applesaucedream | Tender Lumplings Everywhere, Life's No Fun Without A Good Scare [Open to All]

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Tender Lumplings Everywhere, Life's No Fun Without A Good Scare [Open to All]

The woods are dark and deep, but not particularly lovely. If anything, they feel dangerous, as if something terrible might come lurching out from behind any given tree and tear into the nearest warm body. What that terrible thing might be is anyone's guess. A cat with hands? Slenderman? Stegosaurus? Actual cannibal Shia LaBeouf? All of the above in a horrible mob? It's anyone's guess. But every dreamer will be absolutely convinced that there is something unspeakable out there, and that it's after them.

The dreamers have two things on their side. The first is that there is actually nothing dangerous lurking in these woods (with the possible exception of other dreamers). The pervasive terror the dreamers are feeling is just that: a rift-given feeling, nothing more and nothing less. That snapping twig or rustle in the undergrowth is almost certainly just a squirrel or something else equally harmless.

The second is that no dreamer is alone. They all will be reunited with - or introduced to - their dæmons, a source of comfort in this dark, intimidating wilderness. However frightened the dreamers might be, at least they have someone with them who definitely doesn't want them dead.

[OOC: as ever, any and all are welcome! You don't have to be in the game to join the fun. Dreamers can remember or forget the events of the dream at the players' discretion. And the party only stops when you want it to; feel free to backtag forever.]

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"Hey," Spike says, bringing his arms up to return the hug, clinging onto her for a moment. "You're alright now." He can keep her safe, from whatever is out there waiting. "I've been waiting for whatever's there to attack, but it never comes. I'm starting to think it's just as afraid of me as I am of it." Which is to say that he's scared too.

When Sunshine pulls back, Spike looks down at the bee crawling up onto Fausta's ear. "What was your name again?"

"Modomnoc," the bee supplies, reaching the top of Fausta's head and huddling there. Once he's caught his breath, he combs a spindly foreleg through her fur, as much to soothe himself as her.

Sunshine briefly leans her forehead against Spike's shoulder, relieved and slightly incredulous. Gods and angels. He was waiting for it. He had the same paranoid terror prickling the back of his neck as she did - strong enough that even though she knows, somehow, that there isn't actually anything out there, she was still stumbling through the trees as if Bo's whole goddamn gang was after her - and he stood his ground. She doesn't even know what to do with that little revelation. 'Hey, kudos' would be damning with faint praise.

She pulls back a little, scrapes a hand through her hair, and endeavors to get herself back under control. "I'm not sure there is anything out there," she says, letting her hands come to rest on his shoulders. "I mean, I feel like I've been all over this frigging forest, and I haven't actually seen anything."

"Could be some kind of rift-whammy," Modomnoc suggests. "Mood alteration."

"Mood alteration. I like that idea better that it being something invisible."

Fausta huffs out an exasperated breath. "You might have been better off not sharing that idea."

"Right." He looks back to Sunshine. He hasn't dropped his hands from her waist, so he rubs his hands there, hoping to comfort her. "Buzz is probably right. I haven't heard anything big moving around either. It could be like that other dream. Only...a different mood."

Sunshine opens her mouth in general objection, unsure whether she should chastise him for coming up with invisible monsters - she did not need that lack of a mental image, thank you - or for calling her bee a dumb name, but Modomnoc beats her to it. "'Buzz'?!" he repeats in a tone that was probably meant to be disdainful but instead comes out indignant.

"You need to work on your pet names," Sunshine deadpans. But hey, his attempts at comforting her are proving a bit more successful, and a faint smile tugs at her lips. "He likes Dom, if you wanted something shorter."

Modomnoc trundles in an affronted little circle through Fausta's fur. "'Buzz,'" he mutters to himself, and this time he successfully achieves that disdainful tone he'd been aiming for earlier. "Shiva wept."

She doesn't want to be openly amused at her bee's expense, and she definitely doesn't want to come across as encouraging more in the way of ill-advised nicknames, so Sunshine leans her forehead back against Spike's shoulder before he can see her grin. "Yeah, I can't say I'm a fan of the whole theme," she says, "nice as it is to have Dom back. And to see you, Fausta," she adds, turning her head a little so she can actually look down at the dog. It doesn't seem she harbors any hard feelings after the embarrassing faux pas Sunshine made the last time around, so that's nice.

"Dom? Not Modo?" Spike doesn't have any reservations about being amused by Modomnoc's objections. He smiles as the big bee circles around on Fausta's fur, then tips his head to look at Sunshine when she settles her head back at his shoulder. He's still keeping an eye out for something coming out of the woods at them, but when he'd been waiting alone nothing had felt the need to jump out at him. Even if there is something, it's less likely to show now that there's two of them and the odds aren't as good as they were.

