kore_logs | For Fear of Nightmares

Entry tags:

For Fear of Nightmares

Who: Martha and Open
When: Day 104
Where: Around the Island
What: Martha is not sleeping much at all. It's going to catch up.
Note: None for now...

Martha took a sip of water to sooth her throat, and crawled out her window yet again. She doubted her roommate would notice, but still, it was easier to just leave.

The latest nightmare had been really difficult. She had relived Japan again, but this time she saw it from The Valiant. A last look before her own execution. Her screams woke her before he could kill her, but she was shaken.

The sleepless nights were starting to catch up to her. She was trying to eat, but she was too exhausted to even feel hungry. And all possible exertion had to be saved for clinic duties. And helping people from the sea monster attack. So a few nibbles of crackers here and some canned something or other there was how she nourished herself. Ned would not be pleased.

If she were honest with herself, Martha knew she had to sleep. Had to deal with it. But the nightmares... she couldn't keep facing them. She'd rather die than be forced to watch Japan burn again. Or any of the other things she kept reliving. And so Martha walked through the night, hoping to find distraction until morning.

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Valkyrie didn't need to sleep at all, though they could slip into a meditative state that was very similar — but it lacked dreams. It had been a very long time since Meja had had one, now. She hadn't felt mentally weary enough to meditate since her arrival. Instead, she chose to wander and familiarize herself with her surroundings. She had hopes that, eventually, Muninn would show his scraggly feathered face.

Instead, sitting on one of the benches in the park, she spotted Martha, walking. Very few faces were familiar around here. In time, she hoped to having a better grasp of her fellow 'captives'. Martha was coming very close, so she waved, smiling in a friendly manner. It would have been rude not to greet her.

"Good evening."

It was... well, it was closer to early morning. But still, 'good morning' didn't sound right. She hadn't bothered to magically glamour her armor into anything else, and so her white cloak was quite visibly over her attire of white leather, chain, and a few metal pieces that gleamed even in the dark.

Well, that was new. Martha hadn't expected hallucinations quite yet. She had slept last night. So hallucinations should actually be happening.

Was she supposed to talk to the hallucination? Or just ignore it. It talked though...

"Evening. Mornin' really I suppose."

She looked the hallucination up and down. "How are you tonight?"

Meja considered the question. How was she? Other than a residual confused feeling, and a general weakness in her temple she was hoping would disappear soon... Being separated from Yggdrasil was taxing, but it appeared to be getting easier. Hopefully tomorrow would bring more progress.

"Oh... adjusting, but well, I suppose," she said. It could have been far worse, which she knew from a long and generally too-exciting life. "It's a nice night."

That wasn't exactly the answer Martha was expecting, but then she was talking to a figment of her imagination.

"The stars are particularly beautiful. Not the ones from home which is a bit disconcerting. But beautiful. Probably due to a lack of light pollution."

The Valkyrie nodded, glancing upward. The stars reminded her a little of stargazing as a child, back when she would have been cold sitting out as she was. Now, she wore her cloak for different reasons. "Ja, the lack of power does help the view," she agreed dryly, smiling. "And you? How are you, aside from not being able to sleep?"

Though that last part was a guess, it seemed logical enough.

"Oh you know. Stuck on an island away from home and not sleeping. As decent as one could hope for," Martha replies, marveling at the fact this conversation has gone on so long. At some point, she should just ask the hallucination point blank why it's there. But she's curious how long this conversation will go on.

A quiet part of her brain nagged that this wasn't a typical hallucination, but she ignored it. Why else would she be looking at someone in armor and a cape. It didn't make sense.

Meja smiled slightly. "It's all relative in this place, I'm certain." Martha didn't seem to be in a hurry to get anywhere, and so she held out a hand. "My name is Meja, by the way. I'm new around here."

Can one interact physically with hallucinations? Martha held out a hand and was impressed it connected. "Hello Meja, I'm Martha. I help run the clinic in town. How long have you been here?"

"I 'arrived' yesterday, if it can be called that." She certainly had a firm, but not unpleasantly so, handshake for a hallucination. "But I've been sort of laying low and familiarizing myself with things. I'm glad to hear that there's a clinic here."

"Nothing wrong with lying low," Martha said. She tried to decode what the other woman was saying. Arriving yesterday... could mean the hallucinations were starting to take hold, but the whole laying low thing would explain why Martha hadn't hallucinated Meja until today.

The bit about a clinic? Her brain's cry for help maybe...

"Some people like the idea of a clinic; others don't seem to want to be bothered. We just try to let people know it's there so we can help them."

Meja arched an eyebrow at the idea that having a medic around could be a bad thing. "Not being bothered? I know some have an aversion to hospitals"—she certainly did—"but having a doctor or even just a nurse around in a place like this can only be a good thing, I think."

Not that she'd ever need Martha's expertise, but it was good to know, for others, what everyone's strengths were.

Martha shrugged. "It is odd. But if they really don't want to see me, I'll leave them alone. Until they need me that is."

She would always help people in need. Except the Master. She didn't know what would happen if she treated him; she didn't particularly want to find out.

"I suspect they might think differently if they break a bone or two," she noted, with some amusement. "Warriors might occasionally make fun of medics, back home, but they're quick to make nice with them when an injury happens."

"It can be a thankless job," Martha agrees, "and many people don't trust or have phobias of doctors and hospitals. I like to think I'm non-threatening, but mostly, I just like helping people."

Meja smiles, joking, "If it helps, I don't feel particularly threatened."

Being a medic as a Valkyrie is a great deal different than being a doctor, but every new 'recruit' is put there first. She remembers the experience keenly. There's more magic than bandages, and plenty of amused looks from Valkyrie who have been around longer. Meja's been sure not to give any medics in her own forces the same condescending attitude that she received.

Martha chuckles. "Thanks. I'll keep it in mind if I ever have to treat you."

Which she won't. Because the other woman doesn't exist.

"Let's hope that doesn't happen any time soon, all things considered." If mortals are treating a Valkyrie, it means bad things are going on — generally. "I like being in one piece."

“So do we all,” Martha agreed. “If you need to find it though, the clinic is across from the diner in the center of town. It looks more like a pharmacy than anything.”

Meja nods, committing that to memory. Just in case. "I'll keep that in mind. And it's just you and another doctor?"

"Unless someone else steps forward, yes, just her and I."

She considers not saying anything. It would be easier to stay under the radar, here, at least for the time being. This is only her second day, after all. But it would be better, overall, if everyone was on the same page — and knew what others were willing to do, if tough times came.

"If there's a severe injury, I can help. Or even just an inconvenient, shallow injury. The more intense the injury is, the more it drains me," Meja explains. "But if you have an emergency, you're welcome to call me. I can... heal, through magic."

Magic again. Everyone here seemed to have magic. Even her hallucinations. But she smiled.

"I'll keep that in mind Meja. Thank you."

"Not a problem. Ikke i det hele tatt." Martha still looks tired, and dawn is rapidly approaching. So she adds, "I should stop holding you up. But it was nice to speak with you."

Martha nods again, unsure why the hallucination is leaving, but relieved just the same.

"Nice speaking with you too Meja."

She didn't add she hoped to see the woman around. That felt wrong. Like she was asking for hallucinations. She did smile though before walking away.

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For Fear of Nightmares

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