baby you're found in clear conditions Who: Obed & Isobel. What: Isobel has a nightmare; Obed helps out, but neither are aware of what's to come. Where: Their apartment, then the roof. When: February 1.
Isobel stood at the sink for a long moment, watching the water run down the drain. Everything that spilled from the facet was clear, but for the smallest increment of time she could have sworn it bore a faint shimmer of red. She studied it more closely, leaning over the counter. No, it was clear—everything that struck the plates, the cutlery from the dinner she'd just shared with Obed was covered in transparent liquid. She sighed, took up a sponge, and set to work.
Metal clicked gently against porcelain, and the meditative act of cleansing the plates of their meal soon soothed her mind. She was so lost in her own absence of thought that she didn't hear the person walking up behind her, their soft footfall hidden by the homey sounds of dishes being transmuted into something useful. Isobel startled when arms wrapped around her, though their cold touch was not immediately off putting. She snuggled back against what she thought was one familiar form, though she had no idea...
"Obed," she laughed, holding a dish and a sponge up, both hands dripping into the sink, the faucet still running water. "What's gotten into you? My hands are all wet—"
"That's not the only part of you that'll be wet," a familiar voice said, and Isobel gasped as dampness soaked through the back of her shirt. Plate and sponge fell, one cracking as it struck the sink, the other bouncing off the counter and hitting the floor with a wet plop. Isobel whirled, shoving the stranger away, her eyes widening to see Bryan—Bryan, soaked head to toe, wrapped in kelp, a barnacle stuck on one side of his mouth while the other was cut open to reveal a long pearl string of teeth. He grinned, leering at her, a wide puddle of murky brown seawater around his feet on the floor.
"What, don't like what you see?" He took a step toward her, his boots squishing on the tile. Something black with too many feet scuttled out of the open side of his jaw, moving up over his face and disappearing over his sodden hair. Isobel shuddered, pressing back against the counter with no room to run.
"This is what you did, Isobel. Didn't think about it, did you?" He jabbed a finger in her face, forcing her back against the counter as hard as she could press herself. A defensive hand rose, trying to ward him off before he came any closer. Her other hand groped at the counter for anything that might work as a weapon, but all the drying dishes were on the opposite side of the sink.
"Obed? Obed!" Her cries grew increasingly panicked, but wherever her newly minted husband had disappeared to, he was not to be found.
"Oh, don't worry," Bryan crooned, closing the space between them slowly. "I took care of him already." Isobel grimaced, her heart clenching in her chest. Wrinkled, greenish hands came to her throat, Isobel doing her best to claw him back. Instead of hurting him, she merely peeled away sheafs of skin, making her own crawl like bugs were running from him onto her flesh. She tried to slap his face, but his hands closed around her throat, squeezing.
"This is too easy, but I'll take what I can get," Bryan said, wrenching her throat closed with a vice-like grip. Isobel squeaked, her eyes bulging from her skull as black ringed the edges of her vision. She ripped uselessly at his hands again, and again, and again, gaining only more darkness in her gaze as it slowly swallowed her up.
Isobel writhed in bed, clutching the covers before shoving them off of her. She sat up, her eyes wide in the closeted darkness of the bedroom she shared with Obed; slowly, reality settled in even as her heart continued to thrum in her chest. A glanced to the side showed Obed on his back, still deeply asleep; even in shadow, she could still make out the scars that ran over his face, that went deeper still. Licking her lips, she allowed herself one brief touch on his shoulder to assure that he was solid, whole, well. Her eyes shut for a moment; she instantly wished she had not when Bryan's torn visage sneered back at her. She gasped, immediately bringing a hand to her mouth. She glanced at Obed, still asleep, and then carefully moved from the bed so she didn't disturb him.
Putting on no more than a robe over her pajamas, Hanni's head rose, his ting tags jingling as he followed her movements. With a wave, she had him follow her. If she was going to be awake, she might as well make herself useful. She moved into the kitchen, quietly making a pot of coffee that she placed in a travel mug and then, scooping up Hanni and his lead, she slipped her feet into a pair of sneakers and headed out of the new apartment and toward the stairs. Their side of the building faced east, and the hall was already warming despite it only being February. Breathing in deeply, feeling at home in the new building already, she ascended to the roof. What she saw there pulled a wide smile on her face.
