zoning out. His hand flies out across the tile to catch his balance, adding more grumbling to the scene.

His hearing hadn't tuned out just yet, or perhaps the building is just silent enough at this time of morning that the paperthin walls reveal all, because the next sound to grace his ears are the clicks of heels. Heels? The old woman surely wouldn't be able to carry her weight on those things, and unless the computer geek has some sort of fetish he isn't aware of..

Fortunately, he doesn't need to complete that thought. The bathroom door swings open to respond to his questioning mind, as if knowing and intending on answering it. Spotting the shoes first, Dare follows from feet [sandals, so all ten newly painted toes are visible] to face with his eyes, both wishing he hadn't gotten an answer as well as disbelieving the one presented to him.

Leaning across the doorway, elbow meets the wooden frame as Truth leisurely allows time to indulge in the stunned expression she earned from her appearance. One of her mocking smiles grows against her lips.

"You couldn't possibly have thought I wouldn't be back, kid, could you?" she laughs, tossing a bright green apple up on her free hand and catching it with a crisp smack as palm meets apple skin. Her eyes sparkle with keen interest, knowing full well what he had thought. "Not to mention yesterday, what with you gave me some statements I wouldn't ever be able to pass up..."

Lifting the ripe apple to her lips, she takes a bite, as if providing Dare room in the conversation to inject some of his own input. When he doesn't find his tongue after a few seconds, she dismisses his more concentrated and quickly collected glares, her hand falling back with her bitten apple hanging between thin fingers.

"We're everywhere. You must know that by now, with what you've seen." Another bite, a smaller and less deliberate pause. "Since us Rangers don't have Files - don't need them, we watch our own backs, and we ALWAYS remember - you didn't make it easy to track after you smashed your hourglass. But giving yourself away like that yesterday really went and did the trick. Took all the guesswork out of it."

Truth clicks her tongue, her black hair falling across her cheek as she rests her head against the frame in replacement for her elbow. Crossing her arms now, she takes on a more serious tone in a matter of seconds. Her apple remains between her fingers, and Dare makes a point to take his eyes off of her and stare elsewhere, focusing on what remains of the green skin of her apple.

"I took care of the Landlord for you, if that at all crossed your mind. Said I was your girlfriend, and gave him the money before he could get his piehole open to ask any questions," Truth explains absentmindedly, waving her loose hand against the still bathroom air. Dare's intentions fail as she stares cooly at his face, studying the look she'd long forgotten. "You went and ******** yourself over with this one, going back to being an ikkle kid - one, it seems, who's lost his voice. What, you're planning on going back and fixing a few things or something, Dare-kid?"

She snorts softly, finding the name to suit much better with the now obvious age difference. Lifting the apple to her mouth again, she just bites into the apple when the belated response erupts from down at the bathroom tiles.

"Shut your face!" he growls, pushing against the floor to bring himself to his feet. It doesn't help his case or argument that he doesn't gain too much height than he had while briefly sitting on the bathroom floor. "I know you asshats had something to do with me being small again, so you can stop your idiotic game now, Truth. And you can tell them to change me back, too, or I'll hold them to my word about getting back at them for this!"

Riled up again, his voice becomes embarassingly shrill nearing the end. Truth puts on a mock shock as she tosses the core of her apple into the bathroom garbage can, brushing her small hands together.

"Oh, so he does have a voice!" she laughs with an undertone of bitterness. Rolling her eyes, she finds him hard to take seriously, even more so than she ever had while working with him. "Such harsh words from a little boy," she coos, pulling her fingers through the mess of red hair atop his head. Her voice growing darker as fast as her seriousness had arrived earlier, she continues to respond to his jumble of confused and inaccurate accusations. "Hate to be the one to break it to you, kid, but we don't break people with those sorts of things. This stuff is what the body does in revolt to the soul."

With a light and pitying snicker, she pulls her hand down from the tips of his red hair, two fingers sliding down the side of Dare's face. He clenches both his eyes and fists in reaction, turning his face away from her cool fingers, his own face hot from both anger and embarassment. Why couldn't he be right about breaking the hourglass?

Pursing her lips, she seems to linger on the same thought as he does, tasting her lower lip with the tip of her tongue in memory of the brief moment they shared. Her eyes soften up at this side of him, one resisting rather than doing the chasing. After he'd disappeared, it didn't take long for her to begin to miss the attention he paid especially to her.

Laughing dryly, she drags her fingers under his chin. "It's sad, really. She won't give up on you, not with your constant screw ups, not even with you being a kid and all," Truth whispers cryptically. She can feel as he opens his mouth to ask who, shaking her head immediately to brush off all questions. "I don't know why she pays this special attention to you, Dare, but you're just going to be another pawn in her game. A rook, if you're lucky, what with how you've been able to dodge her thus far.."

Completely confused now, Dare closes his gaping mouth. Dodge who? When did he ever avoid anyone? And what did "she" want with him..? Too many questions, and too few answers. And from the looks of it, Truth isn't going to fess up any time soon. He hadn't noticed it before, but his grip on his own hands had tightened to a point where his knuckles are white and his nails have dug far enough into his own skin to draw blood. Releasing them, he shakes them as the air stings his open cuts.

