Just a Bad Dream

Just a Bad Dream
Date of Scene:	13 July 2024
Location:	Jedi Temple - Living Quarters
Synopsis:	Ann notices a Disturbance in the Force.
Cast of Characters:	Cayde Alexis, Annelia Belask

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Cayde Alexis has posed:
    It's a late night at the Temple again, long past the time most are in bed. The artificial climate outside for tonight consists of some significantly heavy rainfall, and heavy drops pelt against the windows while a few distant flashes of lightning brighten the darkness outside momentarily every once and a while.

    While Ann may not be one of those Jedi who are typically more well-attuned to the Force, lately she's likely found herself with more of those "unexplained intuitions" and "mysterious promptings" than usual. And tonight, she can feel it again. There is a Disturbance in the Force.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    As Ann lays on her bed reading a datapad absently, there's a pause in all the tiny movements one engages in while taking in information.

    And then her eyes roll.

    Exhaling slowly, Ann pushes herself up to her feet- still in most of her attire minus the overcoat of her robes. She tosses the datapad onto the bed- barely even rumpled despite her having just been there. Only one place to go for this.

    Barely a minute later there's a knocking at a -certain- Padawan's door.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Ann will feel the disturbance even more strongly as she approaches his room, as she might well have expected. But her knocking is only met with silence, as there is no response from within.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Well, one thing for it for this not-so-force-minded Jedi. She doesn't reach out through this odd feeling or any connections or such. She just... pushes the door open. If it's locked? Well, given the type of Padawan Cayde is, she's long since acquired the means to unlock it.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    It's not locked anyway. And she might be surprised to find that he actually is inside and in bed with his eyes closed as if asleep.

    But if she approaches to take a closer look, she'll find that the blanket is crumpled up in a corner, the pillow is on the floor, and he is shaking uncontrollably.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    They say don't wake a sleepwalker, but Cayde is just shaking so it's probably fine, right?

    Which is maybe why Ann elects to grab Cayde's collar and haul him up off the bed and 'to his feet' and take hold of his chin with her other hand, giving him a solid involuntary shake to start.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    When she grabs him and pulls him up and shakes him, he abruptly jerks awake. For a moment, he looks terrified, and his eyes are red and glassy with tears. But he quickly wipes them away and wipes his face too, which had also been wet with tears.

    [Master...] he signs. [What is it] he asks, trying to act as if nothing was wrong.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Don't 'what is it' me, Cayde. At this point we're speaking to Yarael or someone sooner or later. This is getting worse and I won't stand for it," she says bluntly, releasing the teen as she dusts herself off idly.

    "Unless of course you'd rather deal with this your entire life and keep hiding away from tackling issues."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde nods, his gaze lowering a bit. [...yes Master] he signs. [Just another bad dream...] Or was it a vision?

    He sighs and sits down on the edge of the bed, trying to get the imagery out of his head.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "You know, we should probably make note in any common threads in these 'just a bad dream' situations," comments Ann, looking around the room with mostly curiosity.

    "But I have a feeling you'd be a lot more relaxed and less on edge all the time if you were actually sleeping like a human being ought to."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    There are some drawings scattered about the room, and some datapads no doubt used for study, but other than that there is not much else of note to look at.

    Oh, there are definitely common themes in these 'bad dreams'. [Yes they are about the same things...] he tells her.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    There's a sudden sharp thwip against Cayde's temple as Ann flicks him just for the small intentional jolt/startle.

    "Then maybe you should stop calling it just a bad dream and start figuring out if it's something eating at you from the past, or perhaps elsewhere in the galaxy or the future, by way of the force."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde blinks when Ann flicks on the temple, although by now he's quite used to this sort of thing from her.

    He nods. [Yes I have Master...sorry I used the wrong words]

    [It is...all those things]

    It may occur to Ann that Dr Cassias had claimed back at the Senate offices that Cayde had previously tried to 'track him down and fix him'.

Annelia Belask has posed:
     A short sigh from Ann as she considers the statement, and she shakes her head.

    "I appreciate that you're trying to let go, or take care of something or whatever it is. But visions are tricky things. You need to start inwardly, and that's maybe one of the scariest parts of having these abilities. I understand, on some level, how difficult it can be to do that. But going to that man or torturing yourself are both clearly not working. So I reiterate- let's speak with Master Yarael or similar. See if we can get you more clarity and clear understanding. In the meantime- what exactly are these recurrences?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    [The visions come...I cannot control them...] Cayde replies, frowning when she mentions torturing himself.

    [It is...difficult to explain] he signs, when she asks about the content of the visions. [But are you sure you want to know...to see...] he asks. [They are painful]

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "I'm talking about how you vacillate between going at this one man or clamping yourself entirely shut to stew on it, Cayde," says Ann with a wry smile. She shakes her head a little.

