[open to all] Room full of people in your head

[applesaucemod]

The rift has gotten bored, and has decided it's time to bring people together for another dream party.

This time, when you find yourself within the dream, you'll be somewhere familiar. Perhaps somewhere you feel safe or at home, some place you miss, or were particularly happy at some point in your life. It might not be the same place every time you come back here, though.

There will also be a door where there didn't use to be one, even if there's no wall to surround it. If you go through this door, you will find yourself in endless simple corridor, lined with unmarked doors. And if you go through them, you'll pay a visit to someone else's room.


[There will monthly Dreaming party post like this. Same procedure as last time. Non-members welcome to tag in!]

Comments

[aly_brighteyes]

"At least on my end of things, though I can't say what his intention is this time." Aly holds up a hand for Kitten to sniff and inspect.

"Usually in my dreams, no one can see me."

[wildmage_daine]

Kitten lets go of Daine's breeches and approaches the offered hand, her eyes staying fixed on Aly's face as she sniffs curiously. After a few moments, her eyes widen in surprised recognition, and she lets out an astonished chirp.

At least one of them seems to know the newcomer, though there is something familiar about her niggling in the back of Daine's mind. One of the riders, maybe? A new recruit?

"We're dreaming?" Kitten looks back at her and nods vigorously. "Oh. Then this is the rift's doing," Daine says with an little sigh of exasperation.

[aly_brighteyes]

"Or Kyprioth's," Aly says, looking pointedly off in the distance. Her attempt to shame the god doesn't work and she frowns.

"Aunt Daine? What's going on?" And why is Kitten here? Aly barely remembers the dragon from when she was barely out of babyhood herself.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine holds her breath at the mention of Kyprioth's name, half-expecting the god to make an appearance. When nothing comes of it, though, she isn't as surprised as she could be. None of her gods have managed to say boo to her; why should any of the others show up?

Aunt? Daine opens her mouth to object - or maybe it just falls open out of surprise, as she certainly hadn't expected to be addressed as 'Aunt Daine' by a young woman about her own age - but then she sees that Kitten's nodding again. And there is something strangely familiar about the girl. It takes a few moments to sink in, but eventually Daine realizes she recognizes some of the girl's features: she has Alanna's hair and George's eyes.

"Aly?" she ventures, not sure she can believe it despite Kitten's whistle of confirmation. Feeling a bit light-headed, she says, "But you're only a toddler!"

[aly_brighteyes]

"Yes, yes I am. Aly, I mean. As you can see, I'm not a toddler."

Aunt Daine, back home, is by no means an old woman. If Mother isn't then certainly not her aunt, but the youth on her face is just startling. They could be cousins or schoolmates, not adoptive aunt and niece.

"You're grown, at least where I come from."

Kyprioth, she singsongs in her head. What's the meaning of this?

[wildmage_daine]

She certainly isn't. And what's happened to her nose? Daine runs a hand through her curls, at something of a loss.

"Wait, you mean... I haven't disappeared?" she asks, brow furrowing. Kitten trots back over to her, looking troubled and shaking her head. "I have disappeared?" Daine directs that question to Kitten, who nods and gives her pantleg a tug. Sighing, Daine stoops to pick up the dragon and settle her on her hip. "This is fair confusing."

[aly_brighteyes]

Aly shakes her head, puzzling through all of this. "Not that I know of. Back home you should be with baby Sarralyn, not here, wandering around and..."

Being much too young to have been pregnant with Sarralyn at all. Oh dear.

[wildmage_daine]

"With who?" Daine and Kitten stare at Aly with nigh-identical expressions of confusion for a moment before Daine shakes her head. "This doesn't make the least bit of sense. You say I haven't gone anywhere, Kitten says I have... is anyone even looking for me?" Kitten chitters confirmation, nodding vigorously and looking a bit offended that Daine had the nerve to ask.

[aly_brighteyes]

"Like I said," Aly replies softly. Her mind races, hunts for lies and games but, whatever the trick, this is Aunt Daine without a doubt. She can See the godhood and Wild Magic in her and her heart tells her much the same.

"Where I'm from, you're safe at home and grown."

[wildmage_daine]

Daine sighs, thinking it over. "If you're from the future," she muses, "maybe that just means I haven't made it home yet." Adjusting her grip on Kitten, she adds, "I don't s'pose I ever mentioned being stuck in another realm to you before?"