Trellises with hanging ivy, small spots of grass interspersed with rubber flooring that held outdoor furniture were salted with plant beds. A few had small, juvenile trees, while the majority had annual flowers and small shrubs. Isobel bent, setting Hanni down; the small dog trotted off, doing his business while sniffing the new area they both called home. Isobel moved to one side of the rooftop, nearest the entryway, and opened a small storage bin to withdraw gloves and a hand rake. Pocketing the gloves in her robe, she took the tool and her coffee cup to the nearest bed of flowers and let the dirt take her mind off of her dream.
Five minutes passed, then ten; then a door opened and closed, and quiet footfalls announced Obed's presence. He had dressed, though quickly, in worn jeans and a black undershirt, with black slip-on loafers on his feet. He cleared his throat, careful not to frighten Isobel or Hanni, but his concern was unneeded. Hanni immediately yipped a cheerful greeting and bounded over to Obed. His tags jingling pulled Isobel's attention away from the flowers she was tending to (gloves forgotten in her pocket, hands already browned from moving the soil) to glance in Obed's direction.
"An early morning," he observed. "I can't remember the last time you woke before me." He came to a stop just behind her, his hands in his pockets as he looked down over her work. "Is everything OK?"
Her face turned up toward him, lips turned upward in an easy smile; her eyes squinted a little in the early morning sunshine. Deep bags under her eyes nearly matched the ones under his. She raised a hand to shield her gaze, nodding.
"I'm fine," she said, her hand dropping to rub against the palm of the other, shedding what dirt she could. "I was just... I had some trouble sleeping, that's all. And it's nice to have all of this, now, at home." She looked to the plants, and then back up at him. "Did you sleep all right?"
"Mmhm." He leaned down to her, kissing the top of her head; Isobel let her eyes close at that touch, this time seeing nothing but blessed darkness. "They're all looking very good. But… trouble sleeping? Is it the new place?" After another kiss he straightened up; her head turned up at his departure, hands kneading the cloth of her robe for want of reaching out. "Tell me how I can help."
She looked back up at him, a bashful smile on her face. In the light of the dawn, in his presence, it all seemed so very silly; what was one dream, especially in wake of all he'd had in the past? She looked back down at her plants, her teeth carving paths over her bottom lip. She reached out and picked up the small hand rake, holding it between her hands.
"I had a dream about Bryan." Isobel looked up again, one eye squinting closed. "I don't think it's the move, or the building, at least, I hope not... I think it's just my brain, dealing with things. That's all." The tool twirled between her fingers, revealing her anxiety even when her voice remained smooth, unbroken. "It just... it felt very real."
Obed nodded, understanding all too well. "They'll do that," he said. "But no-one's going to find him, Isobel. He's dead and gone, just like Abel, just like Brent." He moved closer beside her. Folding his legs beneath him, he sat down on the soil-strewn ground, one knee brushing hers. "Do you want to tell me about it? Sometimes that helps."
She twirled the rake between her hands, excuses that she didn't want to waste his time and that he didn't need to worry about it immediately rising to her lips. But their previous discussions, the fights, their breakup all reminded her that she needed to give him the things he needed to help her. Isobel let out a sigh, kneading the inside of her bottom lip with her teeth.
"It wasn't very long. I was in the kitchen, washing dishes. I thought the water was red, but it wasn't—it just seemed that way." Her eyes stayed on the rake, but she didn't move away from the simple touch of his knee against hers. "Someone came up behind me, and I thought it was you. They... put their arms around me. Then they spoke, and I realized it was him, and suddenly I was wet. When I turned around, he was there—like he'd just walked out of the bay, and he was..." Her expression twisted into one of disgust, tinged by horror. Obed reached out to her, his hand coming to rest on her thigh. "Absolutely disgusting. I tried... I tried to fight him off, but he... He choked me. And then I woke up." Sat up, she should have said, electrified, terrified. She glanced up from toying with the rake, one hand rising to tuck hair behind one ear.
"I know he's gone, it just... I think it'll be awhile. Before all of me realizes that. He used to disappear and show up again so often that... It's hard to believe it."
"I'm sure." Obed nodded, a small frown on his lips. He pondered the dream for a moment, turning it over and over in his mind. There was a long silence before he spoke again, broken only by the silvery chime of Hanni's tags. Isobel studied Obed's face as the sounds of traffic and some scattered birdsong filled in the gap.
"If you want," Obed said, "if you have another dream like that, try to think of Hades. Or me. I think he might be more effective, but either of us may be able to wake enough to come into the dream. Maybe end it for you, or at least change it to something less unsettling. I've done it unintentionally, often enough. Perhaps it's time I learn to be more purposeful with it."
