another one to the event

[dramaticals]

WHO: Adam and ANYONE!
WHAT: His dream-self is just a little ten year old on the streets.
WHEN: May 8th
WHERE: Streets of Vale in the dream place.
WARNINGS: Hatred towards Faunus yupuyp

[he felt so impossibly scared and so alone in this world.

adam looked down at his shoes, his back against the wall of an alley-way while he tried to catch his breath. he had been running away from... something. he couldn't quite remember right now, all he knew was that he had to run. he still felt scared, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. it was raining, just lightly, but he could feel the light drizzle on his skin.

the young boy swallowed, wiping his face with his sleeve, and he pushed off of the wall. he needed to... to hide... yeah, that was what he needed.

the faunus made his way out of the alley, heading down the street and he looked around frantically for somewhere he could hide from everyone. he felt like he was moving so slow, however, like no matter how hard he tried to run he was just walking.

anyone that he runs into, he'll just try and run away from them.]

Comments

[leekspins]

[This is no ordinary dream. Or, rather, it's too ordinary to feel like one of her dreams. There are buildings, and none of them are transforming into giant building robots, or doubling as a hangar for flying dinosaur robots. Her steps sound hollow as she walks down the street, tucking her hair behind her ear as she slowly turns in place. Where is she? It looks a little like Vale, but not really. There's a surreal sense lingering over the city, and she's positive she isn't dreaming this up.]

[Just as Orihime turns the corner, she's nearly bulldozed by a young redheaded boy.]

Oof--!

[She catches his shoulders and looks down...are those horns? Hey, he looks an awful lot...like.....!]

...Adam-san?

[Why is he a kid now? Is this his little brother or something?]

[dramaticals]

[wh...who was this?

he couldn't tell. no, it was more like... he knew who it was, but even so he couldn't stop feeling so impossibly scared. he pulled himself away from orihime, taking a few steps back.]

I...I'm... [why was it so hard to speak? that was odd, everything about this was weird.]

I'm really strong so... so stay away!

[a lie, of course, but it was all he could think of right now. the young bull turned, going to run and head down another alley.

and at that point, orihime might see some men standing around, whispering to themselves. they smile once they see adam go down that alley, then laugh to themselves before all four of them head down that same path.]

[leekspins]

[Orihime turns to watch Adam go. It's obvious that he's scared, so if she runs after him, it might just frighten him more. But it's the first time she's ever seen him without that mask. He's...SO CUTE! SO DARLING! It just makes her heart melt. Maybe if she just approaches calmly...]

[Her plans are cut short when she notices four humans moving after him. Even if Adam weren't a Faunus, that would give her plenty of reason to be alarmed.]

Hold it!

[She shouts as she runs, hoping to startle them out of their present actions with the threat of having an eye witness, and to give Little Adam some warning that someone's moving after him. Keep running, kid!]

I said hold it!

[dramaticals]

[adam heard her shout after him, and at that point he turned around to look over his shoulder. he saw the men coming after him, and he knew that was why he had been running. it was why he felt so scared, so helpless, and so alone.]

Ah-!

[he tried to run, but he tripped and fell. for whatever reason, his legs just refused to work right now. everything was so messed up, so hard to deal with, his mind felt all strange and fuzzy. but him tripping, that was all those men needed to catch up to him.

the three of them grabbed him, pulled him up, and dragged him further into the alley. one stayed behind since orihime was still there, and he turned around to block her entrance.]

Sorry, gotta teach the Faunus boy a lesson.

[adam kicked and squirmed, but it was no use. two of them held him upright, and another walked in front of him. the man grinned down at him, and the young boy felt himself shake. this... this wasn't real, right? it just wasn't! the man crackled his knuckles, then brought his fist back, only to punch adam right in the face. the boy cried out, but he felt more of the hits coming his way.

and any attempt to get to adam will be met by the man that was blocking her. they weren't done yet, they needed to hurt him good.]

Don't go getting any bright ideas, little lady! We're gonna rip his horns off, that damn Faunus.

[leekspins]

[They might as well have punched her in the stomach, the way she flinches, horrified, at the sound of a child's pained cry. The man gets to witness a rare sight: Orihime's anger.]

