icedark_elf (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
icedark_elf) wrote2009-11-22 11:41 am
icedark_elf) wrote2009-11-22 11:41 am
Fic: Dain af Niohoggr 3/30
Title: Dain af Niohoggr
Author: GW Katrina
Beta: Skeren
Fandom: FFVII: Mercverse
Claim:![[insanejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/ij-community.gif)
mercverse for story_arc
Themeset/Prompt: Thirty Set 01: Balance
Wordcount: 1,717
Ratings: PG-13
Link to Archive Post: Here
Sipping at the tea that Tifa had sworn came from Cloud originally as a gift after the younger woman had complained about not being able to sleep in Midgar, Aeris rubbed her eyes. It had been an uneasy few hours.
She had been sound asleep for only a few hours, having gotten off her job late. But then...everything had gone mad. Suddenly, there were voices, screams in her head, twisted faces and flailing limbs, all jumbled around in her dreams. Caught in it, unable to wake up, unable to push the voices away, she had been trapped in what had seemed like an eternity of gibbering voices she didn’t understand. None of them made sense, and she was smothering in a blanket of sheer panic when she was finally able to snap awake.
For a long moment, she had scrambled, and then....something had slammed into her. The voices rose up again into gibbering screams, but at least this time, they were cut off by merciful blackness.
When she woke up, Aeris had groped for her phone, shaking and crying. She didn’t know what was going on, but she knew it wasn’t over. With trembling hands, she hit Zack’s number.
Turned out that she wasn’t the only one who had been struck by this, and he asked if she had wanted him to come get her. Hearing someone vomiting in the background, her own stomach roiling at the mere idea of being close to someone who was that sick, Aeris told him that she would be okay. But she did feel better hearing his voice, hearing his concern for her.
Though she really should have expected it when Tifa showed up. By now, she should have been aware of the protective streak that Zack had. Which was going to be a good thing when she finally settled down enough to want kids. He would be a good daddy.
But at the moment, there wasn’t any little children to focus Zack’s attention on at the moment, and so she and his pack got to bear the brunt of his parenting instinct. Which were probably in overdrive at the moment.
Still, she had Tifa here now, and they talked. It was soothing to have someone else, alive and solid, to work through ideas of what might have happened.
“You should try sleeping more,” the other said, eventually. Tifa was looking rather tired herself, as her hours were much like Aeris’s, and neither of them had gotten much sleep before being woken up. “Cloud and the others will call us and let us know what they figure out.” She popped her knuckles. “They’d better, at least. In any case, sleep some more. I’m going to stretch out on your couch and try to get some sleep myself.”
Nodding, Aeris had gone to lay back down. In the early dawn light, everything pale and washed out, she heard the woman moving around, trying to get comfortable on Aeris’s couch. Not the most comfortable bit of furniture, but it was good enough for most people. And it wasn’t like Tifa hadn’t crashed on it before.
Soon, things went quiet. And then Aeris dropped off herself.
She found herself back in the dreams. Still unable to understand what the people were trying to say, she struggled to make them understand her. It didn’t seem to be working, either.
Covering her ears, Aeris tried to ignore them. Instead of blocking them out, however, it seemed like it just made the dissonant sounds jar harder into her ears. Nor did they get any clearer as she slept.
Drowning in voices and images, Aeris just struggled to rest.
///
When she woke up again, Aeris found she didn’t feel very rested at all. Rather, she was reminded of her last hangover, and that wasn’t a fun memory at all.
Later, when Zack came to visit, he did comment about the circles under her eyes, hugging her tight as he did. This time, there was no escape, and Aeris had to smile faintly as he fussed over her. Not that she minded. Sometimes, a girl just wanted to be fussed over, and to have someone else take care of her.
This was one of those times, though Aeris really didn’t mean to nap on Zack like she did. But his chest made a very good pillow, especially when she could hear his heartbeat. It was a nice, soothing sound.
The dreams came back, though they were muted by the sound of the heart under her ear. Something in the back of her mind noted that, and she focused on the thump-thump.
Sleeping far later than she had planned, Aeris started awake as Zack shifted under her. From the look on his face, he had gone to sleep as well.
