( open ) we live, we die

[evasives]

who: cassian + you
what: another one for the memory sharing flood
when: mid october
where: dreams! or elsewhere in public spaces
warnings: spy things, death, murder, spoilers for rogue one, etc



( vision / flash ) i. the droid

[it's tanned hands, working on what looks like a very large robot: a black kx security droid, powered down. cassian tampers with the programming, fiddling with wires and hooking up the droid into his datapad. there's a brief reflection of his face in the black metal of the droid; he's younger, only a teenager, probably no older than fifteen with a prickly, patchy beard and less sallow eyes.]

[ten seconds pass, and he mutters something in fest to himself. then at last, he flicks the power back on. the droid's eyes light up, and he hobbles to his feet. it stands almost seven feet tall, and the angle suggests cassian is looking up from about a foot and a half lower.]

[i am k-2so. are you my reprogrammer?]

( vision / flash ) ii. the horizon

[there's a beach. the water is tinted with warm colors instead of blues, and out along the horizon is a giant sun. only it's not a sun at all, and there are puffs of air and explosions along the edges to prove it. the rest of the area around them is singing like a battlefield.]

[cassian walks weakly along the sand, upright only because of jyn beside him. his clothes are filthy and bloody as he looks down at them, his legs stumbling. as they reach the edge of the water, he collapses and she sets him down gently. he sinks into the sand, looking out at the very bright and damning fake sunset. each second that passes, it seems to grow closer. she reaches for his hand, and he looks down as he takes it.]

( dreamscape ) iii. the shot

[ visual. ]

[it's a very urban area, littered with people and voices and shops in all kinds of languages. cassian rushes through the streets, looking over his shoulder carefully. he moves like a shadow, breaking into a run when he finally ducks down an empty alleyway. there's a man waiting for him in a corner, his arm broken and pacing nervously about.

"news from jedha?" the man tells him about a defector imperial pilot who brings news about the empire building a weapon. a planetkiller. the message is from a man named galen erso. the conversation gets more frantic, nervous. "there's spies everywhere!" the man hisses.]

[the meeting is broken up by the arrival of stormtroopers. they ask for IDs. cassian jokes, laughs, plays it off, then shoots both troopers without hesitation. his informant starts to panic. "i'll never climb out of here with my arm!"

[cassian comes up behind him with a smile and a comforting voice. "calm down, we'll be all right."

[and then he shoots him. the body falls. cassian swallows, steadies himself against the murder, then leaps to climb up the wall's piping to escape.]

( dreamscape ) iv. the fall

[cassian is clinging to the edge of a data vault tower. above him is jyn, and even higher on the opposite wall, a door slides open. "jyn! he yells out, firing his blaster and initiating a quick round of firefight between a man in white and several stormtroopers.]

[one of the returning shots hits him, and his grip slips. he falls from the vault tower. his back slams into a metal beam, his arms briefly scramble for purchase on another, but he keeps falling, falling until he lands hard on a platform, his entire body limp and broken.]

[from above, there's an anxious quick yell of his name, "cassian!" but he doesn't move.]

( closed dreamscape ) v. the youth

[it's snowing outside. fest is a very cold planet, and even when you're small and aware of the dangers, the snow always has a level of adventure. twenty years ago, cassian was six years old. he's running through the snowy streets outside, scampering quickly as curfew approaches.]

[six year old cassian stomps back into the house, jumping on the floormat to shake the snow from his boots. there's a message sticking out of his pocket that he yells out is for his father, because even at six he's already running messages for the festian resistance. his mother comes over with a smile and helps him out of his coat, trading him a cup of something warm and steaming for his fluffy jacket. his father laughs in the kitchen, and cassian reaches for his mother's hand to pull her towards the sound.]

[he tells his mother excitedly about the other kids, how some of them were clonetroopers and they lost the big battle. his father beams down at him and ruffles his hair, but there is a fatigue to his eyes that the adult cassian shares. cassian just crawls into his lap and hands over the message, asking if he's allowed to read it too.]

[no, not this one. maybe next time. cassian shrugs it off, diving back immediately into his mug while his mother threatens to steal it for herself.]

