Victor is…obedient enough. He doesn’t put up a fight, doesn’t renege him on anything. He doesn’t ask to stay here, not that Lana would’ve even considered that as an option. But at least he moved with them and at least he agreed to leave. Lana felt the bit of relief, even if he found his fist unable to release the rope given to him. At least they were leaving. At least they’d be safe. [break][break]

“T-Thank you….” He sighed as Mikey began to help lead the pair out of the dreamscape. The only thing keeping Lana from collapsing was the panic of seeing someone die, and the follow up panic of having to interact with the murderer who’d done it. Was that harsh? Sure. But Victor was totally fine, and he wasn’t. And it’s terrible, but a small part of him admired Victor for keeping his cool. Better than turning into a blubbering idiot like he had. Whatever the case, he knew what he wanted to do next. Leave. And then once he’d left? Collapse. He just wanted to sleep. He didn’t care about sneaking leftovers form the buffet table or taking a nice photo on his phone. He just wanted to find a mattress and knock out. He’d talk about what he’d seen with Victor after he’d rested. They both needed it.


[break][break]

+ victor evans we-cant-unpack-all-this-right-now-john-mulaney.gif
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[attr="class","pokeclass"]

He didn’t know how long they stayed like that, with Victor using his body as teddy bear and Lana trying not to snow all over the man. His fingers dig into the man’s shoulder, and he felt the exhaustion begin to creep. He looked down again to beg Victor to get up and go with him once more, but the words didn’t get to come out. Instead, his mouth clamped shut and his eyes widened at the sight. Exhaustion is fully dispelled when his mind went into overdrive at the sight. “N-No-” but the leash is forced into his hand and the shakes are back. [break][break]

Lana is sure Victor can feel him quivering in his grasp. He doesn’t let him let go either and his gaze doesn’t waver. He’s serious and that sent him further into the panic attack he was sure he was already going through. “H-Home!” he said trying his best to wriggle his leashed hand free. “P-please…I-I just w-w-w-want togo h-home!” Why isn’t he moving? Why isn’t he getting up?! Why is so content to stay here where a man just died?! Lana’s head is spinning at the thought. Victor isn’t an option right now. [break][break]

His gaze turned to his pokemon who, ever vigilant was ready to assist. “C-Can you help h-him?!” he pleaded the ghost. In response, the Dusclops shrugged before moving to float next to Victor to offer him help standing and walking if he wouldn’t get up himself.


[break][break]

+ victor evans we-cant-unpack-all-this-right-now-john-mulaney.gif
[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Victor doesn’t break down like he does. Victor doesn’t cry like he does. Victor stood firm while Lana crumbled to dust. When he spoke, he sounded gentle and Lana only sobbed more, unable to control himself. He shook his head trying to protest Victor’s words. He’d never been in danger. He’d been ignored. The entire time…Victor had been the victim of something horrible, and his hand forced to do something even worse. And Victor was unfazed, and Lana couldn’t stop crying. He dind’t know if he was crying for Victor or for himself, but it wouldn’t stop. Neither did the shaking or the gasping, his body desperately trying to release the clusterfuck of emotion and also keep him breathing. [break][break]

Lana sniffed harshly swallowing hard and trying to speak. He dind’t protest as the man he’d only barely met a week ago pulled him closer. As he felt victor hold him, he slowly let go of Mikey, knowing he was steadied by someone else. “Bi-…Victor?” His voice was a mix of a squeak and a creaky door. All weirdly high pitched, praying anything coherent would out. He watched the ribbon on his wrist grow from thin air and tighten around his and Victor’s wrists. And as the other man chanted his name practically, Lana wrapped his other around them. He didn’t know what to do anymore. [break][break]

He wanted to wake up now. He had to. He was a mess. Victor was a mess. He’d been so scared. Scared of Victor dying, scared of becoming the next victim. He wished he could forget, but even with Mikey’s interference he’d seen most of it and his brain had no problem filling in the gaps. “C-…c-can we l-leave?” he managed thru soft hiccups and harsh sniffles. He was breaking down, losing it. When he stopped this…he would pass out. He knew it. He had to get somewhere safe.


[break][break]

+ victor evans we-cant-unpack-all-this-right-now-john-mulaney.gif
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[attr="class","pokeclass"]

His face is smooshed into his pokemon’s body, and he is acutely aware of the pressure around his back. But his eyes are wide, and wild as he heard the sound of a horrible thump on the ground. The sound of something falling to the ground. People didn’t fall like that. People flailed and struggled to catch themselves. They hated falling. It woke them up form sleep. Corpses fell like tha.t They had to. They were dead. Thy couldn’t wake up and catch themselves. The shaking gets worse, and he felt his teeth chattering through weak gasps. [break][break]