"Maybe," Fausta offers when Sunshine turns to her, voice amused and playful, "the dreams are trying to get you two closer together. It does seem to be working, if they are."

Spike rolls his eyes at her. "Oh shut up. I doubt the rift has an interest in my love life."

A faint (but still audible) snort of derision is the only response Modomnoc offers to Spike's second suggestion. Strike two.

Sunshine, for her part, produces a remarkably similar sound after digesting Fausta's little theory. It almost makes her want to pull away from Spike just to demonstrate that she's not going to let rift-generated emotional manipulation that she is perfectly aware of drive her behavior, but there are other points she could make without losing the comfort of a hug from her boyfriend. This might not exactly be standard operating procedure - none of her former boyfriends would have described her as cuddly - but this isn't a standard sort of situation, either.

More to the point, though, is the fact that this isn't a party of two (or, okay, four). "It's not just doing this to us," she says. Exhibit A. "So if its motivation is just that, it's pretty inefficient to go dragging every other rifty in Manhattan into it."

Dom wiggles his antennae pensively. "Maybe it's not the rift's motivations you should be worrying about," he muses, almost to himself.

She gives her bee a sharp look, not even needing to verbalize: what the hell is that supposed to mean?

"I'm coming over there," Dom announces instead, for some damn reason, and Sunshine mutters a somewhat baffled, "Be my guest," before tucking her face back into Spike's neck with a put-upon sigh.

And, okay, it's dark, and she knows intellectually that her bee can't see very well. But she's sort of glowing, and even without that visual cue, she assumes he could find her using some sort of intrinsic soul-animal magical whatever. So she's taking it for granted that he's not going to do something objectively insane like land in Spike's hair, which is only one of the reasons why it gives her a hell of a jolt when that is precisely what he does.

Oh, gods. It's like someone reached into her chest and squeezed, and she actually stops breathing for a moment, her hands fisting in Spike's shirt. She half-expects it to hurt, agonizingly, like it did before, but this is… different, fainter, more like a sore muscle than a stab wound, and the ache isn't as notable as the - the warmth, like this is not a bad thing even though it has to be, because it's so unbearably intimate and this isn't--she doesn't do this.

But her goddamn bee does. Apparently. He holds still for a moment, legs splayed as if trying to keep his balance on an icy surface. And then he moves, oh gods, against the grain, he's--he's fucking mussing Spike's hair, and she is going to actually, literally die of embarrassment. That will be right at the top of her to-do list once she can manage anything more than clinging to Spike and remembering to breathe. "I can see why we like this," Modomnoc says, his voice infuriatingly mild and only a little bit strained.

Oh. Spike goes still when the bee lands on him. He remembers the last time they had their animals, he'd accidentally hurt Sunshine, and how good (but strange) it had felt when Sunshine had started petting Fausta. Judging from her reaction now, Spike doubts that she's in pain. Which means it's the other thing. The...nice but far too intimate thing. He's amazed that the bee would even choose to land on him after what happened the last time. He doubts that it was an accident that the bee chose to land on him, but he's not sure what that even means. Is Sunshine more comfortable with him now?

He strokes a hand down Sunshine's back, waiting for her to say something. But she doesn't speak. Modomnoc does, and it takes Spike a moment to process that the bee is mussing his hair. "You really like it curly that much?" He can't help but smile, amused by the whole thing, but judging by how speechless she is, it'd probably be best for Sunshine if her bee didn't stick around too long on Spike.

He lifts a hand up to his head, offering it as a perch instead. "Come on, down from there."

"Looks better curly," Modomnoc insists. Never mind that he hasn't technically seen it that way, or that his compound eyes don't give him the most hi-res view of the world under the best lighting conditions, let alone the current, terrible ones. He just knows it to be true because she knows it, and if there were ever any doubts that this bee is connected to her on levels she doesn't even want to plumb, this whole… interaction… pretty much puts those to rest.

She makes a soft sound at Spike's offer, a sort of hoot, strangled and incredulous. The funny-not-ha-ha thing is that it should worry her, but it doesn't. And she isn't especially surprised when Modomnoc only hesitates for a moment before crawling onto Spike's hand. The same hand that smacked him across a room last time, but uh, bygones, apparently. The ache intensifies a little, but so does the warmth - it's okay, she's okay, they're okay. More than okay. They're… safe.

