for in that sleep of death,

what dreams may come. apinya 'nia' thopawit 24 officer in the brotherhood

[thedreammaster]

daichi.

She was one of the good ones. Of course, no matter the person, they would admit that Theo was a good person. That she was too good for anyone, especially for him. And yet… he had her and she had him. Wasn’t that something special. “Julien?” It took a while for the name to click and when it did, oh, he was not happy. His expression was a combination of anger and confusion. “He was there? How, why?” It didn’t make any sense but honestly, did anything in this city ever make sense? Absolutely not. God. “So he was there and he saved you… Was he there working for Xavier or what?” 

“I didn’t get a lot of details. I think he was there just to protect the school for the battle…I’m not sure if there was anything else.” Nia left the moment she could, and hadn’t bothered to wake Julien to tell him so before she left. She wanted to, badly, wanted to interrogate him about why he was in New York, why he was at Xavier’s, why he’d left her. But seeing Daichi and confirming he was alright was her first priority. “I thought I was dreaming, when I first woke up and saw him. Or maybe that I actually died, but it was real.” Her voice broke on the last few words, and she swiped at her eyes. “Daichi, what do I do? He…” Made a fool of me. Hurt me. Abandoned me. “—disappeared, and now he’s here. I know we’re going back to Japan soon, but…” She looked up at Daichi, the only family she had, even if they weren’t connected by blood. They didn’t need to be, not after everything he’d done for her and all they’d been through together. 

[thedreammaster]

sora.

         it’s not quite surprising that nia has ended up farther than expected. from where sora is standing, she seems a fair bit more than just distracted. while it’s not her business to help anyone outside of work instructions, something has drawn her to that. curiosity? force of habit? the possibilities range on. “i’m not on my way home,” she replies, shrugging. “and i’d rather make sure that you get home safe. you could have been killed back there.” and what difference does it make? she could have walked by and witnessed the skid marks and been none more bothered than she is now. but everything happens for a reason, doesn’t it?

         “what’s the address? i promise i won’t make a mold of your keys,” she teases gently, wondering if she should keep hold of nia. while she doesn’t seem unsteady on her feet, she’s certainly disoriented. is she ill? dying? having a breakdown? it could be anything, but it shouldn’t be one of her concerns. she should just wish her on her way and head back to the institute, where her real work has begun. she doesn’t.

as grateful as nia is for this woman—sora—saving her life, that appreciation now boarders on annoyance because of her insistence on taking her home. it’d be easy to tell her to fuck off; hell, it’s tempting. but she holds her tongue, whether it’s because she’s considering other sorts of danger she can find herself walking into from being distacted, or because…nia eyes sora up and down, before biting her lower lip for what’s probably the dozenth time since meeting her. or because sora’s company doesn’t seem all that bad right now. 

“that wasn’t an idea even in my head til you said it,” she snorts. “you have to work on not giving your evil plans away.” it’s not as if there’s much sora can do even if she ever does break in. between daichi and herself, they’re better than any expensive security system someone could buy. “what if we split the difference, and you take me to the closest hotel?” she suggests, wrapping her arms around herself as a breeze passes by. it’s a long walk back, and she hasn’t dressed for the weather. besides, maybe she’ll sleep easier in an unfamiliar place, as doubtful as that plan sounds. “it’s not that i don’t trust you—” i don’t. “i just don’t know if i can make the trip all the way back, even with your help.” her eyes widen at sora, using a look that’s suckered sympathy and lowered guards on more people than she can count. 

[thedreammaster]

sora.

        there’s little sora can think to expect from a situation like this, but sleep deprivation seems an honest, and well-earned, excuse. “yes, i stopped the car,” she answers, caught between her work attitude and her own, less fabricated, personality. should she be bubbly, here? a bright spot in a dark road? or an incredulous stranger, less interested in the sanctity of life and more confused about this near miss with death than concerned? she normally plays it safe. that’s what she’s been trained for. split-second decisions have never been this difficult, before.

         gently, perhaps too much so, she leads nia back to the sidewalk, allowing the car to resume its motion like nothing had occurred. “i don’t know if i’d go that far…” owe her life to? that’s certainly not in her expectations for the night. “but if you’re this tired, i’d like to at least get you home safely. do you live around here?” after a beat, her own moment of distraction, she adds; “sorry, i’m sora. i guess i’m a little distracted, too.”

