11209/Sweet Dreams Aren't Made Of These

Sweet Dreams Aren't Made Of These
Date of Scene:	18 March 2020
Location:	Wade Shaw's Condo, Claridge's, Midtown Manhattan
Synopsis:	Buffy comes by to ask Nick to take away her nightmares
Cast of Characters:	Phantasm (Drago), Buffy Summers

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Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As the evening sets in the midtown area, a now rested Nick is currently sitting on the sofa, notepad and pen in hand. With Wade pulling another late night at the studio, it's pretty quiet in there with the exception being the tv playing the news in the background.

A kettle sits on the stove, gradually heating up the water inside. Unlike when Karrin came by, there are no meds in sight and there is laundry tossed on the floor.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers had only a little trouble finding Nick's place, it's always harder to get around by public transit. But here she is, and hopefully Nick's offer to help her with her nightmares still stands. She waits outside, pressing the buzzer, a bit impatient perhaps. Having a severe hangover even, didn't make the nightmares go away. "Hey Nick, are you home?" At least she texted him ahead of time about dropping by today..

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Being that Nick's phone screen is still as busted up as it was when he showed it off at Mac's, the text message went unnoticed. The message icon in the upper screen was already on from the other unread message(s) so nothing really tipped him off.

The buzzing draws Nick's attention first, causing for him to look at the door across the condo curiously before grabbing the remote to mute the tv. Now who on earth could that be?

Hearing Buffy's voice on the other side of the door he blinks. "Uh yeah! One sec!" He states back. He grabs the back of the sofa, leveraging himself up before making his way to the door to open it.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers takes a deep breath before she steps in, remembering what happened last time she dropped by. To Nick she nods and smiles faintly, "Heya, how's it going? Hope I'm not interrupting anything..I did text ahead of time but you didn't answer, but my head's been pounding a lot lately and.." she draws in a deep breath, rubbing her eyes. Doesn't look like she's got much sleep since the last time he saw her.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
In the doorway, Nick glances down to the Slayer curiously as she gives an explanation for her being here. At the mention of texting him he gives a slow nod. "Ah. Okay that explains it."

He turns, leaving the door open for Buffy to step in should she like to but he doesn't extend an invitation. He steps to the side, looking to the kettle that is slightly krrshing but not yet whistling. "Thought I showed you how smushed up the screen on my cellphone is." He offers more in explanation, "I can get text messages but I won't be able to read them." He steps over, grabbing a mug and setting it on the counter before turning to look at Buffy in an appraising mode. He turns and grabs a second mug.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers arches a brow, and after a pause, she steps in. Well doesn't look like she stepped in the middle of...Weird stuff, and she inwardly breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh yeah? sorry, must have slipped my mind. Y'know, the last couple of days have been a crazy, insane blur.." she sighs, rubbing her temples as if she still had the echoes of last night's crazy hangover.

Although now in the condo, Buffy just kinda hangs there, uncertain if she should sit or stand or.."Sooooo is this a bad time? Y'know, I'd like to take you up on your offer of getting rid of some of my nightmares. As you can see, I'm a nervous wreck. I could do with less chaos in my life.."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Make yourself comfortable." Nick replies, walking back over to the door to close it behind Buffy, turning just the bottom lock in place, "And you're fine. Caught me on a good day." He glances to Buffy, giving a small smile before walking back over to the TV to turn it off.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers just stands there, still uncertain where to sit. "Um. Sooo, what exactly do I have to do..I mean, how does this little dream thinger work? Is it gonna hurt or..?" really, she didn't prepare for this. Should she have prepared for it?

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Hmmm.." Nick shrugs, "I think the best way to describe it is like a static shock. Or at least that's how it feels for me. It doesn't take long but before I do it, we should probably talk first."

He waves to both the sofa and to one of the kitchen chairs. "Lady's choice."

As the kettle starts whistling, the musician moves towards the kitchen, "Hot tea, cocoa, or instant coffee?"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers sighs, clearly still tired, and nods thankfully at him, flopping down on one of the sofas. At least she tries to be a lady, crossing her legs instead of looking too at home here. Honestly she seems pretty tense today, moreso than usual.

"Thanks..I'd love some cocoa honestly. Too much coffee gives me a headache and I'm soo done with headaches for a while.."

She bites her lip as she ponders how that's gonna feel. "Static shock? A quick one I hope?" she grins and shrugs, "Sure, sounds simple enough. Sooo what do I do, just sit here and close my eyes and..Zap?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick nods, pulling out two packets, ripping one open for each cup and pouring the contents in before silencing the kettle on the burner by removing it from its heated tormenter. Hidden from view of Buffy, she is treated to the sound of water pouring into each cup and the rapid stirring.

