(Truths From Dreams) Mirrors mirrors everywhere
28038
THREADID
10
POSTS
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Selecting a comfortable looking chair Ariadne sits down. Leaning back into the chair she rests her hands on her lap and closes her eyes. Slow deep breaths help Ariadne relax into the chair and begin to ignore her surroundings. There are very few places she's comfortable letting go of her surroundings in. This is not one of those places sadly, and she can feel it even while she tries to sink down.
1 suxx, 30 minutes
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Mental blocks fall as Ariadne continues to take deep slow breaths. Slowly letting go of the world around her.
Finally she reaches an edge and crosses over without realizing it was there.
Ariadne found letting go difficult, though not impossible. Day in and day out, Ariadne's self-possession was held like a standard to be taken into battle. After half an hour, the Mastigos was able to stop thinking just long enough to center herself. To get a feel for herself, and to let all the thoughts, the chaos, the pandemonium fall away from her.
It was a naked feeling, to be so exposed.
To be so alone with herself.
Silver threads dart across the darkness she found herself in. The threads only glinting in ambient light from far above if Ariadne moves slightly. They were thick enough for Ariadne to grab hold of and climb, but they were also sticky to the touch. Though diaphanous, they held with a surprising strength.
Nothing and no one surrounded her.
The prevailing feeling of loneliness ate at the senses.
Ariadne needs 1 more successes to exit her waking dream, overcoming a fear. Once she attains it, she must spend 1 Mana to cross the threshold and into her Onieros.
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A hand strums at one of the silver threads. The only thing Alex can see. Looking to her left then her right she sees nothing. At least Pixel had been around when things had been tough. Even if she had only caused mayhem.
It was something.
Taking a slow breath a shiver runs down Alex's spine.
"no"
...
"not again, not ever"
Her right hand extends out and her fingers stretch out and play an invisible piano. "I choose this path. This way. Maybe one day that will change but not today."
The hand falls and Alex smiles with closed eyes. "One step after another, I walk forward. Along the Wheel. Maybe in our next lives love."
Cutting winds blow through Alex, bringing the pain of her Awakening back for only a moment before she's pulled within herself.
Ariadne spends 1 mana to enter her Onieros.
The clapping of a studio audience erupts around Alex, wearing red, as she walks out onto the stage of her Onieros. The whole stage is set up like the 1970s version of The Dating Game. It was complete with a single seat for Ariadne to sit on and it was paired with a screen to the left of the seat. The silhouettes of people – potential partners – moved virtually unseen behind it.
The show's host comes out, wearing forest green and a microphone in her hand.
She also, just so happens to look exactly like Ariadne herself.
The smile Ariadne gives Alex, is a cruel one.
Looking out into the sea of people that comprised the audience, revealed them all to be women. All to be the various shades and various masques of Ariadne. They all looked at the Epopt with rapt attention.
“Welcome, Ariadne,” the Daimon says mockingly, “our next contestant on The Dating Game!”
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Blue eyes narrow as Alex remembers that dress. She had worn it to a wedding reception for some flunky minion of a politician. It had not been one of her best nights. Not the drinks, the throwing of words. Alex had spent the night belittling the bride because she knew she could. Because it would help her own husband's career to sow turmoil.
That had been before her Awakening. Before Pandemonium had cut into her and cut away so much but nothing. Before she opened her eyes to reality.
A time Alex really wishes she couldn't remember, except it holds memories of her dead husband.
Gradually she turns to look at the stage and the crowd. All of Herselves. Watching. That's not a fun feeling.
Finally Alex walks over to the seat and looks down at it then at the stage. "Really? I was barely walking when this show was on." Is all she can say, anything else would be just too much.
“Oh? You like it?” Ariadne's Daimon asks, modeling the dress. “I'm probably not the only one who remembers this dress.” Ariadne's Daimon winks knowingly back at the Epopt as she turns to the Shadow Audience, “Our contestant tonight is the one you've all been waiting for! Alex! Wearing a smashing red if we do say so ourselves!”
The Daimon has a flair for the dramatic as she opens up her left hand to the applause of the Shadows in the audience. “Alex is a divorcee or shall we really say widow? It gets a little hazy at some points and you'll believe me anyway. Like so many, she's searching for Mr. Right!”
The screen still remains as the Daimon then asks, “So, let's meet our suitors shall we? Refinement, say hello.”
“Evening, hopefully,” the Dream Actor replies in a rich baritone, “we'll get to know one another better.”
The Daimon continues, “Exposure,” she invites, “introduce yourself.”
“I'm a mystery, babe. We could have fun.”
Finally, “Fear! Express yourself. ”
The only sound that Fear makes, is a threatening, primal growl across the sound-stage.
Navigation Roll please, A. Wits + Composure. On Success roll a single die.
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Alex throws her best sneer back at her green self. The sneer falls as her marital status is questioned. Instead its hate, pure hate.
Blue eyes turn to the screen and narrow as the thing speaks.
Then the growl...Alex's eyes go wide and she looks between the screen and green!Alex. "The hell"
“It looks like you've chosen!” Green!Alex tells the audience to a raucous applause. The consummate actor enjoys the stage and she turns back to Alex with a wide, tooth-paste selling grin. The screen falls away and only one man remains.
Silver watch, brown brogues, pressed slacks all speak to a manner of class; but Alex notices that this is an illusion. The brogues are older, second hand. The silver watch has been worn revealing it to be made of silver-plate. The slacks were ill-fitting. The man who is left is nothing but a conman, a politician, a spin doctor. Alex cannot get a look at his face, the lights from the stage make it too hard to see, but Alex knows the feeling of the dead-eyed look of a person trying to expose her secrets.
The man Alex chose was a fraud.
As he leads Alex backstage, the Epopt feels one of the Dream-Bridges fall away while one of the Silver threads on her wrist snaps, like piano wire might, when suddenly cut.
Ariadne has made it to phase 3! Please wait for me to finish up with Animus and Leo, before we get the gang back together.
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