Where Diogenes Fails [Norah/Felix]

[Norah Byron]

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She'd waited. She'd emailed. She'd left voice mails. She'd sent a letter to that PO Box in Hartford, Connecticut. She'd checked her text messages obsessively and accepted excuse after excuse. And every night she'd gone to bed feeling like a little girl wishing on a star, waiting for tonight to be the night that he was there behind her dreams.

And now Norah was done waiting. With Sam on the mend and the drama around her beginning to die off, the singer chose a night when she had no plans until late the next evening and finally dug down to the bottom of her makeup kit and pulled out the small baggie of African Dream Root that she'd gotten her hands on weeks before. She brewed up a strong cup of the tea, adding ginger and honey to try to combat the horribly bitter taste. She didn't have any uncontaminated DNA, but Norah had learned a few things in the months with Felix and she was quite sure that she could find him if only she could set her feet firmly enough in the dreamscape.

There was barely time to set the empty mug on the nightstand next to the note she'd left for Alec and Luke just in case something went wrong and she didn't wake again as she should before Norah fell backward onto the bed and was instantly asleep and in the middle of a dream. She wasn't particularly surprised to find herself walking across an overgrown meadow at midnight wearing a crimson taffeta ballgown. These things happened in dreams, and she pulled the lace shawl around her shoulders to ward off the chill as she followed the tug she felt off in that direction, the one that led through who knew how many dreams and dreamers but which would eventually bring her to her vampire, that she knew quite well.

Norah walked through forests and city streets, through an abandoned schoolhouse and a mall full of people wearing only primary colors. She crossed a bridge of ice stretching over a swamp and ducked through a waterfall without getting wet. And at the end of a long and winding road of uneven yellow stones she found herself at the base of a mountain. The great ragged crack in the side of stone gaped wide, and she could hear hoarse breathing from somewhere inside.

She summoned a brass oil lantern by lifting her hand and wanting one to be there and headed into the cave, the lamp held high in front of her to light the way. And around the third turning in the passageway, there he was. Huddled on a pile of filthy blankets and matted furs, his body curled up into a tight knot of misery and shaking against a chill that he should have been able to banish simply by wishing it gone.

"Oh, love." The redhead hung the lantern on a hook that hadn't been there a moment before and bent to light the fire in the firepit that she'd created in the moment she knelt down beside it. The flames caught immediately and leapt directly to being a bright, crackling blaze with only a slight pleasant scent of woodsmoke despite the closed confines of the cave. She turned back to Felix and went over to kneel down beside him, reached to try to get him to uncurl and look at her. "My Felix. What have they done to you?"

[style=font-size: smaller; padding-right: 10px; text-align: right;]
Location: In someone else's dreams
Outfit: A taffeta ballgown and black lace shawl
Music: Old Souls - Lorica
Notes: I enjoyed writing that maybe more than I should have done.

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[Felix Helios]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #000000 url(http://i56.tinypic.com/do1mao.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 2px solid #876962; border: 0px; width: 500px;, bTable][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; color: #876962;] All these dreams ran together to Felix, but it didn’t really matter, even in the dream world Felix couldn’t escape the pain, misery, and addition that he has found himself in these recent times. That was one thing that tagged along into the dream world besides his body was weak from not feeding on anything but Demon filthy blood in his system, his mind was breaking the dream world and reality seemed like one and the same recently, so the cave he found himself in the dream world was no different in his eyes in reality of the old abandoned sewer system he took home to now. All of these factors lingered within and with Felix in the dream world but none would know, not saying a Dream would pay attention to Felix in their own Dream. During his better periods of his condition Felix had developed his skill at hiding his presence all together from the dreamers, up to the point where he can appear as one of the Dreamer’s “Fillers”, mere images of people animals, and things that fill of the space of the person dreams, but there was no need here. Felix was isolated and his form was in fact in the Dream world was that of what he looked like when he was normal, well normal for Vampire standards. A full set of Hair gilled back, compared to his near baldness in Reality, and what hair he does have, has turned a pale grey, white and brail, like his frame of body, but in Dream world his body was that of a Fit male In his early twenties caddied in black leather jacket, white shirt dashed underneath, black jeans, and boots, but his body just like his mind could not escape the condition the Demon blood has put him through. His body shivered uncontrollable, his sight would come and go, Cold sweats, and fevers drained him of his strengthen in this world, even if it was just a dream. And as his mind registrant the new comer, the gentle touch of her hands on his body as she took his curled up body, the scent that he knew anywhere even in the dream world, a scent that his Norah had come for him, and he knew then at this exact moment that this might be his final moments, and that an angel of Heaven took pity on Felix’s soul and decided to deliver him the bad news about his passing in this form, to ease the burden of passing over, and Felix found that thought a relief. The thought it might be an illusion, a trick played on him by his mind, a new way the Demon blood he was so addicted to tormented him, or the simple fact that his powers over dreams have started to run rampage on himself by this new feat, but Felix wished for his first thought, that this might be the end, even if he had to go to purgatory and be sealed away forever with the rest of his kin, in Felix’s mind anything was better than this. “Please take me, please, take me away from it all.” These words were the only sentence Felix was able to lack out and actually be eligible, and understand by human ear, the rest of his mutters ,ran together, and slurred, and in some cases Felix spoke in his native tongue an ancient, and dead form of Greek, and Latin, but in Felix’s mind it was all the same. End it please, end it.

