The First Age

Nox grinned. "I'd appreciate it. It's a pleasure Mara." Nox made no move to do his customary handshake and kiss her hand. Not out of fear, but more out of not wanting to get close to anyone at the moment. The horde was scratching at his walls. Their insecent need to feed. They were trapped with him till the pills wore off and he could gain control. But that didn't stop them from pushing their needs on his.

"I do live in Moscow. It's my home." Something tugged at a note, a heart string or something inside. It wasn't a lie, he may or may not be in Moscow, but Moscow was home -- it was where he lived. Home... that was a concept Nox was sure he'd never truly have no matter how many times he said it. But where was home -- truly. Obviously it was something in Moscow. Someplace, some one. Those details slipped through Nox's fingers like water through a sieve. He wouldn't grasp them in his waking world -- he wasn't going to be able to catch them in his dream state.

He knew very little about dreams. But he knew enough from his teachings. Enough to kill nightmares and monsters that fed upon the souls of dreamers. The girl was likely drawn to them and they to her -- forming a bond much like his to the horde. He smirked to himself. A monster -- like himself. "Does Daiyu live in Moscow?" He figured like Thalia, Daiyu was the name of the girl she lived life as when not in the dream world.

Mara dragged her finger through the dirt, absently drawing little shapes and symbols. Nox had a pleasant voice and kind eyes, she thought as she watched him engage in what she assumed was small-talk. It was kind of sweet, actually. “I don’t refer to Daiyu as a separate person, you know. The doctors, even my parents, all assure me that is my name, and they simply reject the idea that I am Mara instead. It’s quite frustrating. Perhaps, yes, that is the name on my birth certificate, but why is it so strange that a girl claims a different name? That’s why they incarcerated me, although, I must say that if I had my choice, I do prefer the Guardian to the equivalent at home. The doctors are better here, even if they continue to disbelieve the things I allege. That nightmares are real, for instance. And the electroshock therapy is much more tolerable.” She shrugged. The doodling in the dirt had turned into an elaborate finger sketch of a nightmare devouring a person head first.

Nox's eyes went wide. "The fuck! I do understand the disbelief. Not many would believe me if I told them the things I fought all my life. And fuck if they believe I had voices in my head that weren't my own." The horde on cue started scratching louder. "Well, Mara, I won't remember this in the morning. Not exactly sure if you will or not. My friend might draw me in the morning, and she'll call to check on me. But I won't be able to tell her more than I had nightmares."

Nox watched her drawings and wondered if they had any meaning.

But his words had nothing to do with what she was doing. "The Atharim are grateful for those who aren't believed. It saves them a bullet, or a reason to foster a kid. But electroshock therapy, how is that supposed to help." Nox chuckled. "I could prove that nightmares exist but you'd need to sacrifice a friend to do so. It's not easy to catch a nightmare in the real world, and the only ways I know are deadly for the creature. And not so healthy for the mark either."

“We all need a break sometimes. It is a lonely life otherwise.” She half-smiled but did not press; the offer of her help would always be there. She agreed that everything must eat, balance being what it was, and Mara’s pets were not evil anyway, they simply were. As their mistress came to sit close, Nimeda relaxed, chin still propped on her knees. She was thinking about absence, nor presence, and only half listening to the conversation. Though the last bit caught her attention. The cute little horrors did not even like her, but the idea of one being wrenched into the Other world did not sit easy with Nimeda. She could not say why except the boy who called himself Nox made it sound like an awful place.

Mara shook her head. “I am not willing to harm one of my pets just to prove I am right, but I am sorry you will have a night of poor sleep now. I will make sure they don’t torment you… too much.” She added as she stood, smiling.

She kissed her dream sister on the cheek. “Good night. Sleep tight.” Then she turned to kiss Nox on the cheek, adding, “Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

After that, she disappeared.