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

[johnny_truant]

"Probably," says Johnny with a shrug. He puts his cigarette out on the nearest lab table and tucks it behind his ear, for later. "I'm just really in the mood to smash things."

He seeks out a closet full of equipment and forces it open without the aid of his power. He whistles appreciatively. "Lotta breakables in here."

[powerdealer]

"Oh yeah, not lacking in that," Seth agrees. He picks of two Erlenmeyer flasks, and starts trying to juggle them. Seeing as he is not a good juggler by any means, it doesn't take all that long for him to fumble and one of them to smash on the floor. It makes him feel gleeful rather than embarrassed. "Whoops," he says with a grin.

Some part of his brain is wondering what the hell he's doing, and another part - presumably the part influenced by the dream and hormones - is going aww yeah, fuck shit up! But then he's pretty sure he won't be the only one embarrassed by his behavior come morning.

[johnny_truant]

Johnny returns the grin, grabs another thing (he doesn't even check to see what it is) and hurls it at the blackboard up front. It shatters satisfyingly across the wall.

Johnny knows very well this is largely hormonal. But he also knows that a good round of breaking shit is inherently satisfying no matter how old you are. And here, there's no consequences. He's due for it. He figures they both are.

He gropes around the room for some kind of implement and settles, a bit ridiculously, on a yardstick, which he sweeps across the teacher's lab table, knocking everything onto the floor. He laughs, a bit manic, and climbs onto the now empty space, perching there as one might on a throne.

"Do as you will," he pronounces, feeling ridiculous and embracing it whole-heartedly.

[powerdealer]

Seth it in the middle of taking another drink when the first thing smashes against the wall, and he jumps at the sound, then laughs. "Jesus!" he exclaims, then tucks away the alcohol-filled flask - that's one he has no intention of throwing around.

He laughs again at Johnny's display, and gives him a salute. Then, because he's drunk and unexpectedly thrilled at getting to blow some steam after a shitty couple of weeks, he tugs and pushes at an entire cupboard, tipping it over so it slams against a desk with a mighty crash, followed by a long series of loud noises as the contents shatter on the floor.

[johnny_truant]

Johnny claps at the show and lights his cigarette back up. "Fuck yeah," he comments. He hops down and walks only somewhat cautiously over to Seth's side of the room, appreciating the crunch of broken glass beneath his shoes. He studies one of the windows, which are made of sturdier glass, not the kind of thing to break with a yardstick or even a kick.

"Think I can break us outta here?" he says, rather rhetorically. "I'm gonna go all Do The Right Thing on this shit." He takes a long drag on the cigarette, hefts one of the tall metal barstool-like chairs, and swings up toward the window, shattering it with a violent crash. He drops the chair with an even louder bang, metal on linoleum. He looks at the gap he's made, smoking with a wild grin. "Think we can get through there?"

[powerdealer]

Seth grins and stands back. "Yeah, probably," he answers, wrapping his shirt around his fist and punching out some stray shards from the window so they won't get cut. Not that it will be a disaster if they do, dream and all, but it won't be much fun. "And hey, if you get stuck, I'll phase you through," he promises and gives Johnny's shoulder a bracing pat.

[johnny_truant]

"If you can make it I can make it," says Johnny with a laugh. "But thanks."

He hoists himself up and slips through the narrow opening - it's a basement classroom, turns out, and he plants his hands on the grass outside and pulls himself out with a minimum of glass contact. Once outside he turns around and offers Seth arm.

[powerdealer]

"Well, I'd get through regardless because of the phasing, doesn't mean you would," he answers as he watches Johnny's behind disappear out the window.

Then he climbs after him, shimmying through with Johnny's help. He might be doing some very localised phasing too, just making sure he doesn't actually come into contact with any of glass. It's probably more effective and easy in the dreaming than if he were awake.

"What now?" he asks, brushing himself off while getting up.

[johnny_truant]

"Man, I dunno." Johnny flops onto his back and looks up at a very normal seeming night sky. "I'm too drunk to move. C'mere." He gropes blindly for Seth's wrist, trying to pull him down beside him.

[powerdealer]

Likewise Seth is too drunk to argue, the alcohol having had time to properly get its hold over him as they wrecked things, so he allows himself to be pulled down. He only sort of avoids falling right on top of Johnny, uncharacteristically giggling a bit as he rolls off him, flopping onto his back next to Johnny and still kind of on top of his arm.

just in case, cw for being TOO DRUNK TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING

[johnny_truant]

Seth's amusement is infectious. Johnny's never seen him actually giggle before, and he can't help but match it as Seth rolls over beside him. His hand reaches up to Seth's shoulder reflexively.