damn, nia thinks, but doesn’t say. she wants to ask what else she can do, wants to focus on anything but what just happened. her mother’s rotted smile flashes back in her mind, and it takes every ounce of self control not to flinch. she can only imagine how pathetic she looks to this stranger already, and prefers not to add onto it. 

she doesn’t even notice she’s still in the middle of the road until she’s guided off it. a moment later the silence of the night is broken by the car speeding off like it was never frozen at all. how had she not heard the roar of the engine? the tires? it’s been years since a nightmare had appeared so vividly outside of her sleep. she can’t go back to square one—she refuses to look over her shoulder constantly again. but the urge is there, even now, with someone right beside her. “sora,” she says softly, as if saying here name will make her disappear. maybe she is scared of that. and maybe she’s relieved when it doesn’t happen. “you don’t have to do that. i live…” she glances up at a street sign, eyes widening at just how far she’d gotten from home. “far. aren’t you on your way home? i wouldn’t want to waste your time.” that, and old habits of not letting strangers find out where she lives die hard. 

[thedreammaster]

julien.​

he smiles to himself at the sound of her voice. it was only a matter of time before she came looking for him—and what a theatrical introduction she’s prepared! he’d commend her if he wasn’t so exhausted. “hi, honey,” says emilio in equal measure of faux sweetness. he tosses his gloves over to his key bowl and turns on the lights in the living room. “is dinner ready?”

it’s sickingly familiar. nia, lounging on a hotel (currently: motel) bed, anticipating julien’s return, ready to jump on him the second he comes in. all the physical pieces are there—it’s the emotions around them that have changed. “almost,” she answers in a singsong tone, then in a flash she’s on julien. a knife she’d had in her pocket is now against his throat, and she grins at him. “i thought before eating, we could have a talk. that’s okay with you, right, baby?” 

[thedreammaster]

daichi.

“None of that matters. You’re alive and that’s the only thing I care about.” He was loyal to the Brotherhood but Nia’s safety will always be his first priority. No matter the situation. He winced at the name, he was still dealing with her lost. “She… she sacrificed herself. For those she was saving, she used up every bit of herself to revive them.” She used herself instead of using him, the villain of the entire situation. “It’s–” He breathed in before shaking his head. “I don’t want to talk about it. I want to talk about you. Where were you?” 

“I’m so glad you’re alive too,” Nia whispered, her voice breaking at the end despite how hard she tried to rein it in. She didn’t want to breakdown, not now. Despite being the younger of the two and always the follower, she wanted to be strong for Daichi. She didn’t want to burden him. When he explained how Theo had died, she squeezed his arms in a way of silent sympathy. “She…She was one of the good ones.” As much as Nia despised the Omegas, she would be grateful to Theo and Theo alone for how happy she made Daichi. 

Then, the subject moved to where she had been, and her eyes fell to the ground. That was a mistake–the effect of Xavier’s telepathic rebound lingered and instead of the flooring, she saw hundreds of thousands tiny black bugs crawling over the floor, getting dangerously closer to them. Her feet shifted away, before she shut her eyes tight. It’s not real. It’s not real. When she opened them again, everything had returned to normal. It did nothing to calm her racing pulse. “Do you…Do you remember Julien?” she winced saying his name, well aware Daichi had most likely not forgotten. “He was at the school. When Xavier knocked me out, he took me back to his place. He’s why I’m not in prison right now.” Or dead, she thought, but was reluctant to give him that sort of credit aloud. 