    "I couldn't much help hearing the comments of others about my deficiencies as you know, and physical pain is an old friend. Explain or share, I don't much care which."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde shakes his head. [Not physical pain...but it will be...unpleasant] To say the least.

    But he offers a hand to her anyway, as if expecting her to take it. By now she probably understands that this is an invitation to connect mentally through the Force, and likely to bear witness to the visions herself.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann shrugs- it doesn't seem to scare her all that much, truth be told. Then again, by now Cayde has probably heard tell of her prior habits of doing things like using archaic stitching methods on herself without anesthetics to keep focused on less important tasks as this. Maybe his master is just... not that sane, really.

    She takes the hand as though it were going to be little more than flipping a piece of meat in a hot pan without tongs.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Well...'unpleasant' was probably a bit of an understatement. Once she touches him, she will find herself plunged into a dark and disconcerting void at first, that then gives way to a rather dystopian scene. It appears to be the interior of a large transport ship full of slaves cramped into tight quarters that line a labyrinth of narrow hallways. It's dirty, and smells of sweat and excrement. But that isn't even the worst of it. The cacophony of pain, fear, and a deep hopelessness fills the mind. There is an explosion somewhere, and the vessel rocks, adding panic into the mix as well. The most prominent feeling though, is being lost and alone...

    Dr. Cassias is in there too, somewhere...not on the ship, but.... well it's all very confusing and difficult to discern one scene from another. But it's quite clear that he is indeed a very troubled man. One moment, he is seeing a patient, but another he is drinking himself into a depressed stupor at a dive bar in the Lower City. Yet another, he is standing on a bridge over one of Coruscant's deep channels, contemplating throwing himself off of it. There is guilt...a deep guilt. He once lived in a quaint little cabin on Nakadia, with everything he could ever want. His wife looks...actually a lot like Gianka. But one day, he struck her out of anger, and that life came to an abrupt end...now he believes he must punish himself for the all the wrongs he's committed...and no amount of good he has done in the world ever seems like enough...

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann pinches the bridge of her nose as the vision ends, and she shakes her head a few times. A moment's breath released in a sigh.

    "Alright, yes. Definitely not a vision I'd be jealous of, to say the least."

    "But regardless of actions, relations, or anything else. That man isn't your responsibility. I genuinely do not care what comes of exploring these further for more clarity. You can't try to take responsibility for someone who doesn't want to be helped. You heard him the other day."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde sighs and nods. [I know...I do not seek him any longer] he signs. [But the visions still come]

    He'd once thought it was the will of the Force, but every time he tried to reach out to the man, he'd been stonewalled.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Glad to hear that, at least," Ann says with a slight nod. "But letting go of it in your heart is a different thing. Being my padawan and all- I'm going to worry either way," she adds with a wry smile.

    "Does seem like this is getting worse, so let's set up a talk with the master to discuss approaches to dissecting this, hm? Any objections?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde shakes his head. [Let us discuss with him then] he replies. [The visions from my past...I always had them] he tells her. Only the visions about the doctor were recent...ish. Since seeing him in person, anyway.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Then it sounds like you need to resolve them- and he's likely to be a fine starting place. But if it doesn't work out we'll find something else. Dreams like that and no sleep- people don't deserve that. Least of all you, even if you might think that way on some level. But for now, it's late, and you should try to get some sleep if you can. If it helps, remember that I am- quite literally- around the corner, as are many who will help if needed. Visions and all are horrid, to be sure, but in the physical you're not cramped in with terrified people, you're in your own space among your own people." As she speaks she nudges a comlink on a nearby desk as a silent, secondary reminder.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde nods. [I...know] Of course he knows that, but that didn't stop the visions, of course. He looks back toward the bed, picking the pillow up off of the floor and putting it back where it belongs. But he seems reluctant to try sleeping again, fearing the visions would return.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Hate to say it, but it's sleep now and take the gamble or collapse miserably later and take the gamble anyways," says Ann, shaking her head. "Personally I prefer the one that doesn't sacrifice your health."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    It was a good point...but still.

    [We never searched the treasury office...] Cayde suddenly mentions, frowning.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Building isn't gone. One thing at a time, and maintaining your health is always the best place to start," Ann reinforces as she steps towards the door, smiling faintly.

    "Besides, I had a wonderfully ill-advised thought on how to make that happen more smoothly. I'll tell you about it when you're looking a little less wiped out."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde arches a brow at her, finding himself reaching into her mind in an attempt to determine what exactly she was referring to about this wonderfully ill-advised thought. His health, or the treasury office?

Annelia Belask has posed:
    As Ann leaves the room, it's... actually a fair bit harder than it once was to check into her mind. Really dug her heels in of late on multiple levels. But she's certainly referring to the treasury office.

    And it's definitely going to be chaotic if she does it.