Let's Do the Time Warp (Again)

[applesaucemod]

It's that time again, but time seems to be a bit muddled. As usual, people from all over the multiverse are being drawn into the Dreaming by the rift. This time, in addition to (or sometimes instead of) picking up the residents of Manhattan, they take them from their home universe but from a different point in time. You may find yourself suddenly encountering a future version of yourself, or perhaps you bump into a friend taken from long before you met them.

Tonight's setting is also time-twisted. You're still in Manhattan, but it seems to be closer to the 1930s. Specifically, you're in an old hotel. There's the dimly lit lobby, with chairs and tables for relaxed mingling. The bar, where tables are front of a stage, on which a band is playing various hits of the 30s. There's also an outdoor area if you need fresh air. Or you could explore the hotel, but it's mostly corridors, unless you stumble upon an unlocked room.



[Mod note: Usual dream-party rules apply. Both members and non-members are welcome to use any character, be they already in the game or no.

For game-specific characters, you can choose whether or not they will remember their time in Manhattan if they're taken from the future. You can take your character from multiple different points in time, if you want.]

Comments

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel grins at the compliment. Yes, that was a particularly good start. He's very proud of his skills with illusion.

The feather, though...it draws his attention immediately, and he takes it from her reverently. It's not the real thing, of course, not in the dreaming, but it's close enough to know that she's not lying about having it. "Quite a token, when showing them would have been enough." The implication being that he suspects there were other reasons behind the gift. He dips his head, examining the feather's length for a moment. He feels a little disadvantaged in this situation, when she so obviously knows much more about him than he does about her, but it's not exactly uncomfortable either. It's obvious that he will be friendly with her in the future, but he feels something for her now, too, like his future is echoing back to him. She feels safe.

The small smile returns to his lips and he hands it back to her. "I must enjoy your company very much, to give you such an effective summoning tool."

[theoldgirl]

His reaction makes her appreciative of the gift all over again, and her smile grows fond as she watches him examine the feather. She can tell she made a very good choice of proof here. Interestingly, it also seems like he sees nothing terribly wrong with showing his wings. Clearly much is going to change for him, and a lot of it not pleasant. She supposes having to hide after running away from his war might account for that.

But she doesn't get a chance to dwell on this saddening thought when he hands the feather back and tells her something she was definitely not aware of. A summoning tool? There's a flash of surprise on her face and she regards it with new interest. She could tell there's a connection between the feather and Gabriel, but she hadn't known it was that powerful. It was even more of a show of trust than she'd thought at the time, then.

"I wonder if it would work as such where we are, given the nature of this universe," she replies thoughtfully. Not that she has any interest in summoning him against his will. "I am not very clear on how... magic functions."

[has_a_horn]

He raises an eyebrow at her. "It's not magic, it's more than that." The response is petulant, an almost adolescent reaction to the insinuation that God's law could be equal to the work of witches and humans. He seems to realize his snap in civility, though. He clears his throat and when he speaks again his voice is gentle once more. "Come, let's sit."

When she does follow him, he continues, considering her implication that he's not living in his home universe. It's definitely a strange thought. It is possible that there are dimensions where the rules of his universe don't apply, but it's a difficult thought to wrap his mind around. "Have you tried praying? If I can hear your prayers, I'm certain a summoning would be possible."

[theoldgirl]

She only raises an eyebrow in return at his little snap; she's certainly noticed that people who believe in magic can get rather protective of it (without realizing that she tends to get pretty arrogant about the opposite, naturally). And it's amusing to see him be so polite about making up for it, so she quickly follows with a private smile.

His suggestion surprises her and she looks up at him in confusion. "Praying?" She knows the concept, of course, but she doesn't understand how it could possibly apply to her. Doesn't it require... believing? In an intangible force? She shakes her a head a little, but she's definitely very curious. "How does this work, exactly? Is it a form of telepathic contact?"

[has_a_horn]

"You've never prayed?" He grins. This is quite a novelty for him, being able to explain something that seems so fundamental to him. He wonders about her universe, which seems to have all the elemental aspects of his own without the more mystical elements to tie it all together.

He pulls his chair around a little so that he's facing her instead of the band. "You might call it a form of telepathy," He says after a moment of thought. "But more...one-way." The corner of his mouth rises in, not a smirk, but a facial shrug, like he might have preferred being able to speak directly to those who choose to pray to him without resorting to a personal appearance. "I serve as receiver for all those that would seek my ear or my aid." His hands fiddle with a cocktail napkin on the table as he continues speaking. There are also those that would condemn him for his work via prayer, but he'd rather not mention them.