Her grip on Spike's shirt relaxes, finally, though she's left two little wrinkled patches in the fabric. Her heart still feels like it's going to hammer its way out of her chest, and she's pretty sure she'd look crimson in any decent lighting, but she's breathing, and she's only trembling a little. A moment later, there's the familiar prickle of Dom's little legs on her head, and the world shifts back into its normal dimensions. She pulls back a little so she can look at Spike properly, her hands drifting up to cup his face as if seeing him for the first time in years.

"Gods," she says breathlessly, pulling him down so she can rest her forehead against his. "That… was something."

Spike remembers how it had felt the last time, when Sunshine had pet Fausta, but whatever it is that Sunshine seems to be experiencing this time seems to be more than that. He's suddenly very curious- is it because they know each other better now? Because she's human? Because she cares about him now? And would it be different for him this time, too?

He just holds her for a few moments after her bee returns to safety. When she pulls away a fraction, he dips his mouth to hers for a lingering kiss.

Beside them, Fausta makes a humming noise in the back of her throat that transforms halfway through into a much more dog-like whine for attention. She pads around Spike while they kiss, then gently headbutts at Sunshine's leg, punctuating her request.

Sunshine is still reeling a little, like coming down off a high (gods, if the kids in the Old Town clubs could get a pill version of this… she doesn't know if it would prove enormously popular or get them all on the straight and narrow for life), but by the time Spike leans in to kiss her, she's sufficiently with it to respond in kind, her hands going to his hair with the vague intention of finishing what her bee started.

And then Fausta nudges her, and she breaks away from the kiss in surprise and looks down at her. "Oh." That was, she thinks, a not particularly subtle request for attention, and not one intended for Spike. She's still a little hesitant to just start petting Fausta after last time, but… it's different this time, right? They know each other better. Hell, they're a couple. If they were in a universe where people had weird spirit animals all the time, she imagines this sort of thing would be hard to avoid. For several reasons.

Well. Spike isn't vetoing the idea, and Fausta looks so hopeful. And Sunshine really doesn't see why she should be the only one going through… whatever you could even call that thing that just happened. So.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Sunshine says, dropping into a crouch so she's at Fausta's eye level. "Didn't mean to leave you out." Then, after a brief, impish glance back at Spike that clearly advises him to hold on to his proverbial hat, she strokes her palm over the crown of Fausta's head in a gentle but deliberate gesture.

The moment that Sunshine's fingers touch Fausta, Spike huffs out a breath in surprise at the feeling that floods through his body. This is more intense than it was the last time, but also a little different in other ways. Somehow...safer, warmer than it was before. Before it had been a very sexual feeling, and there's definitely aspects of that now, but mostly it just feels intimate.

"That's alright," Fausta says, nosing up into Sunshine's hand, encouraging a more thorough petting. "We liked it last time, but William didn't think it was proper. Now is different altogether, isn't it." Her tail thumps against the leafy ground and Spike dips his head, closing his eyes.

"That's-" Spike begins to say something about not caring what's proper, or objecting to being called William, but he can't quite manage the words. He reaches out and places a hand on a tree to steady himself when he feels his knees go weak. "God, keep doing that."

Edited 2014-11-15 03:10 (UTC)

Sunshine lifts her hand away after Spike's little grunt of surprise and glances back at him, wary of overdoing it. She does want to even the score a bit, but that doesn't mean she wants to thoroughly freak anyone out or bring Spike to his knees (in, uh, a bad way). But Fausta presses back into Sunshine's hand with a helpful reference to the last time this happened, and now she doesn't know whether to feel mortified or kind of smug.

Actually, what she feels is surprised with a side of bafflement. The sensations that swamped her when Dom landed on Spike were so, um… intense… that she's not even sure where to file them. It wasn't bad, but it was so overwhelming that she's hesitant to call it enjoyable, either. Spike, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be so hung up about it. Or maybe it's different for vampires. Less of an… upheaval. Regardless, if his reaction is anything to go by, her touching Fasuta feels frigging fantastic. There's really nothing ambiguous about 'keep doing that.'

So… okay, then. Sunshine arches an eyebrow and mutters, "If you say so," before turning back to Fausta and cautiously sinking her fingers into the soft fur behind her ears. "Just, uh, let me know if you want me to stop." She scritches her fingers there for a few seconds, gently, then works her way down Fausta's neck.

At least the soul-dog has some high-caliber adorability going for her, so petting her isn't a chore. Sunshine's enjoying it quite a bit, herself. The real struggle is not lapsing into who's-a-pretty-girls and what-a-good-dogs, which would be incorrect and condescending at best. Still, it's pretty impossible not to be charmed by the way she leans into Sunshine's hands with a wide, canine grin, and before she can remind herself of the broader implications, here, Sunshine finds herself saying, "You are so sweet," leaning forward, and pressing a little kiss to the little curve where Fausta's nose meets her forehead.

