The House was Awake with Shadows and Monsters [Open to All]

[applesaucemod]

This might not be the first time a given dreamer has found themselves at a fancy party in a large mansion, and dressed in something they wouldn't typically wear. If the architecture is more gothic than usual, well, that could just be a coincidence… but it's probably no coincidence that the dreamers are all wearing Halloween costumes that they decidedly did not pick themselves. 'Tis the season! They might look fancy, they might look slapdash; either way, it shouldn't be too difficult for the dreamers to figure out who - or what - they're supposed to be.

The evening's festivities are centered around a grand ballroom. Music is emanating from somewhere or other, and numerous chandeliers are aglow with warm candlelight. Tables line the perimeter, and they're piled with seasonal snacks and bowls of punch. If dancing isn't your thing, there's a whole mansion and extensive grounds to explore.

Those who venture forth will notice that the farther they wander from the party, the less friendly things seem. Tidy rooms with fires in the hearths will give way to dark, dusty corridors and neglected spaces. Manicured lawns grow into tangled hedges. As the music fades out of earshot, the house's settling groans and the hiss of the wind through the ivy will be impossible to ignore.

(It was just the house, wasn't it? Sure it was. It was probably your own footsteps that made that floorboard creak, too. And that rustle on the other side of the hedge was just a rabbit.)

All things considered, it might be more comfortable to just stay in the ballroom, where it's warm and cheerful and there are plenty of snacks. A note about the snacks, though: the dreamers will find that the more punch they consume, the more their own identities seem to fade away in favor of a persona more in line with their costumes. A dreamer dressed as a tiger might find themselves inclined to hide behind a curtain and pounce on passersby. A dreamer dressed as a mummy might adopt a stiff-legged gait and dole out a curse or two. A dreamer dressed as a robot might start speaking binary.

At least no one will actually turn into anything. That would just be embarrassing.

The good news is that eating any of the available food will counteract the punch's effects, so it's possible to have a fine time and still keep ahold of yourself. But what's the fun in that?


[ooc: the usual dream party rules apply. All are welcome, whether they've been apped to the game or not. Characters can remember or forget the events of the dream at the players' discretion. Any punch-drinking dreamers will take on the personality characteristics - and potentially the magical/supernatural capabilities - of whatever or whoever they're dressed as, though their physical appearance will remain the same.]

Comments

[bibliophale]

"It was an educated guess," he says smoothly - a little too smooth, if one is keeping track. "And I am not human. I'm an angel, which I expect you haven't seen before. Learning experiences all around."

He looks her over, then sighs and passes a look around the crowded room. "Is she as small as you?" he asks.

[dividual]

Angel? What's he talking about? She brushes off the response almost immediately after it confuses her. Does it matter? Does anything matter if Sapphire is gone?

They can worry about him later. When they're together again.

"Yes!" says Ruby, exasperated. Several more wisps of fine black smoke begin hissing from the top of her head as the dragon costume begins to smolder softly. "She's small and cold and she's probably all alone so I need to find her, okay?"

[bibliophale]

"Mind that you don't set anything on fire," he says mildly, conjuring himself a fresh glass of punch. "All right, all right, I'll help you."

Helping. What nonsense. But maybe he'll get something for his trouble. She is an odd little bugger. And she's smoking. It seems appropriate somehow.

"So cold and blue," he says. Also appropriate. "Well, you're not going to find her down there. You ought to come up here."

Is he really inviting this thing to climb on him. He supposes he is. Why not, eh?

[dividual]

Ruby narrows her eyes. Climb him? Like a human child? Is he joking?

"I'll find her fine!" she says fiercely. "Don't act like I can't! I don't have time for this!"

Oblivious to his warning, she begins pacing, each step leaving a charred footprint in her wake. The fine carpet has begun to look a little worse for wear the more she paces, hands gripping either side of her head in apparent agitation.

[bibliophale]

He gives her a look that can only be described as 'done'.

His first instinct is to say 'please not the carpet', but almost immediately that doesn't quite feel right. Actually, it's rather amusing, isn't it, watching her little footsteps burn and blacken the plush carpeting. Delightful.

"You know what would probably draw her out quickly," he says with a little smile, "a fire. A proper fire. She's cold, right, she'd come towards that, surely. Fire is rather noticeable."

Besides, he thinks, positively gleeful. Think of the mayhem.

[dividual]

"Great!" she yells, slamming one foot down to whirl around and face him. "Fine! Thanks for being so HELPFUL!"

As she spits out the final word, the stilling tongues of fire atop the nearby candles abruptly jet upward into tall, thin pillars of fire that nearly tickle the ceiling. Torches explode into roaring conflagrations with a whoosh of flame, and the magnificent, ornately wrought fireplace belches out a gout of bright orange flame that scorches away a good chunk of the surrounding carpeting.

Apparently unconcerned with the consequences of her small tantrum, Ruby trains the horned man with a furious glare.

[halfofus]

It is impossible to miss the sudden violent shift in the room, and Sapphire wastes no time flitting up and over to its epicenter - there she is, there she is. Thank goodness.

"Ruby!" she cries, some admonishment, mostly relief. "It's okay, Ruby, I'm here!"

Her presence should be enough to calm the inferno, but just to be safe... it starts to snow gently, not too much, just enough to balance things out. That's the way to sort this out, right? Surely.

[dividual]

"Sapphire!" The human, or whatever he is, is promptly forgotten in her rush to get to the other gem. She weaves and dodges through the thicket of legs with careless abandon.

She reaches her with an audible gasp of relief, snowflakes catching in the ruined wings and fangs of her costume only to melt an instant later.

"You're all right," she says, almost to herself, gripping the other gem tightly with both hands in a fierce hug. "You're all right."

[halfofus]

"I'm all right," she says quietly, gripping Ruby right back, hands covering hers, touching her cheek. "Are you? Did something happen?"

She is not unaware of the tall human standing next to them and apparently watching them, and there is a fair possibility that Ruby's outburst had been fueled in part by him - separation itself is upsetting enough, but is it enough for that. But her attention is only on Ruby right now, these questions lingering patiently beneath the surface, queued up for later. She presses closer, holding on, wishing they could just fuse back together - what happened, where are they?? But it's okay, because they found each other. It's okay.

[dividual]

She skips right over those two questions - they don't really matter, and Sapphire knows because she always does - because something way more serious is happening here.

"What's happening?" she murmurs. "We're not fusing. We're not fusing! Sapphire, why can't we fuse?"

Her eyes dart momentarily to the devil-horned man.

"You!" She advances on him menacingly. "Is this your fault? What are you doing?"

[bibliophale]

Well, there's the blue one. Making it snow, dousing the flames. Pity, that. He watches their touching reunion with a tilted head and a small smile - intriguing little creatures. Simplistic and yet very complex. He likes that.

And now, marvelous! The little red one is growling at him like a small dog.

"Standing," he says mildly. "Why? What am I meant to be doing?"

[dividual]

"You're - you're keeping us apart!" Ruby doesn't stop to question exactly how he'd be doing that if he's just a human or an angel or whatever. She doesn't care! She just wants him to stop whatever he's doing to keep them from fusing!

"We're supposed to fuse, and you're - doing something, it's gotta be you!" She hasn't even spoken to anyone else since this whole fiasco started!