[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

[wildmage_daine]

Daine's not in the room for more than a second before her nose wrinkles involuntarily. Definitely wrong. She's been poking around for long enough that she's beginning to forget what, exactly, she's looking for, but she's fair certain this isn't it. Daine doesn't frequent bars of any sort.

It occurs to her that Kitten would find the place to be even more overwhelming, as the young dragon doesn't even frequent the 21st century, in the same moment as Kitten lets out a loud, indignant squawk. Grimacing, Daine rubs her ear. "Kit, hush. It's not that bad." Except it kind of is. Most of the rooms she's seen are quiet and peaceful inside, not... this. What is that singer even doing?

[has_a_horn]

At the squawk, Gabriel twists his head around from the show to see who's come in. When he sees that it's Daine and...a dragon? he hesitates for a moment before smiling and waving her over. "Who's your friend?"

[wildmage_daine]

So this is Gabriel's room. Somehow, that makes things a bit less puzzling. Kitten squirms to be put down, and Daine stoops a little to comply as she answers, "This is Kitten - Skysong, really, but most folk call her Kitten."

Once Kitten is on the floor, she marches right up to Gabriel's chair and commences scolding him in a series of chitters and shrieks. "Kitten!" Appalled, Daine hoists the squirming dragon back onto her hip. "Sorry, she's not usually like this," she says to Gabriel before directing a firm, "Mind your manners," to the dragon.

[has_a_horn]

"Hi there, Kitten. Not...Veralidaine?" It's just that there's a weird sort of signature stamped into the soul of the little dragon, and it happens to say Veralidaine. It's not something he's seen before.

He looks back up to Daine. Is there something about him in particualar that's setting the thing off? "What'd I do?"

[wildmage_daine]

"Veralidaine's my name," Daine replies with a puzzled little frown, wondering where Gabriel had heard it. It's written down in whatever records the rebels have of her, but no one actually uses it. Plus, he seemed to think it belonged to Kitten.

The dragon looks almost as surprised as Daine for a moment, then goes back to glaring around the bar as if its patrons have all personally offended her, her blue scales taking on an angry scarlet tinge around their edges. Before Daine can ask her what's wrong, Kitten lets out a trill, the pitch rising and falling like music. She ends the phrase with a loud chk! sound - and the scenery shifts. It's almost imperceptible, just a brief change in the quality of the light, and then the bar is back to normal. Kitten repeats the trill, altering the tune a little, and the next chk causes the sound to muffle for a beat. Her third attempt is more successful - for an instant, Daine catches a glimpse of somewhere else entirely before the bar snaps back into place.

"Oh! Is this... did you make this?" she asks Gabriel, gesturing around them. If so, you can color her impressed; she's never seen an illusion this good before. "It's just that Kitten can tell when something's an illusion, and she doesn't always, um..." she winces as Kitten makes an undeniably rude sound, "... appreciate it. Sorry."

[has_a_horn]

He frowns at the brief change. He knows what's happening here, and he's not all that excited for it to go any further. Daine's already seen a little more of his mind that he's comfortable with. If this little dragon goes on with what she's doing, they'll be brought back to a cosy little corner of heaven.

When Daine explains, he nods. "Yup. I could change it. Something more appropriate?" he snaps his fingers, and now they're sitting in plastic chairs, a field of wildflowers surrounding them on all sides. He'd picked this location because it happens to be a real place. He's hoping that a copy of something will be less offensive to the creature than an outright creation.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine's eyebrows shoot up at the change of scenery - and all it took was a snap of his fingers. He's good at this. It's a welcome change, too, as far as Daine's concerned, but if Kitten's expression is anything to go by, a nice illusion isn't much more welcome than a less pleasant one.

"Stop it," Daine says firmly before the dragon can voice her displeasure. She may be curious about what the illusion is there to mask, but if Gabriel would rather keep it private, she doesn't want to pry. Besides, she still feels as if she owes him after Yuri's breakout. "It's not as if he's trying to trick us, so just leave be." Kitten turns grey and crawls beneath Daine's chair to sulk, muttering under her breath.

"Sorry," Daine apologizes yet again. "She's still only a baby, really."

[has_a_horn]

"I'll try not to take it personally." He tilts his head a bit to look at the little dragon, thinking that Kitten might be right not to like him. That tends to be the case with people that can see past his facades.

