Better to Receive than to Give [open to all]

[applesaucemod]

Somewhere in the cosmos, there is something bright, and young, and playful. Somewhere, this being watches over their little flock and does their best to make those people safe and happy. Somewhere, that godling and their flock celebrate the winter holidays in the happiest of dreams.

And somewhere closer at hand, a sleeping giant stirs.

The bright tapestry of dream threads gathered by Zephyr is suddenly yanked hard enough to pull it from its temporary mooring. Something entirely unlike the little godling reels in the dreamers so neatly gathered and packaged up for it, bringing its own toys back to their proper place and taking all the others it can with them. Unsatisfied, it reaches out again and again, dragging in dreamers from all across the multiverse. It will snare them, all of them, and then it will possess them completely.

Perhaps it's fitting that when the stolen dreamers arrive in this new shared mindscape, they'll find they've been designated the Rift's Christmas gifts to itself. Each might awaken inside a dark box, or cocooned in…is that tissue paper? When they claw their way out they'll be greeted by the sight of an enormous evergreen tree laden with twinkling lights and kitschy knickknacks looming overhead. Beyond the shadow of the tree the rest of the world -- that is, the living room -- is just as large. Or is it that the dreamers have just become very small? Giant packages wrapped in bright paper form an obstacle course, but the wooden floor of the room is wide open between the tree and the hearth where an enormous plate of cookies and glass of milk await a cataclysmic Santa Claus.

All in all, things are fairly normal as far as the rift's dream gatherings go…at least on the surface. The more telepathically sensitive among the dreamers may notice an undercurrent of something darker, more urgent, and more possessive than normal. The rift isn't just sampling the wares of other worlds tonight; this time it means to play for keeps.


[OOC: This is the second part of our crossover with wethelost! Part one can be found here. Usual dream party rules apply: all players and characters are welcome regardless of whether they are currently in the game, and characters may remember or forget the events of the dream party at the discretion of their players.

For reference, characters of average human height are roughly four inches tall according to the scale of their current surroundings. There is an entire giant house beyond the living room; characters will find a kitchen and dining room on the same floor, a staircase outside the door of the living room that leads up to a second floor with two bedrooms and a bathroom, and another staircase off the kitchen that goes to an unfinished basement. Feel free to add details as needed!

This event takes place on evening of August 8th/morning of August 9th in Applesauce time, and December 31 in WtL time.]

Comments

[dawnwardroad]

Riku frowns while his listens, but there's a curious glint in his eye. "So it can pull people from anywhere, right? But only in dreams?" The idea that he might finally be out of the Meadows, of the walls that keep everyone in their little village should be worrying, but it's actually exciting. It would be better if it didn't end with people climbing out of Christmas presents, true, but it's something.

[peacefulexplorer]

He hesitates. The guy sounds a bit more on the thrilled side than this explanation usually warrants, and Daniel's not fully certain how he should be interpreting that.

"Dreams, yes," he confirms with a slow nod. "But also reality. I ended up in Manhattan physically as well as, er, well. Mentally, I guess. Right now, for you, I'm guessing it's just in your dreams. Unless, uh." A crease notches his brow as he considers. "You...didn't happen to fall through a spaciotemporal Rift in recent history, did you?"

[dawnwardroad]

"Not that I remember, no," he shakes his head. Then again, anything that can tamper with reality can usually tamper with your perception of it, too.

"So, where were you before... Manhattan, was it?" It'd be good to know where else the Rift yanks people from besides the Meadows.

[peacefulexplorer]

He smiles, faint and pained and fading.

"My old universe had me jumping to other planets on a semi-regular basis." He starts moving again, in search of anyone who might need freeing from their wrapping, and looks back at his new acquaintance to see if he'll follow. "Got sucked right out of a routine mission, ended up in Manhattan between blinks. Here, um, Daniel." And he puts out a hand and lets his expression settle into something friendlier, less caught in frustrated nostalgia. "Daniel Jackson."

[dawnwardroad]

Riku follows along, curiosity definitely piqued after hearing that he's not the only one familiar with hopping from world to world. "Between blinks? That quick?" At least Zephyr had the courtesy to wait until he was asleep.

There's only a slight pause before Riku returns the handshake. Introductions have never been his strong point. "Riku."

[peacefulexplorer]

Undeterred, Daniel keeps on with his little quest, pausing to lean against one of the larger boxes and knock on it gently with his knuckles. There's no answering knock, so he tries again and presses his ear to the surface in case the hypothetical captive is unable to articulate their presence or is otherwise engaged.

