behind the mask

If you were going to say me, you might as well go ahead and say it!

It should be clear that I use my head far more than you do anyway!

"Really? It seems to me as though you use your mouth far more."

That’s exactly why I’m annoyed, Reala.

You don’t do anything! Don’t you find it boring?

"...No?

"I like to think, unlike some other Nightmarens I won't mention by name."

What do you get from being a stick in the mud all of your life, hm?

"I didn't even do anything this time. You just decided to pick a fight."

Ugh! We will never lighten up, I swear!

"What do you get from publicly complaining about me, hm?"

Ow!! Reala, that hurts!

-Youch, his grip was getting far too tight for NiGHTS’ liking, and she squirmed to attempt to loosen his grip and shake him off. What in the name of Nightmare had gotten into him? He was practically freaking out because she had mentioned laying down? He was perfectly fine with it a few days ago, heck they even slept next to each other! Why was he so upset about it now—

'You'll leave.'

She froze in her place at that. She’ll leave? Wait, wait… Is this why he was so upset? Because she had left all those years ago? She thought they were passed that by now. It was long ago and she was here now, but… He was freaking out over it.-

I don’t know what you are talking about, Reala. I’m not leaving to go anywhere. I’m here, I don’t want to be anywhere else. I’m asking you lay down because you’re acting strange. If it’ll make you feel better, I sit right next to you and stay there?

The squirming didn't comfort Reala any, giving him alarm bells in his mind that NiGHTS wanted to leave. While they were inaccurate logically and it was simply his tight grip on her, he wasn't in a logical state of mind at the moment. Despite that, his grip did loosen if only because while intoxicated, it was difficult for him to summon up the strength that normally was so accessible to him. His fear only increased exponentially as NiGHTS managed to nearly wiggle free--

And then she stopped. Reala blinked in confusion, staring at the other Nightmaren as she seemed to process something before she spoke -- and what she spoke did manage to soothe him, almost instantaneously. He relaxed, and finally his grip loosened enough so that he was barely holding onto her at all.

"Ssstay," he insisted, hiccuping. "Stay. Please. I nuh-- need you..."

He didn't seem to process anything else they were talking about, because he made no move to lie down.

-Okaay then. That hold was a little too tight for her liking. In fact, Reala was being far too affectionate for her liking. Reala was never like this! And NiGHTS preferred him when he wasn’t clinging to her. And what…? He was accusing her of leaving? But she barely went anywhere. She went to Nightopia and came back, she always did that though.-

Reala, I didn’t leave you? I went to Nightopia and came back like I always do. Are you sure you’re all right? I think you might need to lay down.

For some reason, that suggestion made Reala seize with panic. Oops. "L-lay down?" Nope. That only made him tighten his grip on NiGHTS, out of desperation to keep her there. It hurt, it hurt, it hurt, and the agony seeped clear as day into his tone of voice-- "Don't go anywhere! I don't wanna... You'll leave." He was actually getting incredibly upset about this, not even to a minor degree; his body even began to shake. In his mind, NiGHTS had turned her back to him one too many times, and he'd practically lost everything. He couldn't lose everything again.

-He flung himself at her, and she flinched, if only because gee, she’d seen him move quickly before but not as quick as that and it was unexpected. Was he okay? His speech seemed off… And those hiccups?-

In Nightopia…? Where I normally am?

Are you okay, Reala? You sound strange.

A comment that normally would've irritated Reala just flew right over his head this time. "I don't sound strange," he tried to sound firm, but he ended up sounding a bit too affectionate for comfort instead. He clamped his arms on NiGHTS, not letting her go. It didn't take long, though, before his tone became slightly accusatory, "Yuh left. 's okay, though..." He giggled drunkenly. "'cause...'cause y'won't leave again, riiight?"

dualdreamer replied to your post: see? gone again as usual. She doesn't care about you.

Reala…? What are you pointing at?

Well, that immediately perked the Nightmaren up. All the doubt that had been there completely washed away and Reala practically flung himself at NiGHTS. "N-NiGHTS!" Hiccup! "Yuh-yer here! Where ya... Where ya been?" All of the Visitors' taunts were momentarily forgotten -- as was NiGHTS's question.

see? gone again as usual. She doesn't care about you.

If he were sober, this would be greeted with a roll of Reala’s eyes. As it was right now, though, the Nightmaren absorbed this information with the greatest degree of pain he could process it with, holding onto his stomach. “Yuh-you’re a liar. A buh-big liar.” He pointed at the anonymous Visitor — or at least he would be if he was actually facing the right direction.

I wouldn't be surprised if she had left you again

"No… No, no, no—" Uh oh, Reala was starting to panic. "Wh-where—!?"

She hurt you twice, she doesn't deserve to have you around

Reala whimpered softly. He didn’t know what these Visitors were getting at, but all of a sudden he wanted NiGHTS around. “Where issss she?”

Why do you care about her if she left you?

"I dunno." Reala grinned, his slur becoming a bit more pronounced. "NiGHTS kills me, I guess’n."

What if NiGHTS kissed you?

Reala struggled to answer this one. He thought seriously about what it would be like to kiss NiGHTS — a topic that ordinarily disinterested him or made him roll his eyes. Would he kiss her? Under normal circumstances, probably not. But what about others? She’d… Would she? Was she utterly repulsed by him? She left Nightmare, after all, despite all the good things she said that he made her feel.

A sickening twist of his stomach later, and he reached his decision, “If it’d get NiGHTSth to sthtay...then I'd be okay wit' it.”

WHY IS YOUR PARALOOP SO LOUD?

“‘m a powerful Nih- Nightmaren. ‘s natural for my paraloop t’be loud.”

Fat butt

"You’re the fat butt," Reala retorted intelligently, smirking as if he’d totally one-upped the Visitor there. Yeah, you showed them.

Who's cuter, Jackle or NiGHTS?

"You Visitors are weeeird," Reala began to drawl, tapping his fingers. These questions were weird.

Funnily enough, the Nightmaren actually tried to actively consider this one. It took a moment or two before he reached a conclusion, “They’re both th-th-scary. ‘s not the same as ‘cute’.”

Would you kiss Jackle?

Reala stared for a second like as if he didn’t comprehend the question. Then,

"Why would I kissh Jackle?"