Speaking of. He looks out at the field (the central valley of California in the spring) and keeps his tone purposefully light as he speaks. "Do you remember much about out last dream together? It was snowing then." Also the intense pain and awkward mistaken identities, but he's going to stick with the weather. Mostly he just wants to know where his footing is with her. It doesn't seem that she remembers much, but it's hard to say.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine blinks at the question, then gives an awkward shrug. It's not a subject she'd would have brought up by choice, in part because she doesn't remember enough for it to be worth talking about, and in part because what she does remember isn't pleasant. It's the feelings that really stuck: fear, confusion, helplessness, guilt. Everything else is vague or in pieces.

"Not much, no," she replies with some reluctance. Now that he's gone and reminded her, she mostly just wants to ask if he's okay - and maybe apologize again for not even trying to break him out - but she's not sure her pity would be welcome. "I remember your wings," she says instead.

[has_a_horn]

He almost asks which ones she remembers, but stops himself. Instead, he raises his eyebrows at her and lets out a brief "Huh" as if he's considering the meaning of having wings in a dream, as if he doesn't remember them himself. "What were they like?"

[wildmage_daine]

Why is he asking her? Doesn't he remember? Her own memories of the dream might be a bit foggy, but she doubts the image of those bloodied wings will be leaving her mind anytime soon.

"They were a mess," she says bluntly, frowning at him. "How can you remember the weather and not that?"

Kitten pokes her head out from beneath Daine's chair, more interested in the conversation than in sulking. Plus, now that her mama seems less happy with Gabriel, Kitten might be allowed to scold him again. The dragon sits up on her haunches next to the chair, watching the angel closely.

[has_a_horn]

He shrugs. "They say when you dream about having wings it's about escape. If they were a mess...maybe that means I feel stuck. Whadaya think?" He rolls his eyes as he seems to mull over the thought. In truth, he knows that he'd been presenting one of his worst fears to her.

"I bet that's how all the rifties feel, though." He stretches out his legs in front of him, keeping his tone light. "I've never been very good at dream interpretation."

[wildmage_daine]

Daine can feel her face growing hot as he speaks. She knows he's lying to her - knows it instinctively - but it isn't until her memory catches up with her that she realizes what he's lying about, and why it's so infuriating.

He's an angel, like the statue at the top of the fountain. He'd even said as much in the dream. And now he's lying to her face about it, because he's not just betting on her not remembering what he told her, he's betting on her being too stupid to figure it out on her own.

She opens her mouth to tell him she knows what he is, then changes her mind. She'll do one better: she's going to go look it up. There must be plenty of information about angels in that holy book so many folk here go on about - The Bible, wasn't it? She'll ask Blythe for a copy; then she'll know what's what.

Unfortunately, having a plan hasn't lessened her anger much, and she's never been especially adept at hiding her state of mind. "I wouldn't know," she says in response to the load of mouse manure he's just spewed at her, staring down at the grass to keep from glaring at him.

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel misinterprets her anger at him as frustration with the situation in general. The little dragon must be another aspect of her home that she's been ripped away from, and his own reminder that they're both stuck in an alternate universe probably isn't helping much.

He wiggles a finger at Kitten, wondering if dragons are anything like cats. "Do you feel trapped here?"

[wildmage_daine]

Is he asking her, or Kitten? Daine glances down at the dragon, who's eyeing Gabriel's finger a little too intently. For a moment, she considers just letting Kit bite him - any charitable feelings she'd had toward Gabriel when she walked in are in rather short supply, now - but even a nip from a young dragon is no laughing matter.

"I wouldn't do that," she advises, directing the comment toward both of them. Just to be on the safe side, she hoists Kitten up onto her lap, where she can keep a closer eye on her. At least fussing over the dragon helps distract her from her anger with Gabriel.

"We're all trapped here," she says in answer to his question. It's not entirely true; Kitten has more freedom than they do. But if Gabriel's going to be cagey and lie to her, why should she tell him about Kitten? It was a silly question, anyway. Is she supposed to say she's happy with all of this?

[has_a_horn]

He pulls his hand back when she advises him to. He'll definitely play it safe if not playing safe means getting a finger bitter off, even in a dream.

And okay...not she seems outright angry. "I wish I could do something about it," he offers, trying to temper whatever flared this sudden anger.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine's only response is a moody shrug. Everyone wishes they could do something about it. How much credit is she supposed to give him for being willing to admit as much? It hardly makes up for the lies he's already told her.