There was more fussing, and Aeris found herself smiling as she leaned on the doorway into her kitchen, watching Zack cook. He was rubbish at desserts, but the man could actually put together a meal if he wanted to. Most of the time, he just ordered out, but it was...nice to watch him cook her food.
Glancing at the time, Aeris shook her head. “I have to go to work. Lock up when you leave, all right?”
“Hey!” he said, tone indignant as she kissed his cheek, then headed out the door.
It was a dirty trick, but the sound of his voice had her laughing as she headed to her job.
The night went on, the talk mostly on what had happened that morning, but Aeris felt better now than she had all day. The nap had helped greatly. Which must have been obvious, because when Tifa invited her back to Tifa’s place to crash the night, Aeris was actually able to decline. If she still had looked bad, she knew there was no way that her friend would have let her off the hook that easily.
Her house still smelled of tasty things, and she found that Zack had left the crockpot simmering, more food packed into her fridge. Mmm, it was nice having a rich boyfriend.
Feeling much better than when she had gotten up this morning, Aeris ate, then went to sleep.
///
Faces melting, footprints in dust that seem to scorch the very ground. Life dying, and then an explosion of power, colored through with streaks of green that she -knew- at one point had been a living being.
More jibbering, words she couldn’t understand as the voices wailed.
She was coming.
Panting, Aeris bolted upright. Again. It happened again.
“That’s it. You are going to talk. Now.”
The voice startled her, and then Aeris remembered that she was staying with Tifa. A week had passed since these nightmares had started. Zack and the others had all stopped by and checked on her, but whenever she was alone, when she slept, she was caught in the dreams again. It hadn’t taken too long before Tifa told, not asked, -told- Aeris that she would be staying with the younger woman. And Tifa didn’t take no for an answer.
Between Tifa’s stubbornness, and the fact that it really seemed to help calm down Zack if she was staying with a friend, Aeris had finally given in. So now she was camped out on Tifa’s couch, which was a lot more comfortable than Aeris’s.
“It’s noth....”
Tifa held up a hand. “If that word is “nothing”, I’m going to do the worst thing imaginable. I’m going to tell Zack that you are too afraid to go to sleep, and didn’t want to bother him with it.”
Staring at the woman, jaw dropped, Aeris couldn’t believe her ears. That was the blackest sort of blackmail. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would. I can find another place to go. -You-, on the other hand, would be forced to deal with a hurt, and trying to hide it, Zack. Who would be fussing even more over you.”
Yeah, he was going to be an excellent father when they got that far. But it didn’t mean Aeris wanted it to be used against -her-.
“Fine. Evil.” A scowl at Tifa, which was ignored. “I’ve been having these dreams. Nightmares. Something is roaming, and it’s sucking the life out of things. Just...wasted skeletons and withered plants are all that is left behind, other than the burned out earth.” A shiver. “And there are these voices....They never stop, but I can’t understand them.” Hands kneading absently at the blanket, Aeris tried to explain.
“It’s like they want to tell me something, but we can’t seem to understand each other. They feel so old, and I can almost make out words.” A shiver. “And today, I finally did make out something.”
Looking at her with narrowed eyes, Tifa was listening hard. “What did you make out?”
“She is coming.” And Aeris was clue less on what that meant.
“You said burned earth? And dead things?”
Not the question she was expecting, and Aeris nodded. That got a grimace from Tifa. “Something has been going on near the Deadlands. Barret, you remember him? He was out that way, introducing Marlene to some of her family, and something odd has been going on out that way. He’s heading back as soon as everything is ready, but something odd is going on. When he gets back, he was going to fill me in.” She paused, tapping her lip as she thought. “We should tell Cloud about this. It might be important, since you’re...you know.”
Since she was part Cetra. One of the last, though there were rumors now and then about other halfbloods, or even a full blooded Cetra roaming outside of their hiding place.
Finally, Aeris nodded. “We’ll go visit them in the morning.”
She didn’t want to. Didn’t want to guess what was causing the dreams.
But she had an idea. A very, very bad idea. So bad, she shied away from thinking about it even now.
If her idea was right, though, it explained the dreams, and the flash.
She is coming. That’s what her dreams said.
There was only one She that the Cetra cared about.
“We’ll go first thing in the morning.”
Death with pale hair.
That was in her dreams as well.