[aly_brighteyes]

Aly shakes her head, watching the young dragon in Daine's arms. "Only ever to the divine realms."

[wildmage_daine]

Frowning, Daine opens her mouth to mention that she hasn't been to the divine realms, either - but then she remembers the visions she had when she died. It was hardly the same as being stuck, but she supposes she has been there. Difference is, the two times she went to the divine realms, her body didn't go with her - and she was brought back home at once.

She's also not sure how to feel about the implication that she gets home and then never talks about New York again. Maybe no one's mentioned it to Aly, or she just forgot about it because she was so young - will be so young? Odd's bobs, this is more the TARDIS's or the Doctor's (or Andrew's) bag than hers.

"Well, I s'pose it's good that I'm home where you're from," she says bracingly. "I'd not like to be stuck in New York forever."

[aly_brighteyes]

Aly can't say either, as most of the time her family and her adoptive aunts and uncles tend to be fairly candid about which gods have been making sport of their lives. Often, over the dinner table. There are so many lessons that Daine has taught her about the gods that she can't imagine she'd not tell Aly about this sort of adventure.

"This is even stranger than what's normal for our family." And that is saying a great, great deal.

[wildmage_daine]

That earns her a more genuine smile. "It gets stranger still, believe me. You haven't even seen cars - or skyscrapers! Some of the things these two-leggers can do without magic are fair impressive." Not always in a good way, but still.

[aly_brighteyes]

"That's the only thing I know to look forward to anymore." Aly matches Daine's smile, feeling a little better for it.

After all, her patron god is a trickster.

[wildmage_daine]

"Sensible of you," Daine says approvingly, wrinkling her nose. Then she sobers a little. Perhaps she shouldn't be asking about things that are to happen in her future, but she's spent too much time fretting over how things were going in her absence to let this opportunity pass by.

"How are things at home? Is everyone all right?"

[aly_brighteyes]

"Da always said I was a sensible one." Aly gives Daine a playfully knowing smile, one that only hints at the mischief she's been up to.

"Oh, things are well. You're the famous Wild Mage and Mother is still harrying about and killing spidrens left and right. And I...have been traveling."

[wildmage_daine]

Daine grins back, in part because it's funny to think of the little girl she remembers being described as 'sensible.' No one's sensible at that age.

Her stomach drops at the word 'famous' - the last noteworthy thing she'd done was raze the Carthaki palace, and the last thing she wants is to be known for that - but then she remembers that she's older where (when?) Aly's come from. Surely folk aren't still talking about it over a decade later.

Or are they? Snowsdale gossips were always happy enough to harp on about Sarra's bastard long after her birth, after all.

"Not for Carthak, I hope," she says, brow furrowed. Eager to change the subject, she asks, "Traveling? Where to?"

[aly_brighteyes]

Aly flutters her eyelashes a moment, "But Aunt, Carthak is so lovely this time of year!"

She gives the declaration a perfectly timed beat before raising a hand. "No, I'm afraid not. Kyprioth sent me to the Copper Isles to employ my skills."

[wildmage_daine]

It's still strange hearing 'Aunt' come from a girl near enough to her own age, for all that she knows this is Aly. All this talk of Kyprioth might make her worry that she was being tricked, somehow, but she very much doubts the god could pull one over on Kitten.

"Skills?" Daine wonders which of her parents Aly takes after in that regard. The broken nose suggests she's been in a tussle, but she has her father's bearing - and if she was a squire, she'd be running errands for her knight master, not a god. "Have you gone into spywork?"

[aly_brighteyes]

"Say, rather, I was press-ganged and then seduced into well...The Copper Isles did need less time on their hands to spend mucking about with Tortall." Aly flaps it off with an impatient hand, as if serving as a rebellion's spymaster is no nevermind.

[wildmage_daine]

"Press-ganged?" Daine's eyebrows shoot up, despite Aly's flippant attitude. "Do your parents know what's happened? Mithros, they must be having fits!"

[aly_brighteyes]

"Well, that's Mother for you," Aly replies, hiding her true feelings out of reflex and no small part of regret.

"I did mean to tell her goodbye."

[wildmage_daine]

Daine tsks, readjusting her grip on Kitten so she reach for Aly. "Are you all right?" she asks, taking her niece's hand.

[aly_brighteyes]

"Of course I am," she promises. As Daine has guessed, she does take after her good old Da. "I'm good at hiding what I can do."