Ita McNairee: *signs are left all over the house that the pikey has been there in everyone's absense. at least nightly, to check up on the dogs, get a nip. do some baking. afterall. with XU gone to Africa, NOW was the time to bake up a storm. she was running out of places to put things. and siren was likely running out of patience for "testing" things. the house is spotless, even if it smells like detol a little too strongly, Micah's room had been cleaned carefully, mad or not. lavander smelly things set around, ita's even succeeded in keeping a few plants alive. Dreams room has been tended to as well, lots of sticky notes everwhere. she couldn't help it really. bed a little rumpled from her sniffing at it, missing him guiltily.*

 

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He makes his rounds about the house, trenchcoat off, dressed in his black turtleneck and slacks with his shoulder holster on. He's a jumpy and irritable...after the events of last night, can anyone blame him? He moves into the kitchen, taking a look around, and looks out into the back yard.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He looks at the boat out back, doing a quick scan out over the back yard, before moving on. He's full of jittery energy, as he checks the rest of the house.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He moves into the workout room...good way to work off some nervous energy. The shoulder holster comes off, and he pulls the turtleneck off, over his head. His hands get taped up, and he moves to the punching back, starting to lay into it with a hard series of kicks and punches.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: His eyes focus on the punching bag, imagining it to be the focus of his frustrations. Things & people he hates...even things & people likes but is angry at. All in one, it is the handwaving attacker from last night. The Sabbat. Xu. Anne. A corrupted Bear. The Sept. And so on. And each of them pays as a fist or foot slams into the thing.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: Sweat beads on his brow, and starts to drip down his face as he works, his face a mask of concentration. This isn't fixing things, he knows it. The vampires will still be at war after this is all done. He'll still owe Anne a very rare camera...and Bear will still need to be fixed. But his chance to strike out, to slam a fist into the punching bag for everything that worries him, everything he fears, regrets, and hates, clams him. Soon, it's not frustration...it's just him and the bag. Perfecting his strikes. Focusing on the next move. And this is calming.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: 5,5,6,7,

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: After about 25 minutes, he finally tires to the point he has to rest. He steps back, grabbing a towel and wiping his face down. He's out of breath, exhausted...and feeling perhaps a bit better. He goes into his pocket for a cigarette and lights it. Unhealthy? You betcha. But he doesn't seem to care...addict through and through to the cancer stick. He moves into the kitchen for a glass of water, bringing his holster along with him.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He downs the water, refilled his body with the fluids he lost in his workout, and moves into the entertainment room. He's a little more relaxed, but still ill at ease. He turns on the television, to try and find something to take his mind off of things. MTV...crap. CNN...nothing. Sci-Fi...oh, Goddess, Farscape. Why the fuck does Alexis like that show? He flips through, not finding anything good until he hits F/X, where Buffy's fighting the good fight in song. Once More With Feeling, the musical episode. He watches, a couple women on his mind as he does so. He smiles, though the smile is sad. He's worried about one, drastically, and misses the other.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He watches, singing distractedly along with it out of sheer habit. He's not a great singer, that's for sure. After about twenty minutes, he shuts the thing off...it's getting him down. He doesn't need that shit. A drink. He nods a little, chain-lighting his third cigarette in a row as he gets up and moves into the kitchen. A good, stiff drink will help.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He pours himself a rum and Coke...extra rum, light on the Coke. Back to the gym, and he grabs his turtleneck, pulling it on and strapping the holster back on. He moves back through the kitchen, out the back door to check the boat.

Xu Xian: 5,3,4,7,9,10,9,

Xu Xian: He's hiding in the shadows on the dock in the lee of the boathouse, not especially noticeable given his dark clothing.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: 7,3,9,4,4,5,

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: ((Was Per+Alertness)) He makes a look around the back yard as he moves out to the boathouse. Never be too paranoid, these days.

Xu Xian: 4,8,9,8,5,4,7,

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: Aaand he sees nothing, as he heads for the dock.

Xu Xian: He of course knows Jer's coming, can probably hear the sweat rolling off the guy.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: Onto the dock he moves, his eyes on the boat. He walks up it toward the floating home of sorts.

Xu Xian: He just watches jer, idly daydreaming about the best ways to incapacitate him. How much fun it would be to torture him.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He walks onto the boat, doing a walk around the deck, checking for anything amiss, before moving down the stairs. He's a little tense still, and ill-at-ease...but hell, considering last night, who wouldn't be? Not every day a handwaver threatens to burn your home down while you sleep.

