This is My Island in the Sun [Open to All]

[applesaucemod]

The Rift wouldn't say it's sorry for the fit it threw the other day, because the Rift never needs to apologize. It is (mostly) perfect, and all of its decisions are well reasoned and just. Obviously. But perhaps it has fallen into a bit of a post-tantrum sulk, because this dream is milder than one might expect. In fact, it's downright nice.

The dreamers will find themselves in an archipelago of small islands - most only a few acres in size - connected by narrow strips of sand or pebbles. The surrounding waters are calm. Little waves lap against the shorelines, and no rising tide will cut the islands off from one another. The islands themselves seem to have been lifted from every climate zone on Earth and several from beyond. Some are tropical, some colder and home to hardy conifers, some mossy and boulder-strewn, some covered in multicolored sand and odd, coral-like trees.

Most of the islands boast some kind of manmade or otherwise non-native structure, be it as small as a bench or as large as a pavilion, though there are no houses or shops to be seen. It's more like parkland, just civilized enough for a nice picnic. Some of the islands even have little grills, and a sufficiently motivated dreamer might be able to rustle up some hot dog or burger fixings if they poke around a bit.

And they'll have an extra pair of eyes to help with their searching, because their beloved dæmons have returned… again. Or perhaps they're being introduced for the first time. Regardless, it's the bi-annual dæmon dream party!

Comments

[bibliophale]

[A little retcon, I don't know enough about snakes and last time I claimed Aziraphale's was a lil cutie ball python but NO she is a great big magnificent Burmese python. Very very different. Disregard previously threaded inaccuracies.]

Aziraphale adjusts his glasses and regards the ocean unhappily. Orisa he regards with a mild and esoteric sort of tension, as if to say ah yes, that - he'd almost forgotten about his soul's manifestation being a great bloody python. Now she is draped heavily around his shoulders and looking back at him with matched dryness.

"You could say you're happy to ssssee me," she says, coiling up onto his shoulder. "I didn't ask to be thisss way, you know."

"Yes, yes." He reaches up and gives her a begrudging pat on the head, which is more enjoyable than he'd like to admit. "Anyway it's not that, it's this - scenery I'm not sure about. The rift's trying to placate us, I suppose. Nice dreams after bad things, isn't that always how it goes?"

She makes a fairly unsnakelike clicking sound of consideration but chooses to wander up to settle on his head rather than discuss the matter.

"Must you," he sighs.

"It's a very nice island," she observes. "Perhaps there's something to eat."

"Is that all you can think about?"

She tilts her head down to fix one beady eye on him.

He huffs out a breath. "Fine," he relents. "I suppose I am a little peckish."

"You suppose," she says, not at all smugly.

He glowers at her before stalking off toward the more parkish area. There's a grill there. Surely there must be something. He could bring something into existence of course, but Orisa seems to favor exploration, and while he would try very hard indeed to deny it, it is difficult not to dote on her a little. She is part of him, after all.

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta is always pleased to see Nilakshi, and he's even more pleased that this time they're somewhere pleasant. "Nilakshi!" he cries, trotting over to her. Nilakshi lets out a happy rumble, so excited to see him that she literally lifts Peeta off his feet with her trunk-hug.

"Peeta, it is so good to see you." She sets him down gently before ruffling his hair with her trunk. "This is a nice place, much nicer than last time."

"It is," Peeta agrees, studying the tiny island they are on with interest. It's desert-like, but beautiful in a way. And the general atmosphere is peaceful, refreshing. "Want to explore?" Nilakshi nods her agreement, and they set out.

Neither are all that interested in the first island they come to, which is too reminiscent of home for Peeta. The next island is too cold for Nilakshi, and the next is too small. Finally they arrive at one that is more jungle, with a beautiful sandy coastline. Having tromped across the earlier islands, they decide to walk around this one, enjoying the beach and the calm ocean. They haven't gone far when they hear faint noises that draw their attention.

Catching sight of the cause, Peeta stops dead. There's a man, and he appears to be wearing a snake as a hat. Peeta can feel Nilakshi's similar befuddlement when she nuzzles his shoulder.

"Hello?" Peeta calls.

[bibliophale]

Aziraphale starts, looking over at the source of the call. Before he registers the young man he registers the elephant - a rather small elephant, the Asian breed if he's not very much mistaken, but an elephant nonetheless. Orisa uncoils partway, slithering down Aziraphale's arm, lifting her head and tasting the air curiously.

"Hullo," she replies. "It's all right, just a dream. We were going to find edibles, if you'd like to join us."

Well, that is quite friendly of her. Aziraphale wants to object before he realizes there is not a single solitary reason for any such objection, and he smiles instead. "Yes, er, if you like," he reiterates. "My name's Aziraphale, this is Orisa."

[peeta_mellark]

For his part, Peeta is more distracted by the snake than the man, so it takes a second longer than it should for the introductions to register. He's already nodding in greeting when he realizes who he's talking to.

