No matter how far you run

[not_heavens_adam]

Who: Johnny and OPEN
When: Evening
Where: Edge of the plaza
Warning: Mention of rape and gore in the comments likely.
Status: Open

[Johnny sat, back to the wall of an alley, knees drawn to his chest, and the phantom weight of someone who shouldn't be there resting against him.

When the demon first showed up, Johnny had panicked, thinking the time had finally come when Barry showed up in the bubble and ruined everything Johnny had here. He'd run, but no matter where he'd gone, Barry had always been there. The demon had talked and talked to Johnny...but he'd yet to rip into the vampire and that told him more than anything that this wasn't real.

Even talking to Fai, realizing it was a walking nightmare, he had refused to reach out. If he admitted that Barry was there, that he was still deathly terrified of the demon, then that would mean admitting he was still under the incubus' control. He would always be under Berry's -Belial's- control. No matter what he tried to tell himself.

That was how he found himself curled into a ball, face buried in his arms, as the demon made himself comfortable and told Johnny everything he didn't want to hear; he was a monster, unfit for the friends he had, he only put them in danger by being around them, they would all die anyway, why get close? All he needed was Barry...]

Addie~ You belong to me, Addie. We were made for each other~ You know that....no one else should come between us~

[Johnny shook his head weakly, the fight long since sucked out of him. He just wanted it to all go away.]

Go away....please.

Comments

[behind_my_smile]

[Fai had sought out Johnny almost as soon as the other had fled after talking to him. Behind him Ashura was still evident, but far less traumatizing as he had been at first. Talking about him had helped at least a little, even if Fai hadn't revealed everything.

Lucky for Fai, he knew Johnny's scent well by now and was able to find the other easily, still obviously tormented by his own ghosts.]

Johnny..[Fai hurried up and stood between Johnny and the ghost.] You have to talk about it...if that is what will make it go away then you have to try!

[not_heavens_adam]

[Fai's voice cut through Berry's sweet tone and caused him to look up at the other vampire.]

Fai..

[His eyes drifted to the king who still haunted his friend, but the difference was noticeable. Is that how it would work for him too?]

I don't...[He'd never told anyone the whole story. Jacob came closest and that was so long ago.]

How much do I have to say?

[behind_my_smile]

[Fai knelt down, glancing back at Ashura.] I don't know. Probably the more we tell, the better it will be.

[Looking back at Johnny, Fai settled more comfortably on the ground, still making sure to put himself between the nightmare and his friend.]

Just tell what you can..and we'll see what happens.

[not_heavens_adam]

I....[How much did he want to say?]

His name is Barry. He's a clone of the demon Belial back home.

And he was made for me. He and I....we were supposed to be together but...

[His voice trailed off. He'd never actually said the words out loud. Not to Rayfell, not to Jacob...no one.]

[behind_my_smile]

[Fai shifted closer and around so that he could sit beside Johnny. He wanted to watch the ghost now to see what happened as they talked. He had been too scared to do so for his own nightmares. He hooked his arm through Johnny's and leaned against him, not sure if Johnny wanted to be held while he told the story but allowing for contact if he needed it.]

But...?

[not_heavens_adam]

[Johnny's eyes fell on Berry, and he leaned ever-so-slightly against Fai. He knew he should tell, Fai had trusted him to tell his story...besides, he didn't have to say every little detail.]

...but he hurts me. Just being near him...

[He sighs, deciding blunt honesty was the fastest and least painful way to go about this.]

His expression of love is to rape me and rip me apart. He thinks...if he eats my flesh, it'll bring us closer together.

And he'd like nothing more than if I did the same to him. But I won't.

[It wasn't just the physical, it was the mental...but there was some of that that he didn't even want to admit to himself.]

[behind_my_smile]

[That takes Fai by surprise a little and his first desire is to defend his friend and try to take Barry out. But he knows that this isn't the real thing..he understands that now and fighting him won't do much good.]

I'm glad you won't do it. I'm sorry you've had to deal with that. Were you able to get away from him?

