Researching Sleep (Open)

[Fae NPC]

A researching firm had been built to research on sleep deprivation in California. But really it was for faeries testing out new methods of dream weaving, methods that may only require only a few faeries to weave dreams. This was because of the fear of war that loomed over their heads with Hell and the possibility of one with Exile and the Queen wanted as many of her people back just in case they had to be recruited.

This firm started placing ads everywhere for their clinical study, ads that state that they were looking to help those that hard time sleeping at night. The research team, posed as humans, willing to help them with a drug that they were testing. A drug with magical properties that helped with weaving dreams. But it had to be done in small doses so that it couldn't be detected but also worked so that it would be approve by the humans government.

All they could was wait now was for sleep deprived people.

[Uindo Margret]

She thought that it would be a good idea to try it, hell, anything was worth a try when it came to sleep. Keeping up the Devil Saint's place of a business, while very fulfilling, was tiresome with her being the only person that was gifted enough to work on everything in the building. She tried everything; from sleep aids;to hypnoses;to tiring herself out in any way possible, there was no way she could get any sleep. It wasn't till she had an accident that involved oil, some of the few paper records that the Devil Saints had and someone's lighter that she knew something had to be done. Maggie soon lost hope...


But when Maggie took hold of the AD she just happen to glance at in the cafe` she escape to for energy drinks, she couldn't feel but hope that it might work. The young woman didn't know why but she had a feeling it might work. Plus it was a trip to California, a place with sun and warmth. Taking the first flight out there was easy, it was finding the place that was hard. Sure, she could have used the Devil Saints computer to make a GPS map to get there but right now she was just a normal human looking for some sleep.

After what seemed like hours to get to the building, she was inside. It was a nice size place with the lights bright in every hallway. It seem like she was the first one for the study, it was empty. Not one person.

"Hello," Maggie called out loudly, "I'm here for the Sleep Study. Hello!?"

[Fae NPC]

A faerie, disguised as one a mortal running the place enter the room from around the corner. He had just got done going over how the test was going be with his employees who were also faeries disguised as humans.


"Yes, sorry about that, I was going over some things with my fellow employees to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible with the study. If you would follow me to the next room please."

He turned down the same hallway he had came from and opened a door where there was a long desk with chairs neatly tucked under it on each side. In front of each chair there was a packet and a pen which was also neatly arranged. "Please have a seat and fill out our questionnaire for our benefit of knowing who you are, sleeping habits and health issues. Someone would be in shortly to take the completed packet, give you instructions what you need to do next and answer any questions that you might have."

He walked off down the hallway before she could say anything.

[Uindo Margret]

Maggie followed the man that was in the clean cut suit to the room. She didn't even hear his foot steps when he appeared. She was sure it was nothing to worry about, this was just a sleep study, right?

Sitting down where the man pointed out. She began the questionnaire not knowing that the suit guy, a name that she came up with for him, left the room again. The questions were straight forward and she only had to truthfully lie about her job (mechanic). Everything else was the truth. She put into detail her sleeping habits and, because she doesn't have any health problems, just said none on the lines and bubbles.

Although there were people in the room with her, she couldn't help but feel like she didn't belong in the room.

They seem, Maggie thought, well jointed... But the Devil Saint Member shook her head.

"I really need to get out more often..." she said out loud as she waited for who ever was going to take her through the next step.

[Sutemi Ichigo]

Ichigo walked up the stairs to his apartment and unlocked the door. He went inside and shut the door locking it. It was very late out and he was tired from his stress filled day. He hid Myakuhaku in its place and then changed into something sleep-able and laid in bed trying to sleep. He soon did and began to remember his home - his origin but as a nightmare. Tenmeigakure was his home and he missed it so badly.

It was a bright evening as Ichigo walked through his home taking in what he remembered of it. It was the same and nothing changed. But something was off, very off. Ichigo walked with Myakuhaku on his back. The skies were becoming dark and he could feel tremors from the ground. Jumping he created foot holds of sound and looked around as he was in the air. Out of the ground came the same strange monstrosity from a week before.



Ichigo stepped back, 'Not again!' he thought to himself and pulled out Myakuhaku but before he could act the village went in flames and he stumbled back, "No! My home!!" he screamed and jumped down. What was going on? The creature disappeared as well. He then saw odd figures and things, he ran at them but was swallowed by darkness as he jolted awake.

Ichigo sat bolt upright and looked to the clock on the bed stand and cursed. 1:30am. He slid out of bed and got dressed. He was shaking from the nightmare. He looked through his wallet and sighed. He went out of his room and went down the hall. He came to the lobby and saw an AD for sleep deprivation and sighed, but took a step forward and read it again He then left the place and went to find a way there.