"Aziraphale? You're Aziraphale? Daine's mentioned you. I'm Peeta." He grins and starts toward the pair, Nilakshi just behind.

"And I'm Nilakshi," she adds with a flap of her ears.

[bibliophale]

"Oh!" Aziraphale blinks in surprise at the recognition, then smiles pleasantly. "You're Peeta! Yes, she's mentioned you as well."

Honestly, the first time he became aware of the boy was under some fairly grievous circumstances, but he just won't mention that.

"A pleasure," he says to him and to Nilakshi. "Yes, Orisa seems convinced we'll find something to eat here, though if we fail that imperative there are other options available to us."

Orisa hisses primly. "No need to show off," she tuts. "Look, there's a grill, right there. We'll have a right proper picnic I'm sure."

"Yes, assuming we can find the trees that grow grillable meats," he says drolly.

[peeta_mellark]

"I'll be just fine with foliage," Nilakshi says, eying the nearby trees with interest, "if I get hungry." She's moving her trunk differently than normal, and Peeta's a little amused to realize that she's imitating the way Orisa moves. She doesn't seem to be doing it intentionally - if anything, her attention is on the jungle, not Orisa.

Peeta glances over his shoulder, back toward the beach. "There's always fishing, I suppose."

[bibliophale]

"Oh - yes, I suppose," says Aziraphale, looking at the ocean dubiously and with the air of if we must. He pauses, looking this way and that, trying to pick out a direction to search in, and Orisa sighs and slithers down from him to the ground.

"Where are you going," he says, only mildly affronted by the abandonment, and she replies, "I'm faster than you," before slithering off into the brush.

Aziraphale stares at the bushes before, eventually, feeling a slight tug under his sternum, and he settles into an awkward pursuit. It doesn't last long, because very shortly Orisa calls, "Look what I found!" and he follows her voice to find her curled smugly around a miniature fridge.

"What," Aziraphale says flatly, looking at the thing. "That doesn't belong here."

"It's working," hums Orisa.

"How?" Aziraphale crouches down and opens it up irritably, indeed feeling a blast of impossible cold air upon opening it, and seeing-

"Hot dogs." He looks back at Peeta, completely at a loss.

"Everyone knows grillable meats don't grow on trees," says Orisa.

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta's all for staying put while the others forage - he can't see Orisa, but Aziraphale is still clearly visible as he follow after her. But Nilakshi gives him a gentle nudge from behind, so he starts after them, Nilakshi in step at his side. In the end, they don't have to go far, and they reach the other pair just as Aziraphale looks around at them.

"A fridge?" Peeta asks.

"Hot dogs?" Nilakshi rumbles.

"Well, that definitely not a tree." Peeta had never had a hot dog until he arrived in Manhattan, but there's a vendor in the park he particularly likes. And he is a little hungry. Maybe a cooking adventure is what they need. He gives the open fridge a long look, then meets Aziraphale's gaze. "Should we give them a try?"

[bibliophale]

"May as well, I suppose," says Aziraphale distantly. The whole thing is preposterous - his instinct is to just turn his nose up at all of it, but Orisa seems to be embodying his deeply internalized sense of adventure curiosity presently, and Peeta and Nilakshi seem game to experiment.

"Come here." He gathers Orisa back up. "I'm going to send them back to the grill."

"Lazy," sighs Orisa.

"You hush." Aziraphale waves a hand and the fridge has gone, now relocated for ease of grilling. He tromps back. "I don't suppose you know how to grill hot dogs," he says to Peeta.

[peeta_mellark]

Despite having very different faces, Peeta and Nilakshi wear identical expressions as they watch the fridge disappear and reappear near the grill. Peeta remembers what Daine has told him about Aziraphale, so he isn't too surprised, but it's still fascinating to see in person. As much so as watching Daine heal a bird or Sunshine create a ward on a door.

As he follows Aziraphale back to the grill, Peeta ponders whether transporting objects is something he can do in the waking world, or if he's simply good at manipulating dreams.

"I've never tried before," he says. "The only hot dogs I've ever had were from vendors in the park."

"And those aren't grilled," Nilakshi adds.

Peeta nods in agreement, looking at the grill pensively. "I've grilled other things, though. It can't be too hard, right?"

[bibliophale]

"Surely not," says Aziraphale vaguely, regarding the grill with moderate disdain. Everything about this dream is terribly absurd, right down to his snake. "If you think you can do it, then - I can ensure we don't burn down this island."

He can start the fire, too, or - well, is it fire they want, or just heat? He frowns thoughtfully at the grill before passing his hand over it and warming the coals.

"Will that be sufficient, do you think?" he asks Peeta, a little sheepish to be deferring to the boy, but this isn't exactly something he's ever had to do before.