"Not enough to deter some people from wanting another treatment. But that's why I'm going to set some ground rules ahead of time."

There is a clink clink before the spoon clatters onto the counter, leaving him to plod over with two mugs of cocoa. He crouches down, handing Buffy her mug before he continues his descent to sit on the floor next to the sofa. "Ok. First off, this is not something you do on a regular basis. It's more like a temporary solution."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers is grateful for the cocoa, grabbing in her hands, letting it warm her face a little as she leans over it. "Hmm..I suppose some people might want to abuse it." heck, she'd love to use this on a more permanent basis, but alas.
"Okay, temporary solution, got it. I guess I can't expect those nightmares to stay away forever, but temporarily, it'd be nice to have a short vacation from them." she takes a couple of slow sips of her hot coca, pondering. "I suppose that's probably happened before though, huh?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Pale blue eyes look sternly to Buffy as he finishes up his spiel. "This is only so you can catch up on some much needed sleep. It will never replace talking things out with someone you can trust."

He pauses to take a sip of his own cocoa. He gives a sigh, lowering the mug to the area of floor that is walled off by his bent legs. "I'm assuming you've already been chewed out for the running off without warning part by someone else by now, so I'm going to skip that part. And yes. I've had to refuse someone before."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers arches a wary brow. "Running off without warning part..? You mean when we were rescuing Dawn and I told everyone to spread out and look for her?" she frowns, "Yeah, you can thank one of my persistent nightmares for that one. I mean..It pretty much became a waking nightmare, pulling me towards the Vampire Lord, which I THOUGHT was gonna be something I needed to do but.." she shrugs.

"Hey, at least I found out where he's keeping the others kids, although.." she's not really in a position to help them right now, with her own life in a mess and her mind a shambles. "You see, I think Armastus tried to manipulate my dreams, turn them against me. And that's uncool. It's also not typical.."

She sighs, "I really DO need sleep though..And my mind is racing, even without that nightmare playing in my head."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick nods. "Ok. Most I think this will give you is two nights without the nightmares. If they start back up, and get to be too much let me know. I could try sitting in on one of the nightmares if need be."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers arches a brow, "Waait, you can...Sit IN on one of my nightmares? I mean to be honest, I dont fully understand how your..Powers work. Are you a wizard? Like Harry or..Something else? Can you really..'sit in' on a person's dreams like that?" she shivesrs at the mere thought. It's kinda creepy, actually.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"I turn into something else," Nick answers, "Its called a phantasm. Don't really have the full gist of what it is I do. The guy who did this to me didn't really stick around to explain why. And the spells seem to be more of an accident if anything."

He lifts up his mug again carefully to take a sip before lowering it. "And, I COULD...I usually don't unless something's so screwed up I have to stop to talk the dreamer down. Or if something's going on in the waking world and they need to wake up right that second so they can help themselves."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers blinks slowly, "Umm...You turn into...Oh, like when you went all invisible and became that big bird and stuff?" honestly, she's never really seen his powers much in action, and still doesn't truly grasp them. "Wait, someone DID this to you? That's really..Terrible, I'm sorry.."

Buffy shakes her head, staring into her half-drunk cocoa cup. "Phantasm, huh, so some kinda ghostly creature thingy that you can transform into and uh..Enter people's dreams or something? Hey, I like that name.."

She takes another sip, pondering, "Okay..So let's do this then..If Armastus is invading my dreams, I definitely want him out, and maybe I can get at least a decent night's rest. Usually I dont get such intense nightmare so frequently.."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
More like a dream construct I think." Nick muses, "But most dreams are the ghosts of people's memories so I guess that works."

He takes another sip of his cocoa before he leans to the side, setting it further away from him before sitting upright once more, rubbing his hands together. "Alrighty..."

He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes as fingertips press against fingertips in prayer formation. The fingers shift, lacing together loosley while the thumbs continue to press together. The head tilts forward.

'One thing to ask
a tone demure
Raphael's flask
give me a cure.'

As the chant is uttered, there is a mild glow to his hands.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers huhs, "Is that so...Better be careful with my dreams..I got some nasty little monsters..Like real monsters, hiding in my nightmares.." she shivers at the memory.

And when it seems he's ready, she takes one last long sip of cocoa, trying to relax, peering intently at his hands, brow arched in curiosity as he utters that strange phrase.