:+:

Soon after who knows how long Ichigo arrived in CA with a sigh. He then looked around and saw someone he could ask, "Know where this is?" he asked showing the person the AD he was directed there and walked all the way there. When he finally go there his feet ached. He then looked around as he went inside. What was next? He then began to search around. He'd never left Japan before.

[Fae NPC]

The same man before, had walked back into the lobby and saw yet another person for the research. He was quite pleased to see that they were getting responses to the ad that was put up. The man approached him with a smile. "Hello, you're here for our clinical study for a new drug to help with sleeping are you? Come right this way." He lead the orange haired guy to the same room where the he just took the woman. "Please have a seat and fill out our questionnaire."

A woman wearing a navy dress suit with red wavy hair came in behind them, carrying a folder. She too was a fae posed as a human. She had a perky smile and her blue eyes seemed to sparkle with the same perkiness. "I can take it from here." She told the guy in the suit, and walked to the front of the room. "Hello everyone, I'm Cynthia. I here to answer any questions you might have and to assist you. I'll be also going over each completed packet to see if you guys qualify for this study. As you all know by now, you'll be testing a new sleeping pill to see if it'll help you off to dream world. Now if anyone is done filling out their packet, hand it here so I can go over them."

[Uindo Margret]

As soon as Maggie was done with her questionnaire and before she even had to look for someone to tell them she was done, the room was occupied again with the main in the suit and a woman named Cynthia who fit her name very well. She was surprised to see one other body in the room as well, the newbie Ichigo.

But now it was time for questions and Maggie had a few of them.

"Hi, I'm Margret," she spoke clearly, "I have a few things to ask. First, are there any side effects to what ever you might be doing to us and how long are the effects?"

[Sutemi Ichigo]

"Hello, you're here for our clinical study for a new drug to help with sleeping are you? Come right this way."

"Yeah I am here for the thing." Ichigo looked to the man as he showed him into the next room. When he came in he saw that one odd employee from the D.S. group and then sat down as the new woman spoke.

"Hello everyone, I'm Cynthia. I here to answer any questions you might have and to assist you. I'll be also going over each completed packet to see if you guys qualify for this study. As you all know by now, you'll be testing a new sleeping pill to see if it'll help you off to dream world. Now if anyone is done filling out their packet, hand it here so I can go over them."

He took what he was given and looked it over and began to answer things as the girl by him asked a question.

"Hi, I'm Margret," she said to Cynthia, "I have a few things to ask. First, are there any side effects to what ever you might be doing to us and how long are the effects?"

Ichigo began to fill it out and when he was done he waited. He never had been in a place like this before.

[Fae NPC]

The guy in the suit made his way out of the room before Cynthia made any thought of what the side effects would be. She knew that the was nothing but a placebo wrapped up in dream magic to help sleep so it could start weaving dreams so that there would be more energy for their realm. There shouldn't be any side effects towards humans but if they weren't then they might have issues with their magic or their characteristic make up making the drug ineffective. "So far we're only expecting drowsiness in the morning, problems breathing, and feeling irritable. There also may be a rare chance where the drug would be ineffective even to the point where it would cause insomnia. But I assure you that should only happen to a small percentage of people."

She went over and grabbed the packets that were filled out and stood there before the two as she looked them over. There weren't any health issues that were needed to worry about and their sleeping behaviors, or lack of them seem to fit them in this test. She put the packets in their own folders and smiled to them. "Well it seems you guys are ready, let me show you to your rooms."

She walked out and lead them down further down the hallway before turning into one where the guy in the suit was talking to a person in a lab coat who was a fae in disguise. He was going over the procedure with the guy and telling him to make sure that the testers were comfortable. She made her way past them both and point to two rooms right next to each other. "Maggie, you can have this room here, and..."She looked at her file on the guy, "Ichigo, yours is there."

She opened up the first room and started to point out stuff that was set up to look like most bedrooms for comfort. "In each room you would find a nice comfy twin size bed, a little radio on the bedside table, a desk and a TV on the wall. You'll find that the remote control for the TV is on the table by the bed. There is also a call button on there if you need anything. There is water on the desk and right next to that the pill you will be taking in the cup. Each room has their own small bathroom, there will find a night gown neatly folded up on the sink if you choose to wear them to feel comfortable. I have to warn you though, they resemble something your grandparents would wear." She smiled and made a slight giggle before gesturing towards the large mirror over the desk, "That is where will be monitoring you while you sleep behind the one-way mirror.

