[Open] I have the sense of emerging from a world of dark, haunted places

[the_effect_she_has]

WHO: Katniss Everdeen and You
WHAT: Katniss is dealing with nightmares from leaving so many people in Emprise du Lion. So what does she do? Chase exhaustion and dreamless sleep, of course. Want to help?
WHEN: The first week of Wintermarch
WHERE: All of over Skyhold!
NOTES: WARNING for nightmare fueled material, violence, etc. Possible violence against those who shake her awake.

The Nightmare

She's standing in the middle of the copse of small homes, where she had spent all of her formative years. She is calling out, but no one is answering, and so she goes running through the houses. Banging open the doors, calling out Prim's name, calling out to her father. She runs down the hill, towards her home when she sees them.

Lying in the dirt, broken like dolls. Her father's chest is just a giant hole, where the darkspawn's sword cleaved through. Prim is missing an arm, and her face is burn clean off from where an errant fireball tore it clean. Her throat is slit, from ear to ear, where someone had been using her as a body shield.

Katniss runs towards them, and that is when she sees more and more bodies. First, it is all of her neighbors, with bloody wounds from swords and arrows, frozen limbs and burnt bodies. Now it is her friends at Skyhold - Bruce looking half green and half human, a Templar's sword through his chest. Ariande with her shard ripped out of her hand, darkspawn sword through neck. Pel with demon clawmarks running across her stomach, Zevran with a crow feathertipped arrow right through one glorious eye. Cullen, staring up at an empty sky with slices all over his face and arms, where blood was drained, Clint with dozens of Venatori arrows in his chest, ... Gavin, Korrin, Sam, Salvatore, Salem, Ellana, Ara -- body after body after body. Then the Emprise du Lion captives, frozen to death, their faces locked in a visage of pain and suffering.

Bodies. She is surrounded by bodies, and she is the only one who has survived - why, Creators, why Maker, why Andraste?

"You failed, Katniss." She turns around, and there is her father, staring at her with hate-filled eyes. "You failed all of us. How could you let your sister die? You promised - you promised as I died that you would keep her safe."

"Father I - I tried - I went for help..." Katniss whispered, stepping back away from him as he advanced on her. Beside him, Prim reached out for Katniss, the place where her mouth had been stretching in an ugly maw.

"You ran away. You ran away and left us all to die." Her father accused her, his blight-sickened eyes boring into hers.

"I didn't run away! I would never run away!" Katniss yelled, stopping in her tracks, but then she heard the shuffling steps from behind her, and she turned, to see all of the dead moving towards her, accusation across their pale and bloated faces. They were coming for her, surrounding her, crushing her as she screamed that she didn't run away - she didn't

Waking Up

" - let you die!" She screamed as she jerked upright ...

And depending on where she was? Well, she would either slink off before someone gave her a strange look, or flush with embarrassment at whoever she happened to wake up next to. Which could be anywhere - she was catching 'Kat-naps' (hah hah) everywhere when her energy reserves started to run low. In the tavern, over some bread and soup. Out in the gardens, in Gavin's tree. On the ramparts, in the library, even in her own little hut.

Running Herself Ragged

The only way to stop dreams from coming, outside of taking some potion that meant she couldn't wake herself up easily, was to make herself run to exhaustion. Which she was more than willing to do. Since getting back from Skyhold, there was plenty to be done. She hunted for the refugees for hours, bringing back as much game as she could. She practiced her climbing, vaulting her way up the side of Skyhold's walls with a singular focus. She was out on the archery lists - working on every single shot she had, running and shooting at the same time. She ran through fighting hand to hand with the soldiers - they were teaching her how to fight people off with a single arrow in hand, and she taught them out to get around a slightly lesser rogue.

Keep pushing. Keep moving. If she kept going, maybe, just maybe, she could get more than four hours of sleep at a time. Maybe she could just outrun the nightmares, for a little while.

Comments

[mythalenaste]

Pel covers her face briefly.

"Vivienne held a spa day for the Council today. Brilliant idea--we're less likely to grandstand in front of each other now we've all seen each other naked. But. It was amazing, Katniss. I've never felt so relaxed in all my life. My back doesn't even hurt anymore. I didn't know backs did that."

[the_effect_she_has]

"Well, it suits you. Madame Vivienne knows her stuff." Which would make their tea interesting - what kind of woman invites you to tea and has spa days? Katniss has only met one other such woman and that was last week. "I ... have no idea. I'm not entirely certain how your back was feeling to begin with."

She grins at her, before going to circle around her, "Pretty hair, pretty face, pretty good attitude. Please tell me you are going to eat in the main hall tonight and not in the library?"

[mythalenaste]

"I'm...meeting a gentleman. Actually."

[the_effect_she_has]

"... You are telling me everything, right now." Katniss said firmly, as she hooked her arm through Pel's. "Name, age, nationality, all of it. You've been holding out on me, it's unforgivable."

[mythalenaste]

"I can't tell you!" Pel starts walking with her along the wall. "I've been keeping it quiet. I don't want everyone making a fuss until we know there's something to make a fuss over."

[the_effect_she_has]

"Hmmm. All right, what can you tell me with little to no detail?" Katniss stated, before she paused, looking over her friend's tunics. "Is this ... traditional Dalish courting wear?"

[mythalenaste]

Pel looks faintly worried. "It's just clothes. Do you think it's too shabby?"

[the_effect_she_has]

"Of course it's not shabby. It's just ... poofy." Katniss said bluntly, as she looked thoughtful, "Mia, and Zevran, say you should wear things that compliment you. What have you got that compliments all of you?"

[mythalenaste]

"...I don't know? I don't know what that means. I could show you what I have."

[the_effect_she_has]

"... Yes, let's see where you got to work with. I learned some very interesting things about how clothes fit lately."

[mythalenaste]

Pel nods and leads Katniss to her room with Krem, opening her case of clothing to pull each item of clothing out for inspection. It's mostly the same kind of story--boxy, practical things she sometimes belts and sometimes doesn't. Leggings. Colors in cheap dyes, or undyed from the original fiber.

"Any of this?"

[the_effect_she_has]

Katniss hummed as she started to go through the clothing - simple, well made things. Pretty, and comfortable, but she really just needed something that would flatter her more.

Katniss pulled out the green, hooded tunic that cinched tightly at the waist, flaring out, and the tighter black hose to go with it. She also pulled out the green and white dress, that also went tight at the waist.

"There. That's much more flattering. Try one of those."

[mythalenaste]

"Oh--" Pel picks up the green and white dress--actually a white dress with a green chemise underneath--with sash, and also pulls out her pride and joy: a very fine silk scarf, silver and pale green, a gift to her from Vivienne.

"I should wear this with it. But how? Tied round my neck?"

[the_effect_she_has]

Katniss made a soft noise of approval - that was a beautiful piece of cloth, right there. She tilted her head, before shaking her head. "No ...can you put it in your hair, without mussing it?"

[mythalenaste]

Pel tries, making it a sort of headband, only to have some stray locks to fall messily out. She looks to Katniss for approval.

[the_effect_she_has]

Katniss's eyes narrowed slightly, before she went to tuck Pel's hair into the headband. Then she smoothed it out, puffing out her silver hair gently.

"There, nice and neat. Go on, take a look."

[mythalenaste]

"I...don't have a mirror. I trust you, though." One hand flexes, ready to fidget with her hair, but with effort, she keeps it at her side.

[the_effect_she_has]

"Good, you should. I've learned from the best." Katniss stated with a smirk, as she twirled two tendrils around Pel's ears, "Whoever he is, he's going to be very, very impressed. Or just stand there with his mouth open."