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Oh, does Nightmare hate you.
Ever since you befriended his brother, he's rambled on and on about you nonstop. He's sick of it! And the way you try to act all buddy buddy with him too..oh, he despises that. He definitely does not think fondly of you. Not in the slightest. And so he's decided to get rid of you. So he doesn't have to feel so confused.
Dream had left early in the morning, muttering something about meeting up with some old friends next to a waterfall. Nightmare waved him off, grinning with malice once he'd vanished. Swimming beneath the darker parts of the sea water, he began making his way to the destination he'd visited countless times: the location of your boat.
After mistakenly getting caught in one of your nets, Dream had ended up befriending you as a way for his life to be spared. And in turn the two of you grew quite close, the worry of hunting one another having long since faded. Nightmare had been dragged along with him on more than one occasion, begrudgingly making conversation with you as you stood on the deck of your boat with that charming smile.
And here you were again, standing on the edge and leaning your arms along the railing, mere inches away from falling into the water to a quick demise. You inhale the ocean air with a smile, relaxing without a care in the world. Nightmare peeks his skull out of the water momentarily, grinning madly when he spots you before quickly moving back down so he isn't spotted. Using his magic a little, he takes the form of his brother. You're more trusting when it comes to him..perfect for his plan.
He pops his skull out of the water, smiling brightly just as his brother always does when he sees you. You look over and wave, turning more to face him directly.
"Dream, hey! Good to see you!" You smile, blissfully unaware of his true identity as you slide to sit on the other side of the railing to kick your legs back and forth. Nightmare's eyesockets narrow briefly as he pushes himself up onto a rock, 'Dream's yellow scales glowing brightly once the sun makes contact with his body. Though not as bright as usual..
"Hi there!" He mimics his brother's voice perfectly, having practiced for the occasion. "How are you today, friend?" He rests his arms on top of the rock, Dream's tail swishing back and forth in the water in place of Nightmare's usual tentacles.
You raise a brow slightly, but your smile doesn't falter as you rest your arms in your lap.
"Good, I suppose. Had to run from some sharks earlier so that sucked, I like the skeleton sharks a bit more. Just get 'em to play cards with you and they'll let you pass." You shrug, taking a card deck out of a satchel and waving it around before you finish your sentence, putting it away again. "What about you, Dream? Anything exciting this morning?" You raise your hands, resting your chin between them.
He rests his cheek on one of his hands, pretending to think and letting out a hum. He taps his fingers against the rock for a moment in a rhythmic pattern.
"Hmm, well..I can't say anything too interesting happened..not until I ran into you, of course!" He smiles cheerfully, watching as you let out a chuckle or two.
"Really? That's strange..usually you have lots to talk about during the morning. Lazy day today?" You kick your legs, looking down at him curiously. Observing.
"Yeah..just a bit slow!" He lowers his arms. "But now that I've found you I'm sure it'll get so much more fun! ..Say..why don't you come down here and swim with me for a bit? Just the two of us?" His spell begins seeping into his impersonation of Dream's voice, his eyes faintly glowing with magic. He holds out his arms out towards you, open and inviting.
You pause for a moment, hearing a slight difference in his tone. Familiarity overtakes you, and you narrow your eyes at him. ..Why is he using his magic? You'd happily go, and he already knows that it doesn't..
You glance over his demeanor again. Well mannered body language, slightly narrowed eyesockets in contrast to his usually wide open ones. Slightly dimmer than usual..
Oh, so that's what this is.
You smile, deciding you'll mess around a little. "Oh, I dunno Dream..I'm awfully scared of the water! What if another shark comes by?" You shrug, smiling apologetically. Nightmare's browbone twitches, but he keeps up his act.
"Don't you worry, I'll keep you safe! I know the sea like the back of my hand, so I can keep you out of harm's way!" He wonders silently why his spell isn't working, sliding off the rock and swimming over, reaching up to grab your legs. But before he can, you swing them back up over the railing, now standing on it to look down at him. His hands twitch at the absence of your legs, but his smile doesn't falter as he moves back a bit.
"I'm sure you could.. but I just don't know!" You drape your arm over your forehead dramatically, earning a very brief deadpan from the siren beneath you. "I think it might be a little better if we stay right here..y'know?" You smile.
"Aww, don't you trust me?" He presses a hand to his ribcage. "We don't have to go far, just jump in the water with me right here! We can swim around your boat. C'mon, just join me!" He splashes a little water your way, making you jolt a bit. You nearly fall, but balance yourself quickly.
"Why don't you come up here, Dream? You can jump this high, you've done it lots of times. We can talk here on the railing. And maybe I could jump down with you from here!" You crouch, patting the rail below you. Nightmare pauses a moment, thinking before smiling again and pushing himself upwards to lean against it. You slide off the rail, standing in front of him and resting your hands at his sides. Quite close..
"..Okay, I'm here. So..jump with me." He finds himself staring into your eyes, beads of magic sweat forming on his skull as the exhaustion of holding this form accurately begins taking a toll on him. Why isn't his spell working? There's nothing blocking your ears, you should've obeyed the first time.
You trail your hand along his jawline, making him shiver. Lifting his chin, you give him a sly smile. He freezes, eyesockets widening a bit. His hands lay suspended midair, twitching a bit.
"Hi, Night. Y'know, if you wanted to see me so badly you could've just said so..I wouldn't mind, big guy." You grin, your face slightly darkening. A bright shade of green crosses what's supposed to be Dream's skull, as the illusion finally drops. Nightmare's true form finally manifests before you, an irritated (but also flushed) expression on his face.
"How? My trick was perfect, I don't understand." He furrows his browbones, narrowing his eyesockets. You let out a chuckle, replying softly.
"I'm immune to siren calls, Nightmare. Dream tried it on me to see what would happen a while ago..nothing. Nice try, though."
"..You know, I could just as easily pull you into the water right now and devour you." He glares at you as he speaks, and yet he doesn't shy away from your touch in the slightest..you narrow your eyes, reading him like a book.
"But you won't..you like me too much for that, don't you?" You smile as you tease him, watching as his face glows a little brighter. "Admit it to yourself..you don't hate me one bit. In fact, it's the opposite..isn't it?"
"You're a fool." He begins to back away, but you put your hand over one of his.
"But I could be your fool..if you want me to." You raise your brows, earning a scoff from him as he moves away. You shift your arms, resting your cheek against one of your hands.
"Don't be ridiculous. I loathe you. I want you gone." He crosses his arms, tentacles writhing about beneath him as he leans against the railing, the only thing keeping him in the air.
"Yeah..and I'm half mermaid." You let out a little laugh, earning a light shove from him. Falling over, you kick your legs a bit before pushing yourself back up. "Admit it! You liiiike meee.." There's a hint of a sing-song tone to your voice, making his browbones twitch.
"In your dreams." He averts his eyelight, ignoring his still-pounding heart.
"I heard my name?"
Dream's voice startles you both, his bright and cheery smile ever present as he sits on the rock Nightmare had just been lying on.
"Hi Dream!" You wave down at him, earning a very enthusiastic wave in return. "I was just talking to Nightmare."
He gasps, putting his hands on his cheeks. "Night, you came to visit them on your own! That's awesome! Such progress!"
He puts his hand against his forehead, groaning into it. "Stop bringing it up.."
You give his shoulder a nudge, smiling smugly as he lets out an annoyed sigh. As you turn your focus back to Dream to hold an energetic conversation, he smiles a bit in the corner of your vision.