"Is there anything else that you might need before the testing begin? Any questions?"

[Todd Langtry]

Todd picked that moment to make his presence known, leaning out from behind his own partition where he'd arrived earlier at the sound of a female voice in an apparent position of authority. The glass and pill remained untouched at his desk.

"...just one."

Technically, that was incorrect.

-Is your name really Hello Nurse?

-I've been feeling a little off lately. Care to turn me on?

-Are you accepting applications for your fan club?

In hindsight, maybe that hadn't been such a good idea. Getting kicked out before he had the chance to conduct interviews, or take part in the study and collect on his cash, for that matter, didn't sound like very good assignment material.

Either way, he'd gone and put his foot in it now... his mind fumbled through a few more harmless alternatives to the questions he'd been planning at first, and eventually settled for raising his hand to point at the TV.

"Uh... does this thing have cable?"

[Uindo Margret]

Maggie had to laugh at the man's question when she finally caught up with the "group" down the hall. She looked at the room, all nice and neat for them to sleep in and feeling like she had just came home to her mother's home cook meals and her father's stories of work. It felt normal to her, back to the days when all she was normal.

Now she is single only capable person to work on a company that people hear as a Ghost Story. Normal had become the new strange for her.

"That is a good question," Maggie spoke as she entered her room, spinning in place and survey the room she would be sleeping in. It all looked normal to her --- No gas chambers, no evil back doors or straps on the bed to keep her from some unknown truth. This was just a normal room for Sleep. "I do fancy watching the telly before I head to bed and I would like to watch something other than the news." She finally stop spinning, taking a seat on the bed she would be sleeping for the next....

She realized that she didn't know how long she would be here. That would have been something to ask .

"One more question, how long are we going to be here. I have a job and I'm sure these fine young men have jobs as well that don't let time off for anything these days?"

[Fae NPC]

"Just basic cable, nothing too fancy." She replied to the guy who appeared from another room. They figured that people have different ways of falling asleep, some prefer a quiet room while other like to have noise in the back ground. "If any of you want something more quieter to do before going to sleep, there is a magazine or a book in the bedside table. I'm not sure what kind of book or magazine there are since someone else stocked the room.

"As for your question miss, you'll only be sleeping as long as you like up to 8 hours. Anything more than that, then we'll have to politely wake you. However it is a week long test, you'll come back here tomorrow around the same time to continue the test if there are no issues with today test. Is there anything else?" She smiled cheerfully.

[Sutemi Ichigo]

Ichigo was worried on the side affects as well, mainly if they screwed up with his gift. He then stood up, mainly becuase he'd been sitting enough already and was not wanting to sit much. He then looked over to the man as he left and then to the woman who was answereing Margret's question.

"So far we're only expecting drowsiness in the morning, problems breathing, and feeling irritable. There also may be a rare chance where the drug would be ineffective even to the point where it would cause insomnia. But I assure you that should only happen to a small percentage of people."
"Well it seems you guys are ready, let me show you to your rooms."

He decided to be quiet for a while, that way he could clear his head of the nightmare about his home. He did feel bad about leaving his book though. If he was going to be here in CA he should have at least brought the music manual and the makeshift quitar that was too quiet so he could practice alittle. He followed the woman to their rooms and hummed quietly.

"Maggie, you can have this room here, and..."She then looked at the paper he filled out and spoke to him about his room, "Ichigo, yours is there."

"In each room you would find a nice comfy twin size bed, a little radio on the bedside table, a desk and a TV on the wall. You'll find that the remote control for the TV is on the table by the bed. There is also a call button on there if you need anything. There is water on the desk and right next to that the pill you will be taking in the cup. Each room has their own small bathroom, there will find a night gown neatly folded up on the sink if you choose to wear them to feel comfortable. I have to warn you though, they resemble something your grandparents would wear."

Ichigo listened intently but when she spoke of the tv, he sighed deeply, "I don't watch tv - normaly I just play my guitar in my room, back where I'm from." he said with a shrug. However what she said next made him feel weird.

"That is where will be monitoring you while you sleep behind the one-way mirror."
"Is there anything else that you might need before the testing begin? Any questions?"

He ignored her and went in his room and sat on the bed, it was more comfterable than his bed probably. He looked around the room and half smiled. It was alot better than what he lived in but without his sword - it only felt like half of his home. However the silence was broken and he stepped out his his room and glanced.

"...just one."
"Uh... does this thing have cable?"

Ichigo looked at the guy and then to the woman. He honestly didn't care for the cable just the radio. He then remembered the mirrror. If he was going to be here, he could practice any of his gift of Sound.

