The park- Friday morning

[thatwaslucky]

Given everything this week and scenes in SP, Friday training wasn't happening like normal today. She didn't trust the warehouse right now, but she didn't feel like being cooped up in her apartment alone, either. She was exhausted and repressing and acutely aware of what the rest of the island was going through on top of it, and she was over it.

She'd attempted the Perk- caffeine was badly needed by now-, but while ordering had ended up as a really uncomfortable witness to two baristas touching hands by accident and getting caught up in a shared nightmare. Luckily it was short, because Rey had been trying to figure out how to help and had no idea, but then one barista had hurried off and the other went right back to work and it was really hard to just order a coffee after that, you know?

Well, she had, because Rey was also trying to be nice about seeing that and catching any of the psychic backlash, and she hadn't wanted to stick around after that. Her cup was sitting on the nearest park bench now.

So at least for now she was here, running through drills with the lightsaber, and watching them clouds like they were about to personally insult her.


[It just feels wrong not to post on Fridays. Open! If you still want to do trauma stuff and haven't gotten a chance, shoot me an email.]

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

And Duke was just flat out trying not to be outside. And trying to keep moving, to see if his theory about being able to potentially outrun whatever the hell was making them all relive their worst moments might hold water.

"You were right," he said when he saw Rey. "I -- I mean, I don't know that. But I'm pretty sure you were right."

[thatwaslucky]

"Which part?" Rey asked, pausing in what she was doing.

After a few days with very little sleep, she had no idea what she'd said.

[betterthanaplan]

You know what? That was super fair. Duke had no idea if he was making any sense, anyway.

"The -- thing. You said there was a thing in your room after you dreamed. I think you were right. I think something's here, following us. Making all this happen."

[thatwaslucky]

"You saw it? The horse?" Rey asked, shutting down the lightsaber.

She was maybe relieved to know that part wasn't her being insane.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke pointed at her, head bobbing in a nod. ". . . No. But I am pretty sure it's been following me. All night. There's like . . . a delay. When I go somewhere new." He sighed, hearing himself, and rubbed his forehead. "Or I am just very very sleep deprived. I don't know."

[thatwaslucky]

"Sit," she said, gesturing to the bench. "What do you mean a delay?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Like . . . I'd go to another room and get a break for a second," Duke said, flopping down onto the bench. "Like something had to catch up."

[thatwaslucky]

"All right, that's terrifying," she said, taking a seat next to him.

[betterthanaplan]

"So yeah." Duke managed a tiny, ironic smile. "Invisible horses sounds legit to me. Though I don't know what the hell we could possibly do about them."

[thatwaslucky]

"No idea. There has to be something," she said. "Or everyone's going to fall over from exhaustion."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded vaguely and glanced over at her. "You get any sleep last night?"

[thatwaslucky]

Rey shook her head. "I'm picking up too much from people to even want to try, really," she admitted.

Things she didn't recommend: being in Anakin Skywalker's head.

[betterthanaplan]

Oh good god, no. No one should be in there. Not even Anakin, probably.

"Yeah. Yeah, the brief vacations in other people's bad memories since yesterday have been plenty for me, thanks."

Which, naturally, would be when the clouds started to roll in again. Duke's whole being sagged as he saw them. "Aw fuck."

[thatwaslucky]

Rey could feel whenever the things were nearby, and she hated it and she hated them.

She sighed, and braced herself like she would for a crash.

[betterthanaplan]

And what did you know, a crash there was! In Duke's memory, at least.

The crash of the front door of his house, clearly the home of an unsupervised teen, judging by the detritus of beer and skin mags scattered about the living room. There was a broken down, heavily stained couch dominating the room, a scratched and battered old-style TV with a bent antenna hissing static in front of it. Teenage Duke, just shy of 18, was sprawled in front of it, though he jerked upright when the door hit the wall.

"Where's the damn mail, kid?"

The woman, pretty in an ill-used sort of way, pointed a shaking finger at Duke. He grinned back, sharp and mean.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Do you live here?"

[thatwaslucky]

This was so far unlike the violence she'd seen through someone else's head the last few days, but Rey still felt herself tense up, because she no longer expected these to be at all easy.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke and his mom didn't get violent.

That didn't mean they didn't hurt each other.

"Did you take it?" Duke's mom asked, looming over him. "That's my money! I earned it raising your sorry ass."

Duke's laugh was cold and bitter. "Oh yeah. Fine job you did on that front, Mom. How long has it been this time, five months?" He pulled the state welfare check from his back pocket. "How long will it take you to blow this one? Guess that depends on how fast you can call your dealer."

His mom snatched the envelope out of his hand. "You ungrateful little prick."

[thatwaslucky]

Rey winced.

It wasn't something she could relate to, really, but that didn't mean she didnt feel it any less in the moment.

And there wasn't a point where this wasn't going to make her feel like she being violating by being here.

[betterthanaplan]

Later, when Duke could think about anything but this memory again, he'd just be glad that she'd seen him while he could hold his own, and not when his mom showing up and reduced him to needy, desperate tears as a child.

Three more days. Three more days until Duke was 18, and wouldn't need even his mom's name on a form anymore. Three more days and he'd be free.

He didn't know why that thought hurt.

"Just -- take it and go!" Duke threw his arm out, pointing at the door. Wishing his hand wasn't shaking. "Okay? I don't need you! I can take care of myself, I've been doing it a long time!"

His mother raised her hand and the moment hung, teetering as she decided whether or not to slap her son. "You're just like your father," she hissed instead, which ached in its own way.

"Yeah." Duke nodded. "And you left him too."

[thatwaslucky]

Rey winced internally. Maybe externally, too, she wasn't sure.

This was so personal. She shouldn't be here.

[betterthanaplan]

The sun slipped out between the clouds, and the memory faded. Duke curled up over his knees for the space of a long breath, then straightened.

"Right, so. You get all that?"

[thatwaslucky]

"Yeah," she said, blowing out a breath. "Sorry."

[betterthanaplan]

"Not your fault. It's the . . . spooky invisible horses."

[thatwaslucky]

"I'm sorry it actually happened, too," she said, watching the clouds.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke sighed. “Yeah. Mom was a real peach.”