second flame 🔥 January catch-all

[olruggio]

🔥 Who: Olruggio + YOU
🔥 When: Throughout January
🔥 Where: DU + the problem areas around the Dream Sphere
🔥 What: Stuff and things!? He's a Saver, so he's been recruited to thaw everyone's sorry butts.

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Throughout January; in the Dream Sphere

[olruggio]

[in the Dream Sphere, on different days and nights, Dreamer Torch can be found in various stablized areas around the Dream Sphere. An experienced Saver (with fire magic to boot!), he's just been dropping by, healing any halfway frozen Dreamers he finds and eliminating stray Torments before they could either grow bigger or gather together. It works surprisingly well...

Maybe you come across Torch as he's fighting, his Sylph spell making it so he doesn't have to contend with the frozen ground when maneuvering and his flames...]

What the-? For crying out loud... [he pinches his nose as he huffs out a laugh as he watches some of some of the more resilient (frozen?) Torments hovering near his magic... His magic that was currently roasting some less fortunate Torments...] Well, that's not horrifically morbid or anything.

[If you're one of the Dreamers that he's had to heal up (he didn't have to, he's just healing you because you look cold/hurt, b-but it's not like he wants to!!);] You should be careful. Even if it's not a serious injury, if you neglect your well-being in the Dream Sphere, it can have a negative impact on your waking hours too.

[are you listening to him? Is he worth listening to when all you can feel is that warm, toasty spell he's casting to heal you up in these cold, dismal January Dreams...?]

Oi-! Pay attention, would you?!

[flatcola]

[ Mind over matter. The cold here is fake. There's no reason to be cold. Her body mass doesn't actually mean she should be any colder here.

None of it works for Dreamer Mind.

So she won't complain about the healing. ]

Oh don't worry, I don't take care of my waking self anyways.

[olruggio]

... I hope you all remember than I'm a healer and not a heater.

[/annoyed... But still, his hands are held up as warm, soothing air is sent at Mind]

And that's hardly encouraging! With so many of us walking around, what sort of example are we setting!?

[flatcola]

Ooo, maybe we can replace you with a space heater.

[ She's joking but she's not good at sounding like it, at times. ]

Anyways, there are lots of other girls who can be role-models.

[olruggio]

Ha ha.

[he huffs]

As Dreamers? Certainly. But kids copy the strangest things from adults. If we don't hold each other accountible, it leaves a bad impression overall.

[a looooooooooooooooong pause]

At the very least, we can at least say we tried.

[flatcola]

Yeaaah.

[ And she tries, because of it. She complains, but Mind really doesn't want to be a bad influence. ]

Future generations are important. Gotta leave the place nicer than we found it, then.

[olruggio]

That's the goal.

[he holds the spell for a second longer before lowering his hands]

How are you feeling? I only arrived a couple of months ago, so I have no baseline for what's 'normal' or not in this neck of the Dream Sphere.

[hanamane]

[Don't mind him, Olly, he's going to be basking in those warm, toasty vibes you're sending his way, floating lazily in the air and soaking up those cozy beams like a cat next to a radiator. It was the kind of warmth that made him want to curl up and take a nice, contented little nap... if he could nap here, anyway. Instead, he pulls out a (thankfully tame!!) magazine he found in one of the surviving shops in Slumbering City, cracking it open so he can snuggle under the figurative toasty covers and enjoy a good book. Not that one can really read anything in the Dream Sphere either, but at least there were pictures...!

... but wait, that old guy was saying something just now, wasn't he?]

Hmmmm...? What was that? I didn't quite catch what you said.

[HANAKO.....]

[olruggio]

[Can you believe the sheer audacity of this child...?!]

[it's sort of tempting, in a very petty, irresponsible way, to set that magazine on fire. He could do it, his specialty is fire after all, but what would that accomplish? That's right, the answer is that it would accomplish nothing. Torch refuses to let this besmirch his professional name...!

So he does the next best thing and immediately stops healing Hanako. No toasty mode for you. In fact, he goes as far as to cross his arms, a disapproving look on his face]

If you're well enough to lounge around reading magazines, then you're well enough to head back out there, don't you think?

[hanamane]

[The abrupt halt of that warm, toasty air makes the following cold snap feel like a hammer to the back, and the shock of it all gets Hanako to plummet to the ground in shock.]

WAGH--!

[Thankfully, he's met with a faceful of snow instead of something a bit more painful, but it's still a rude as heck wake-up call!! (Although probably not as rude as ignoring Olly while he heals you, Hanako!!!) It takes him a second or two to regain his bearings, glancing up from the pile below just in time for the older man's rebuke. Oops. The jig was up, wasn't it...?

Still, he can't help but turn on the soggiest, saddest, most pathetic expression he can muster, turning those big ol' eyes of his beseechingly up at the man looming above him.]