Author: GW Katrina
Beta: Skeren
Fandom: FFVII: Mercverse
Claim:
mercverse for story_arcThemeset/Prompt: Thirty Set 01: Balance
Wordcount: 1,717
Ratings: PG-13
Link to Archive Post: Here
Sipping at the tea that Tifa had sworn came from Cloud originally as a gift after the younger woman had complained about not being able to sleep in Midgar, Aeris rubbed her eyes. It had been an uneasy few hours.
She had been sound asleep for only a few hours, having gotten off her job late. But then...everything had gone mad. Suddenly, there were voices, screams in her head, twisted faces and flailing limbs, all jumbled around in her dreams. Caught in it, unable to wake up, unable to push the voices away, she had been trapped in what had seemed like an eternity of gibbering voices she didn’t understand. None of them made sense, and she was smothering in a blanket of sheer panic when she was finally able to snap awake.
For a long moment, she had scrambled, and then....something had slammed into her. The voices rose up again into gibbering screams, but at least this time, they were cut off by merciful blackness.
When she woke up, Aeris had groped for her phone, shaking and crying. She didn’t know what was going on, but she knew it wasn’t over. With trembling hands, she hit Zack’s number.
Turned out that she wasn’t the only one who had been struck by this, and he asked if she had wanted him to come get her. Hearing someone vomiting in the background, her own stomach roiling at the mere idea of being close to someone who was that sick, Aeris told him that she would be okay. But she did feel better hearing his voice, hearing his concern for her.
Though she really should have expected it when Tifa showed up. By now, she should have been aware of the protective streak that Zack had. Which was going to be a good thing when she finally settled down enough to want kids. He would be a good daddy.
But at the moment, there wasn’t any little children to focus Zack’s attention on at the moment, and so she and his pack got to bear the brunt of his parenting instinct. Which were probably in overdrive at the moment.
Still, she had Tifa here now, and they talked. It was soothing to have someone else, alive and solid, to work through ideas of what might have happened.
“You should try sleeping more,” the other said, eventually. Tifa was looking rather tired herself, as her hours were much like Aeris’s, and neither of them had gotten much sleep before being woken up. “Cloud and the others will call us and let us know what they figure out.” She popped her knuckles. “They’d better, at least. In any case, sleep some more. I’m going to stretch out on your couch and try to get some sleep myself.”
Nodding, Aeris had gone to lay back down. In the early dawn light, everything pale and washed out, she heard the woman moving around, trying to get comfortable on Aeris’s couch. Not the most comfortable bit of furniture, but it was good enough for most people. And it wasn’t like Tifa hadn’t crashed on it before.
Soon, things went quiet. And then Aeris dropped off herself.
She found herself back in the dreams. Still unable to understand what the people were trying to say, she struggled to make them understand her. It didn’t seem to be working, either.
Covering her ears, Aeris tried to ignore them. Instead of blocking them out, however, it seemed like it just made the dissonant sounds jar harder into her ears. Nor did they get any clearer as she slept.
Drowning in voices and images, Aeris just struggled to rest.
When she woke up again, Aeris found she didn’t feel very rested at all. Rather, she was reminded of her last hangover, and that wasn’t a fun memory at all.
Later, when Zack came to visit, he did comment about the circles under her eyes, hugging her tight as he did. This time, there was no escape, and Aeris had to smile faintly as he fussed over her. Not that she minded. Sometimes, a girl just wanted to be fussed over, and to have someone else take care of her.
This was one of those times, though Aeris really didn’t mean to nap on Zack like she did. But his chest made a very good pillow, especially when she could hear his heartbeat. It was a nice, soothing sound.
The dreams came back, though they were muted by the sound of the heart under her ear. Something in the back of her mind noted that, and she focused on the thump-thump.
Sleeping far later than she had planned, Aeris started awake as Zack shifted under her. From the look on his face, he had gone to sleep as well.
There was more fussing, and Aeris found herself smiling as she leaned on the doorway into her kitchen, watching Zack cook. He was rubbish at desserts, but the man could actually put together a meal if he wanted to. Most of the time, he just ordered out, but it was...nice to watch him cook her food.
Glancing at the time, Aeris shook her head. “I have to go to work. Lock up when you leave, all right?”