[prose or brackets is fine; feel free to have a vision or a flash or both!]

Comments

2

[talentedscavenger]

[When Rey receives the vision, it comes out of nowhere. She was in her room, preparing to head out. She hadn't been meditating. She hadn't heard anything, nor was she touching Luke's lightsaber. Suddenly, it feels like she's pulled into a different area and then she sees it. Sand...water..Two people she knows, or knows of.

This vision, it's not painful, but it is filled with many mixed emotions. It's hard to name each one, but looking at Cassian, and then the sky...she knows what's about to happen. Knows the seconds seem endless, but it'll soon be over. His exhaustion is her own, and when the vision is over, Rey is on her bed, heart pounding and knees shaking.

Death. That's what she was about to witness. His...Jyn's... She knew, knew the Rebellion had a high body count, but was it naive of her to think that they would've stayed alive to see what they accomplished? The Empire gone...but that wasn't the case. It took Rey more than an hour to recover from that vision before she takes out her phone and texts Cassian.]

Do you have a moment? I'd like to talk.

[evasives]

[his gut tells him on receiving the text that this isn't a conversation he's going to like, and cassian even goes so far as debating the merits of pretending he never got it. it seems like a very jyn-like strategy.]

[he gives it about fifteen minutes before he replies, because he knows it'll grate on him otherwise.]

About what? Do you need to speak in person?

[talentedscavenger]

[Rey has patience. She was waiting on Jakku for all of her life for her family to return, and she was certain she could wait to hear back from Cassian. For all she knew, he was at his own job, or running errands. She wasn't expecting a text back...and it gave her time to think about what she saw.

When she sees there's a text message on her phone, it takes her a few minutes to get a reply crafted.]

I would prefer to speak in person. I had a vision, and it involved you.

[This had to be something with Riverview and not a Force vision, thank goodness.]

[evasives]

[he was afraid of that. he considers, again, pulling a jyn and ignoring the texts. but it won't settle him. there are a lot of awful things rey could have seen and cassian needs to know which in order to figure out how to interact with her from here on out.]

Yes, I would prefer this in person as well. I am not particularly keen on doing so in a public space either. Are you in communal housing?

[talentedscavenger]

[If he was expecting pity from her, she wouldn't give it. If he expected her to feel grief...then she did. She lived those moments through his eyes and it was hard to shake off.]

I would prefer a private area too. I'm on Floor 12 if you want to talk in my room.

iii

[spellslots]

[They're back on this bullshit, huh?

Taako has been trying to cut down his sleep as much as possible, hoping it would help, but he still finds himself slipping into someone else's memories now and then. At least this one isn't his own.

He watches this dream Cassian make his way through the crowded street, moving like a rogue, and looks over to find the real one beside him.]

What're we in for, bubbale?

[He should start up a rating system.]

[evasives]

[all things considered, if there had to be a memory of a shitty thing cassian has done, this one isn't the worst! it's just one of the newest, which means the guilt is still fresh.]

[he frowns as he watches himself move through the streets, knowing what's coming. cassian spares a glance at taako.]

This is the Ring of Kafrene. Trading Post. I am meeting an informant.

[and it'd be really fucking SWELL if they could just wake up and leave before he does find the guy.]

[spellslots]

Never heard of it, we must've skipped this one.

[They went to a lot of worlds, but he doesn't remember anything quite like this. There were worlds that were busy, but not crowded, like this feels.]

Seems like here are either real good or real shitty, and while normally I'd be hoping for the good kinda memory, I think I'm gonna have to vote for shitty. There's only a certain kinda good you get in alleys like this.

[Taako!!!!

(He's trying to lighten the mood)]

[evasives]

It's a planet. We don't have to have all the same ones.

[kafrene is very urban, but it's not even the most crowded planet out there. the streets thin out the closer cassian gets to tivik and his movements get faster, more urgent; it's strange to see it all happening again, the moments that lead to discovering the death star in the first place. so much for waking up sooner rather than later.]

[he recognizes this is taako's attempt at making things easier, but it kind falls flat for him.]

Shitty. [dryly:] Forgive me if I don't ruin the surprise.

[spellslots]

You never know, I've met a couple thugs from Legato here.