[thedreammaster]

savior.​

         sora is not a hero. she’s an agent of a higher purpose who, on occasion, is forced to perform helpful acts for her own image. espionage often requires gaining someone’s trust, and for the last thirteen years that trust had been the entirety of the xavier institute. she has had to play the part of a perfect person, selfless and determined to make the world a better place—and truthfully, she does want to make the world a better place. but not for mutantkind. not even for the humans those at xavier’s seem almost determined to beg at the feet of. no, the world will be righted for linda and the seven. everything else is background noise.

         but thirteen years is a long, long time to play pretend. sometimes, sora doesn’t even fully realize what she’s doing before she reacts—in this case, distorting the air near the frozen pedestrian so that the speeding car doesn’t flatten her against the pavement. the vehicle in question is unharmed, but sora’s focus remains on the woman she had intervened for. worth it, she imagines. letting someone innocent die would not have made the professor any more inclined continue offering his trust.

         facade not quite at the ready, she steps over with more subdued concern. “are you alright? you really shouldn’t be standing in the road like this. that car could have killed you.”

nia doesn’t even notice the car until it’s suddenly frozen right before her. she looks from it to where she thought she saw her mother, but finds the space empty. her mind is still fuzzy around the edges, which makes her jump at the voice next to her. 

“i…” there’s nothing around her, or this person who…seemed to have saved her. “i haven’t slept much.” that’s true, not entirely honest, but it’s the best she can do for a stranger. “you did that, didn’t you?” she gestures to the car, still frozen. “thank you. i’m usually not this distracted.” so much of her life has depended on her being focused, observing everything around her, but the last few weeks have dulled her senses. it’s even making her less crabby toward strangers. “i’m nia, by the way. can i know who i owe my life to now?”

[thedreammaster]

daichi.

LOCATION && WITH WHOM : : THIER HOUSE W / @thedreammaster​

She wasn’t by his side when he woke up and that caused him to panic. No phone call, none of the Brotherhood members have seen her– he was spiraling. It took two of his friends to hold him back, to keep him from running out of his home in order to find her. He could barely keep himself standing but he was still prepared to find her, though he didn’t have a single lead to follow. Daichi felt weak and completely useless for days. First, he lost Theodora and now Nia? If he had the energy to do so, he would’ve turn his temporary home into an ice fortress and this time, Yazmin wouldn’t be there to stop him. But he held on, hoping that she’ll appear or that someone would find her, even if it was her dead body. He needed something to calm him down. 

Luckily, his prayers were heard. He was trying to watch whatever movie was playing when he heard the door open. “Nia? Nia!” He scrambled off the couch, almost falling to his knees, as he ran up to her and pulled her close. “You’re alive, thank God.” 

The second Nia had woken up in Julien’s apartment, she left. Her head still ached, the visions were more frequent, and parts of her body still ached deeply. None of that mattered at the moment because her main focus was Daichi. She had to know if he was okay. That goal became more urgent on the cab ride over as she heard on the radio that Theodora had died. Please be alive, please be alive, please be alive. If she lost Daichi…

She opened the door after a slight difficulty of getting the key in the lock, and was nearly immediately pulled into a hug. The tension and fear she’d been holding onto faded away, as she hugged Daichi back as tight as she could. “I messed it all up, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” She had failed her mission, and worried Daichi would be disappointed in her for it. Then, she pulled back, voice soft as she said, “And I…I heard about Theo. I’m so sorry, Daichi. What happened?” 

[thedreammaster]

oh, julien, nia thinks once the door to his apartment gives a satisfying click, you have got to get better security. it’s dark, and after a quick walkthrough, she finds no one home. she sits herself on his bed, flashing back briefly to waking up there after the entire plan exploded in her face at xavier’s. it makes her angrier—but she keeps it in control. no, she has to focus and be patient. 

but she doesn’t have to be patient long. the thin walls can’t hide the sound of the front door opening and closing, or the footsteps that follow it. they get closer and closer to the bedroom, until the door starts to crack open. at a certain point, nia flicks on the lamp on his bedside table, giving him a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. 

“welcome home, honey.” 

@strucknerves​

[thedreammaster]

the nightmares are worse. nia isn’t sure what that fucking professor did to her head, but the flashes she gets of them when she’s awake are more vivid. she swears she feels the breath of her mother on her neck sometimes, or the cold of a knife across an old scar. if it was only that she had to deal with, it’d be irritating, but she could deal with it. however, life can’t be that simple. julien. the name makes her grit her teeth and curl her hands into fists. it was easy to ignore her anger, her hurt, when he was long gone. now, he’s back in her life, and she can’t forget it. 

all of it is why she’s walking the streets at half past midnight, ignoring her surroundings out of fear of seeing something she knows will not be real. then, as she walks down a sidewalk, she glances up and sees her. her mother, but it’s not her mother. her mother, hair gone in chunks, body frail, and flies swarming around her. she is staring at nia with her dead eyes, smiling and holding a hand out. nia steps back, frozen, hearing a rattle as her mother breaths in and out. it’s all she can focus on—even as a car is barreling down the street at full speed, heading right towards her. 