A spell, perhaps?

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
There is a lingering pause after the four lines are uttered. the glow lingering between the two hands. Nick's face tilts up, the pale blue tint of his eyes faded to grey before one hand lifts away from each other, the light transfering to that hand with a small arch. An index finger extends, reaching over to Buffy before ploinking her between the eyes. There's a slight zap reminicent of walking by a tree that looked like a tinsel monster just puked on.

The hand lowers, the eyes darken back to pale blue but the expression to them a bit more tired in appearance than before he started. Unlike with Bean, he didn't give Buffy the benefit of him doing it for the first time with a mask on.

He smiles slightly. "That should tide you over a couple of nights."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers blinks slowly, wondering what comes next. Oh, there it is. She gasps a bit at the sudden zap. But heey, it's just a zap, right? Just like he said, static shock, only maybe a bit more intense..?

And thennn...It's over? "Umm, soooo did it work? That's it? I mean, I kinda figured it'd be a bit more complex than that.." she rubs her eyes, "Heh, guess I wont find out til tonight though, huh. Anything else I need to know?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick leans back slightly, shifting his arms behind him to keep him from falling entirely to the floor. "It's not that flashy is it?" He replies, "I didn't even realize it did anything until I wrote the second song."



He pauses, considering Buffy's question, "It SHOULD give you a couple nights of relief. But, don't count on me doing this all the time. The best thing to do for long term is to have someone to talk to about your nightmares or anything else that's bothering you. I do know of a therapist who is very discrete about powers if you need a professional. Annddd..."

He pauses, "And if the nightmares get to be a problem, let me know and I'll try and do a sit in on one."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers hehs, "Now I get it, is that why you're a musician? Guess there's magic in music too, huh. Interesting.." she nods and sighs, "thanks, maybe I can sleep now, I mean, prophetic nightmares are a fair bit different from.."

Then he casually talks about things bothering her and therapists and she frowns softly, shaking her head. "Geez, I guess it's been a rough few days ever since we rescued Dawn..Or rather, since you guys rescued her.." and she was summoned away by an uber vamp who then nearly drank her to death..

And then other more unpleasant things happenned..

"Heh, I've never really had much luck with therapists in the past, but..I suppose a referral would be nice. Do you have a business card where I can contact 'em?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Oh I was part of Silver Round before the change." Nick replies, pushing himself up off the floor. Bending down to pick up his mug, "It was a little bit after the accident when I ran into Leo."

He walks over to the desk, tugging open a drawer to pull stuff out of it. "I figure the spells are side effects along with the not aging thing. I just generally avoid writing songs about religious figures and demons just to be safe."

He pauses, looking at an old looking note sealed in a bag before frowning. Chucking it onto the desk before digging through the drawer some more, "I have his card in here somewhere..."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers blinks, "Silver Round..?" she bites her lip, but nods. "Okaay, another life, huh. And what's this about an accident?" far as she can figure, it's probably connected to his obtaining these powers, somehow, possibly?

Buffy watches him thoughtfully as he moves around, and laughs a bit nervously, "Gee, i'll bet you have really interesting dreams..That's gotta be tricky though. I'm glad you got my back, and my friends..I'm really sorry that you had to go out on a limb on my account the other day.."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"It's a band name. And it was a car accident." He doesn't give more detail beyond that, and judging from the thin set of his lips, Nick likely doesn't like to delve deep into that particular topic

After some more digging, Nick forms a smile again, as he pulls out the card. "Ah hah! One therapist." He walks over, offering it to Buffy. "He came highly recommended by my last one when he retired. I've had him for a few sessions and he's been pretty good."

He tilts his head, trying to give a reassuring smile, "And don't worry about it. It's not the first time and won't be the last I end up on a limb."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers blinks slowly. "..Oh." she decides not to probe more than that. Hey, it's a cool name but..Yeah..Probably not happy memories. She smiles and nods gratefully when the card is found and offered and with that, Buffy rises to her feet, downing the rest of her drink.

"Thank you, Nick. I really appreciate everything..Y'know, watching Thomas' back, saving my life, listening to my messed up love-life..." she sighs, shaking her head as she steps towards the door.

"Well, take care, hope to see you soon.." though probably not at the club. Buffy smiles a little sadly at the sudden realization, and quickly hurries out the door.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick watches as the door shuts on Buffy's weay out. "And sleep well."

Collecting the mugs, he carries Buffy's over to the sink to drop it in. Eh. He'll wash it later.