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 320px; padding: 20px 240px 60px 30px;] Location: Someone else’s Dreams Music Outfit: outfit Notes: Very dark place, a very dark place in deed

[Norah Byron]

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Norah understood fragments of the Latin and none at all of the Greek and made the wrong assumption from what she was hearing. "My sweetest, of course I will." She bent down over him, sheltering him with her body to the best of her ability and pressing kisses to his temples and forehead. "Of course I'll come for you. Just tell me where you are and I'll be there tomorrow, I'll come get you and take you to where it's safe."

She cradled him against her, her beautiful monster, and made herself not ask yet what it was that was hurting him. First she needed to calm him, soothe him and see if she could bring him back to rationality. And so she held him and rocked him and pressed kisses to his forehead and temples and kept promising him that she would come for him, she would save him.

[style=font-size: smaller; padding-right: 10px; text-align: right;]
Location: In someone else's dreams
Outfit: A taffeta ballgown and black lace shawl
Music: Old Souls - Lorica
Notes: Short, but there's only so much she can do until he perks up a bit.

[/style][/style]

[Felix Helios]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #000000 url(http://i56.tinypic.com/do1mao.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 2px solid #876962; border: 0px; width: 500px;, bTable][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; color: #876962;] Wither it was the fever breaking like it did on random times set on its own schedule, or the fact that Felix wasn’t expecting his angel of death if Norah was in deed that, to speak. He figure there would be no last words, from either before the angel swiped him away to wonder, or live forever or do whatever the souls of purgatory did in the prison that all of his kind had to look forward to at one point in time. Or the fact that he notices that it indeed was Norah holding him. Felix brow meet together on his forehead in confusion as his blurry vision became clear. He looked over his shoulder while still his ball his body still shriving with a fit, as his mouth trembled to get her name out, “Norah?” Felix used what force he could summon to stop his body to tremble, which somewhat worked, Felix tried to raise his hand to touch Norah to confirm it but his body was not in his command anymore. He lost it once more he doubled over in expecting pain that never came, as his trembles and fever spiked once more in another fit and everything went black. Felix did not know how long he was out, but when he woke Norah was still there and he was sure now he was not having another illusion again of his beloved. Felix tried to speak but he felt his lips crack and blood spill out, and his voice came out with a crock, but Felix was determine to speak. He liked his lips and cleared his throat with several coughs before speaking. “Norah what are you doing here?” Felix voice was still a crock but his words came out like commanded. Felix drift enough strengthen to try to move away from Norah to get some space between them. He didn’t want Norah to see him like this, not like this.

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 320px; padding: 20px 240px 60px 30px;] Location: Someone else’s Dreams Music Outfit: outfit Notes: Coming back from the edge.

[Norah Byron]

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Norah waited, patient and comfortable, through Felix's unconsciousness. This wasn't her dream, but tucked away in this unused corner of it she could make whatever changes to it that pleased her. And so the fire burned warm and bright, with just a pleasant tang of woodsmoke but no choking clouds to deal with. Her lantern gave a clear orange light, without burning out or guttering, and when she laid the whisper-fine black lace shawl over Felix's shoulders as he slept it gave real warmth despite its fragile weave.

When Felix woke again Norah was kneeling on the now-clean rugs and furs that made up his bed, sipping from a crockery mug of tea that was sending up wisps of steam that smelled of mint and oranges. "I came to find you," she said calmly. "You wouldn't answer my calls, so I figured you were in some kind of trouble. And I was right."

She resettled on her knees, reaching out to stroke his hair without appearing to notice or care that he'd tried to get clear of her. "What's happened to you, love? What kind of trouble are you in? And where are you?" She'd meant it about coming to find him, she'd be there on the first flight she could book come morning. He was her dreamlover, her beautiful monster, and she wasn't letting him suffer without her there to make it better.

[style=font-size: smaller; padding-right: 10px; text-align: right;]
Location: In someone else's dreams
Outfit: A taffeta ballgown and black lace shawl
Music: Old Souls - Lorica
Notes: He's not going to talk her out of coming to find him.