@pridepotential​

[thedreammaster]

old foe?

emilio’s brows crease at the sudden inquiry—what the hell is this woman talking about? he doesn’t have time for an inspection, and by the looks of it, neither does she. brushing off the woman’s question, emilio doubles down and takes advantage of the pause; he lunges at her and curves his arm, wrapping it around her neck and keeping her in a headlock. he squeezes his forearm against her throat, the other binding her wrists behind her back as he grits out, “we don’t have to make a mess in this hall.”

nia can only gasp as she’s suddenly spun around in a headlock with her hands trapped behind her. she shouldn’t have gotten distracted—she shouldn’t care. then, he’s whispering in her ear and her stomach drops. it can’t be. it can’t be. he wouldn’t— this is a ruse; a trick. it has to be. “we don’t,” she agrees extending her leg out, then kicking him in the crotch, hard. “but you’re forcing my hand.” once his grip has loosened, she falls to the ground and grabs her sword again. she swipes it at his leg, then stands back up the tip of it pressing into his stomach. “and quit the mind games, now.” 

[thedreammaster]

old foe?

smoke bombs are thrown, and their battle has begun. through watery eyes, emilio wafts what fumes he can out of his line of sight and hears the familiar whistle of steel cutting through the air. instinctively, he draws twin daggers from his sides and turns around in time to shield himself from the broadsword, arms crossed. the scrape and clatter of metal on metal grates in his ears, and emilio refocuses his energy into charging against the masked figure with a forceful shove, weapons gliding off one another. not wasting any time, he lines up one of the daggers and throws it in their direction.

oh, this will be fun. nia’s ears ring from the sound of metal on metal; it’s been too long since she’s had a real sword fight. when she’s shoved away, she moves to leap at him again when a sharp pain cuts across her shoulder. it’s a flesh wound, but it irritates her. she grabs the knife from the ground and is about to throw it back at him, before she’s stopped by the first look she gets at it. she finally gets at it. this dagger…

she recognizes it. 

“who did you take this from?” she questions through gritted teeth, bringing the dagger up to its twin that’s still in his hand. there’s only one person who could have these–they’re unique, one of a kind. she remembers when he first showed them to her. “what did you do to him? tell me!” 

[thedreammaster]

old foe?

“hey!”

the last clear thing emilio sees is a masked figure running full-speed towards cerebro (at least that’s what he thinks it’s called) when he turns the corner. he isn’t sure what’s meant to happen, but he’s not going to let anyone near those doors. grabbing his trench knife, emilio curls his fingers around the blackened brass knuckles, thinking of ways to bait the figure to come out.

“why don’t we talk about this first, huh?” he asks, softly panting as he does, “it’s been a long day, and maybe a little conversation would be best for everybody right now.”

quietly, nia unsheaths her sword from her back. it’s been too long since she’s had a reason to use it. she’s running through a set of moves to take, when she hears a voice ask to talk. it nearly makes her break out into a giggle; what a juvenile way to get her to reveal her position. but there’s something that holds back her amusement. the more he talks the more his voice is irritatingly familiar. it’s not that pathetic light show omega. no, it’s someone else she’s faced before. 

she takes out two mini smoke bombs, throwing them back and letting them explode into the narrow hallway. it won’t hurt him, but it gives her time to dart back in and take a running leap at him with her sword aimed at his neck. 

[thedreammaster]

tenzin.

Tenzin couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Harm him as little as possible? Is he for real?” So, they had orders to slaughter whoever stood in their way to get to Cerebro, children included. But when it came to hurting Xavier, that was where Magneto drew the line? Talk about fucked up, repressed feelings. Pretty typical of someone within the Brotherhood, though. “Well, I hope whatever he wants him alive for is brutal and bloody. You be careful, though, alright? If you’re in too much danger, please stop. Don’t kill yourself for this mission. It’s not worth it.” Was it dangerous to say that? More than likely. Someone had to say it to Nia, though — someone had to care. She wasn’t just some disposable weapon, she was a person. 