What the fuck? What the fuck was going on? Why was this happening? Mikey tried rubbing his back to calm him, but his trainer was too freaked out for that to work. And then Lana stopped breathing, breath hitching in his throat once again as he heard his nickname. He tensed in his pokemon grip turning his head to the side to look. Mikey hesitated before indulging him, moving out of the way but still steadying him. Lana peaked out from behind the ghost, locking eyes with Victor before he looked past him at what he’d done. “V…Victor…?” he whispered, his voice lost for a moment at he looked back at the man. [break][break]

“A-A-Are…a-are y-you ok?” he asked after swallowing hard. He didn’t move, squeezing Mikey to help him forward. But Lana could only hold it together for so long. “I-I didn’t mean-…” he began, voice cracking under the strain of the whirlwind of emotions he was feeling from witnessing something so awful. “H-He was-” Lana began crying, desperately rubbing his eyes so he could see victor’s hand. He was scared, and he felt so sad for him. And confused. This moment felt so intimidate in more ways than one. He shouldn’t have been here. He shouldn’t have seen that. But he had. His hand found Victor’s as he’s trying to hold back the sobs. “I’m-…I-I’m sorry-” he said squeezing the man’s hand trying to reassure him. Because while what he’d done was horrible….was it worse than having your brains blown out all over the bed?

[break][break]

+ victor evans we-cant-unpack-all-this-right-now-john-mulaney.gif
[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

The gun goes off and Lana flinched, closing his eyes instinctively and trembling as he opened them once more. The ringing in his ears was deafening but Victor is still alive, somehow. The dream had missed, but the nightmare isn’t over. “Ru-” Lana began to beg Victor to run, desperate to see the man survive but what happened was worse. Lana can’t breathe. He watched Victor lunge at the other man, hands clamping down like a vice on the other desk. There’s a muffled thud as he slammed the other into the wall.[break][break]

He can’t move, paralyzed at the sight. He wanted to scream but his throat was dry, and his muscles didn’t move. He couldn’t help but watch his date begin to strangle someone. And a small, hopeful part of him hopes to see him stop. It hoped that Victor would see the other go unconscious and drop him. But he doesn’t quit, and Lana is left helpless as he heard gasps and watched flailing limbs. His breath hitched when he heard Victor tell him to look away. He barely caught it, too horrified by the crime he was watching unfold. [break][break]

Hearing Victor acknowledge him for some reason made him snap. He began struggling to breathe, hyperventilating before he covered his mouth. Tears glimmered at the edge of his eyes ready to spill. But he can’t look away. And that is where his Dusclops intervened, rushing forward as Lana’s knees buckled with one step backwards. The ghost is quick to block his view and squeeze him into a hug.


[break][break]

+ victor evans we-cant-unpack-all-this-right-now-john-mulaney.gif
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[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Lana’s unease is justified at what happens next. Victor doesn’t hear him, doesn’t even see him and for a moment Lana thought this was just another nightmare. It had to be. But he didn’t get why he was here. The people are cruel, and while he doesn’t have the context to understand what’s going on he can tell for a fact that Victor is distressed and the other two are assholes. But that doesn’t’ even begin to help him understand what happens next. This is clearly a nightmare, because only a nightmare would show him this. Violence erupted and Victor is on one particular man who seemed unfazed. His cruel smile, the condescension of it all. Lana didn’t know him, but he already dind’t like him.
[break][break]

Victor is forced back onto the bed and before Lana can even blink his target was on him, aiming a gun at his head. “WAIT!” The protest is ripped out of him in an instant and he can barely hear whatever words the man is saying to Victor. He just saw the hurt and the hatred there. His own heartbeat thrums in his chest but he’s frozen on the spot about to be witness to some kind of horror. Lana had never seen a gun fired off, and he had an inkling he might imagine it now. “VICTOR- WAIT-” his screams are almost guttural, backed by desperation and fear at knowing he could do noting to stop this.
[break][break]

Lana had never been a strong individual, and moments like these highlighted that fact. Mikey is ready to drag Lana away, but he’s certain this is real. Or at the very least, the person Lana was screaming at was real. He also knows, form the way Lana was breathing and on the verge of tears, Lana wouldn't last much longer this upset.

[break][break]

+ victor evans we-cant-unpack-all-this-right-now-john-mulaney.gif
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[attr="class","pokeclass"]

He didn’t understand how he’d gotten roped into this, but he had. Garbage Baby had just been acting silly, doing a little dance for treats and because of that some older woman had dragged him and his partner into another room to help brainstorm a choreography for some really annoyed looking coordinator. Ruslan trembled under the scrutiny unable to really speak. Garbage Baby did all the work pouncing around playfully and dancing to music only he could hear….until the manager started playing music. [break][break]

It went from there, and now hi mand another person were there practicing some type of choreography and adding to it. Mostly it was Garbage Baby taking the lead but still. “I-I don’t k-know if t-this is g-going ok…?” he whispered looking at the other trainer while Garbage Baby hopped around.