"You'll have to keep me in your thoughts and invoke my name within your message, or else it's likely to not reach me at all." He smiles. "Gabriel is fine. If Enochian were required, I doubt any of us would receive prayer." Any of us being him and the other angels, of course.

[theoldgirl]

Oh this is fascinating, and she listens with rapt attention. "A psychic transmission," she says, nodding enthusiastically at understanding what he means. "I am capable of receiving those as well, on occasion." It doesn't happen very often, considering the size and amount of interference in her universe, but for Gabriel it only has to cover the short distances of Earth.

"I shall definitely try this," she assures him with a smile, and then searches her databanks for information on Enochian. What she finds makes her light up with curiosity again. In her universe, there's no indication that it's anything but a language made up by some human claiming to be a medium, or perhaps picking up some kind psychic interference from somewhere, but she knows how these things work in Gabriel's universe by now. "Angels have their own language? And you have a different name in it?"

She is vaguely aware that she may be straying into territory her contemporary Gabriel might not like having questioned, remembering how he said names are powerful where he comes from. But this one just seems so happy to explain things, and she's not asking about his past or his family, so how could she resist? She may be getting carried away a little. "And what do humans typically ask of you?"

[has_a_horn]

He chuckles at her first question, finding it odd that he could have more than one name. "It's the same name." He shrugs. "Humanity will interpret it in different ways."

Her second question is more difficult to answer, and he considers it for a moment. "They ask for what they need. Or what they desire. Food, God's love, the resurrection of Faith..." All three things that he himself wouldn't mind at the moment, but he puts that idea aside quickly before he can bother the TARDIS with his doubts once more. "Sometimes the prayer itself is what's needed. A...friendly ear in a time of need."

He looks across at her, transparently interested in the strangeness of her. "What will you say, in your prayers?"

[theoldgirl]

It's so interesting to learn a little about his purposes as an angel, especially ones not related to being a soldier. She's getting the impression he was made in part to serve others, not unlike herself. Of course they've both gone on to develop their own ideas about how willing they are to provide their services and to whom, but she's pleased to have found yet more common ground between them.

At his question her smile becomes contemplative, and then shifts into a mischievous smirk. "I think I will ask you to come by with candy." She knows it probably seems like a very odd sort of request to him now, considering what people apparently usually pray for, but she's rather enjoying being cryptic. "You owe me a lot of it, you know. Do you like candy yet?" Maybe dietary preferences are linked to certain vessels, similar to Time Lords.

[has_a_horn]

"I owe you candy?" It is very strange to imagine receiving requests for sweets via prayer, but he's amused rather than offended by the idea.

"I don't find much occasion to eat." He stops his hands from fiddling with his napkin, lets it lie flat, and clasps his hands together. "I'm not sure if I would like it or not." He pauses, letting his mouth curve into a smile. "But if you say that I do, I'm inclined to believe you."

[theoldgirl]

She returns the smile warmly, delighted to be able to introduce him to something new once again. "Oh you must try it. Eating and drinking are some of the most interesting things you can do with a humanoid form." It's both amusing and charming that she apparently has more experience with corporeality than him right now.

And, actually, that means her skills for creating illusory food should be good enough to give him an inkling. Just to make sure, she picks something she remembers the taste and texture of herself, and holds out her hand with a plate of Porrim tarts appearing on it. "You could start with this," she offers with a grin.

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel is unabashedly excited to try out the treats when the TARDIS offers them to him. He selects one carefully and brings it up to his mouth to taste. With his first bite he lets his eyes close for a moment, all the better to focus on the taste.

He makes an appreciative noise and pushes the other half of the tart into his mouth. When he finishes, he smiles back at her. "That's wonderful, thank you." He eyes the plate, wondering if he might take another. "You are very good with dream manipulation. Did I teach you?"

[theoldgirl]

As with the first time she'd introduced him to these treats, she is very satisfied with herself for having pleased and interested him. His enjoyment of it is entertaining to watch and she takes pride in his compliment.

Which is why his unabashedly arrogant presumption is rather startling. But immediately it strikes her that there's no disrespect behind it, it's pure naivety from a Gabriel who is so young that he hasn't even made any significant experiences with corporeality, let alone the rest of the universe, and she lets out a quite uncharacteristic little giggle at how precious that is.

"No you did not," she chuckles and, noting his longing look at the tarts, sets down the plate in front of him. "Your kind are hardly the only ones with natural abilities such as these. But I think you will learn that in time."