 

Xu Xian: He shouldn't. He knows he shouldn't. But he does. He carefully moves across the dock, intending to slip onto the boat silently, without Jer noticing.

Xu Xian: 2,8,6,6,8,2,4,

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: 9,6,4,8,3,3,

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: Yep. Clueless Dream, intent on checking all the rooms downstairs for burning notes or evil vampires.

Xu Xian: He sneaks into the lounge while Dream's checking out the spare cabin.

Xu Xian: 3,8,7,5,5,4,5,

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: A thorough check around the spare cabin, in all the potential hiding places and the like, before he goes to head out, back into the lounge.

Xu Xian: He's behind the bar. Watching Jer. Motionless, despite being in plain view, if Jer's not really paying attention he might miss him.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: 1,7,3,9,5,8,

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: Apparently, he's not paying THAT close of attention, and on he moves, to the lightproofed room, perhaps a touch slower then the rest. He's not a huge fan of this room.

Xu Xian: "Saw an interesting video today," he says calmly, waiting for Jer's back to be turned, just for the startle factor.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: Oh, yeah, startle factor is in, and he's jumped around, reaching instinctively for the gun until he realizes who it is. He moves his hand away from the firearm quickly, sighing. "Do I even want to know how long you've been there?"

Xu Xian: He's got that smug, infuriating smirk, something bright and likely unhealthy in his eyes. "I don't know. Do you?"

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "Long enough that I should have noticed you." He pulls a cigarette, lighting it and regarding the man evenly. "What video?"

Xu Xian: "It showed you and Ita bullying some pretty little mute girl. Torturing her by destroying her prized camera."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He blinks, surprised. "There was video? In an alley?" He purses his lips, sighing. "The woman took a picture of Ita without her permission. As you probably noticed, during your and my time away from here, she's picked up a new peculiarity with those nails. I meant to just stop her...didn't realize the camera was as old as it is. Then, I...well, I lost control." He shrugs a little, regret obvious in his eyes. "Went a lot further then I intended to. I'm already talking with the girl to make amends. And I didn't know she was mute, for the record."

Xu Xian: He laughs. "You're such a fucking pussy."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: A quirked eyebrow, as he frowns. "Why, because I feel regret for the mistakes I've made?"

Xu Xian: He shakes his head pouring himself a drink. He takes a sip, looking Jer over as he feels the burn. "Jeremy actually managed to whip Ita up into bullying someone. That's quite a feat of leadership. But all you can do is regret."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "Even leadership can go to bad places, if your judgment is unsound." He takes a drag off his cigarette, eyes on Xu. "I'm not saying that the whole thing was bad, either. His...my intention was sound. It was taken too far, and now it's causing us both potentially signficant problems that I'm accepting and dealing with."

Xu Xian: He grunts, looking bored. "Ah, the intellectualization starts."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "How is that intellectualization?" He sighs. "I did something. Some was good, some was bad. I'm dealing with the consequences. Is that better?"

Xu Xian: He shrugs. "Is it?"

Xu Xian -> Xu Xian: 3,

Xu Xian -> Xu Xian: 2,6,10,8,3,9,9,

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "No. It's neither better or worse. It's the exact same thing, just less specific." He leans against the wall, shaking his head. "At least, that's how I see it."

Xu Xian: He grunts, looking non committal

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He takes a last drag of his smoke, chain-lighting a new one before walking to the bar to stub the butt out. He picks his rum and Coke up that he made in the house from where he left it on the bar, taking a sip of it before moving to sit on the couch.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "I'm considering changing my name." It's said suddenly, as if to break the silence in the room.

Xu Xian: "Why'd you come out here?"

 

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "To check the boat out. After what happened in the Bronx, I figured it was best that no one had set any traps in here."

Xu Xian: "Changing your name." He looks unimpressed. "To what?"

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "or was lying in wait. Oh, look, someone was." A slight quirk of the lips upward.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "I don't know yet." He shrugs. "It's something someone suggested to me. Kind of a symbolic gesture...a way to get rid of the name Jeremy, so I can stop hating that part of me. Take control of my life...accept that Jeremy and I are the same person, you know?"

Xu Xian: He snorts. "Good luck."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "You don't think I can do it." He cocks his head a little as he watches the other.

