[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

[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.

[bluesuit_handy]

"Hello, Kitten." Andrew smiles down at the baby dragon, gingerly moving enough under her paws to sit up and make room for Daine. "You were a hint. Probably should've guessed earlier. And it's The Lion King. Disney movie, one of their best."

He tenses in embarrassment at Gabriel's answer, and quickly clarifies, "That was also in a dream."

[wildmage_daine]

Daine nods - she can probably guess which dream it was, too.

"I haven't seen any Disney, yet, but folk keep saying I should." It's fair strange to see animals talking like two-leggers, though, and her brow furrows as the hyenas make their appearance. She's not sure she likes the way they're coming across. From the cubs' perspective, it's fair enough - a predator would seem 'bad' to them. But where's their pride? They can't've wandered off on purpose and still expect not to come to harm.

"They hyenas I've met didn't sound anything like that," she says, frown deepening. She probably shouldn't expect folk who can't talk to animals to get it right, but it's still galling.

[has_a_horn]

Having satisfied his curiosity (for the moment), Gabriel wanders back over to them and leans over to prop his elbows on the back of the couch. He chuckles at Daine's comment. "They should have consulted a wildmage."

[bluesuit_handy]

"Talking animals, seems right up your alley," grins Andrew, though he knows perfectly well it isn't the same. He squints at the screen and tilts his head, slightly uncomfortable with the knowledge that her complaint about the hyenas is perfectly valid.

"They're the villains," he explains. "More or less. Simba's uncle -- you know, I could start this over. Or show it to you when we're awake."

[wildmage_daine]

"Villains?" Daine repeats, incredulous. Even Kitten gives an indignant squawk. "But hyenas are marvelous! They can smell anything, did you know that? I thought wolves had a good sense of smell before I tried hyena shape, but they aren't even close."

Daine sinks back into the couch with a dubious frown at the television. She might not be so irked if the hyenas from the Carthaki menagerie hadn't helped her hunt down Emperor Ozorne, but still. Painting any species as a villain is just ridiculous.

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel chuckles at Daine's objections. She's probably right. "It's probably better to think of them as humans that happen look like animals."

[bluesuit_handy]

"Can they?" asks Andrew, mildly surprised. He turns to look at Gabriel when the other man speaks, and gives a little nod. "Safe bet whenever humans make a movie about animals, it's really about humans," he tells Daine.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine hums in response, still frowning, though less because of the movie and more because she misses Teeu, Iry, and Aranh, the hyenas she'd hunted with in Carthak. They were nothing like the trio in the film - well, except for a willingness to eat any lion cubs separated from their pride. A meal's a meal.

Kitten huffs out a breath and sprawls onto her back between Daine and Andrew, her eyes glued to the screen even as she begs for a belly rub. "Are there any that are actually about animals?" Daine asks, looking up at Andrew as she gently tickles the dragon's scales.

[has_a_horn]

"Mm" Gabriel shrugs. "Documentaries on animal behavior, stuff like that."

[bluesuit_handy]

"Well," Andrew considers this, "Usually. Sometimes. There's a bit of projection that goes on there as well, really. Suppose there's Watership Down, but of course it's all guesswork."

He gives Daine an earnest sort of look. "It's a story about rabbits."

[wildmage_daine]

A documentary might be interesting. "It'd be weird, not being able to hear them," she muses to herself. "In my head, I mean." It wouldn't be entirely alien to her - she's closed herself off before, usually in menageries - but it would still be strange.

"Watership Down?" she repeats, unable to make any sense of the title. Rabbits, in her experience, have little to do with water or ships. "Is it like Redwall?" she asks, brow furrowed.

[has_a_horn]

"Same anthropomorphized animal idea. Watership Down is less out-there, but it's still a big allegory for human things. And infinitely more traumatizing. I don't recommend it." What? It's a depressing book.

[bluesuit_handy]

"It's not like Redwall," protests Andrew, not liking Gabriel's assessment of the book. Then he pauses, looking troubled, and asks Daine plaintively, "What's wrong with Redwall?"

