The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

Extras: Outline/Synopsis (WIP)

The Children of Night have strict non-partisan policies as maintainers of the infrastructure of creation, but Sleep decides that since their progenitor LELIEL is absent, he will informally and personally go give material aid to those trying to rescue Psyche and Blade. He leaves Morpheus temporarily acting-Regent.

(6) Morpheus and Opium (along with River, Loren, and Hepburn) travel to New York City of 1992, where Opium enlists the aid of human ally ELLE MAKEPEACE. Joy has lived multiple lifetimes, programmed to enter a fugue state one every decade during which she is implanted with new memories. Currently she believes herself Joy Fortnight a Gothic Rock musician in the band Robert's Pill, with Opium and Elle who works days at Bleecker Bob's.

To better surveil Joy, Morpheus develops the identity "TYRON", a young human man who busks in parks around Greenwich Village. As Tyron, Morpheus meets cross-dressing Glam Folk musician PAM, who eventually helps him get off the street by becoming his roommate.

Opium expresses concern that Morpheus may cause a disturbance living closely with humans, as he cannot maintain forms when he's asleep.

Morpheus sees Julien and Athen in Washington Square park, where a member of Robert's Pill's street team mentions they are fellow student at Parson's. Julien is human but already in relationship with Athen who is a vampire. When Julien leaves on his own, Morpheus is tempted to follow and River encourages him, implying he has his own reason.

They follow Julien to the brownstone of gallery owner MANDY VALOIS who is known to own a painting of Julien as St. Sebastian by CARY MERISI. River quietly suspects Mandy deals cocaine as well as art.

Against River's advice, Morpheus continues to follow Julien as he drives uptown, using a combination of teleporting and shapeshifting.

They arrive at the Jewel Building which Morpheus recognizes is where he encounters Steven and Joy in 2001. As River and Morpheus debate righteousness of this action, Steven arrives with chauffeur LANCE FISHER and is shot by a sniper when answering his cellular phone.

Morpheus seeks for a form that will allow him to help and assumes the form of JOSEPH RIPLEY, whom Steven calls to as he's bleeding on the sidewalk. As Joey, Morpheus warns Steven "don't look in her eyes".

When Steven leaves in the ambulance, Morpheus, still disguised, escorts Julien upstairs where he meets Steven's bodyguard JOHN JETT. John recognizes "Joey".

Morpheus uses his Tyron identity to enter a volunteer program at St. Clare's Hospital where Steven is being treated and finds Julien has been sitting at his bedside. Zerachiel and Gabriel appear, manifesting human disguises, and confirm that Steven's recovery is miraculous, but not related to any recent action; they made him immortal several years before during the time Blade was abducted.

The Angels warn Morpheus against taking on forms of deceased people as his appearance may be interpreted as divine apparition and Joseph Ripley could be a candidate for sainthood, credited with Steven's recovery.

Morpheus mentions he's aware of River's suspicions of drug use in Julien, but is told to focus on Joy.

Morpheus goes home where he uses local newspaper to learn more about Steven and the shooting. Pam suggests they make plans for Halloween together.

On Halloween Morpheus and Pam dress as Cleopatra and Marc Anthony (the singer) and meet with Julien and his friend Yara Arroyo dressed as "Gay Sid and Nancy". Morpheus also notices signs of drug use in Julien's behavior and mentions this to Pam.

Pam invites Julien and Yara to meet with them later at the Pyramid Club.

At the Pyramid Club, Absinthe is bartending and the members of Robert's Pill are dressed as Josie and the Pussycats. When introduced to Tyron and Pam for the first time, Joy mistakes them for a couple and says "You don't have to say 'roommate'." Morpheus is shaken and unable to reply for a moment while Pam attempts to explain.

Privately, Pam says he felt Joy was presumptuous but he appreciates she "doesn't walk on eggshells".

Julien and Yara do not show, but Blade and her husband, SHADE, arrive. Morpheus senses Shade has a powerful spirit and can see through his disguise on some level. He's also familiar with Absinthe.

After the set, Blade talks with Joy at the bar.

(7) Morpheus goes back to his routine surveillance of Joy and notices a change in her behavior. River believes she's painting a jacket for someone, possibly Blade, but no vampires are seen near Joy.

When Joy is with Opium and Elle for a weekend, Morpheus agrees to go see Dracula with Pam. At the theater they run into Yara and Julien. Athen arrives, apparently surprising Julien and Yara both. The show is sold out and Yara sits with Pam and Morpheus saying she doesn't want to be third wheel.

After the movie, Julien is most excited about the costumes, but Yara and Morpheus both have questions about the romance plot.

As they exit the theater, Julien mentions he considers Athen his husband and is upset he hasn't been staying at his place. Athen implies that Blade, returning to the city when Steven was shot, has told him not to.

At home, Pam offers to kiss Morpheus, but although interested, Morpheus declines because he doesn't want it to be a lie when in some future time he tells Julien no one else has done it. The seemingly deterministic or looped timeline causes Morpheus stress.

Afterward, Pam's behavior is more distant, but they make plans to volunteer at a shelter on Thanksgiving. On Black Friday, Splendor finds Morpheus at home and tells him that Julien is dead.

Pam is present sees Morpheus briefly in his true form, but does not seem surprised.

After seeing Splendor out and leaving him with a magical pager to contact him, Morpheus and Pam realize they need to talk. While Loren and are dispatched to check on Joy, Morpheus and Pam discuss their relationship and future. Morpheus reveals the truth of his nature and family to Pam and Pam confesses that he has both "met someone" and learned of Murph's interest in Julien in a visit to the Valois Gallery. Morpheus tells Pam about his timey-wimey relationship with Julien. They decide they will look for new places to live.

When Loren and Hepburn return with news that Joy and her jackets are gone, Morpheus leaves Pam to go to the Jewel Building, expecting Joy has gone there to make a delivery. When they arrive, only Steven is present and is asleep. Morpheus uses his ability to look back over time to see a version of what happened and learns that Julien is in fact a Vampyre and that Joy allowed him to feed with her and then left the penthouse with him.

Tracking the Vampyres through the Subway, Morpheus learns that they have a lair in one of the abandoned stations. Understanding that their ability to sense some presences means he cannot sneak in, and being disinclined to scry on Julien again, the Djinn are sent into the abandoned station to see if Joy is alright.

Loren and Hepburn are stopped by TROY and EVANGELISTA. Morpheus evades an attack by the vampire-wolf, Troy and Evangelista in a rat form by traveling through the Void, resulting in them being momentarily cold and sluggish when they arrive. Morpheus manages to put Troy to sleep and Hepburn reveals Evangelista as one of the Djinn.

As the three Djinn get to know each other with their various forms and forms of communicating, Morpheus worries he may have to rely on scrying. Evangelista has no wish for a pact, but provides information on the Vampyres and Troy to aid in maintaining secrecy.

Hepburn goes into the station again...

[To be continued. Work-in-progress.]