"Who's there?" Reala yelled out into the darkness.
"Sorry. Sorry." A boy stepped out from behind the walls of the entrance at the Dream Gate. The lanky teenager had dark hair that was trimmed almost to his scalp. His white T-shirt had a homemade silkscreen logo done in black ink, his jeans had holes where the knee were, the majority of his tennis shoes were covered in hand-stitched patches: This kid was punk. He pointed at Nights. "Just that girl there was saying some rather cheesy lines and I couldn't help but laugh."
"Nights is not a girl," Reala corrected the Visitor.
"She's not? I mean, he's not? I just saw the pink and purple..."
"What's wrong with my colors?" Nights teased. "Also," Nights put on her best Owl impression, "all inhabitants of the Night Dimension don't have a specific gender." Nights voice went back to normal. "I'm only called a 'she' because it fits English grammar." In an aside, Nights commented on the lazy author being the main reason.
"Ah, like how some people call cars their 'girls'"
"You could say that," Nights said not sure how to take being compared to an automobile.
"So," the boy turned his attention back to Reala, "does that mean you're a 'she' too. You got quite a gruff voice."
Reala narrowed his eyes at the boy. "Let me put it to you this way: I want nothing to do with something that is referred to as the 'weaker sex'."
"Ooo, touchy. I know some girls who'd be quite offended by those words. You know; all of them."
"Ooo, I'm so worried."
The boy rolled his eyes as he approached the two. "Have to say, now that I've gotten a closer look at you, it's a bit hard to think of you as masculine. Is that a pink manicure?" The boy then pointed to Reala's mouth. "And that lipstick there, whoa!" The boy pulled his finger back fast enough before Reala took a chomp out of it.
"Careful," Nights said. "He bites."
"Ha, little too late for that warning wouldn't you say?" He winked at Nights.
She chuckled at the gesture. "So, how long have you've been eavesdropping?"
"Oh, when you were talking about this Wizeman fellow who gave you trouble, you giving him the ax, and the sappy dialogue where I came in. So, you keeping this one held up like this till he agrees to stop bothering you?"
Nights hadn't really thought about it, but now she did wished her plan would go that way. "Not exactly, Reala has my friends captured." She gestured over to them. "And the only people who can release them are Reala here," Nights gave the boy a sly look, "or a Visitor with an Ideya."
"Ideya? What's that?"
"The light in your heart manifested. Most Visitors lose all five of their Ideyas on the way here."
"Ah, so I might have the means to free your friends." The boy looked back at Reala. "No wonder this one looks so apprehensive."
Reala had to think fast. "Don't trust Nights, Visitor. Nights is an evil Nightmaren and you'll only be causing trouble for yourself by releasing those two."
The boy looked unimpressed. "Hmm, since Nights and you have the same shaped head, I suspect you're both 'evil Nightmarens'. Not to mention Nights said she wanted to protect beautiful dreams." The boy wagged his finger in the air. "I'm gonna believe her word over someone who tried to hurt me." Reala snarled at him and looked away. "So, Nights, you said there are five types of Ideya and if I got one I can free your friends?"
"Yes."
"Are your friends in any danger in those...things?" he asked.
Nights shook her head. "No. I've been Captures before and they don't harm you."
"Splendid. Tell me would you rather Reala let them out himself?"
Nights looked down at the scowling Reala. The Visitor freeing her friends would only be a temporary solution. If they could appeal to Reala to have a change of heart not only would conditions around the Dream Gate improve drastically, but Reala could start finding happiness. Nights nodded her head.
"Great! Now first question. Nights you said you have friends as in plural. All I see is that owl in that hamster cage."
"That's Owl. My other friend in locked in those chains hanging over there. She's an invisible creature."
The boy looked back over with a perplexed look. "No joke? I've got to check that out," he said as he walked over to where she was and poked her.
"Ow."
"Huh!" he exclaimed as he kept poking. "She really is invisible."
"Mm! Now stop poking me!"
The boy laughed as he walked back over to Nights and Reala. "So, their names are really Owl and the invisible creature?"
"Yes." Nights nodded. "The invisible creature is a bit dense,"
"Hey..."
"but she's very kind."
"Mm."
Nights smiled. "Now Owl can tell you all you need to know about the Night Dimension. He will too if you let him."
"'Him'? I thought you didn't have genders?" The boy brought up. He checked back over to where Owl was. "Actually, he dresses like my grandpa, so I can see why you would call him a 'he'. Anyway, I'm Ethan."
"A pleasure to meet you, Ethan," Nights said.
"Likewise," Ethan said as he turned back to Reala. "You got this vendetta with Nights for offing this Wizeman person?"
"Again, I enjoy how casual everyone is regarding the loss of my Master," Reala said.
"What did ya like about him?"
The question caught Reala off guard and he had to think.
"Ya see, if you can't think of anything..."
"Ethan. Sometimes you don't need a reason to like someone," Nights interjected. "I liked Wizeman once."
"Ha!" Reala mocked. "What lies you tell, Nights!"
"It's true, Reala. He created me and I did had some fondness because of that."
"Hmm." Ethan went. "And even though you were fond of him you left him because he destroyed dreams?"
Nights' eyes looked off to the side. "No," she said softly.
