Enchantment Under the Sea

[applesaucemod]

Tonight, the dreamers of Manhattan will find themselves transported to what is unmistakably a high school gymnasium. Granted, it's lavishly decorated in blues, greens, and violets. There are jellyfish made of tissue paper and streamers, painted cardboard fish are dangling from ceiling, and an abundance of transparent balloons serve as substitute bubbles. Tables and chairs are clustered around the periphery for those who'd like to sit, but the majority of the floor is open for dancing. Along one wall, folding tables hold snacks and bowls of punch. There's no DJ to be seen, but a sound system is playing a steady stream of classic dance songs.

It's impressive work for a nonexistent prom committee, all things considered.

But the setting is not the only thing that hearkens back to one's teenage years. The dreamers will find, regardless of age or species, that they're now saddled with the hormones of an average sixteen-year-old human being… and with the delightful mood fluctuations and bouts of irrationality that come with the package. (Dreamers who are already teenagers might be said to be getting a reprieve… but dealing with adults in such a state will be trying enough on its own. Someone has to chaperone, right?)

The good news for dreamers who aren't into dances is that there's an entire high school to explore, though the hallways will only be half-lit and many of the classrooms will be locked up. Even the parking lot and athletic fields are accessible, but dreamers may find themselves getting mysteriously turned around if they try to actually leave school property.


[ooc: you all know the drill. Any and all characters are welcome, regardless of whether or not they're in the game. Dreamers may remember or forget the events of the party at the player's discretion.]

Comments

[apidae]

"It's okay," she says softly. "I understand." She sighs a little. "It's the dream, I think. I've been feeling awful since I got here. Like I just want to be alone. I don't now," she clarifies quickly. "But... there's something making us all feel very strange, I think." She rests her cheek on his head. "I don't like this one very much, to tell you the truth."

[bluesuit_handy]

"Don't miss your school days?" asks Andrew with a rueful chuckle as he rubs her back a little to show solidarity. They're going to have to move this out of the toilet at some point, really, but he's alright where he is at the moment. More quietly, he mutters, "I know I don't."

[apidae]

Bee shakes her head. "Not even a little bit," she says. "Anyway I was barely in school, not at this age. My momma pulled me out and taught me at home." Thank goodness. She would never have survived in this kind of environment, the way she was. She'd have turned out to be someone very different. She doesn't like to think about it - patterns that aren't. When she's awake she can see every turn that led to her, and to think about moments where she was so close to making a different decision - well, it's terrifying. Like trying to imagine suddenly being blind.

"I don't relish the opportunity for it now," she admits rather dryly.

[bluesuit_handy]

"Mine wasn't quite like this." At last Andrew withdraws from the hug, giving one last sniff before freeing an arm to grab yet more toilet paper. He's probably a complete mess right now. He considers telling Bee what school for him was like, but there are two narratives there and he doesn't have the energy to explain why if she hasn't already looked and found out for herself. "What do you say we get out of here?"

[apidae]

"Yes, let's," she says eagerly, stepping back to give him room. "Let's find someplace nice and quiet. Or we could go outside? I'd like to go outside." Just being in a school building at all feels all... wrong and uncomfortable. Ick.

[bluesuit_handy]

"Outside," agrees Andrew. The fresh air will do him good, he thinks as he stands and goes to the mirror. He spends a few seconds pulling a face at his reflection and rubbing at the reddened skin of his face as though he can make his red-rimmed eyes and blushing cheeks stop revealing how recently he's been crying. "At least it didn't put me in a dress this time," he mutters, because that would be all he would need to never come out of the bathroom again.

[apidae]

"Did that happen?" She can't help smiling a little trying to picture it. "I bet you could look cute in a dress. Anyone can look cute in a dress, you know." Lots of boys don't realize it.

Once he's done at the sink she takes his hand and guides him out the door.

[bluesuit_handy]

"Once. It was a while back, sort of a costume party." He blushes; he certainly didn't think it was cute at the time. Hang on, cute?

"'m not cute," he protests, though he can't help but smile. "Not even in a dress, and I can tell you that from experience."

[apidae]

Bee sighs with good humor. What is it with boys denying their own cuteness? It's not a dirty word.

"You're adorable," she insists sternly, though it is rather funny when he towers so high above her. She grins and walks onward, keeping a hold on his hand and searching for an exit.

After a moment she glances at his belly. "How are you doing otherwise?" she asks gently. "You know, out there. Awake."

[bluesuit_handy]

"Ohh, peachy," he says with a resigned huff. "Swollen ankles, look like I swallowed a basketball. Can't use my power because I don't know what it does to the twins, the TARDIS barely seems to remember I exist, and last night I dreamed I gave birth to a litter of kittens. I can't imagine why everyone doesn't do this all the time."

[apidae]

She winces in sympathy and lets go of his hand to pat his back. "Sorry," she says. She's not sure what else to offer - she has no experience with this sort of thing. Especially his particular brand of 'this sort of thing'. "Is the due date soon?"

[bluesuit_handy]

Andrew hesitates. "We're...not really sure," he admits. "They've been developing faster than human fetuses should, but...well, there's no definite timeline, is there? Only guessing. It should still be months off, and chances are it probably is."

[apidae]

"Gosh," says Bee, chewing her lip. "That's... a little scary."

It's terrifying. Pregnancy has always made her a little uncomfortable, and this is even harder to think about - where's the baby going to even - ick, she doesn't want to think about it. She shivers slightly and grips his hand again. "I know it's going to be all right," she says firmly.

She brightens a little when they come upon a door to the outside. "Here we are!" she says gladly, pushing it open, stepping out into a cool summer night.