[That was a singularly odd experience, and he'd lied through his teeth about what happened there, but he figures it's not too unlikely to get some crossover between realities, considering how many he's been to.

He's also not dumb enough to miss that Cassian is unhappy about the whole scene here, but there's not... really a whole lot he can do.]

If you're about to kick a puppy I'd like a warning, can't say I give a shit about anything else.

v.

[realists]

[ the downside of sharing a bed with cassian is that jyn gets decent sleep. it's a downside because it makes all these dreams and visions that much more bright and vibrant. (she has attempted to sleep on her own, thinking the restless sleep would keep her from other peoples dreams. it didn't, it only made her more cranky once she'd woken up.

this dream is freezing and her hands come up to rub at her arms while she watches the scrawny little boy run down the street. he has a familiar run, familiar dimples, and jyn can feel cassian's gaze on her back before she looks away from his younger self. ]

You couldn't dream of the beach?

[ she shouldn't have said the beach. scarif was the beach. she knows they both dream of that. she wanted cassian to dream of a beach, someplace warm instead of frozen. ]

[evasives]

[decent sleep! what a novel concept! he noticed immediately when she tried to sleep on the couch and didn't like it, regardless of what it meant for the dreams.]

[cassian watches his tiny self run with a vague sense of fondness, but when he notices jyn is there too, he feels a little - weird? he can't remember the last time he talked about his childhood to anyone.]

[his nose wrinkles a little when she says beach, but he chooses to ignore it. he doesn't need to talk about the beach, they both dream it all the time.]

This is Fest. I told you it was snowy.

[his dreams are the only time he sees his house in one piece anymore, and he watches as they all get closer to it. his little self kicks at some snow, sending a shower of it flying up in the air with a laugh.]

[realists]

You didn't tell me it was freezing, [ she grouses, hugging herself tighter. she is dressed for sleep, she is not dressed for spying on a very tiny cassian, a very tiny and delightfully unburdened cassian.

she frowns, unhappy that she has to be not only a voyeur on rey's terrible memory of childhood but now a bystander to cassian's childhood. she was not invited, this isn't given willingly. it doesn't seem fair. ]

You were quite adorable.

[ were, past tense. ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh. ]

[evasives]

Did you not assume cold when I said snow? [he raises an eyebrow, expression almost amused. it is very cold, but he's letting himself be amused by her suffering because he doesn't like thinking about his youth™.]

[his house comes completely into view, his little self clearly rushing towards it. it's small, one story, very heavily insulated like most of the others.]

I was six. Most children could probably fall under that category.

[realists]

Freezing, [ she corrects, shooting him a scathing look that doesn't quite have the right amount of heat to it. (read: any.)

it's a small house, like the one on lah'mu, except not built into the ground like her childhood home was. selfishly, she hopes cassian will never get to see the dark sandy beaches of lah'mu, never gets to feel the briny air. ]

What's inside?

[ he's obviously going inside and anxiety spikes. he was six. he's been fighting since he was six years old. if this is some terrible moment for him, the moment he loses his parents, or a family pet... jyn doesn't know if she can handle that. she can barely handle her own grief. ]

IV

[ragnarsson]

[Ivar watches the scene with a sharp sort of look on his face. A fight is a fight, even when using such unusual weapons as these. Such a strange place too, an all metal building and lasers shooting off everywhere, things far removed from the ancient place that Ivar calls home. He instinctively winces as Cassian begins to fall.

When he slams into the platform, he looks around for the owner of the dream.]

That had to hurt.

[evasives]

[it's one thing when it's someone he knows privy to parts of his life, but a stranger is an entirely different kind of uncomfortable. he's not sure which is worse.]

[cassian flinches watching himself fall, trying to resist the urge to press his hand into his spine. he hopes he doesn't have to watch himself crawling away towards the elevator too.]

[dryly:] Didn't feel a thing.

[and that next clang would be his failure to grab another beam.]

[ragnarsson]

Sure you didn't.

[He watches as Cassian fails to grab another beam. Is he going to have to watch this man fall all the way down this shaft? That's going to take a while. Well, while they're stuck here, he might as well introduce himself.]