"Yeah, it happens pretty quick with most people," he continues. "I saw something that looked a bit like a wormhole before it grabbed me but most rifties - er, people who fall through, like me - don't get any warning at all. One minute you're home and the next everything's, well."

Still nothing from the other side. He vacillates, uncertain if the lack of response means he should simply move on. For a minute Daniel's fingers fumble ineffectively with the outer wrapping of paper, helpfully stamped all over with a design of pine trees and unspooling lengths of holly, before he's able to tear a long strip away.

[dawnwardroad]

Riku watches but stays put, unhelpfully. "Pretty sure if someone was in that one, we would have heard by now." There's no telling how many of the boxes and giftbags actually contain people. "So do you dream like this all the time, or just around holidays?" It almost sounds like the result of hitting the eggnog too hard.

[peacefulexplorer]

"Ah, see, that's the odd thing." Right, like they don't have enough odd things to worry about currently. "It's August in Manhattan. So whatever the reason for this particular little, uh, theme," he breaks off to gesture expansively at the tree and the too-large gifts arrayed around it, "it's not related to us. At least, I don't think it is."

It's just a working theory. Daniel doesn't have much of a grasp of the incomprehensible machinations of the Rift save for the glimpses everyone gets when it launches them all into the shared dream consciousness.

"Group dreams pop up every couple weeks or so," he goes on smoothly, abandoning the box when it remains stubbornly silent and moving on to the next. "Sometimes you've got your average sectioned-off private nightmares. Sometimes a couple people all get dragged into the same head without it being a big, you know, group thing." And yet another expressive wiggly wave of the hand to visually sketch out group thing. Daniel tries, he really does. "And some people have dream-specific powers that help them manipulate the metaphysical dream space, but that's, um. Also complicated." And not very well-defined, seeing as Daniel has only come into contact with a total of one known dream manipulator since his arrival.

[dawnwardroad]

"Must be from our side of things, then," he says. Maybe the Rift is borrowing some of the holiday cheer Zephyr is spreading. It missed the date a little, though.

"I think there are some people like that where I'm from." He remembers seeing something about it on the message board, anyway. "-Not where I'm from, I mean. Where I was before my brain came here, or whatever." He waves a dismissive hand to distract from how eloquently that was phrased.

[peacefulexplorer]

Huh. Now there's a thought. Daniel stops, squints a little in recollection of the dream he remembers flashing through his head prior to this. That had also been holiday-themed, but private he's pretty sure. Probably? There was a bit about Seth, and there was oh god okay yep, definitely private.

"Think maybe the Rift found a trove of new brains, decided to drag them all in for a bit of fun?" He lends a special, disgusted emphasis to the word fun. The theme here, boxing everyone in tiny four-walled enclosures, certainly slots in with Rift's sick sense of humor.

[dawnwardroad]

"Could be," he says, equally disdainful about how much fun that could possibly be. "It doesn't seem too bad so far, besides the rude awakening." And yet, for a dream it doesn't quite smell right. Like darkness hiding under the surface of something more pleasant.

[peacefulexplorer]

"Mm, don't be fooled," says Daniel darkly. "Underwater observatories are great for a general theme until you wake up drowning. Or watch your friends drown." And that's not getting into the out-and-out nightmares. This one has a worrisome sort of sinister atmosphere that implies the giant-sized tree and gifts are just the ominous veneer masking something worse. The Rift? The Rift's current...mood? Does the Rift have moods? Is it sentient?

Daniel gives himself a little shake. All very fascinating, but not really relevant.

"Oh boy," he says, rounding the jutting corner of a spiky-looking gift only to find the way barred by a massive present wrapped in vivid red-and-gold paper, large even in comparison to its oversized fellows. Chewing on his lip, Daniel shoots a worried look at Riku and then one over his shoulder. "Turn back, you think?"

[divinefluff]

Sinister, indeed. And from above their heads there arises such a clatter. One of the windows is wide and low, something that one would proudly display one's tree in all its trimmings before during the season. Zephyr claws at the glass from the outside, sharp black claws extended and teeth bared. They're at a scale more appropriate to the house, but they're still a small god, a little over three feet tall.

They can see Riku. He's right there but they can't reach him. A menagerie of animal sounds comes from the young god of the Meadous - screeches, howls, hisses, and growls - muffled and low behind the thick, frosty glass as they fight against the Rift's power.