[runbysmiles]

[ Sora was walking around the bubble trying to out walk his own nightmares but it wasn't easy. Eveywhere he turned he kept seeing his friends, disappearing, fading, going away. He paused when he heard Johnny's voice. ]

Johnny?

[ He moved a little closer towards the vampire. ]

[not_heavens_adam]

[Johnny looked up, searching for the person who had called his name. His expression turned to one of concern when he saw the boy.]

Sora...are you out for a walk?

[Cause walking right on past might be a better option.]

[runbysmiles]

[ Sora nodded. ]

Yeah, I was.

[ Call it intuition but Sora wasn't about to go anywhere. ]

Are you okay? What are you doing out here by yourself?

[not_heavens_adam]

[It had been a while since he'd felt the need to do so, but he called on one of his forced smiles and nodded.

Sora was far too innocent for this.]

Yeah~ I just went out for a walk and got tired. I'm okay~

[runbysmiles]

[ Sora frowned and moved a little closer to Johnny. Those bright blues of his seeming to stare straight through him. ]

Are you sure?

[ He was worried. With all these nightmare things going around he was really worried for his friend, though they'd only really spoken once. ]

[not_heavens_adam]

[Those eyes made him a bit uneasy...and he realized he was loosing his touch with the lying. Practice made perfect, and he was out of practice.]

...yeah. Isn't it a bit late for you?

[Yeah, he was definitely scrambling for something to say that wouldn't give him away.]

[sorcery_fledgling]

[By now, Rinoa was starting to have a slightly better idea of what was going on. These ghosts and haunts weren't real, but persistent nonetheless. Besides her own walking nightmare, who was still following her around, Rinoa had another concern on her mind:

What sort of demons were her friends having to face?

And she was about to face another example as she turned down the alley and found Johnny sitting there. Her heart froze when she came closer, his own nightmare materializing in front of her once she was within reach.]

Johnny...

[not_heavens_adam]

[Tiredly, Johnny looked up at Rinoa as she approached, trying to decide what to say. His eyes drifted to wha the assumed was Rinoa's nightmare and decided to focus on that.]

Hey....you affected by this too?

[sorcery_fledgling]

Seems like it. She won't shut up.

[Likewise, Rinoa would rather pay attention to Johnny's walking phantom.]

Looks like we both have chatterboxes.

[not_heavens_adam]

[Johnny looks over at the Barry apparition who gives a saccharine smile and reaches out to pet Johnny's hair, but the vampire swats the hand away, annoyed with himself for even reacting.]

It's not like they're real...

[Golden eyes fall on the woman trailing Rinoa.]

Who is she?

[sorcery_fledgling]

[Rinoa feels a chill down her spine when she sees Barry, and that smile...

He leaves her feeling almost as nauseous as Ultimecia does. And speaking of...]

Her name is Ultimecia. She's a Sorceress, like me.

And him?

[not_heavens_adam]

[He smirks a bit.]

Huh...she's not as pretty as you.

...his name's Barry. He's a demon; my very own stalker.

[closedcircuit]

[Ky can recognize the distracted look, and pauses far enough away that he's not intruding into Johnny's images, far enough that Johnny can't see what Ky sees. No one needs to see themselves dying, after all...]

Johnny...

Try to ignore it, whatever it is.

[not_heavens_adam]

[Johnny's looks over to Ky, relatively happy to have something else to concentrate on.]

I wish it were that easy, Ky. This nightmare has never been easy to ignore.

[closedcircuit]

Doesn't that make it even more important to focus on something else?

[ It's a bit awkward, talking over this distance, but Ky's determined to make it work. ]

[not_heavens_adam]

He won't let me.

[His eyes slide from Barry's red ones to Ky's blue ones and he smirks.]

Would you tell me what was haunting you if I asked?

[Assuming Ky was being haunted, but it could be a theoretical question, too.]

[closedcircuit]

[Ky looks at him, not sure about the smirk in the context, not sure if he should ask about the 'he' or not.

But the question's about him, not about Johnny, and Ky will answer it that way.]

Are you asking me to confess?

[not_heavens_adam]

[Johnny's smirk turns into a small smile.]

Only if you want to.

Confession is for those who are ready for it.