My name is Ivar Ragnarsson. Some call me Ivar The Boneless.

[The meaning of the nickname, while obvious in the real world where he's confined to a wheelchair, doesn't make as much sense in the dreamworld, where he visualizes himself able to stand and walk like anyone else.]

[evasives]

[he tries not to flinch, watching himself fall and hopes he doesn't wake up with any sort of phantom pains.] Break too many at once and it's almost like it does not matter.

[a beat, before:] Cassian. [that's it, that's all ivar gets. it's not a secret, especially once he hits a bigger platform and his body crumples against it, unmoving. his name echoes down from somewhere above in a woman's voice.]

[but why say ANYTHING about that when he can just question after the mystery man.] You don't look like you have lost your bones.

[ragnarsson]

What were you two trying to do?

[It looks like they were trying to climb somewhere, up that metallic tower. Ivar hasn't seen anything like it, not in the Quarantine, and definitely not at home.

He scowls, looking down at his legs, turning his attention away from the scene at hand for a moment. It's so unfair this is the only place he can walk around without constant pain. And people wonder why he's so damn angry all the time in the waking world.]

I'm crippled when I'm not dreaming. The name came from my father, who had a poor sense of humor when it came to nicknaming his children.

iii

[rightly]

[ Steve's experienced a couple of visions as well as a shared dream or two, but frankly neither is more comfortable than the other. The former always comes with the advantage that he can simply pretend like he never really saw anything, even if he happens to recognize who the memory belongs to, but being dragged into a dream and seeing that memory along with the person it belongs to... well, he can't very well act as though he didn't see it.

He doesn't pretend he's not there, either, doesn't try to hide. Cassian's ghost rounds the corner and walks into the alleyway and right past the spot where he's standing, constantly looking over his shoulder. Steve relates all too well, far too easily, and he steals a glance at the real Cassian, standing next to him.

He says nothing, though, curious despite himself to see what happens next. ]

[evasives]

[both are terrible in different ways, cassian agrees. once he notices he's not alone in another memory, he closes off, doubly so when it's a stranger. he supposes out of all the kind of shitty acts he's committed for the rebellion, this one is rather time by comparison.]

[still, he doesn't have to like it. no one likes it, which at least makes it easier to recognize there is little choice in the matter.]

[the silence and lack of questions is oddly welcome, like it gives cassian more time to figure out how to proceed.]

I don't suppose you've been to the Ring of Kafrene. [the way he says it implies he's not expecting anything of the sort. but a simple, dry conversation is better than watching himself pick up speed as he approaches the alley he's set to meet tivik in, the man pacing nervously back and forth in wait.]

[rightly]

[ There are no questions because, despite the differences in setting, the strange species walking around and the odd look of the place in general, the event they're watching right now isn't at all unfamiliar to him. He's not yet aware of just how familiar it is exactly, of course, it's just a feeling it gives him, a sense of understanding.

So, he doesn't ask, choosing to let the scene unfurl. That ought to answer any questions he might have. ]

Never even heard of it. [ He looks around only for a moment, eyes pulled back to the two figures in the alley when they start talking, whispering. ] Is... that where we are?

[evasives]

[he turns the corner to find tivik, a little hunched over and with a broken arm. i was about to leave! he hisses, and the dream cassian replies like a breeze i came as fast as i could. there's a sense of urgency growing in the exchange.]

Yes. It's a trading outpost and mining colony. [a beat.] A planet.

[he keeps forgetting there are people here who don't do space travel on the regular, because it's just so normal for him.]

[tivik asks him to walk with him, and conversation turns to a place called jedha. you have news from jedha? come on. tivik is clearly an informant, to those who would recognize it.]

[rightly]

Ah. [ Steve nods, a little distracted. ] I'm from Earth— never left, my whole life. We didn't even know there was life beyond it and in other planets, in my time.

[ Steve recognizes the tone of the exchange immediately, particularly when Cassian asks the man about this Jedha. A person or a place, he figures. It's also not a big leap to put the pieces together and realize that Cassian's some kind of agent, undercover or otherwise. He's a spy, simply put. ]

Doesn't seem like a very safe place.