B-But... it's so cold. You wouldn't send a young boy like me out there to freeze, would you...?

[Never mind the fact that Hanako's managed just fine under these conditions in the past, but-- this was different!! Let him be roasty and toasty for once during these winter hellscape months!!!]

[olruggio]

[without missing a beat]

Luckily for all of us, this is just a dream. If you find it is too cold, you can simply wake up in your warm bed.

[he's really not pulling any punches, is he? Maybe the pathetic meow meow act has the reverse effect with Torch... Or maybe he's thinking about how some of the people in his hometown had no real way to get away from the cold. Either way, it's his problem to deal with and not something he's going to share with a child]

You were managing just fine before coming by. And if you're well enough to try and use puppy eyes on me, you're well enough to go out there and do your job. So go on then.

[hanamane]

[... dammit. Was he losing his touch here or something? It feels like the soggy cat look wasn't working as much as he'd like these days. Then again, he was a full-fledged teenager now, so maybe the schtick was on it's way out for him...

He pouts as it becomes obvious that Olly wasn't going to budge on this one, and he sits up, dusting the snow off of his jacket.]

Booooo-- you're no fun, old man.

[HANAKO... AND YOU WONDER WHY TORCH HAS ZERO TOLERANCE FOR YOU AND YOUR BULLSHIT???

He floats back up into the air, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets and kicking his feet about idly. Clearly he didn't seem to be that much in a hurry to leave, despite his cozy fix being cut off from him.]

I do my job plenty around here. Sometimes you wanna just relax a little too, y'know? Maybe you oughtta try it for once.

[Don't let Nikki catch you saying that, Hanako, or else you'll never hear the end of it--]

[olruggio]

[Nikki is peeking from around the corner in the middle distance with the smugcat face as they speak...]

Old- [he grimaces before shaking his head, annoyed] Ugh. Why do I bother?

[maybe if Hanako combined his efforts with Yorishiro, the quantity of the pathetic cat energy would be enough to overwhelm Torch. He is used to dealing with young Dreamers, so he's built up some level of resistance to the puppy dog eyes. Hanako being a little shit probably helps him resist too]

It's called 'New Year' because it happens once. We can relax when the Torment level is back down to normal levels.

[he looks around, making sure there isn't any neglected Dreamer before adding;] Hopefully clearing out these Torments helps stabilize the area too.

Early to Mid January; At the DU

[olruggio]

[Olruggio has been spending more time at the DU... Not necessarily by choice. He's one of the few Savers in the headquarters now and with the Dream Sphere freezing over like it has, it's become more apparent than ever that his services are necessary... Is what he says whenever someone asks why he's been in the building more frequently after having a somewhat normal schedule in December.

Truth be told, he's experiencing something of a creator's block. It's doubly frustrating because he had been making headway right before he was cursed... Cursed with the need for perfection. Maybe he was wrong, maybe he shouldn't be teaching kids to get a good sleep schedule but to instead accept that sometimes perfection was simply out of reach...

(impossible)

So now he's here, stretching his legs by pacing the halls of the DU at random hours of the day, muttering to himself]

Maybe changing the shape of it...? But then it'd create unwanted shadows and that just defeats the whole purpose of the damn thing-

[he's only a little stressed out]

[predecir]

[Bruno hasn't left the DU in like, a week at least. It's a new record. Sure, he both lives and works here, but he does still go outside when it's not...some sort of ice apocalypse out there.

At least the cold has given him an excuse for being around outside of his shifts. Everybody knows Bruno can't take the cold! Why shouldn't he hang around for a few more hours before braving the outdoors to go back to wherever he totally lives! Yeah, he figures, that's definitely what they'll think, if anyone notices at all. Probably they won't!

He watches this guy walk past over a cup of hot tea like three times before he actually says anything.]

Hey, uh...you doing okay there?

[He wouldn't ordinarily approach a stranger, but he does remember meeting this guy in the dream. He was nice there!]

[olruggio]

[conversely, Olruggio grew up in the cold climes. He's accustomed to the snow and severe cold. Maybe his affinity for flames stems from the need for warmth in his youth... And while he's noted Bruno's presence around the DU, it's never registered as being too odd. It's not as if Olruggio knows Bruno's wearabouts at all times. Honestly, he just figured they run into each other because they both keep odd schedules]

Wha- Ack!

[Usually, he's nice enough to at least greet people he passes in the halls with a nod. If he didn't notice Bruno and his cup of tea then he was way too lost in thought]

Oh. Uh. [he clears his throat as he recovers from his surprise] Yeah. More or less.

[there's a pause as he finishes collecting himself]

It's a problem of my own making. Apologies, I didn't mean to disturb you.

[predecir]

Oh! Uh, no, you're fine! I was just, uh...

[Doing nothing? Seems like the answer is doing nothing actually!]

[olruggio]

Ah... Right...

[awkward...]

