For a Second Time Around || Akongo & Cel
The evening stretched, long and uneventful, peaceful in light of the occurrences of the past few months. After the showdown between Lusia & Akongo, the Ordo had seemed to quiet down. The calm was sending a false sense of calm over the Alliance, one that everyone was weary to take at face-value. Especially the Operative who had somehow managed to capture the leader's attention once more. Said operative was laying in bed on her laptop, focused on the screen in front of her. The past few days had been filled with a mixture of apprehension and anger, settling into a ball in her stomach that writhed with irritation. Cel despised being in situations she could not control, more so when she was being threatened as she was. While it was an indirect threat, any conversation with Akongo seemed to end with the promise of another encounter. That in itself was a threat to any operative in the eyes of Celeste Mercedes. Her confusion at the situation had dissipated to pure irritation once Akongo had apparently gone into hiding once more, leaving her with only his words to consider. All in all, she was beyond frustrated with her current situation, but refused to let it show to anyone but the person staring back in the mirror.
The situation with Hannah had already stretched her patience with the man far too thin, and she wasn't looking forward to any schemes he may or may not have in the twisted head of his. Swiping her hair out of her face, Cel rolled her eyes, attempting to focus once more on the movie that she had selected out of random. Unable to even recall the title, she stared blankly at the screen with glazed eyes, solely looking for a distraction that wouldn't result in bruises. After about twenty minutes, her eyelids began to grow heavy, sliding shut before opening once more. Her dreams had been bothered lately by recurring nightmares and she no longer looked forward to sleep. But her heavy lids quickly won over and she fell into the world of unconsciousness.
The dream began as it always did, in front of her old home with the door cracked open. The curiosity mounted although Cel knew that whatever was inside the house was not something she wished to see again. She watched helplessly as her fingers edged towards the door, the hinges creaking loudly as she pushed it open. Her feet crossed the threshold into the decrepit home, the floorboards creaking with every step. Dark light filtered in through holes in the walls, through the moth eaten curtains covering the windows she passed. The urge to run away grew with each step although Cel knew she couldn't turn away; She'd already tried. As she crept closer to the living room, sound could be heard breaking through, as if fighting some invisible barrier. Every step increased the sound, and all to soon Cel could not only hear it, but feel it. Flames.
Jerking awake, Cel panted heavily, trying desperately to catch the breath that seemed to be trapped in her dream. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to recall what it was that she had dreamnt of, remembering the heat of fire, the sound and smell of something burning. The sudden cold made her shiver, so enveloped in her dream that the room felt frigid, fingers that felt like ice curling in on themselves and seeking warmth. Shaking her head slightly to clear the murky sensation of sleep, Cel's eyes strayed over to the laptop that slid out of her lap and onto the bed. She gazed at the screen that should have been blank but wasn't. As she continued to stare, the fingers that had been like ice curled into fists, tight at her side. Of course.