From his current perch on her hair, Modomnoc lets out a pointed and not at all bee-like cough. Get it together, Sunshine.

This feels like a shortcut to a feeling that he's always wanted, but never quite managed to achieve. It's the feeling of closeness and intimacy that keeps Fausta pushing into Sunshine's hands and keeps Spike silent, just trying to memorize this sensation. There's a deep pleasant ache that blooms up into his chest and pushes out into his limbs until he can feel the tips of his fingers tingling and warm. He's tempted to label it unrequited love but it's both not quite that and so much more that that.

After a minute, he lifts his head and opens his eyes again to watch Sunshine. When she kisses Fausta, his knees actually buckle for a moment before he regains his stance. That had intensified things, when he hadn't thought that was even possible. He figures that it would be best to not risk that happening again, so he sits, his back resting up against the tree. Just in time, it seems, because immediately after, Fausta laughs happily and licks Sunshine's cheek in response to the kiss.

Spike moans and lets his head thunk back against the tree trunk.

This is too cute to be allowed. Sunshine lets out an incredulous laugh of her own when Fausta licks her cheek - how frigging adorable can you get? - then turns in response to Spike's moan. And, okay, yes, there's the reminder of the broader implications, here. Whoops.

"Oh, gods," Sunshine says, sinking down into the leaves beside him. "Sorry, was that--are you okay?" She puts a hand on his shoulder and gives it a soothing little rub. So much for it not being as much of an upheaval for him; she's pretty sure the tree is the only thing keeping him from just sprawling on the forest floor.

Fausta follows Sunshine over to Spike, but instead of going to her side, she plops down next to Spike and rests her head in his lap. He takes a deep breath and his hand automatically goes to Fausta, soothing back her fur.

He takes a few moments before he lifts his head again and looks at Sunshine with a thoroughly dazed look on his face. The intensity of the feeling is gone now that Sunshine has stopped, but the effects are lingering on. He's having a little trouble regaining focus. "Why'd you stop?"

Okay, that was not quite the response she was expecting. "Wh-" she starts, a faint line appearing between her brows, "um. Because I thought I might have been… pushing it." To put it mildly.

Well, she had been pushing it; that doesn't even seem arguable. It's just that she'd assumed he found it overwhelming in a bad way, not a good one. She's not entirely sure what to do with the knowledge that what she did was so unambiguously enjoyable for him that even though he can barely see straight, he's still asking her why she stopped. Granted, in other contexts, she'd just give herself a mental high-five and make a note of what he liked, but this is so much more intimate than just sex.

But maybe the same general rules apply? Are there rules? It's hard for her to imagine feeling the same way about this as he is, if their roles were reversed, but it's also hard to convince herself that this is horribly taboo when both he and Fausta were enjoying it so much.

She settles more comfortably on the ground beside him - it doesn't look as if he's going to be getting to his feet any time soon, so she might as well. Then she brushes her fingertips through his hair in a gentle curve from his temple to the nape of his neck. "Do you want me to keep going?" she asks quietly, catching his gaze.

Edited 2014-11-15 17:19 (UTC)

Spike huffs out a pleased breath and tips his head towards her when she brushes her fingers against his hair, then finds her gaze in time for her to ask her question. There's no doubt in his mind what he wants. It feels amazing, and if she's willing to continue, Spike wants her to continue.

"Yes," Fausta answers.

Shortly after, Spike echoes the request. "Yes."

Modomnoc thrums his wings, but it doesn't feel like a comfort. It feels anxious, like he's not so sure this is a good idea, like it might be better to stop before it gets weird (or, well, weirder). Because it is weird; part of her can't believe he's into this, or that his reaction is so… uncomplicated. Comparatively speaking. Or maybe she just can't believe it's possible for her to make him so frigging happy with so little personal effort (presuming you don't count second-guessing and internalized fretting towards the collective effort made). Like it shouldn't be this easy, so what's the catch?

She looks from Fausta to Spike and back, takes in their twin, trusting expressions, and decides she doesn't care what the catch is. From atop her head, Modomnoc lets out a little sigh.

"Okay." Sunshine presses a kiss to Spike's forehead, then pats the ground between them, inviting Fausta to curl up within easier reach. It's… cozy, in this somewhat ridiculous little hamster pile, and she can gently pet Fausta with one hand while simultaneously combing her fingers through Spike's hair with the other. He sags against her with a sigh not that dissimilar to her bee's. Weird, but not bad-weird. Better than last time.

And she forgets, for a while, to be afraid of the woods.

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Tender Lumplings Everywhere, Life's No Fun Without A Good Scare [Open to All]

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