"That was only the beginning," he says in a low, dramatic voice before bursting into another drunken cackle. "We obliterated ourselves, and then science, and next, the whole... what is this place. Uh. Front lawn." He pats the earth with his free hand. He rolls over in an effort to get up, but his arm is still caught beneath Seth and he ends up coiling back, ending up halfway draped over Seth's body.

"Oops," he says, muffled against Seth's jaw, and giggles for a moment more before sort of getting distracted. Seth's stubble is really nice. Stubble is a new thing for Johnny, and neither Gabe nor Eliot have much, so. He can't really help taking a minute to enjoy it. By then he's completely lost track of what he's doing, which is sort of mouthing gently at Seth's cheek. "Uhh," he says unhelpfully. "Mmh."

that goes for both of them

[powerdealer]

Seth snorts as Johnny's dramatic plotting. "What're you gonna do, mow it?" he asks, laughing when Johnny falls on top of him, catching him by the waist.

It's difficult to know just how much of what happens next should be blamed on the alcohol, on the extra hormones awarded by this particular dream, or on the fact Seth's sexual activities have been kind of limited since, well, since he fell through the rift, really. But right now there's a warm body on top of him, and he feels happy and drunk and careless, and there's a soft mouth next to his, so obviously the logical next step is to start kissing it, right?

The fact that Johnny's a guy, and probably kind of dating Seth's landlord technically, and also a guy, well, that seems to have completely vacated Seth's mind for the moment. Right now it's just really nice to be kissing someone, and this someone is pretty small and has a soft face, so it's remarkably easy to forget certain relevant details.

[johnny_truant]

Oh, okay. This is happening. Johnny's pleased by this turn of events - right? this is good, right??? It's too hard to think about it. Seth's a good guy. Friends get drunk and make out all the time, it's a thing.

He slips his hands around Seth's cheeks, sliding his fingers slowly further up into his hair, and kisses him with marginally heightened intent. He doesn't really have a goal in mind here; he's too drunk for that. It's sloppy and affectionate, and it may as well be the final stage of a prom-themed amusement park ride, the way this evening has been going.

Kissing is fun, though, and it's easy to get a little carried away, sucking gently at Seth's lower lip.

[powerdealer]

Oh yeah, this was a good idea, the hands in his hair are especially nice. His own hands are wandering without any particular destination or proper attention, grabbing his ass for moment before going up his back again, just pulling Johnny closer to him. He grins as his lip gets caught.

It's probably a good thing that Seth doesn't have nearly enough focus or steam to actually go anywhere with this, seeing as eventually he'd notice or remember something's off. While his kisses start off good (if somewhat uncoordinated), soon enough it's mostly Johnny kissing Seth rather than the other way around.

[johnny_truant]

Johnny's losing steam fast, though the sudden grip on his ass gets his attention, giving him a bit of a second wind. He hooks one hand around the back of Seth's head and fists the other around his collar. But it can't last. Seth's starting to go limp beneath him, and when he gives himself a moment to consider what he's doing, Johnny realizes wow he should probably stop. He lifts his head slightly, glancing at his friend for any sign of sudden panic, a little wary; after all, the last time he got addled into kissing someone in this kind of dream, they stabbed him to death. He's not expecting anything like that from Seth of course, but it's a weird situation nonetheless.

Fortunately for him, or both of them, Seth doesn't seem likely to raise a fuss about it now. Johnny gives his hair a ruffle and rolls off of him, cuddling against him instead. There, that's all. Platonic kissing and cuddling and a nice nap. This is fine. This isn't gonna be weird at all. It'll be fiiiine.

[powerdealer]

Seth looks up at Johnny with half-closed eyes, currently not bothered by much of anything. At the moment he's just thinking about how heavy his head feels. He grins lazily at his hair being ruffled. Silly Johnny.

He pulls Johnny's head closer with the arm he's got hooked around him, and gives the top of his head a kiss, before letting his own head flop back against the grass. Yeah, Johnny's a good mate, helping him blow off steam by smashing stuff and getting drunk. "Thanks," he mumbles, though he doesn't have the presence of mind to specify what for.

[johnny_truant]

"Mokay," mumbles Johnny in return, too tired and sloshed to even think about what he's being thanked for. He smiles sleepily. Seth's nice. This is nice.

It's not long before he's drifted off, so to speak, his consciousness relocating itself to another part of the dream.