[Her stare is fierce, brow furrowed, face unsmiling. She doesn't bother wasting words -- they're not going to help, and she doesn't want them to. She's heard all she needed to hear to decide she won't let this stand, and she won't try to speak reason. Her hands are quick, delivering two swift debilitating chops before she drops the man with a knee to the stomach. He hasn't even hit the ground before she's dashing past him, fully prepared to take out the other three with her karate before they realize this dainty little thing is the equivalent of a black belt.]

[dramaticals]

[the man goes down, clutching his stomach and he curses at the woman for what she just did. he didn't think that she would know how to do those kinds of moves at all.

adam can barely even see now with how many times they've already hit him in the face. he's breathing heavily, letting out painful sounds as he tries to choke back his sobs. he was crying, he felt it, the hot tears streaming down his cheeks were washed away by the light rain that fell down on him. he didn't want to cry, he didn't want to be scared, he just wanted to be strong.

but one of the men that had been hurting adam turned around to see the girl running at them all. he said something to her, adam couldn't quite hear it, but he knew it was a curse of some kind. the others told the man to hold her off until they could take away his horns. adam let out another sob at that, especially when he felt the man's hand grip at his horn, pulling on it, attempting to just snap it right off.]

[leekspins]

DON'T YOU DARE!

[She hopes the shout is enough to shock the attackers. She can't stand the thought of Adam suffering anymore, even if this is a dream. It doesn't matter. He deserves better. That's why she expertly shifts her weight to throw the incoming man into the one yanking on Adam's horn. She fights her way forward to stand in front of him, throwing her arms wide to protect him with her spiritual shield. She's a little breathless, standing defiantly in front of shield and boy both.]

I can't forgive anyone who would hurt a child. If you don't leave, I won't show you mercy!

[dramaticals]

[...was it over.... was it stopping...?

adam suddenly didn't feel anyone grabbing him anymore, and he had fallen to his knees. he blinked several times, feeling himself shaking as he stared down at her ground.

someone... protected him...?

slowly he looked up to see what happened, and that was when he saw her back. there was a shield up to protect him, but even so he still felt terrified.]

W..what...? [he sniffled, blinking back anymore tears that threatened to fall.

the men, on the other hand, looked over at her and frowned.]

Damn Faunus lover! You'll pay for this, you know!

[but... she was stronger than them. they were just cowards that wanted to hurt a child. they exchanged glances with one another, then turned and ran down the alleyway.]

[leekspins]

[Orihime stands straight and fierce for several more moments, wanting to be sure they're really gone, before she finally relaxes, dropping her stiff shoulders as well as her shield. She turns to blink down at Adam's young face, taking in the sight of the bruises and blood. Was this how it felt for Sora, she wondered, when her parents beat her too?]

[Turning fully, she kneels down beside him.]

I'm sorry. That was a wicked thing for them to do. Please hold still for just a moment.

[She raises her palms, slowly so as not to scare him, and dispatches two of her other spirits to start healing his face. The rain doesn't bother her. She can get completely soaked for all she cares; all that matters is being here for him now.]

[badluckcharm]

[Himawari was just wondering, mind her own business and just looking around before thankfully she stopped short of having someone running into her leg. That was a relief anyway.]

Are you okay? [She looks around, trying to figure out why he was running in the first place. Maybe it was a game, or something else. Maybe she should try and find his parents or something.]

[dramaticals]

[adam grunted when he suddenly ran into someone. no good.. he didn't want to face anyone right now.

the boy took a few steps back, then he looked up at her. he was wet, he was cold, and it didn't help that the rain just wasn't stopping.]

I'm... I'm fine. [he looked down, afraid to even look up at her. the boy shook, and it would be clearly visible to the one standing in front of him.]

[badluckcharm]

[She wasn't sure what exactly to do as she knelt down slightly.]

You look a little wet, aren't you cold? I'm sure we could find you a towel.

[dramaticals]

[oh. he wasn't used to people being nice to him, actually. this was weird.]

Yeah... I am. Um, where would we get a towel?

