And the Boats Drift On [Open to All]

[applesaucemod]

The water is calm, and the night sky is filled with stars. The only light is natural: a patchy, bioluminescent glow coming from the water below, and the bright swath of the Milky Way above. It's not much, but it's more than enough to see by.

The dreamers will find themselves sitting in their own little rowboats, each stocked with two oars, a length of rope, some cushions, and a little picnic basket full of snacks. There is no visible shoreline, but it won't take the dreamers long to realize theirs are not the only boats in this shallow sea. Anything stirring in the water, be it fish or paddle, causes phosphorescent plankton to glow a bright blue, so there isn't really anywhere to hide.

Feel free to paddle around and visit the other dreamers, perhaps tying your boats together and sharing your snacks in an impromptu picnic. Or you could go for a swim - the bioluminescence makes it difficult to see the bottom, but it's not too terribly deep, so the risk of drowning is all but nonexistent. This setting, unlike the last one, isn't actively out to kill you. Or you could simply lie back and look at the stars.



[ooc: Same drill as always, folks. All are welcome, regardless of whether or not your character is in the game. Characters may remember or forget dream shenanigans at the player's discretion.]

Comments

[peeta_mellark]

"It's nice," Peeta says. "Relaxing." It's very peaceful, with the sea and the stars. Then a thought occurs to him.

"Do you think this is somebody's dream?" He glances out across the water. "Has anyone aquatic come through the rift?"

[wildmage_daine]

It hadn't occurred to her to wonder whose dream it was. She'd sort of assumed it was Peeta's, or even her own, or one spun together by the rift.

I haven't met anyone like that lately, she says, a little worried by the thought of an ocean-dwelling rifty coming through and only having a few freshwater options to choose from. Goddess, I hope no ocean creatures have come through. I don't know if they'd last very long, even in the park.

[peeta_mellark]

"I don't think the rift is that cruel." He isn't even sure the rift is conscious.

Daine has him on a circuit of his boat, and he finds himself curious.

"Did you have a boat, too?" he asks Daine. "Have you seen anyone else?" He didn't spot any other boats or people but, to be fair, he wasn't really looking and as soon as he got in the water, his ability to see the surrounding area was severely limited.

[wildmage_daine]

I did. Not sure exactly where it's got to, but I'm sure I could find it again. There's no particular hurry; her magic never seems to really drain in dreams (doubtless because she's not really using it), so she can hold dolphin shape for the whole night as far as she knows.

As for other dreamers… You're the first I've spotted, but you might not be the only one. She turns her head to look back at him. Care to find out? We could explore properly.

[peeta_mellark]

"Uhhh..." Being towed around his boat is one thing, venturing out into the relative open is a little more daunting.

"Should I get my boat?"

[wildmage_daine]

Probably. Towing Peeta around is no great hardship, but it might get a bit old for both of them after a while. Besides, if she doesn't have to worry about keeping him afloat, she could take another shape - something with wings, perhaps. Here we go! She picks up speed as she heads back toward the boat. Might as well give Peeta a bit of excitement before he has to sit and row for Mithros only knows how long.

It's only a brief burst of speed, though. (Well, they never actually got that far from the boat.) Dolphins don't laugh in a way most two-leggers would recognize, but there's a distinct undercurrent of breathless amusement in her tone as she says, Careful getting back in.

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta isn't expecting the speed, and almost loses his grip on Daine's fin as she takes off. There's barely time for his heart to fly into his throat before they slow back down, though, and he releases her to take hold of the boat.

Once he's safely back inside, he gives Daine a look. "Very funny," he says, smiling slightly.

[wildmage_daine]

Yes, I thought so, she agrees cheekily. Might as well have some fun before you have to sit and row for a while.

Speaking of rowing… maybe she ought to scout around so he doesn't end up going off in the wrong direction. She dives as deep as the seabed allows, then darts back to the surface and launches herself out of the water. Once she's clear, she shifts into owl shape and flaps back down to alight on the bow of Peeta's boat.

I should be able to spot people in this shape easily enough, she explains. Then I can point you in the right direction.

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta frowns down at the water when Daine disappears beneath the surface, then gapes as she bursts from the ocean, changing shape midair. He gives her a friendly smirk when she lands on his boat. "Show off."

Taking up the oars, he awkwardly fits them in their holders, dropping the ends into the water. "Where to?"

[wildmage_daine]

It was the easiest way to do it, she insists, wide-eyed, before she shakes a few lingering drops of water from her feathers. That's not entirely true, of course, but she might have upset the boat if she'd tried to clamber aboard in otter shape or something.

She hops up onto the gunwale, talons clicking against the wood, then takes off over the water on silent wings. She circles Peeta's boat several times as she gains altitude, then begins to search out other boats. It's not as easy as it should be; the glimmers of blue are distracting, especially since most aren't caused by boats so much as fish. But she soon spies a rhythmic flash of oars in the distance, and she points herself toward it and calls, This way!

[peeta_mellark]

Having kept an eye on Daine as she scouted, Peeta's ready to start rowing when she calls out. Having never maneuvered a boat before, though, his initial attempts at movement are fumbling at best. Soon enough he manages to find the right rhythm and starts gliding smoothly in the direction of Daine's calls.