"That is a good question," said Maggie as she was now in her room surverying it probably, "I do fancy watching the telly before I head to bed and I would like to watch something other than the news." she continued on. Then she asked the question he should have earlier.

"One more question, how long are we going to be here. I have a job and I'm sure these fine young men have jobs as well that don't let time off for anything these days?"

He was curious now, one he was with the D.S now and well honestly he didn't know what days he'd be able to be away and he didn't want to be too long on this.

He ignored the answer for the cable but listened for what Maggie's question's answer.

"As for your question miss, you'll only be sleeping as long as you like up to 8 hours. Anything more than that, then we'll have to politely wake you. However it is a week long test, you'll come back here tomorrow around the same time to continue the test if there are no issues with today test. Is there anything else?" She smiled. Ichigo sighed, a week in a place he didn't know well was going to be killer, "One question from me," Ichigo started curiously, "I am not accustomed to the area, is there a map I could borrow so I can explore a little tomorow?" he knew it had nothing to do with it but he did want to explore since he was there.

[Fae NPC]

She didn't think that there would be people from out of town to come just for this test. She frowned, thinking that this guy was probably here because wanted to some free vacation. However, she considered that he could be valuable for the test so that they could also study the effectiveness of the drug on people who suffer from jetlag. "I can see that we can have someone provide some sort of information for you. By the time you awake I'll have a map and maybe some recommendations of places around here."

She had other things that needed to be done, like giving their files to people observing them while they slept and she didn't feel like being all day just to answer questions. "If there is anything else, you can call by using the call button on the remote. I'll leave you guys to sleep now." She walked off down the hallway and disappeared around the corner so that go to the room on the other side.

There were more faeries in the room on the other side of the mirror passing time talking about nothing. They were in their lab coats but they allowed their wings to stretch out since there weren't going to be any humans to see them. They were handed the files on the test subjects and casually tossed them on the table to continued their conversation once Cynthia had left the room.

"I'm gonna have a feeling that i'm going to hate this part of the job. I liked weaving dreams the old fashion way." One of the guys said with curly brown hair.

The other guy who also had brown hair but it was cut closely to his head, took out a cigarette to smoke. After he lit it and took a drag he replied to his coworker, "You think we can pass the time by having a little fun with doll face there?" He pointed towards another fae in the room with long black hair and was busy with looking for their checklist for the study. She looked up at them with an angry look on her face.

"You guys are jerks."

[Todd Langtry]

That had been a rather brilliant recovery, even if he did say so himself. He thought about pressing the issue a little further, just to set the record straight that he really was talking about the lack of cable and not Ms Nurse's redheaded twin sister -

The ginger guy managed to get the next question in, and question time ran out almost as soon as La Belle Dame Sans Clothing in a Few Minutes if Todd had his Way was done fielding it.

...maybe that was for the best. If he was going to keep switching back to his default track, even in his head, there was no telling what his mouth would get up to if it really got going...

As it were, he could think of a few things he'd like to do with Damn it, Todd, head out of the gutter before you really screw this up!

"Oh, well..." he said to no one in particular with a nonchalant shrug. "Life wouldn't be this fun if it came pre-packaged with everything."

He retreated to his partition and made for the remote.

[Fae NPC]

The woman in the observation room with the two guys continued looking through the drawers for the checklist. The guys on the other didn't offer their help and instead watched her as she was bending over, perusing through the drawers. The guy with the cigarette formed a smile on his face as he smoked from cigarette before saying, "Maybe you should look in the back of the bottom drawer, it might be there."

The woman closed the drawer she was in and opened up the bottom one to look through it. "I don't see it, its not here."

"Look harder, I'm sure it has to be there, whatever you're looking for." He tapped the ashes from his cigarette into a Styrofoam cup before returning it to his mouth.

She immediately stood up in anger, "You mean to tell me you don't know what I'm looking for. I bet you just said that so that the two of you can have a good look at my ass, you sick freaks!"

"Now, now, Jessie, there is no need to make accusations like that. I know that you're looking for that stupid checklist for us that marked off the stuff that we observe. I just thought it was in that drawer. You know, I think it might have fallen off the table over there. You should check if its under that table." He pointed with the cigarette and smile was plastered on his face again.

Jessie got on her knees and found the checklist neatly tucked away under the table. She snatched it up and angrily got up. "You are the worst person in the world I hope you know that."

"Hey quiet you two, the subjects are starting to enter the room. It time we get serious now." The other guy spoke up now.

"I wonder if the chick sleeps naked" Cigarette guy said before getting slapped upside his head by Jessie.

