Broken Rose

[Ampoule]

"Are you ok?"

The words were strangely muted, settling on her brain like a blanket, the reply slipping from her dry lips like cotton.

"Y-yeah."

Her eyes watched the two young men interacting across the room (at least she thought they were both men...). She watched as one of them got sick, the other one mocking him freely. She watched as another man strode across the room to investigate, it seemed like. She watched as they all seemed to disappear near the restrooms. She watched...but she couldn't see. Or at least it seemed like something in her didn't want to see. Catherine didn't even know what she was looking at but part of her already wanted to forget it. She felt revulsion and regret and sadness. The exact thing the loud music, flowing drinks and generally heavy, lush atmosphere were meant to combat. Her eyes slowly slid around her surroundings as a hand moved to her head.

'Why is everything so...red?' she asked herself. Some part of her almost wanted to make it even redder.

"I'm fine..." she said again, although she definately didn't look it.

 

[BoredAsUsual]

As Kathleen wait for the girls reply she caught Reece's eye just as he took a big gulp of something. She watched in half horror, half amusement as he spit out the drink and ran for the men's restroom, pain evident on his pale face. Stunned she stared after him, fighting the urge she had to follow him to make sure he was okay and the urge shortly followed after that one which was to laugh at what had just happened. Then the other girl spoke, her response a stutter, and Kathleen turned back to look down at her.

She watched as the girl looked around, seeing but appearing to not really see. "Would you like me to take you home?" She pulled up a chair next to the sick looking woman and gave her a very concerned look. But that was when the new band came on, a voice so haunting it stole everyone's attention and brought it to the stage that the singer stood on.

 

[Kitti]

It saved Allura, mercifully, from having to think of a reply for Reece when the woman on stage captured everyone's attention. Ever one for trying to solve a mystery, Allura tried to hone in on what exactly was enthralling everyone around her but the answer proved to be elusive. It couldn't be her appearance, she decided. It was not radically out of the ordinary and people turned to listen when they had not seen her take the stage. The music, perhaps, but Allura couldn't pinpoint what about it would cause everyone to have their eyes and ears glued to the stage.

Helpless to not do anything but watch as well, Allura tried to whisper to Reece but could not find her voice to interrupt the performance. Instead, she took a long drink from her glass and tried to resist the pull of the woman on stage. It was during the process that Allura wondered what had become of Ivan. Allura patted Reece on the shoulder and walked towards where Ivan had disappeared to, though it was difficult to walk and still watch the stage.

Eventually, due to her shuffling sideways walk, Allura finally made it. Where she ended up was the men's bathroom, to which she wondered if she would seem odd for being close to the bathrooms just standing. Frowning, she walked closer to one of the nearby tables, whose occupants did not seem to notice her presence because they were still watching the stage intently. Feeling out of place, Allura tried to act casual as she tried to slip closer to the bar once more, discreetly this time, in embarrassment.
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[Cosmic Orion]

After watching Chrys enter her home, the entity then started to wander the streets of the town unabashed. Obviously it cared not if any of the townsfolk witnessed such a unique existance roaming around. Why not? It had been sometime since Adam had visited Rosalin. . . even in his dreams. Not since the night he had dreamed of a rose did the recluse manage to dream of the strangely compelling flower. Perhaps now that his dreams had brought him back into town it would be possible to find it again. But where had it been again exactly? Nothing more difficult than trying to remember a dream within a dream.

Sounds filled the air. . . some type of music. . . a voice that sang so beautifully in the night. . .but where was it coming from?

Without realizing it the phantasm drew ever closer to the nightclub wanting to discover the source of the heavenly voice. Following the music it cut through alleyways and other less-used paths, seeming to have forgotten the rose entirely now. Moment by moment the chances of being spotted grew as though building toward a climax until finally the entity stood before it across the street.

Upon seeing it the will behind the apparition faintly remembered something from the day.

Some of his servants had been talking about a new nightclub opening up in Rosalin. But why would Adam even care about that place? He would never want to go inside such an establishment. . . all that loud noise, all those people with their judgmental gazes, and on top of it all the memories of when had gone to such places came flooding back.

And so there it stood across the street, simply staring at the front door almost as if actually contemplating entering the night club. It was just a dream after all. Wasn't it? No harm in taking a peek at what his own subconscious imagined the place would be like on the inside. But at the same time, even in dreams old habits died hard. . . and the recluse nature of Adam tried to hold the apparition under the control of his will back.