[peeta_mellark]

And now Aziraphale is heating a grill with just a wave of his hand. Peeta bites back a grin, unsure if a sign of his delight would be welcome. He doesn't know Aziraphale well enough to know how he would take such a reaction. Besides which, Aziraphale just seems so focused on the grilling process, Peeta's unwilling to distract him by a possibly unwelcome discussion of his powers.

Instead, he steps over to the grill, eying it critically and waving his hand over it in turn - in his case, to check the temperature. "I think so. The way I've grilled before it a little different, but this should work fine."

He squats to check in the fridge, then looks around the grill area before turning to Aziraphale. "Do you think you could make some tongs, or a fork?" he asks, sheepish himself.

[bibliophale]

"Oh, certainly," says Aziraphale brightly, and miracles a lovely pair of tongs into existence, handing them over. He steps back a bit to observe, and Orisa uncoils herself from his shoulders, dropping down to the ground and slithering over to Nilakshi.

"You're the biggest one we've seen yet," she remarks, giving the elephant a little sniff. "I wonder what decides the shape. Do you have a particularly good memory, perhaps?" This with a look at Peeta.

"I'm sure it's nothing like that," says Aziraphale rather grudgingly.

[peeta_mellark]

This time, Peeta lets the grin spread over his face when a pair of tongs pops into existence. "That is so amazing," he mutters as he takes the utensil. He's still smiling, more gently now, as he gets started on the hot dogs. They sizzle enticingly as he lays them on the grill and he feels his stomach grumble lightly, despite the fact that he didn't really feel hungry before.

He watches Orisa and Nilakshi interact with interest. While he isn't unfamiliar with snakes, he hasn't interacted with many. There were a couple that Daine healed, but they had more important things on their minds than him and his curiosity.

At Orisa's question, Peeta's expression turns thoughtful. "I think it has to do with personality? Daine told me about elephants the first time Nilakshi appeared - I'd never heard of an elephant before then." He pauses then, eyes going distant, and thinks back to Daine's words. "She said they're clever, gentle, loyal, and protective. The way she described them reminded me of myself, so maybe that's the connection: the shape is an animal that's most like you."

He glances between Orisa and Aziraphale with open curiosity. "I don't know snakes all that well; what makes the two of you alike?"

[bibliophale]

"We're not!" blurts Aziraphale indignantly, just as Orisa says, "Sssnakes are complicated. He doesn't like it because they're the symbol of deviousness and deccception. But that's Crowely, not snakes."

Aziraphale frowns deeply to himself, keeping his attention on the grill. He knows there is sense in what Orisa's saying, in fact he's already considered all of it, but he still doesn't have to like it. Daine is probably right, that the animal's shape has to do with a person's personality, but it distresses him to imagine what people might think of him, seeing him with a great serpent.

"Snakes are most comfortable when they can go about their businessss," says Orisa matter-of-factly. "That's Aziraphale for you."

"Well," mutters Aziraphale, though he can't quite muster an argument.

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta's curiosity shifts, and he studies Aziraphale with interest while Aziraphale focuses on the grill. It doesn't seem that Aziraphale is upset about Peeta's question so much as he is by the implications of its answer. So Peeta pauses for a moment, using the time to turn the hot dogs on the grill, before speaking again.

"From what I've seen of snakes," he begins, tone thoughtful and eyes pointedly focused on Orisa, "they seem to like to be left alone, but they also like to know what's going on. That does make for a complicated personality, I suppose. They seem to be clever, but aren't showy about it the way some of the People can be."

From what little he gathered from watching Daine interact with snakes in the park, they also appear to have a streak of sarcasm in them. He keeps that point to himself, though, both out of uncertainty as to whether it's a true evaluation, and also because his goal here is to reassure Aziraphale, and not everyone appreciates sarcasm. Instead, he smiles softly and shakes his head.

"I'm not sure what Daine would say about it, but I'm usually able to get a good feel for the personality of the animals just by watching her interact with them. I'm still not too sure about snakes, though. Maybe they're mysterious, too. As for devious and deceptive? I never got that impression. And they didn't symbolize that in my world. They didn't symbolize anything, actually."

Now he turns his gaze to Aziraphale. "I assume 'Crowley' is a person - have you ever met his or her animal?" he asks, waving his free hand toward Orisa and Nilakshi.

[bibliophale]

Aziraphale huffs quietly but doesn't interrupt the boy. This is so dreadfully embarrassing. Orisa slithers back over to him and nudges his foot lightly. He's just trying to help. Well yes, of course he knows that. And actually it all is rather sensible, and kind besides. He's a nice boy. He can see why Daine likes him.

"A person, more or less," sighs Aziraphale. "He's a demon from my world - we came through together." He waves a hand, at once dismissive and annoyed. "His is a lovely little bird. I suppose because he's such a show-off."

"And he is always thinking away," Orisa points out.

Aziraphale tilts his head from side to side, considering it. "I suppose he is rather birdlike," he says reluctantly.