“Hey!” he said, tone indignant as she kissed his cheek, then headed out the door.
It was a dirty trick, but the sound of his voice had her laughing as she headed to her job.
The night went on, the talk mostly on what had happened that morning, but Aeris felt better now than she had all day. The nap had helped greatly. Which must have been obvious, because when Tifa invited her back to Tifa’s place to crash the night, Aeris was actually able to decline. If she still had looked bad, she knew there was no way that her friend would have let her off the hook that easily.
Her house still smelled of tasty things, and she found that Zack had left the crockpot simmering, more food packed into her fridge. Mmm, it was nice having a rich boyfriend.
Feeling much better than when she had gotten up this morning, Aeris ate, then went to sleep.
Faces melting, footprints in dust that seem to scorch the very ground. Life dying, and then an explosion of power, colored through with streaks of green that she -knew- at one point had been a living being.
More jibbering, words she couldn’t understand as the voices wailed.
She was coming.
Panting, Aeris bolted upright. Again. It happened again.
“That’s it. You are going to talk. Now.”
The voice startled her, and then Aeris remembered that she was staying with Tifa. A week had passed since these nightmares had started. Zack and the others had all stopped by and checked on her, but whenever she was alone, when she slept, she was caught in the dreams again. It hadn’t taken too long before Tifa told, not asked, -told- Aeris that she would be staying with the younger woman. And Tifa didn’t take no for an answer.
Between Tifa’s stubbornness, and the fact that it really seemed to help calm down Zack if she was staying with a friend, Aeris had finally given in. So now she was camped out on Tifa’s couch, which was a lot more comfortable than Aeris’s.
“It’s noth....”
Tifa held up a hand. “If that word is “nothing”, I’m going to do the worst thing imaginable. I’m going to tell Zack that you are too afraid to go to sleep, and didn’t want to bother him with it.”
Staring at the woman, jaw dropped, Aeris couldn’t believe her ears. That was the blackest sort of blackmail. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would. I can find another place to go. -You-, on the other hand, would be forced to deal with a hurt, and trying to hide it, Zack. Who would be fussing even more over you.”
Yeah, he was going to be an excellent father when they got that far. But it didn’t mean Aeris wanted it to be used against -her-.
“Fine. Evil.” A scowl at Tifa, which was ignored. “I’ve been having these dreams. Nightmares. Something is roaming, and it’s sucking the life out of things. Just...wasted skeletons and withered plants are all that is left behind, other than the burned out earth.” A shiver. “And there are these voices....They never stop, but I can’t understand them.” Hands kneading absently at the blanket, Aeris tried to explain.
“It’s like they want to tell me something, but we can’t seem to understand each other. They feel so old, and I can almost make out words.” A shiver. “And today, I finally did make out something.”
Looking at her with narrowed eyes, Tifa was listening hard. “What did you make out?”
“She is coming.” And Aeris was clue less on what that meant.
“You said burned earth? And dead things?”
Not the question she was expecting, and Aeris nodded. That got a grimace from Tifa. “Something has been going on near the Deadlands. Barret, you remember him? He was out that way, introducing Marlene to some of her family, and something odd has been going on out that way. He’s heading back as soon as everything is ready, but something odd is going on. When he gets back, he was going to fill me in.” She paused, tapping her lip as she thought. “We should tell Cloud about this. It might be important, since you’re...you know.”
Since she was part Cetra. One of the last, though there were rumors now and then about other halfbloods, or even a full blooded Cetra roaming outside of their hiding place.
Finally, Aeris nodded. “We’ll go visit them in the morning.”
She didn’t want to. Didn’t want to guess what was causing the dreams.
But she had an idea. A very, very bad idea. So bad, she shied away from thinking about it even now.
If her idea was right, though, it explained the dreams, and the flash.
She is coming. That’s what her dreams said.
There was only one She that the Cetra cared about.
“We’ll go first thing in the morning.”
Death with pale hair.
That was in her dreams as well.
no subject
Poor Aeris. *hugs her tight* She needs someone to cuddle with to help the worst of the noises go away while she sleeps. Hopefully someone who can help her understand it all, too.
Snuggle times with Cloud? =D
But Tifa's a very good friend. And evil for threatening to sic a mother-henning Zack on her, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.