"There is no chance in hell a woman would do that knowing that there are people watching." Jessie said with her arms crossed.

[Todd Langtry]

...boring.

...boring.

...boring again.

...Holy fucking shit! Where the hell did that chainsaw come from?

After the second death by chainsaw, Todd remembered that he wasn't supposed to be giving his mind excuses to stay awake. He whipped out a notebook and pen, took down the date, time and channel number, and made a note to find a way to get everyone else out of his dorm so he could have the TV to himself.

Then it was back to their regularly scheduled boring.

...boring.

...That was a kids' show? That was a kids' show?

...Seriously?

He changed the channel with a shudder.

If I were a show that put people to sleep without making them wish they were dead, which channel would I be on?

Twelve channels later, including a news station re-running the footage of downtown Sydney shortly after being wrecked by what must have been the mother of all parties, shame he wasn't invited, Todd had found two more shows to kill blood-and-gore-free afternoons with, but had given up on the television and its basic cable.

No point putting it off any further. He leaned back, downed the pill with the cup of water, and waited for something to happen.

Ten minutes later, when it didn't, he had taken to fiddling with the rubik's cube on the end of his keychain. Not that he could ever figure out the thing, it toed the line between fun and mind-numbing well enough to help the sleeping pill along.

Though personally, I blame the chainsaw girl...

[Sutemi Ichigo]

Ichigo sat on the bed and sighed, what was he to do - he didn't want to sleep at all. The previous night's dream still bugged him, "Maybe I should talk to him about that dream…" he thought and then turned the radio on low. Taking the tabllet he inhaled it as fast as he could and leaned back on the bed and began to sleep. His mind as he slept sorted through the two incidents. First one that really happened, and the other from the dream. He knew it meant something but what exactly?

Despite the pill he woke up and sat upright and glared, "Aw what the heck…" and got on his hands and knees by his bed and began to do pushups. Maybe this would put him to sleep better if he was sore and tired. It worked around fifty and he rolled over yawning. Sitting up he crawled on the bed and closed his eyes. Sleep came to him instantly but not a good one. The dream happened again. But this time different.

Instead of the village he was in the sky viewing it and saw it over again. Sitting straight up wide eyed he growled at himself, "What the hell do these damn dreams meen... When I get back I am asking him." he muttered and looked to the ceiling before falling back on the bed awake.

[Fae NPC]

The smoker watched as the humans laid in their beds but it seemed like they weren't falling asleep. "What the fuck? It seems like these humans are doing everything but sleeping. No wonder they're having a hard time sleeping."

"They are probably doing things that they do before they go to bed out of habit, Leon. Look see, one of them is taking the pill now." Jessie said as the red hair guy took in the tablet before laying down. Not too long after that he was sleeping and there was a little bit of dream energy coming from him.

However he didn't sleep for long and woke up with a glare on his face. Jessie took note that he was definitely having problems sleeping despite taking the drug. Although he seemed fine after he did some exercises and the dream dream energies started to come off of him again. That about the same time the other guy for the study decided to take the pill before trying to go to sleep. He started to play with some toy on a key chain something that Jessie thought was a way to bore himself to sleep.

After they continued to study the subject's, George noticed that one of the subjects woke up again. "You think that maybe he needs a higher dosage?"

"I don't think so. He could be having terrible nightmares that are preventing him from sleeping well." Jessie replied while she watched the poor lay awake in his bed. He seemed to be talking to himself but she figured that he was probably cursing himself or the drug for not working.

"We might have to change the dream weaving properties to ensure that the subjects get good dreams so they could sleep peacefully." The other guy said as he was doodling on some scrap sheet of paper of the girl subject.

[Uindo Margret]

Maggie tried to sleep, she really did, but her eyes just wouldn't closed. She took the pill just like it said on the package but it wasn't working like she wanted to. Maggie started to reach for the remote but quickly retracted her hand back to her chest. If just lying her bed waiting for sleep to arrive wasn't working, what was the point of turning on the TV?

"You would have thought that these people would have known this was going to happen..." she said to herself in the empty room. "I wonder if they know if I'm still awake..."

Rolling out of her bed and sitting up right on the edge of it, Maggie made her way to the bathroom where her over night bag was located. Going through the contents of the bag, she pulled out a rather large black folder with papers sticking out of it. It was her notes of the all the things that was needed to be upgraded in the Devil Saints facility. She knew it was dangerous to look over notes of place no one really knew existed but she was desperate to sleep and she knew that looking through these things were the sure fire way in getting the rest she wanted.

After grabbing the folder, she head back to the bed, sat up on the head board and began to read.