[has_a_horn]

He's not entirely pleased that she seems to be laughing at him, after what he figures was an entirely logical assumption on his part. She had said she knew he was good with illusions, hadn't she?

He raises an eyebrow at her, for now foregoing eating another tart. "And what else will I learn in time? I've met pagan gods. They're no match for an archangel." By which he means that he hasn't seen evidence yet of what she's telling him.

[theoldgirl]

Ah, perhaps that was just a little impolite of her. She suddenly realizes he doesn't yet have any reason to feel particularly friendly towards her, and that she does have a bit of an unfair advantage, knowing him when he doesn't know her, so she quickly schools her features into something more appropriate and kind.

"I don't know what experiences you will make, but I think you will find out that there are things beyond what you know now, that the universe is stranger and more exciting than you may be expecting." She smiles, hoping to appear enticing rather than patronizing. "You didn't seem terribly surprised by my abilities when we first met, only delighted."

It is pretty interesting to hear there's more than just his god, that more than one set of beliefs can coexist and be real in his world, and that he's more powerful than them despite not being a god himself. But she'll refrain from giving into her curiosity until she's on his good side again.

[has_a_horn]

His mouth presses into a firm line for a moment, while he fights the urge to tell her that she couldn't possibly know more than him. His universe is empty but for the heavenly dimension, earth, hell, and all points in between. It seems so wrong that there would even need to be more than that in any universe.

Still, she had said she is a space and time ship. How strange. He can barely imagine such a thing.

In the end, he submits to her statement by reaching forward for another tart. "I can only hope that you're right." He takes a bite of the dessert, lets out a pleased exhalation. "I imagine I have quite a lot of new experiences waiting for me now." Ones he's not particularly ready for by any means, but that's where he is now and he can't go back.

[theoldgirl]

She'd kind of hoped he would be a bit more enthusiastic about the prospects she'd just described, though at least it seems she didn't permanently insult him. But that's actually quite odd, when he's been so excited before.

"Now?" she prompts gently, regarding him with a small frown of concern. It's possible he simply means now that she's told him a little of what he has to look forward to, and maybe he's only reserved now because of her misstep, but something strikes her as strange about the wording.

[has_a_horn]

"Ah." He frowns and sets the half-eaten tart back on the plate. He's not sure how to answer that one. He can't go around telling people he'd just defected from a war in heaven, can he? He'll be labelled for the coward that he is. "I've decided to spend more time on Earth. Heaven is home, but it's very..." bloody "...insular."

[theoldgirl]

Well now she's having a sneaking suspicion of just when this Gabriel is from, though admittedly she isn't very clear on how he went about running away from his war. Maybe he did simply spend a lot of time on Earth long before that happened, maybe she's misinterpreting his hesitation talking about heaven and his earlier reaction to a mention of his brother. She's rather hoping that's the case.

"But you haven't left heaven permanently?", she asks as neutrally as possible. If that's yet to come for him, she definitely doesn't want to have to tell him, even if he's going to forget about it when he wakes up.

[has_a_horn]

Come on TARDIS, he's inexperienced, not stupid. His head snaps up to meet her gaze immediately, his expression half fear, half anger. He'd caught the insinuation immediately, known it was too close to the truth to be anything but a well informed suggestion.

His voice in response is low and serious, prickling at the edges, sharp. "What do you know of it?"

[theoldgirl]

Alright, so maybe she should know better than to try to approach sensitive topics with vague, not so innocent questions around him. Clearly she wasn't made with a great talent for subtlety. Now she's both sorry she asked, and sorry that she was right, that he's yet again at a difficult point in his life.

"Not much," she replies earnestly. "I know you fled a war in heaven. I saw a little of it in a dream of yours, it was... horrible. But I don't know why your kind is killing each other, and I'm not certain why exactly you left... though I can imagine." It occurs to her now that he never explicitly confirmed that it was in fact the war he ran from, but the assumption had made sense in the context of that conversation and his emotions at the time were too familiar to really doubt it. Perhaps now she'll get that confirmation, anyway.

[has_a_horn]

"I shouldn't be talking with you. You say you're a friend, but how am I to know?" She felt safe enough, but it could be that his instincts are wrong. In which case he shouldn't have said many of the things he's already told her. He starts scooting his chair back to leave when the band starts playing a song that takes his attention.

His eyebrows furrow in a mix of amusement and confusion as he listens to the lyrics, and he makes no further move to leave. "Do you have...insight on this?"