[break][break]

+ August Gallagher mission prompt: coordinator choreography
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[attr="class","pokeclass"]

The nightmare continued to warp and shift. Almost like it rippled around and twisted from each step Ruslan took through the darkness. At this point he’s moving off pure instinct. He turned as windows appeared showing him a brilliant full moon, it’s big and yellow. Giant even. And then something wrapped and a big red eye opened. Any other sane person would’ve felt horror, but Lana immediately has tears well up in his eyes, relieved to see his friend again. “Mike! You’re safe!!” he sobbed reaching up to the Dusclops who carefully moved in to give him a hug. [break][break]

“Help m-me find Victor, I think he’s stuck s-s-somewhere in here too.” Lana explained before they continued forward. AS they did the doors seemed to feel more real. Like instead of just painted on you could interact with them. But every single one was locked. Lana tried multiple, and even attempted to send Mikey through some of them to take a peek inside. Not these doors. Dream rules, can’t peek. Probably because nothing existed until his subconscious mind fell through that void. [break][break]

He would rather not wake up in that nice penthouse again. It’d only make him cry. He kept trying until one of the knobs finally turned. “Hello?” he called out as the door swung open revealing something surreal, but intimate. Lana tried to shrink behind Mike but he held steady and even pushed him forward a little. This was their first lead they needed to keep going so they could escape. He saw two strangers, one Victor and its unfamiliar territory from there. His Dusclops locks eyes with the older man and is certain this one isn’t a figment of dream. He nudged Lana forward again. “H-Hey, V-Victor?!” he began red eyes unable to stop from moving towards the other two men in the room with him. “WE-We need t-to r-run.” He urged, his words struggling to come out now under sudden anxiety of being watched.


[break][break]

+ victor evans lets explore this : )
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[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Lana trembled as he tried to get his bearings together. The group of thugs that had seated him next to the current table winner, laughing as they watched and then helped, Lana’s dirty Linoone clamber onto his owner’s lap and watch the rolls with him. Lana sighed quietly, happy that Garbage Baby at the very least was here to keep him calm through this whole ordeal. He’s led too obscure of a life to know how to play this game or even begin guessing how to bet. At the offer of the winner from the previous rounds he flinched looking up at him and considering the offer. However, before he can even hand over the chips one of the drunks interrupts. [break][break]

“Now hold on there, sonny, let the boy try his luck. You feelin’ generous y’cangive him your chips too.” A hand clamped down on Lana’s shoulder and suddenly he sensed he wasn’t actually a player anymore, but a scapegoat. The hand despite it all was firm and held him down with a surprising amount of strength. He shrunk in his seat, practically wilting before the dealer called him to play and try to explain to him his options. He was sweating as he felt eyes on him. He just barely glanced to the side trying to catch Victor’s attention before it was his turn. He pushed the chip forward. Timidly only betting a couple at a time. "H-Hit me...?"


[break][break]

+ victor evans YEEHAWWW mission prompt: rigged gacha rolls [break][break]

aa bingo: obscure [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“W-Well…” Lana really didn’t have a defense for that honestly. He looked away embarrassed. Garbage Baby took the opportunity to walk himself into Elliot’s lap in an attempt to hold onto whatever good will Elliott had for them, if only to protect his trainer. I needed it. didn’t exactly excuse it, not when he was speaking to his own victim. He would discuss this further with his ghosts later. Grab the money, not the person. “I-I’ll pay y-you b-b-back…” he offered, once again his eyes wandering onto anything but Elliott. This was probably the longest conversation he’d had with someone his age in years. The excitement of it all had worn off and he was starting to shake again from exhaustion. Or maybe that was just his excitement turning into nerves. He plucked out his cellphone, something beat up but functional and waited for the correct number to be input. [break][break]

He tried to sympathize with Elliott, but he couldn’t’ really understand caring enough about his family to bother doing anything for them. The thought just made him look even more tired. Any joy the meal had brought him, siphoned out slowly by memories he’d rather forget. Garbage Baby whined. “C-Can’t relate.” He set a couple of fries on the table, close enough his partner could reach them with his overgrown claws. Lana frowned as he looked at them, beginning to plan a trip for the routes again. It was getting chillier, but he’d do it for Garbage Baby. [break][break]

A white flash drew his attention, and his eyes locked with green ones through the windowpane. Straggler fans, or perhaps ones who hadn’t managed to get to Elliott with the initial barrage. Either way, despite seeing her the phone continued to be aimed at him. Lana felt a hot flash of shame that he often did when he made eye contact with others in this state. “G-Garbage B-Baby!” he blurted out, swiftly bagging up his food in a motion faster than one would’ve thought possible for such an uncoordinated loser. “T-T-Thanks f-for t-t-the f-food. Bye.” He tried to get out as the Linoone dropped to all fours and flopped out of the blonde’s lap. Without a word, the pair are off, scurrying out of the fast food joint, and flinching away form the straggler model fans waiting outside for Elliott to come out.


[break][break]

+ @elliott i love garbage baby waah [break][break]

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