[badluckcharm]

[She pauses to think for a moment, putting a finger to her chin as she just glanced around. Okay she didn't know where she was so finding that out was not exactly going to be easy.]

I cant say I know, but I'm sure there will be easy enough to find.

[dramaticals]

[...adam glanced over somewhere, he knew there was a store just down the street. all purpose and all that.]

We could go there... but I dunno if they'll let me in.

[badluckcharm]

Why wouldn't they?

[She didn't know the exact reason, but it didn't stop her from starting to walk towards the direction. Better to get one now before he gets a cold or something.]

[dramaticals]

...They might. Because I'm a Faunus.

[he's had it happen to him before.]

[Later That Morning]

[leekspins]

[After Orihime fades from Adam's dream, she's returned to her own. She's had this dream before -- a dark voice, rising above its usual whispers into an angry buzzing, like a vast swarm of flies. Flashes of blood and darkness pursue her, trying to enclose her inside a prison of inky blackness. Lying in her bed, she clutches the sheets as she tosses restlessly, trying to fight the feelings threatening to overwhelm her.]

[dramaticals]

[...that was such a terrible dream for him.

not only did it make him relive the feelings of the past, but people had seen him at his weakest. him. he was strong, one of the strongest and he knew it, but that happened after a lot of hard work.

after the dream was over adam rushed out of bed, he was determined to go and see orihime and clear some things up. she was never to speak of what happened ever again. adam quickly put on a red shirt, black pants, and he wasn't even bothering with the rest. she was just across the hall, either way. he was just about to step out of his apartment when he realized he forgot his mask. huffing, he quickly turned back around and grabbed it, placing it on his face. he still hated the idea of being exposed here, so it was like his own barrier between the humans and himself.

the faunus quickly stepped out of his apartment, going to hers. it was still early in the morning, he figured that she might still be asleep. he frowned when he came to her door, debating knocking or just coming in... but in the end he rapped on the wood with his knuckles.]

Orihime?

[leekspins]

[There's no answer, of course. She's still sleeping, much as she might wish otherwise. Ordinarily she wakes up the moment the sun shines through her window. Instead she slumbers on, tossing fitfully and kicking at the covers. All around her, she can see blackness leaking through cracks and oozing down the walls to close her in.]

[dramaticals]

[...no answer.

well, he came this far, might as well do what he set out to do. adam goes to open her door, and surprisingly enough it's unlocked. slowly he steps into her apartment, and it isn't like this is the first time he's broken in to someone's place. the white fang has a lot of different missions, after all.

as he stepped in he heard the sounds of her whimpering, tossing and turning even- and he figured that she was still asleep. adam made his way over to her bedroom, peering in, and sure enough he saw her... having a nightmare? he had come here to inform her to forget everything she saw in his dream, he was irritated about what she witnessed, but he had to wake her up first.

he walks in closer to her now.] Orihime- [he calls out to her, but no such luck. so he goes right beside her, touching her shoulder and shaking it.]

Hey, Orihime.

[leekspins]

Ngh...!

[Her eyes tighten, her brow furrowing in distress. When he touches her shoulder, she sits up with a yelp, slamming her head right into the side of Adam's face. This is where he'll learn, if his reflexes aren't swift enough, that Orihime's skull must be made of granite because that is one hard head she's got.]

[dramaticals]

[HE CERTAINLY DIDN'T EXPECT THAT!

so when she suddenly shot up, hitting his face, she actually smacked right into his mask. it was knocked off, and rolled somewhere under her bed.

adam had to take a few steps back, surprised at her sudden movements. he blinked a few times, then brought a hand up to his face, realizing his mask was no more.

oh.... oh darn, where was it-]

[leekspins]

[Orihime stares forward uncomprehending for a moment, fingers clutched at the sheets beneath her, panting for breath. Then she sees...Adam? It's definitely Adam, she knows his horns and hair. But wow, he actually has a face!]

Adam-san...?

[What's he doing in her room?]

...Hi!

[dramaticals]

...Ah-

[SERIOUSLY, WHERE WAS HIS MASK? excuse him, he's just... looking around for it now. between looking for it he glances over at her, then goes back to looking at the floor.]

I had... something to discuss- [but he needs that mask back!!]