Xu Xian: "How many names have I had in my life? I've only stopped hating myself with one of them, and the spirits ripped that away from me for my hubris."

Xu Xian: "Hate's a good thing. It's useful. Gives you the energy and drive to keep going after every fucking person's betrayed you."

Xu Xian: "But then...wussies like you are afraid of it."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He's quiet for a moment, considering that. "I didn't say it was going to be a cure-all. Just a start. It can't hurt to try. Besides, I can't stand to hear that name anymore." He shrugs. "All I can think about is what I've done wrong in that name. Before and after I was infected. I don't want to do that anymore...I know it's not healthy."

Xu Xian: "So start thinking about what you've done right in that name." He rolls his eyes. "Christ, what a fucking drama queen."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "I know hate isn't all bad. I get that, Xu. But it can go wrong as much as any other emotion can. I don't want part of me to be all good, and the other part all bad. I want balance."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "Okay, why don't YOU tell me? What's easier to focus on? The positives, or the negatives?"

Xu Xian: "A name won't change that, Jeremy. ~Earning~ a name will. But just calling horseshit spun gold doesn't make it so."

Xu Xian: "They're both just as easy, shithead. It's your choice what to focus on."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "Well, I don't exaclty consider myself horseshit...but thanks." He looks at the man for a long moment, his jaw setting a tiny bit. "So which do you choose to focus on?"

Xu Xian: "Which do you think?"

 

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "My opinion? I think you choose to stray toward the negatives in the typical case." Smoke is exhaled to the space between them, as he shrugs. "Seems to be the norm, anyway."

Xu Xian: "And what makes you come to that conclusion?"

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "Well--and mind you, I'm really just talking about having spoken to you since you got back--I don't think I've heard a positive thing come from you. Text messages about considering suicide, every reference to me tending to be insults, the fair amount of malice that's dripping off you right now, giving Merlin away because you know you'll hurt him...I have yet to hear anything good." He sighs a bit. "I'm sure you have your reasons that you won't talk about, and I respect that...but you understand the perception."

Xu Xian: He stares at him, his smirk slowly fading to a muted, but somehow still intense look. "Choosing to kill myself before I become a monster is a good thing. It shows I have my ethics in the right place and am still enough in control of my faculties to refuse to submit to an evil tyrant, even if that fucking Tyrant is Fate."

Xu Xian: "Insulting you, and the others around me is a good thing, because choosing to vent that way, rather than liberate lots of dogs from the pound for the purposes of torturing them to death, because that would only serve to hasten my slide. As would cruising the streets for prostitutes to murder."

Xu Xian: "Choosing to give up Merlin, as painful as that was for me, is a good thing, because it means I'm choosing not to become like my father--or my mother--and torture something helpless merely because it's there."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He rolls his eyes at that. "I see we're back to this again. Jesus, Xu. You know, for a guy who calls me a drama queen, you seem pretty fucking intent on martyring yourself on Fate's cross. Upside-down, even, since you seem convinced that you're headed for Hell."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "Fight it, Xu. I know it's hard. But do it. Accept what you don't like of me in yourself, like you're trying to get me to accept what I don't like of you in myself."

Xu Xian: "I'm a realist. I'm one man against a fucking God, Jeremy. I'm not going to delude myself into thinking my chances are much better than slim and none, and Slim's got both femurs shattered and a punctured lung."
 
Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "Funny, you've been willing to fight when the odds were slim-to-none before. Why not now?"

Xu Xian: "I ~am~ fighting Jeremy."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He watches the man for a moment, his own gaze intent on the other's face. Slowly, he nods. "I believe you, Xu. I'm telling you right now, it's really fucking hard for the people that care about you to see it, though. The people who want to help you."

Xu Xian: He laughs at that. "Yeah."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "Don't give me that." He scowls. "Not every fuckiing offer of help I try to extend to you means that."

Xu Xian: "No, but you made it ~very~ fucking clear any reaching out on my part is not going to be tolerated."

 

eremy "Dream" Thomas: "There's a huge...HUGE difference between asking for help and forcing my hand into a situation like that shit." His gaze is hard, locked on the other's.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "What you did, I understand, was the only way you could deal with it. But you can't possibly expect me to be happy about having my hand forced like that."

Xu Xian: He stares at him, that odd intensity still in his gaze, mouth quirked up in a half smile.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "What?" His brow furrows a little. "Something amusing about the whole thing?"