Hmm... It's probably not a great idea for me to be pacing around like this. [sigh] Seeing someone pacing the halls like this is probably not the most calming thing on your break, huh?

[predecir]

Oh, I'm off the clock. I'm just putting off going out in the cold.

[Judging by his accent, which has progressed from "atrocious" but still isn't great, Bruno's not from a place where it usually gets like this!]

Mid-January; Around the Dream Sphere (closed to Turo)

[olruggio]

[Olruggio will be one of the first people to admit that he wasn't very good at attributing names to faces when work wasn't involved. So when he reads the name, he barely acknowledges it while in the middle of a burst of inspiration. It's not until near the end of the day that his brain finally makes the connection between the name, the large 'MISSING' in the header and the footnote that said that it was his son that had brought this to the DU's attention.

Honestly, he's no stranger to getting so caught up in your work that you completely lose track of time. More so when half your work is done in Dreams, where time becomes even more difficult to keep track of. But the thought of forgetting your own family for your work... It doesn't sit well with Olruggio.

He starts his search in the City, both searching on ground level and periodically by flying around using his Sylph spell.

Which is why he's in the Slumbering City, both searching on the ground and through the air using his Sylph spell. If he isn't here... Well, that would certainly make things more difficult, wouldn't it?]

Turo!!

[with the Dream Sphere frozen over and the alert regarding the New Years Nightmares, the City itself is pretty void of people. But if he's not here, then Olruggio will have to branch out and start looking in other areas... Starting with a low risk, stabilized area like Reflection Glades. Though... What were the chances of being able to find a missing Dreamer in the Dream Sphere? The other man could have gone missing in between the time Olruggio last saw him and now. And if that was the case, then there was almost no chance of being able to track him down]

Dammit...

[tworo]

[The Figment moves around often. It thinks the chances of any individual Dreamer really noticing that he's always in the Dream Sphere are slim. They aren't here all the time themselves. Still, any small thing it can do to look more like a real Dreamer is good, and real Dreamers don't just camp out in one spot.

The Slumbering City is easily its most common haunt, though. There's food, there's enough abandoned buildings to hide in or even try to sleep in when the mood strikes, and it's big enough that even frequent visitors aren't going to run across it too often. What more could you want? So it does hear Olruggio calling for - for the Doctor. Or for it? Nobody can call it, because no one knows it exists at all, but he probably still wants it. What for? It can't imagine why anyone would be looking for it even after having been here for however long it has.

It was hiding in an upper-story apartment, a place it likes to come and relax. A place it would like to keep, so it slips down the back stairwell and out into the alleyway behind the building to hopefully hide where it's coming from. The helmet goes back on, too, before it steps out into the street. It feels a little safer being the faceless Miraidon. Turo always preferred it that way too.]

Olruggio? What is it?

[olruggio]

[there-

Olruggio spots Turo (suddenly? Where did he even come from?) and flies down to land gently in front of the other man. His brows are pinched and he looks tense as he stares down the other man... No, it doesn't look like he's hurt, which just means-]

What do you think you're doing?

[then he clicks his tongue, rubbing his temple for a moment before waving that question off]

Did you lose track of time in here? Did you not even think to let your son know you're okay?!

[tworo]

[The Figment visibly flinches at the rebuke, taking a step backwards. As he goes on, it sees why he's upset - this is something that people ought to be upset about - but that doesn't do much to make its heart stop pounding. It takes a breath, hidden inside its helmet. Stop that. This was always going to happen. It was always going to have to deal with this. So deal with it.]

Arven? Have you spoken to him?

[olruggio]

[... he can't see how Turo is reacting with that mask on and Olruggio's not working particularly hard to hide his frustration with the situation. But the question is a fair one so Olruggio leans back and crosses his arms in front of himself]

No, I haven't. But from what I heard, he's the one who called us. No one noticed you weren't around until that happened.

[he's a little disappointed, but apparently disappearing for long periods of time into the Dream Sphere isn't uncommon... That, or Turo was enough of a hermit that no one genuinely noticed he had been missing for who knows how long. Neither speaks particularly well of everyone involved]

... As for what he said, I don't know. The receptionist took the call and his notes were pretty sparse.

[but now there's a plain look on his face. There had better be a good excuse why 'Turo' apparently missed messaging his son over Christmas and the New Years]

[tworo]

[Didn't they? Well, that's not so surprising. From what it remembers, Turo hadn't had any direct colleagues for a long time; he never worked well with a team. It's a little bit of a relief to know that the Figment's worry up until now was for nothing...though, now they do know he's missing, so. The period of safety is over.]

Oh. I see.

[...what is there to say? It has no idea. There's no excuse it can offer, and it cannot promise to do anything different. It's doing the only thing it can. The Figment wishes it were otherwise, but unless Arven awakens as a Dreamer, he's always going to be outside of its reach. They live in two completely different worlds.]