"Is this what you came here to tell me? Some bullshit messages I can't even figure out meaning to?" Dare growls lowly, finding himself noticing the tone of his voice now that he's backtracked and given the opportunity to draw a comparison. Definately higher.

Truth shakes her head, her honestly exposed in her gentle expression as her black hair tumbles across her face. "Of course not. It's not even legal to be wasting Duty time standing here conversing with you, kid, but do you honestly think I give two shits what's legal anymore?"

Pressing her fingers into her temples, she shifts so her back is now against the door frame, allowing Dare room to pass if he so wishes to take it. "You might not exactly be the Dare I used to know, but I'm pretty damn sure from all that I've seen that you're in there someplace. That's why I'm not going to stop helping you, even if you don't remember so long ago." She laughs again, Dare picking it up as being rather nervous, a change from her earlier confidence. He raises an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. "Even if you don't remember me. Because you didn't deserve what happened to you, and all this.. starting over. It's bullshit, making you suffer through regaining yourself. So I won't stop helping you, but if you won't give me the chance, it's your own damn fault to blocking me out."

Obvious spite is present in her voice. Dare can only imagine the tip of the iceberg, not knowing how close they really used to be; she's pissed off and confused about why he shut her out of his life weeks ago, after.. she'd kissed him.

Dare's arms hang limp at his sides, and only now does the pain in his neck from continuing his upwards gaze so long arise to his consciousness. In all attempts to lead them both away from what's most emotional, he toys with the subject of his obvious interest. "What about me becoming younger literally overnight, hmm? You can't tell me it cannot be reversed, because you yourself went and changed to kid when I was younger and sorted files with you. Can't you tell me how to change back?"

Truth locks her eyes on Dare, sadly shaking her head again. "Dreams are one thing, but reality is another. In dreams, and more specifically the realms in which we dominate, we can hold true to those powers if we really desired, but changing reality is a different story altogether. Which is why you.." She motions with her hand, rotating it in a way that it blurs slightly around the fingertips; if Dare had watched closer to this detail, he would have noted the alikeness between the blur and cloud. ".. remain so much of a mystery."

A burst of frigid feeling ices down the Legend's back at this news. Great. A mystery. It's just what he needs, more people poking and prodding him like he's something to be read and understood rather than to talk to and understand as a person. No ounce of normality lingers around his life for very long - no, something, like turning back to a kid, has to come around and make sure to ruin that for him.

Catching a hand on the outer edge of the sink in the tight space of the bathroom, Dare scoffs lowly, frustrated with these mind games. "So, what the hell are you here to tell me, then?" he presses with an annoyed tone, resorting to glaring hard directly into Truth's eyes.

She merely raises a hand, her feet adjusting to provide even more room through the narrow doorway, presumably enough for a child of Dare's size. "We have plenty of time for that. Come, let's get you some breakfast."

Lying on his stomach, Dare glances up from his position on the mattress. Placing down the last card in his hand, the deck arranged in a game of Pyramids, his eyes immediately check the status of the other occupant in the room. Truth, back turned to him from this position, is curled up with the space blanket on the couch, a place she has made her bed for the past weeks.

From what he estimates, as there is no working clock visible to him in the dark, it is probably close to one in the morning.

[To be continued, slowly but surely, XD.]

A quickly warming ice pack rests atop Dare's forehead, his eyes closed. He hadn't even gotten the chance to take his boots off, rushed straight to bed as he was.

"I can't believe I allowed you to go with her," Truth growls, pacing back and forth on what little space the apartment has vacant. "Look what just a few hours did, getting you sick!"

His straight black hair waves back and forth every time she whips around for another pace, her high heeled boots making their usual sound on the aged hardwood. Confusion as well as anger - mostly at herself, being the last time she's lost a mark before - storms within her.

Sitting up on his elbows, Dare takes the pack off his head and opens his eyes, squinting at the light difference coming from facing the window. "She didn't do anything to me. I'll be fine - I've just got a headache now, from what I can tell."

Truth turns on her heel mid-pace, narrowing her eyes at the young boy. She's fully prepared to snap at him for his ignorance, but the time of day is that which the sun pours in through the apartment's single window, golden rays lighting up the beautiful boy's figure enough to make her reconsider. Her features soften; this confuses Dare, especially with him not assuming himself to be anything more than ordinary in appearance.

Pressing two fingers against her brow, she closes her eyes momentarily. "I am just concerned for your safety, for your health and survival is part of my duty."

That sounds safe enough, she decides silently.

"Sure, right," he grumbles, resting his head back on his pillow. He's much too tired to argue, and a mixture of humidity and concentrated cold lull him towards sleep.

Truth doesn't notice immediately that he has fallen asleep, gone back to pacing as she has. Her swift meeting with the Council surely wavered her judgement, but .. they can't possibly take her into concealment from him. Her heart just won't allow for her to fall back into that kind of position. But, they have ruled him out as a possibility of a threat, having reverted, a sure sign of weakness as deemed by the Council themselves.

Turning back to the bed, she takes a few steps towards Dare's sleeping form. Pulling the blanket over him, she gets on her knees and drags out the typewriter. Words fail her verbally, but should they do so in writing, it can always be fixed.

The sun now setting, Truth sets the typewriter on the table, brushing dust off the keys and filling it with paper. And in the small apartment, the only sounds one could hear are those of the deep breaths of Dare and the clicking of the old typewriter keys, one by one..