[ VIDEO ] -£- 002

[dealwithademon]

[When Ciel appears on the screen, he look far from pleased -- his expression, noteably more sour than usual, is emphasized by the slightly unkempt hair that makes him look as though he's just rolled out of bed. The kid apparenlty is also incapable of dressing himself; his shirt is buttoned crooked, and his thin bow tie, is more of a knot than a bow.]

Has anyone seen my butler? He's mysteriously absent as of this morning, and I've been unable to contact him.

Comments

[zerointegrity.livejournal.com]

How fortunate you must be to have had a butler, of all things, in Somarium! Has the possibility of his leaving Somarium occurred to you? Check the Dreamberry, see if his name is still listed in the contacts.

[dealwithademon.livejournal.com]

[Hello Lelouch. Sorry, this isn't the best time for good first impressions]

It's not fortune, it's business. And he couldn't possibly have-- [he fumbles with the phone, starts searching through it... and then the color seems to drain from his face]

[zerointegrity.livejournal.com]

Did he?

[dealwithademon.livejournal.com]

This can't-- [He seems more confused than anything else now. like, genuine confusion at how this is even possible]

[zerointegrity.livejournal.com]

Ah, but it did happen. Somarium is funny like that, it has a terribly wicked sense of humor.



Catastrophic events take place, loved ones are seen that are nothing more than visions in the fog, monsters ravage the city... And there we are, helpless, nothing more than pawns in some game. It rips people from their home and tosses them here with no instruction, no warning, nothing, expecting them to create a new life... and then, again with no warning, it throws them back where they belong - leaving everybody here wondering why they weren't as lucky.

[dealwithademon.livejournal.com]

[Have one piercing blue eye glaring at you, Lelouch. If only because your words are so true, they only serve to agitate him further.]

So... he's gone then. [...and it's clear... he's not certain how to feel about that. Angry? Frustrated? ...relieved? frightened? it's more than just a missing person...]

[zerointegrity.livejournal.com]

That's a possibility.

[dealwithademon.livejournal.com]

[pause. He can.. figure out how to feel later. He has a reputation to maintain] And who are you?

[zerointegrity.livejournal.com]

Lelouch. And you are?

[dealwithademon.livejournal.com]

Ciel Phantomhive. [No, he can't introduce himself without the full name]

[zerointegrity.livejournal.com]

A pleasure to meet you, Ciel, though it's a shame the circumstances weren't better.

[dealwithademon.livejournal.com]

This has certainly not been my day. [A sigh] And how long have you been in Somarium?

[zerointegrity.livejournal.com]

I'll have been here for 9 months come the first of April. Yourself?

[dealwithademon.livejournal.com]

[he has to stop and think... and the answer surprises him] ...About four months.

[zerointegrity.livejournal.com]

Why, not very long at all. And this missing butler of yours, has he been here the entire time, too?

[dealwithademon.livejournal.com]

Yes. He was here even before I arrived. If I'm to believe what I'm told, I was here once before as well, though I can't recall it.

[zerointegrity.livejournal.com]

That seems to be a common occurrence, I've spoken with more than one person who has said they were here once or twice before but have no memory of their experiences. I was a bit shocked when I first arrived - people knew me by name, they knew the name of the school I attended in Britannia, various other trivial things about me. Apparently I had been here once before, as well, though I've no memory of it, either.

[dealwithademon.livejournal.com]

I spoke with a woman once who claimed that her first advent into Somarium must have been rather boring, if she did not remember any of it.

[zerointegrity.livejournal.com]

Perhaps, but that seems highly unlikely given the nature of this place.

[dealwithademon.livejournal.com]

Indeed. It seems highly unlikely. It is my theory that perhaps, if this truly is a dream world, that may have something to do with it. Perhaps leaving here is the same as waking up, and like dreams, some are remembered, but most are forgotten.

[zerointegrity.livejournal.com]

So you're of the opinion that Somarium is nothing more than an extremely lucid dream? A lucid dream that some residents have been stuck in for upwards of three years?

[dealwithademon.livejournal.com]

Not exactly. You seem to imply that we are all sleeping. I don't think that's true, but ever since I've arrived, everyone has referred to Somarium as a "Dream World". What if this world is made of dreams, or is someone or something's dream. I can't seem to forget this figure that older residents have referred to as 'The Overlord'...

[zerointegrity.livejournal.com]

Did I imply that we were all sleeping? That certainly wasn't my intention. I do agree with the idea that we are in someone or something's dream.



Ah, yes, The Overlord. She's been relatively quiet as of late, I'm not really sure what has happened to her.