Xu Xian: "You were right," he says simply, gaze going far away. "You were absolutely right." He nods. "I won't let it happen again."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He shakes his head, sucking in a heavy drag of smoke. "That's not what you were thinking just now. Come back to the present, and tell me what you were thinking."

Xu Xian: "How the fuck do you know what I'm thinking?" He asks irritably, looking over at him and shaking his head.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: The drag is exhaled to the side as he stares at Xu. "Because you're not always the blank mask you'd like to be. And I have a feeling you weren't smiling because I was right in beating you down in the shower."

Xu Xian: His frown deepens. "Why do you think I was smiling, then?"

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "Well, I'm good at reading people, but I'm not a mind reader. And it's pretty complicated up there, so I'm not really sure. I asked you why fore a reason, after all." He smiles a little bit, his gaze still unwavering as he goes for another drag.

Xu Xian: "I told you why. You don't believe it. So you must believe something else."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "No, Xu. You didn't tell me why. In fact, you haven't confirmed or denied it. And by being coy and dancing around the issue by turning the question back on me, then claiming you've told me why, you're raising my suspicions even more." He shrugs. "You're not the only person who's played that game before."

Xu Xian: "I'm not dancing around anything. You were right. I was weak. Whatever it was...inside me that made me reach out to you...it needed to be beaten into oblivion."

Xu Xian: "I should have known better. I ~did~ know better. But I let it get the best of me and I'm grateful to you for reminding me not to ever go looking for anything like that in anyone again."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He sneers a little. "Bullshit. Your intentions were good. You needed help, and you came seeking it. But your methods, Xu...your methods were for shit." ((Per+Empathy to get a general feel of what Xu's feeling at the moment.))

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: 8,7,2,7,3,6,9,

Xu Xian -> Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: ((He utterly believes what he's telling Jer and feels he totally deserved what happened to him. He slightly bewildered why Jer doesn't believe him, or see the truth of his own actions.))

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He shakes his head. "Christ. And you say ~I'M~ afraid of my other half. At least I'm starting to acknowledge and even deal with it. You're so in denial...fuck, you're unbelievable."

Xu Xian: "I'm not denying anything," he shakes his head, confused as to Jer's reactions. "I said you were right."

 

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "You can't tell me whether I was right or not. You don't even understand why I did it, Xu. You think I did it because you were reaching out. I did it because of HOW you reached out. That you put me in a situation where I forced you, or I was going to be raped. Neither of which I wanted. You did it in a controlling, manipulative way because you don't have the self-esteem or emotional fortitude to even understand the concept of a non-violent situation evolving from it."

Xu Xian: He just stares at him, uncomprehending.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "What about this is difficult to understand?" He seems almost exasperated by the situation, frustration coming to the forefront.

Xu Xian: He doesn't seem to be able to articulate anything more than he's already said, and finally shrugs and says, somewhat defensively "It won't happen again."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "Would a picture help? An infomercial, maybe an instructional video? How to Understand That Help Doesn't Mean Abuse in Five Easy Steps?" He almost on the edge of hilarity, trying to figure out how to get this through the man's skull. "I want to fucking help you. But not in ways that hurt us both. Jesus Fucking Christ..."

Xu Xian: He scowls. "I'm not stupid, Jeremy. I fell for that bullshit once, when you threw Dream out at me, with the hook fucking baited. Needing help means you're ~weak~. And weakness needs to be purged. Cut out, like the cancer it is."

Xu Xian: "I got the message when you broke my ribs. But you gave me twelve hours to let it really soak in." He nods. "I won't falter again."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He returns the scowl. "No, Xu. You are stupid. Because you think, because I lost my fucking temper on a night of the full moon after you forced me to rape you in order to avoid getting raped myself, that needing help is weakness." He stands from the couch, finally downing the rest of his drink and moving back to the bar to stub the cigarette out. "When you smarten up, give me a hollar. We'll talk."

Xu Xian: He snorts, that unhealthy brightness filling up his gaze as he watches Jer. "Fuck you. I don't need your help. ~Jeremy~."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He pauses while stubbing out his cigarette to look the man in the face, smiling a little. "Yes, you do. You're just afraid to ask for it, as usual." He shakes his head with a slightly sad smirk and turns to leave.

Xu Xian: "Get the fuck out of my house, and take your fucking Pikey whore with you."

 

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: Oh, THAT draws him to a dead stop. He turns around, glaring daggers right through the man. "You wanna do yourself a favor, and watch what you say about her?"

