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

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!

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"Okay," says Simonides sheepishly, peering at Beth with big dark eyes.

"We've been okay," says Bee, the 'we' coming naturally enough that she doesn't even notice. "Trying to keep my head down like usual. Just keeping the bees." She smiles softly up at him. She knows he's been a little troubled recently, though she hasn't heard much from him lately. "Are you okay?"

If the Balladeer noticed the "we", he doesn't comment. He just sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Well. We were living right above ROMAC's headquarters." So obviously, that was not fun. "I've been trying to lie low since then. I...ran a little afoul of some of their officers on my out," he admits with a bit of a wince. It was intentional, of course, but it doesn't entirely sit right with him.

Beth sees his uncertainty and hisses a little, puffing up her feathers. "They deserved it."

"Oh!" She claps a hand over her mouth, looking mortified. "That's right, I - I forgot!" She flushes, embarrassed, and Simonides curls in comfortingly. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry. I don't really know what happened with all that, just heard about it through the grapevine, and I forgot you were actually living there, oh lord." She passes her hand over her forehead, resolving not to beat herself up too much about it. "I'm sure they did," she says to Beth, looking back up at him quickly. She is no stranger to using her power against people, and she knows how mixed up one can feel after the fact. "I'm sure you only did what you had to."

She reaches out and sets her hand on his arm. "Listen, I don't really know what all that was about, but I know that rifties stick together, so if you ever have trouble, let me know. I'm tougher than I look." This with a reassuring grin.

The Balladeer hadn't expected her to remember, really. It wasn't like she'd ever even been there - and now, of course, he knows exactly why. Oh god, how many clues did he just completely pass over?

"Okay," he says, returning her smile briefly. He's sure she is; if nothing else, he's intimately aware of what someone with their sort of power can do. "But I hope it doesn't come to that. There was - well, they took a friend of mine hostage. They were trying to trap some other rifties they thought would come for her." He shrugs wryly. "They came for her, alright. Broke in, turned loose a bunch of people they'd been keeping locked in the lower floors - "

He breaks off with an angry huff. "I can't believe I didn't know they were doing that! If I'd paid any attention..." It would've taken something very invasive for him to understand the full scope of ROMAC's shady activities just from his occasional conversations with their people, but it seems like the kind of thing he should have known anyway. He knows lots of things he isn't supposed to! If he had, he never would have just sat there quietly and taken their money. He's not sure exactly what he would have done, but one thing's for sure: they wouldn't have had any deep dark secrets left once he was through.

Bee's expression shifts briefly from concern to outright horror at the news of a hostage. She'd known bad things were afoot but hadn't known the details. So cowardly, it makes her sick to think of it.

"It's not your fault," she says swiftly, recovering. You couldn't have known doesn't exactly apply to them, and she knows exactly how he feels about this. "You can't take the weight of everything, just because you happen to hear a little more than others - we both have a responsibility but not an obligation."

This is something she's had to tell herself many times.

"It's okay," she says as soothingly as she can. "And... your friend is okay too. Right?"

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

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