“Oh, well, we can’t have you eating sour meat. You might get sick. We’ll have to make the death nice and slow. Don’t you find the meat tastier when they’ve gone through pain? It’s like tenderising it.” Feeling Nia’s nudge, Tenzin laughed, wrapping an arm around Nia’s shoulders. “I agree! You’ll have to freeze some, probably.” Their lead’s movements slowed, and it looked like they were trembling. “You scared the little bird, oh dear.” 

Tenzin let go of Nia; a loud, exasperated sigh leaving her lips. “Do you want to make them move or should I?” Her buddy hadn’t had any fun yet, it seemed. “A little fun before you take on Xavier, perhaps?”

Nia snorted. “I didn’t ask twice, no, but I think he meant it.” It was an annoyance for her, considering it wouldn’t be easy to take him out of Cerebro delicately. Sadly, orders were orders. She glanced away with a harsh laugh from Tenzin’s insistence that she shouldn’t kill herself for this mission. “Don’t doubt me now, Malice.” In that moment, a mirror image of herself, rotting and lifeless, faced her. She flinched, and the space was empty again. “I don’t like plans failing, and me dying would make it a failure.” Running was worse; that was accepting defeat. But, she kept that to herself for Tenzin’s comfort. 

“I had no idea you were so knowledgable about this delicacy,” she grinned, relieved for the topic to be back to something light. Her arm wrapped around Tenzin’s waist, and she dipped her head into her shoulder. While she hadn’t known the woman long, she had grown to enjoy her company. She could only hope this wouldn’t be the last time she saw her. 

The offer to motivate their guide was too good to pass up. “Has anyone ever told you how generous you are?” She took their hostage’s arm and twisted it back into a position where the bone nearly broke. “Oops! I should have asked, are you right or left handed?” she asked over their cry of pain. As she bent it a few centimeters more, a creaking noise followed. “It won’t matter in a few seconds, if you don’t move it.” With that, she let the arm go, and their lead finally moved again. 

[thedreammaster]

tenzin.

WHO: tenzin & @thedreammaster​ WHAT: girlbossing their way to cerebro  WHERE: xavier institute

“So, what’s the plan once you get to Cerebro? Besides winning, of course.” Tenzin asked, glancing at Nia while giving their lead a forceful shove. They had no time to walk at a snails pace. This needed to be wrapped up quickly. The longer they were at Xavier’s, the more likely it was that they would fail this mission. “Are you going to leave him alive or kill him?” With Charles Xavier dead, the Brotherhood would be able to succeed with much more ease. Then again, the threat from Essex still hung heavily in the air. 

With a roll of her eyes, Tenzin clicked her tongue. “Do you really think walking slowly will save your beloved Professor? And don’t even think about taking the scenic route.” She considered using her persuasion to make them move faster, but bullying them seemed like the more entertaining option. “My friend here will eat you if you don’t speed it up, sweetheart.” The threat seemed to work, despite Nia being far from a cannibal. 

For a few seconds, Nia didn’t answer. She watched in amusement as their navigator was pushed due to Tenzin’s impatience, which was a feeling she herself could relate to. The longer they take to the arrive, the more this mission felt like peeling a band-aid off rather than giving it one giant yank. “I was told not to kill Charles, and to harm him as little as possible,” she sighed. “Magneto wants him alive, but I’m not sure for what.” Were they going to use him as a hostage? He might be more valuable than Finley, but he was also more dangerous. 

You’re taking a great risk, Magneto’s words echoed in her mind. While I believe we will succeed, there is the chance your mind cannot handle Cerebro. Do you understand? There was an unspoken warning. Nia heard it loud and clear: She could die from attempting this. 

She shook her head, and brought herself back to the reality of Tenzin’s ever increasing threats. A grin sprung on her face from being referred to as a cannibal, and she couldn’t hold back her laugh. “I start with the limbs. The meat seems to sour when they die too quickly.” She nudged the assassin’s side teasingly. “I think we could make a good meal out of them, though. Don’t you think?”