[wildmage_daine]

"But how do ships come into it?" she asks, still a bit suspicious of the title. She's also a bit wary of Gabriel's take on the book, if only because she's more inclined to trust Andrew's judgment than his when it comes to what she might enjoy. Andrew knows her better, after all. Plus, she's still just generally irked with the angel.

Andrew's question flusters her a little; she hadn't meant to upset him. "It's not - there's nothing wrong with it. But it's a bit like this." She gestures pointedly towards the television. "The animals are just two-leggers, wearing clothes and using weapons and cooking and such."

Kitten squirms a little, alerting Daine to the fact that her hand had stilled. Biting back a sigh, she resumes tickling the dragon's belly.

[has_a_horn]

"Watership Down is a place," Gabriel provides. "Pretty, actually. Lots of grass and flowers. Downland. A down is a hill...good land for waskily wabbits."

He pauses for a moment, watching the movie. "The place probably didn't start off as Watership. Language changes. Might have been 'worship down' or something, originally."

He shrugs and shifts his glance down to look at the little dragon, and reaches his hand out to mimick Daine's movements. He really hasn't learned his lesson yet.

[bluesuit_handy]

"That's English for you," chuckles Andrew. "Borrowing and changing so much that even humans can see how nonsensical it is. And I don't think you'd like Robin Hood, in that case."

[wildmage_daine]

"Huh." Daine digests the new information, trying to remember if they have anything similar in Tortall - maybe they do, and they just call it something else - and is consequently too distracted to see what Gabriel's doing and warn him against it.

Kitten had her eyes shut, but she opens them when she feels someone besides Daine touching her. When she sees that it's Gabriel and not Andrew, her scales flash scarlet. She darts her head forward like a snake and sinks her sharp, silver teeth into Gabriel's hand.

"Kitten!" Daine gasps, and the dragon releases her hold with an angry screech. The girl grabs the dragon around the middle and holds her at arm's length to keep her from going after Gabriel again, then looks over her shoulder with wide eyes. "Sorry! Are you okay?"

[has_a_horn]

"Ah, fuck." Gabriel stumbles back from the couch, surprised by the bite. It only takes him a moment, though, to remember that this is a dream space. He removes the wound from his hand and holds it up to Daine. "No harm done."

[bluesuit_handy]

Andrew had started feeling a little inclined to try petting Kitten, since both she and Daine seemed to be enjoying it so much. Any such inclination vanished, though, the instant the little dragon buries her teeth in the other man's hand. Andrew startles away along with Gabriel, though he doesn't go far due to remaining on the couch. The video on the television screen flickers, replaced just long enough by the image of a man being attacked by what appears to be a giant crab for them to hear a scream. Then, in response to a sharp look from Andrew, it goes black and silent.

"Sorry," he says, turning his attention back to his companions, looking to make sure Gabriel and Kitten remain separated -- and that the dragon's not about to bite him as well. "Sorry."

[wildmage_daine]

"I should've warned you not to touch her," Daine says, though to be fair, she already sort of did warn him not to touch her. To Andrew, she adds, "She doesn't normally bite folk, it's just that Gabriel was doing illusions earlier, and Kit doesn't like them. I'm sure she wouldn't bite you."

She could add that Kitten probably would have showed more restraint if Daine hadn't been irked with Gabriel as well, but given that Gabriel's in the room and all, she doesn't. Kitten lets out a pointed chk! from her perch on Daine's knee. It doesn't have any impact on their surroundings, but it probably gets the dragon's point across.

[has_a_horn]

"What has she got against illusions?" Gabriel doesn't lean back against the center of the couch, choosing to walk over and perch on the arm near Andrew instead. He'd missed the brief change of programing on the TV, but he knows Andrew had been shocked as well. He tips his head towards him. 'Sorry 'bout that."

[bluesuit_handy]

"Isn't a dream all illusions?" asks Andrew curiously. He's still a good bit wary of Kitten now that he's seen she's willing to use those teeth of hers on other sapient creatures. "It's fine," he tells Gabriel a little too quickly, not sure if either of them saw what his mind put on the screen a moment ago.