In, in, in! Let me in!

[dawnwardroad]

Riku frowns, contemplating the huge obstacle of a present. He’s about to suggest trying to climb the thing before there’s a sudden noise from the window. Turns out it’s not Santa, but someone else very eager to get inside.

It takes a moment for Riku to recognize Zephyr in their winter coat, but it’s also hard to mistake them for anyone else. “...Zephyr?” he says, slightly incredulous. Also slightly wishing he wasn’t currently four inches tall. His expression is doubtful when he glances over to Daniel. “Think we could actually get the window open like this?”

[peacefulexplorer]

And now the present doesn't seem like such an important obstacle. There's something clattering at the window, something with fur and claws and is definitely not sized down like everyone else.

And that expression is - angry.

"What, that - you know who that -?" Daniel halts, frustrated. Yes, obviously Riku knows who that is - someone named Zephyr, apparently, which unearths a whole slew of questions. First order of business, however: the window. He pinches at the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses as he considers, gnawing at his lip with increased fervor. "I mean, it's possible. We'd have to get up there first." Which presents its own set of problems. "But, uh," and Daniel takes another look at those claws, how obviously furious those eyes look, and wets his lips nervously, "are you sure we want to?"

[divinefluff]

Zephyr tries headbutting the glass with their small antlers as they dig their claws into the outside sill for purchase. It's not use, though, and they slump to their knees, determination faltering. They recognize Daniel from the dream tapestry, but he looks scared right now. Zephyr wants to reassure him.

They let go of the sill and dig into a satchel at their side for their notebook and crayons, writing quickly before holding up their note to window.

I'm trying to get in, but the Rift is too powerful. Please help! I can't do it on my own. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen. I said please to the Rift to let you go, but it just keeps saying no. :(

[dawnwardroad]

The fact that the Rift doesn't like to share is very unsurprising, even for someone who has only known about it for ten minutes. The window itself gets another thoughtful stare as Riku considers how exactly to go about this.

"Zephyr's probably trying to fix whatever the Rift did," he says. "They're the god that runs the Meadows. I think they're probably just scared right now." It's easy to forget sometimes that Zephyr may be a god, but they're still a kid.

"I might be able to climb up there, but I definitely can't get it open by myself. Maybe we can use some of these presents to get up?"

[peacefulexplorer]

So - basically a nicer, friendlier Rift equivalent. If only Manhattan could be so lucky. Unfortunately that revelation lends a much darker feeling to this particular setting, in that the gifts containing all the other displaced minds was likely the Rift's way of, of what? Congratulating itself for a hijacking job well done? Gifting itself with the souls it drew away from Zephyr? Daniel scowls darkly at the thought, pausing to hold up a one minute finger at the god in the windowsill - thankfully they don't look to be the brand of 'god' he's most familiar with. And he'll take any opportunity to glean more of Manhattan's temperamental, faceless threshold guardian, especially if it means freeing potential victims from its captivity.

"Yeah, okay." He scrubs one hand through his hair in nervous indecision. "Well - that could be a problem. Our body strength corresponds to our size right now, and even if cardboard isn't the heaviest I doubt we could shift these on our own. Just let me -"

He starts pacing, pulling off glasses and kneading at the bridge of his nose with pinched thumb and forefinger.

"I could make a paperclip rope but that - that wouldn't be stable. We could try climbing - climbing how? There's no purchase, just steep vertical, you know." He sweeps one hand up and down demonstratively, staring at Riku without seeing him in the midst of his self-directed spiral of inconclusive rambling. Then he reasserts himself, snaps his gaze back on Riku with his more characteristic brand of too-intense, worried intent.

"Oh. Well. I have a really bad idea." He slides his gaze over to the tree, tall and imposing and rather terrifyingly spiky, and - exactly the right height to climb and reach the window.

I'll keep checking on this, but feel free to tag without Zephyr in the rotation!

[divinefluff]

Zephyr can't hear anything being said - the voices are too small and the barrier for the Rift too powerful at the moment - but they can still feel a sense of empowerment. They're going to help. They're going to try to help, and that means Zephyr should try their hardest, too.

They write out another quick message.

Please be careful. The Rift is really mean and greedy. I'm going to try to let the others know I'm still working to get in. I really wanted the holidays to be good for everyone. I'm sorry.

There's more than one window and the door still. Zephyr's going to try to get the attention of all the people - their people - in the house. If they work together, they can overcome this... just like the shadows and fear.