Xu Xian: He meets his gaze, utterly uncowed. "I haven't said anything about her she hasn't said herself."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "Yes, but she doesn't say it as an insult." It's said through gritted teeth, lip curled slightly. "And I'll thank you not to, either."

Xu Xian: "What makes you think I fucking care, Jeremy? You've made your loyalties clear and they're not to me. So get the fuck out."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "Oh, the loyalty card. Playing this one again." He shakes his head, his jaw still set. "You don't even understand what being loyal to you means anymore, Xu. I am loyal to you. I always have been. Loyalty means looking out for someone's best interests, even when they don't know what that means. Ita's loyal to me. She protects me from myself sometimes, when I get too out of control. I'm loyal to her in the same way, as much as I can. And that's what I'm doing to you. Trying to protect you from yourself. If loyalty means not saying things just because someone doesn't want to hear them, then my fucking bad."

Xu Xian: "Either beating the crap out of me, then abandoning me for twelve hours was protecting me from myself, or your loyalty faltered. Which is it?"

 

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "A loss of my self-control, my temper. I'm sure you can understand how that happens from time to time." He looks the man in the eyes a moment, then shakes his head. "A mistake, though obviously, you disagree."

Xu Xian: "The beating was a mistake, maybe," he nods. "I'll give you that. But the rest of it was premeditated. It happened eight hours later."

Xu Xian: "You wanted to drive a point home. You wanted me to understand, in no uncertain terms, what you cared about. And it wasn't me."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "Yeah, well, when my dark side comes out after being repressed for so long, it's kind of hard to shut it back up." He considers, then nods. "So maybe you're right. That was a definite faltering of loyalty. I was thinking of myself. Nothing else.."

Xu Xian: He snickers, that odd half smile quirking his mouth again, gaze going unfocused. "I wasn't even worth beating again."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "Oh, please. I just wanted you, the one person who probably could have recognized the difference and stopped me, out of commission."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "I mean, shit, Dream gets to walk around all the fuckin' time in control. What was the big deal with Jeremy being in the driver's seat for a day?"

Xu Xian: "Why would I have stopped you? I'm the one who's been trying to bring you out all this time." He shakes his head. "And if all you want from me is to get me out of the way..." He shrugs, eyes flashing suddenly with a caustic heat. "Why the fuck would I want you around?"

 

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "See, you're missing the point. Again." He shakes his head. "I'm very much in the me. And if someone had done all that shit to me, well, I know I'd be thinkin' vengeance. Sure, I'm betting you'd be glad I was finally out. But I had a doubt you'd appreciate what I did. So, rather then have you smear my ass into concrete or make me do the same, I figured a few hour's of quite time for contemplation would do you some good."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "Hell, given another situation, I probably would've asked you to take me out and show me the ropes. But I didn't think that was gonna happen."

Xu Xian: He just stares at him. "It won't happen again."

Xu Xian: "I won't be a target. I won't let that fucking little boy out again. I don't care how many times I have to kill him."

Xu Xian: "And he's not going to fucking hide from me, behind any fucking dog, or any fucking horses."

 

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: He stares at him a long moment, then just shakes his head, sighing.

Xu Xian: "And I will dismantle that fucking saloon board by fucking board, until there's nothing left but him and that fucking desert, and there'll be nowhere left to go," he nods, that brightness flaring in unfocused eyes, lips twisted in a homicidal smile. "And I'll tear him apart."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "What the fuck are you so scared of, Xu? Is it what I did that's done this to you?" He's still got that anger in his eyes, the resentment, though Xu's words have driven it away some.

Xu Xian: His gaze slowly focuses on the here and now and he looks over Jer. "So get the fuck out. I don't need you any more. I only kept you around because I was listening to that little shit, but I know how to deal with him now."

 

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: THAT strikes home. He takes a step back from the man, looking away suddenly as if actually struck, his shoulders losing their rigidity.

Xu Xian: He snorts at Jer's reaction, drinking in his distress. He grins. Nods. "That's right. Don't need him, don't need you. Or Ita. Or any of the others."

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: "...all right. I'll take Ita elsewhere, then. I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you for so long." He turns and heads out of the boat.

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: 10,9,4,8,2,6,5,

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: 8,
 
Xu Xian: He watches him go, smirking to himself, and pours himself another drink.

 

Jeremy "Dream" Thomas: ((Hits the pause button))