"No?" Ethan asked.
Nights nodded. "I don't like being ordered around." Nights closed her eyes revisiting her memories. "Wizeman would harshly issue command after command and without any appreciation for what any of us did." She looked back up. "One day, I got fed up and never returned. I've been free ever since."
"Wow," Ethan said.
Reala laughed. "Yes, Nights couldn't handle responsibility and left to go play like a little child without a care in the world. Yes, that's very noble of you, Nights."
"Argh!" Nights groaned. "You don't understand. You've never understood."
"Oh, but I do understand, Nights. I understand how only a mature person such as myself can do their job while you lazily float around."
"That's it! You and me. One on..." Nights stopped herself. She had to keep her temper in check. "You won't goad into a fight that easy."
"Please, like it ever took much to rouse you. You're much too sensitive. Heh, heh. Perhaps I will be like these others and address you with feminine pronouns for your emotional self." Reala started laughing but soon found the hold on him tightening. This time it was in animosity. "Foul!" he managed to choke out. Nights stopped throttling him and the two of them started yelling at the other.
Ethan stood there realizing he had bitten off more than he could chew. Back in his hometown he could find a solution to almost everyone's problems and when he couldn't, he'd find a compromise: Violence. Perhaps he should let these two clean each other's clocks before they would listen to how the other felt.
"Right then." He walked over to barrier bubble that encased Owl. The two Nightmarens, wrapped up in their own quarrel, didn't even notice. "How does this work?" Ethan asked looking at the barrier. "Light in your heart manifested..." Ethan tried to think the problem through but the yelling drowned out his thoughts. Ethan wondered if it was always like this with those two. Owl must have understood the expression on Ethan's face and nodded. The two Nightmarens continued to scream.
"All I've done has been for Master Wizeman and in one evening you take it all away, Nights. Because of you it's been for naught!"
"Please, did you honestly expect Wizeman to reward your loyalty? He abused us! Even when we did what was asked he still kept us in fear!"
Upon hearing this, Ethan knew how to help the two of them and he surveyed the Dream Gate. "Benches, probably nailed down. Tree branch? No, that's not enough. Strange. There's light here in the center but no lampposts." Ethan shook his head and looked up the trunk of a tree. "Guess I'll have to settle for a tree branch," he mumbled as he prepared himself to climb up the tree until something else caught his eye. "Hello. Why didn't I see you before?"
As Ethan acquired what he saw, Reala and Nights kept arguing. "Serving him should have been the greatest purpose in our lives, but you couldn't even do that!"
"Really? Then let's get back to the others who served him. Tell me again what happened to them?
"They failed Wizeman and accepted their fates."
"Would you have accepted your fate? If I had lost to Wizeman, do you think he would have looked kindly on you not being able to stop me? No, he wouldn't. You know he wouldn't because you failed, Reala!"
Reala started to contest Nights' statement, but he couldn't find any words.
"Reala..." Nights said gently. "It's okay." Reala didn't reply. "You don't have to be afraid. Wizeman is gone."
"It's all your fault..."
"Reala, don't..."
"It's all your fault, Nights!"
"Sheesh, Reala's a jerk. Nights, hold him still for me," Ethan requested.
"Huh?" Nights looked back up to see Ethan lifting an item that made her gasp: One of Owl's perching posts. "Stop! What are you doing and more importantly how are you able to lift that?"
"It's heavy, but I got it," Ethan strained out as he lifted the stake that was bigger than himself.
"You're not going to hit me with that are you, Ethan?"
"Not you, Nights, just that prick you got there."
"Ethan! If I wanted to pummel Reala, I could have done that myself."
"Ah! Too heavy!" Ethan cried out as he let the staff descend towards Reala's head. Nights quickly rolled out of the way.
"Come on, Nights, why are you protecting that miserable crank?"
"Ethan, you can't pick a fight with someone who can't fight back. That's not fair."
"Don't let him go, Nights. I don't know if I got one of those Ideyas to free your friends there," Ethan told Nights as he prepared to swing the staff again.
"Oh no, you don't!" Before Ethan could deliver the blow, Nights started bouncing her body like a basketball and soon bounced high into the branches of a tree.
"Ethan, stop trying to hurt Reala."
"I bloody well can't with you protecting him like that. That's some compassion you got there to look after someone who has your friends locked up. Why so nice to him?"
"It's just..."
"I know what you're up to, Visitor," Reala spoke up. "It's not going to work."
"Of course not, Reala. I won't let you get hurt while you're like this."
"Not that, you dim-witted fool."
"What...?" Nights asked.
"Oh, poor little susceptible Nights." Reala scornfully teased. "The Visitor hopes that by you protecting me I'll become filled with warm fuzzy feelings," his voice dipped with contempt, "and I'll rethink the way I feel about you."
Nights couldn't say anything. She turned her head towards Ethan and saw his irked expression; Reala had guessed his plan.
"Yeah..." Ethan rested the head of the staff to the ground. "So, he figured out that plan. God, what a manipulative bastard he must be to figure that out!" He shook his head frustrated. "Hey! We can always beat him up. After all, he doesn't appreciate you protecting him."
Nights looked down at Ethan and smiled.
To be continued.
