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╰┈➤ The Dreamscape of Penacony is collapsing. Aventurine, drowning amidst broken dreams, has played all of his cards and every last pawn that was left for him. All but one.
DROWNING + MENTIONS OF VOMIT WARNING!!! ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
There was silence. What was usually a bustling, bright metropolis of wonders and dreams forged by humanity's undying will, had fallen silent. It seemed as though everyone within this land made purely out of dreams had gone extinct within the blink of an eye. Even as the deafening silence consumed you, you ran free. You ran from the bright, golden colors of the city of Penacony(Golden Hour). You rushed through the darkness that entailed your desperate fleeing. You listened to the hollowed screams and echoes of disembodied voices as you ran. Your heartbeat pounded against your eardrums, leaving you heaving your breaths. Clocks ticked around you, dawning the hour of doomsday for the Dreamscape as a whole. Your desperate sprint lead you through one door after another, down a long hallway. The blue walls held clocks, some dawning midnight while others lacked hands at all. Glass sprayed along the wood floors as the clocks poured off of the walls, showering you in the onslaught of the Dreamscape's fall. You could see vivid images of the bathtub's contents, the pink-blue substance dragging a familiar friend down below the surface. His blond hair stood evidently on end, his hand extended out of the waters as a cry of desperation. Before long, you could begin to feel his presence within the dreamscape as he sank and drowned.
You burst through the final door, certain that this solidified your escape. But your escape could be too late. Your escape followed you awakening within the bathtub-area. The frigid liquid engulfed your body, even as you flung yourself out of it. You stumbled as you raced out of your hotel room. A trail of the dreamscape substance followed your footsteps as you charged into the neighboring room, wherever you could sense your friend's presence. "Aventurine!" You shrieked as you burst into the room. The room was illuminated by the light of the bathtub's substances, with a single hand emerging from the collapsing depths. Aventurine's hand threatened to dip beneath the surface— solidifying his demise. You refused to accept that.
You charged forwards, slamming yourself into the outer shell of the bathtub-like area. You threw your upper half over the side of the tub, submerging yourself from your head to your shoulder blades. You reached out, unable to breathe whatsoever. Aventurine's fingers grazed your cheek as his hand vanished below the surface. You could sense Aventurine. With what little hope remained, you curled your arms around his presence, envisioning it. You could smell his luxurious perfumes, although you could not breathe. Finally, your lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen. Your head felt heavy as you tightened your grasp around what you knew was Aventurine. You hauled his figure out of the substance, deeply inhaling as the lulling effects took hold of you. Your grasp around Aventurine slipped. You wrapped your weaker arm around his head to prevent him from drowning. "Please, stay alive, friend! Stay with me!" You realized that this may very well be your farewells with Aventurine. You hugged onto him. "I love you, friend! Thank you..!"
An aggressive force tugged you back by the collar of your jacket, sending you flopping back onto the floor. Fortunately, your embrace around Aventurine was so powerful that he was forcefully thrown out of the dreamscape. He landed on the floor beside you, the liquid substance of dreams covering the floor, but not him. As your vision began to clear of fog, a familiar woman named Acheron appeared in your gaze. Relief crashed over you like a hurricane, leaving you flopping back onto the floor as you struggled to gather yourself. "Are you two okay?" Asked a familiar voice. It seems Black Swan was also present and in the room, but you were too exhausted to look. "...yeah. Thank you." You breathed. Before long, your strength had returned just enough for you to hoist your upper half upright. You turned to face Aventurine's limp body, immediately leaning over and pressing your ear against his chest. You whispered desperate pleas to the Aeons that he survived.
Thump.. thump.. thump..
Upon hearing his heartbeat, you felt your body grow lighter. You immediately hauled Aventurine's upper half into your arms, allowing him to lean against your chest as a means of aiding him in coming back to his senses. You gingerly grasped his face, holding his chin up to further aid him in breathing. This would also prevent him from vomiting the water and limit the risk of him inhaling said vomit. You placed your hand over his collarbone, shutting your eyes to relax in the feeling of his heartbeat beginning to race. You felt his sides beginning to heave as he breathed, gradually being restored of his consciousness. "Friend!" You beamed at him, allowing him to lay back in your arms as his eyes cracked open. Acheron crossed her arms, smiling in relief at Aventurine's survival. Black Swan smiled all the same. "Welcome back." Said she.
Aventurine, evidently still a bit sluggish, showed you a confused expression. "Wait, what..? You actually bothered to come back for me?" He coughed on his words. Using your gloves, you pat his face a bit with a small laugh. "Yep. We're friends, are we not?" You reminded him with a ginger smile on your lips. His eyebrows seemed to draw together, much like that of a kicked puppy. "...you actually believed that?" You nodded your head confidently. "Took it to heart, too. You're my buddy, if you'll let me call you that." You brushed a bit of Aventurine's hair back to reveal his hypnotic eyes. He blinked, his gorgeous eyes growing misty. "Okay." he breathed deeply, though you could hear the water in his lungs. Aventurine leaned forth as he spiraled into a fit of coughs. You idly rubbed his back, holding him in a leaned-forward position to make sure he could cough up whatever he needed to. Some blue-pink liquid sprayed onto the floor from the back of his throat, but that was brief. Shortly after that, his coughing fit ceased. Aventurine inhaled shakily, although he refused to lean back into you.
You rested your cheek atop his blond hair, sighing into his expensive perfume's aroma. "I was scared I'd lose you." You confessed in a hushed voice. "Why would you even care?" Asked Aventurine. "I ask myself the same question." You replied in a dreamy tone of voice, afterwards laughing a bit. Hesitant as he was, Aventurine began to lean into you. He even laughed a bit. "Ahem. That was... interesting. Thank you." You tightly embraced him. "I'm happy that you're okay. I don't think I'd be able to handle that." You replied. Aventurine returned your embrace. "Got it."
"That was a lovely reunion, but we have a bit of an issue to resolve." Said Black Swan. Immediately, Aventurine hoisted himself to his feet. He offered you his hand. You accepted gratefully, pulling yourself up with his aid. You dusted his expensive clothing off while Acheron and Black Swan braced themselves for battle. Aventurine, only now realizing you'd been patting him down, swatted you away with his hand. "Shoo." He scowled. Your eyes bulged with evident offense as you leaned back, placing your hand upon your chest in utter shock. Aventurine followed Acheron and Black Swan as they departed outside of the room, shooting glances over his shoulder at you. His eyes shifted to beckon you. You raced after him, attempting to seize his hand. He batted you away. You sighed in defeat, finally accepting your fate.
A battle was in store. Thankfully, you had Aventurine's blessing of Preservation and Black Swan's blessing of the Remembrance. Acheron was much faster, and therefore, she was sent to retrieve the rest of the Astral Express for help. That battle would be won, even if it were just you and Aventurine.