Her mood isn't lost on Kitten. The dragon's scales have started to go a bit scarlet again, and Daine runs a hand down her back in an attempt to soothe her a little. It's a bit half-hearted, though - the longer she sits here, the more Daine thinks Gabriel deserves whatever Kitten might throw at him.

Probably wise to leave before that happens. "We'd best go," Daine says, standing abruptly. Kitten has to fist her front paws in Daine's shirt for balance, but doesn't complain.

[has_a_horn]

He frowns at her as she gets up, not really sure where he'd gone wrong.

Well, may as well get right to the heart of it. "Wait." He doesn't get up, but he turns in his chair to look up at her. "Why are you upset?"

[wildmage_daine]

Daine sighs and attempts to school her expression into something a little more neutral. "It's Kitten. She really doesn't like illusions. I'm surprised at how long she's put up with this one." That's only a tiny fraction of the truth, but it's not as if she owes him any more than that. Frankly, she doesn't think she owes him anything, but unpracticed, outright fibs aren't her strong suit.

Well. Maybe she owes him one thing, but that's all. Shifting awkwardly, she says, "Thank you for helping with Yuri." There. Done. She turns to look for the door.

[has_a_horn]

"Don't mention it." Gabriel has been lying for longer than Daine's been alive, so he's gotten fairly good at spotting them. And this time, he gets the feeling that she just wants to avoid him all of a sudden. As she turns around, he gets up to follow her, then jogs ahead so that he can open the door for her. "We don't have to stay in this room," He raises his eyebrows at her, expectant. "If that's all the problem is."

[wildmage_daine]

Curse it. Daine hesitates, trying to think of a way to excuse them both without getting into her actual reasons for not being keen on Gabriel's company just now. Pinning it all on Kitten feels wrong, if only because the dragon's more than capable of making her displeasure with someone known. She doesn't need Daine to speak for her, and she could very well object if Daine presumes to do so and gets it wrong.

May as well just ask her, then. If Kit says no, there's Daine's problem solved. "What do you think, Kit?"

The dragon considers her response for a moment, giving Gabriel an appraising look, then shrugs unhelpfully. It's not the 'no' Daine had hoped for, but it's not an enthusiastic yes, either.

Echoing the shrug, Daine glances back at Gabriel. "Guess you can come along. It's Kitten's turn to pick the room, though." Hopefully they won't rediscover Daine's room until Gabriel's wandered off or found someone else to annoy; if he's going to hide his real room behind an illusion, she doesn't think he's earned a gander at hers.

[has_a_horn]

"Lead the way." Gabriel follows Daine and the little dragon down the hall until the dragon starts gesturing with some enthusiasm towards a particular door.

Beyond the door, he peeks in to find...someone watching The Lion King. Andrew, his memory provides. Well, okay. Not initially impressive, but as he takes in the rest of the room, he raises his eyebrows. They're in space. "I'd think they would have come out with a few more Disney movies between The Lion King and space travel."

[bluesuit_handy]

There's the sound of a door opening behind him just as Simba declares that he just can't wait to be king, distracting Andrew from the film (though he's seen it so many times that it's no wonder his brain filled the screen in with it and is busily reciting the entire film for him). "It's not a human ship," he replies automatically, full as ever with helpful knowledge.

Only a moment later does he startle and twist to stare over the back of the couch, his expression one of terrific confusion. "What?" he asks. It's a good catch-all question. Before any of the three can answer, though, he sniffs in a sharp, deep breath and looks around the room with new comprehension. "Oh! Oh, that explains it. We're dreaming, aren't we?"

[wildmage_daine]

Kitten trills a cheery greeting and squirms to be put down. "Hullo, Andrew," Daine says as she stoops to comply. The dragon trundles over to the couch. rears up unto her hindquarters, and plants her forepaws on Andrew's knee so she can more easily look up at him as she chatters away. "Yes, it's a dream. Have you met Gabriel, yet?"

Daine's distracted enough by the movie that she doesn't even note the fact that they're in space. Crossing over to the couch, she plops herself down beside Andrew and pulls Kitten up onto her lap. "What's this?" she asks, nodding at the television.

[has_a_horn]

"Met. Cuddled." he answers, and heads over to the window. He's been in space before, sure, but the idea of actual alien species and big huge spaceships is still novel to him.