It was not an answer Isobel had expected, and her eyes widened in surprise; she opened her mouth to say she didn't want to widen the burden he'd already dealt with in his dreams, that it was her problem to deal with, but she forced her mouth shut with a click. After a beat, she nodded.
"I'll try," she agreed, feeling warmer for the offer and its acceptance. A smile curved her mouth and her hand reached over to brush his knee, cupping it with a palm. "Thank you. You know, I always feel better when you're around. And we should... Try to see how they can help us. How we can help each other." She paused for a beat, then continued down the avenue he'd opened. "Does this mean you feel... all right? With him?"
His hand covered hers, holding it close against his jean-clad skin. He could feel her warmth easily through that small barrier, so different from his own natural chill. He shook his head, but slowly. "Maybe?" he ventured. "I honestly don't know. I know how it would sound to anyone who hadn't experienced it. But I've seen Persephone. And after Halloween…" He shrugged. "I can either accept that he's a part of me, or I can go totally insane. I'm fairly certain those are my only options now. And if I'm going to try to get to know him, how better than by working with him to help you?"
Her smile widened, and she twisted her hand to loop her fingers through his.
"I know I'd like that," she said. "And I think she'd like that, too. I think, sometimes, she gets a little frustrated with me." Isobel frowned, but did not elaborate. "As long as you're comfortable, Obed. I don't want you... I don't want you to not be able to sleep. You need your rest more than anyone." She squeezed his hand. Hanni made his way over, flopping down into Obed's lap as though he wished to be part of the conversation. Isobel laughed, took her hand out of Obed's and reached forward to scratch Hanni on the head.
"Do you have to go to work soon?" She asked.
Obed's hand joined hers on Hanni's small head, rubbing idly at one upraised ear. "In an hour or so," he said. "We have time for breakfast, if you'd like." He stroked the small dog's back, scritching just above his tail as the dog wriggled, content.
"I was just about to suggest that," she replied, glad their minds were one as she glanced wryly at his face.
"You know, maybe working with Hades rather than against him will help," he said. "Maybe he could deal with the nightmares for me, too." He chuckled, suspecting nothing would ever be so simple. It was a pleasant thought, at least.
"So… how does an omelette sound? You've got parsley and tarragon up here, right? Maybe chives..."
"Are you offering to cook for me?" Isobel kept most of the surprise out of her voice, instead melting it into teasing affection as he nodded his response. Her hand went from Hanni's head to Obed's upper arm, squeezing lightly. "Yes, that sounds great. There are herbs in the corner, I didn't want anyone stepping on them..."
Using him as an anchor, she got to her knees and started to rise. While still slightly bowed, she pecked him on the side of the head, then pushed herself up to standing. She padded over toward the requested herbs, her hands raking over them before gently plucking up a small amount of each, tucking them against each other in her hand. She turned back toward him, closing the distance with an eager step.
"Let's eat up here. It'd be a shame to waste the daylight, and not give all of this some use. Maybe get others to come up here, too."
"I like that," he said. He rose, carrying Hanni along with him, and started over to her. "Maybe we need a few more tables up here. A grill or two as well. What do you think?" He hummed as he thought, standing close behind her as she gathered their ingredients. Hanni yipped, squirming a demand to be let down, but his master did not comply.
"You really have done wonders up here," Obed said. "You're really in your element."
She beamed at the praise, proud but humble regarding the space around them. "I miss the space we had around Pax; this isn't quite the same, but it's close. A little escape. And it's been awhile since I had a garden. At least, my own," she amended, reaching out with her free hand to scratch Hanni on the head and attempt to calm him. She smiled up at Obed. "Thank you for letting me do this, up here. I think you're too nice to me, sometimes. Really letting me take advantage, Mr. Brandt."
"I enjoy it," he said, a hint of something darkly teasing in his tone. He slipped his free arm around her and pulled her in toward himself. He guided her gently toward the rooftop's entryway. "This place will feel even more like home in time. You'll see. You're already off to a good start."
He pulled the door open for her; she moved inside quickly, turning toward him as she paused. Once inside, Obed set Hanni down, sending him on his way toward the stairwell beyond. "I think the basement pool could use some hothouse-style plants, maybe. Brighten it up a bit…"
"Hmm, I could probably come up with something," she agreed, pleased to be so involved. She reached for his hand for the short walk back to their apartment, careful to not crush the herbs in her hand as they walked. After the sunshine, brief conversation, and the promise of a shared meal with the one she held most dear, her dream seemed very distant, like a long forgotten memory. As the door closed behind them, a small, black bug squeezed through the jam just before the opening was sealed completely. Its feelers twitched, scenting the air.