[thedreammaster]

WHO: nia & @strucknerves​

WHAT: take me back to the start. 

WHERE: xavier institute, deep underground.

nia runs down the narrow hallway like her life depends on it, which in many ways, it does. she isn’t supposed to be alone, but tenzin had yelled her to go ahead, she’ll follow after her. that was at least ten minutes ago. if something happened…she doesn’t let her mind wander. cerebro is the goal. she needs to get there. nothing, no one, will stop her. 

that’s when she hears it. 

footsteps carefully in line with hers to make sure she doesn’t hear them coming behind her. it’s a trick she uses herself. despite this new knowledge, she doesn’t stop moving. right now, she has the advantage of seeming clueless. 

her eyes catch sight of a corner coming up ahead along with a vent right before that. with a grin, she leads and knocks it up, throwing the cover to the floor. it’s noisy enough to cover her already quiet steps to hide around the corner, and wait to see who has been following her.

[thedreammaster]

daichi.

He nodded his head, ready to turn around and get what she needed. But he only stopped as she grabbed his hand, Daichi freezing in place. He didn’t realize how much he was hopping that it wasn’t Theo, of his racing heart that ached at the simple thought of Nia and Theo fighting each other during a mission. That it was Theo who did this to his little sister. So for Nia to reassure him that it wasn’t his girlfriend but someone else, it did make him feel better but also pathetic. “It’s fine, don’t worry about that right now.” Nor later, Daichi wasn’t in the mood to handle any of it. 

His eyes fell on the black liquid, anger rushing throughout his entire being. “What the hell did he do to you? Why are you coughing up this shit?” 

Nia shook her head as she was told not to worry about it. That was easier said than done. Somehow she’d avoided fighting Theo head on, but with the way things were going she wasn’t sure how much longer that would last. If she could provide some comfort for Daichi now, she would. The subject change to Ezra made her wince, and she had to bite her lip in thought before answering. 

“He passed on some of his power. His…corruption. It made me stronger and able to take more damage. I could have died against that fucking Omega without it,” she explained, hoping to ease Daichi’s upset at Ezra. “But, it came with some sort of sickness. It’s not permanent.”

[thedreammaster]

martha.

“ow!” she yelped, though she barely felt nia’s foot tap her ankle. a witty retort was just about to roll of her tongue, to manifest from thought to sound, until she noticed the other’s reaction. her eyes travelled from nia’s face to where her hand was pressed against. “is that the word travelling through the grapevine? god, how embarrassing!” she alighted on the couch, shoulder pressed against nia’s. it was odd, how much she had craved companionship these days. perhaps, being unable to leave new york was rotting her mind. “they could’ve cut that part out and highlighted how brilliant i was. have you read the news? oh! i don’t think they could even publish exactly what happened to masten.” she was deflecting. but recounting their triumphs was better than throwing a pity party. “you didn’t do so bad yourself. shame the daughter was spared.” maybe if sunny hwang followed her parents, martha would finally get her parts. yes, that was the reason for her unsuccessful broadway career: sunny hwang. definitely not martha’s terrible work ethic.

nia could only muster a small smile at martha’s dramatic cry of pain to her foot tap. the ache from her ribs wouldn’t let her do much more, and it seemed as if martha had caught onto what state she was in. great, i look weak. it wasn’t exactly far from being correct, but she didn’t want people knowing that. it left her more vulnerable than she already was. thankfully, martha acted as if nothing had happened. “do we have a weekly newsletter i missed? are you going to write a letter to the editor?” she teased, nudging her shoulder slightly. “i did hear about how incrediable you were. but i’d like to hear it from you first. how’d you figure out she was a spy? what did happen to masten? i want the details!” talking distracted her from the pain, plus she genuinely wanted to hear from martha herself what happened that day. secondhand wouldn’t cut it. the compliment to her work on the mission brought a pleased smile to her lips, but turned into a sigh afterwards. “thanks, and i know. she’s lucky her boyfriend was there to save the day, or else there’d be three graves.” something else had happened, but nia couldn’t name what. her focus had been on putting v down, while ezra was distracted by what the daughter had either said or done. she hadn’t had a chance to ask him the details yet.