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[Felix Helios]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #000000 url(http://i56.tinypic.com/do1mao.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 2px solid #876962; border: 0px; width: 500px;, bTable][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; color: #876962;] Felix didn’t know how to answer Norah’s question at first, he knew it would be pointless to lie to Norah, since she knew him so well. But he didn’t want to tell her the truth knowing he would be only a burden on her behave for however long it would take him to recover from his addiction to Demon blood. So Felix decided to tell the truth if only that would be only portions of it of course. Felix’s eyes drifted around the cave as he got his barring as he spoke,” I have no clue where I am in the real world, or here.,” Felix kept his eyes moving not resting on one particle object for long, noting the new rug, lantern and other additions that that Norah had added to the cave while he was out cold. “When I sleep recently, I slip into other dreams without knowing it most of the time.” Felix forced a chuckle and a smile trying to fool Norah to show he wasn’t as bad as he seemed. Especially since his noticed that as he spoke his voice was getting clear, not by much, but better than it was original, and Felix summed that up to the fact that Felix’s had no needed to use the functions of his throat for no other purpose then transporting Demon blood through his system, much less than trying to speak to his victims for quite some, but Felix knew Norah wasn’t falling for not one bit; so Felix switched to a much different tactic, that had less chance of working but he still had to try. “So what have you’ve been up to lately?”

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 320px; padding: 20px 240px 60px 30px;] Location: Someone else’s Dreams Music Outfit: outfit Notes: Changing subjects.

[Norah Byron]

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A rather unsteady laugh. "Felix, love, did you really even for a single moment think that was going to work? You dropped off the face of the earth months ago, when I walked in here you were nearly catatonic, and you don't even know where you are in the real world. I'm not going to get distracted with band gossip."

She got a hand into his hair, touching him there so thyat she wouldn't pet at him in other ways. She was worried for him, and when Norah got worried she got physically affectionate. "What's happened, Felix? You know I won't stop until I get the truth. So just tell me what's happened to you, and we'll figure out how to fix it." She never even entertained the possibility that it couldn't be fixed. Norah had a whim of iron, and she never gave up on the people she loved.

[style=font-size: smaller; padding-right: 10px; text-align: right;]
Location: In someone else's dreams
Outfit: A taffeta ballgown and black lace shawl
Music: Old Souls - Lorica
Notes: He should have known better than to even try.

[/style][/style]

[Felix Helios]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #000000 url(http://i56.tinypic.com/do1mao.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 2px solid #876962; border: 0px; width: 500px;, bTable][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; color: #876962;] Felix couldn’t help but chuckle and smile and he hated to admit it. He couldn’t hide a thing from Norah, and he couldn’t deny that his missed her dreadfully in these past few months. Felix eye’s shifted toward the opening of the Cave gathering his thoughts, it was silent for a moment before Felix cleared his thought with a cough and his eyes meet Norah’s’. “ It happen months ago back in Crossroad, when we were bunkered down from the whole Demon and infected town. Kind of hard to not remember, everyone scared for their lives, blood, guts everywhere lining the houses and fences like Christmas decorations , and the giant battle in the end to cap it all off? Any of this ringing a bell?” Felix asked mockingly and playfully of course. Surprising Felix that he sounded like the old him again. “Well during that battle when I was close to death, I was saved by a sharpshooter I think Bishop was his name,” Felix was calling back his memory snapping his finger when a name came to him sounding somewhat right. “Some of the Demon’s blood splashed into my mouth, skipping some details. I became strong, faster, and more powerful then I’ve every experience before Norah. Every cell of by body came alive in that one moment, my mind raced faster than I could process and my other abilities gained a major upgrade.” Felix drone on smiling at the beginning at the memory and bliss of how it used to be before he became like this. Before the Devil showed himself and pulled the sheet from over his eyes. Felix’s smile dropped and his eyes washed over with despair as he went on with the story, “ After the battle I was so drunk with Demon blood and power, I left the battle right after to find another hit, and it went downhill after that Nor,” Felix bite his lip looking down in shame, and in a soft voice he spoke, “I’ve become addicted, and it’s bad Nor really, really bad. I’ve talked to some “not so human” people and they’ve tried to help but we’ve come to the sum that because I’m an Vampire. The Demon blood has some different effect then that of other Humans that take the stuff, and it’s killing me over time. My diet is that of Demon blood now, none human……and that’s bad for us Vampires. I can’t even ingest the stuff down now. I throw it all back up, and worse.” And Felix left it at that.

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 320px; padding: 20px 240px 60px 30px;] Location: Someone else’s Dreams Music Outfit: outfit Notes: The truth .

[Norah Byron]

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She listened to all this with a remarkable lack of shock or moral judgment. Just heard him out, petting at his hand as he told her all about it and watching his face the best he would allow. And when he was done she nodded and lifted his hand, pressed a kiss to the inner wrist. "All right. Then this is what we're going to to."

She reached out her other hand and laid a fingertip under his chin, lifted his face so that she would look at her. "The first step is that you're going to feed. On me. Here." The pad of her thumb touched his lips, stopping anything he might have to say to that. "In here my blood is whatever I say it is. Human, demonic, angelic. And as deeply as you're tied to the dreamlands, it'll carry over at least somewhat into the waking world. So you'll eat here, wake up a little more rational there, and freakin' call me so that I can come get you and we'll get you past this. Deal?"

[style=font-size: smaller; padding-right: 10px; text-align: right;]
Location: In someone else's dreams
Outfit: A taffeta ballgown and black lace shawl
Music: Old Souls - Lorica
Notes: Stubborn as the day is long.

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