The Fortress of Many Turnings [open]

[applesaucemod]

Welcome to Caerdroia. Though at first glance this world seems calm, even idyllic, closer inspection will reveal a startling lack of linearity. A doorway in one place can suddenly lead to another entirely, the locals going about their business seem totally unaware of your presence, and you may find reminders of home that are less than welcome -- and less than safe.

The countryside seems almost designed to set one at one's ease. Gentle, rolling hills overlook a town in the near distance, and herds of friendly cows cluster here and there (with unknown intent).

The Garden of Curiosities is a walled-off park. Inside, streams and paths wind through beautiful landscaping, and animals can be found on the loose everywhere. For the most part, these creatures are friendly (or at least indifferent) toward visitors, though their appearance might perturb. One might see an animal one has never encountered before, or one might find the garden inhabited by creatures from one's own world that are somehow changed, whether in size, color, or behavior. And, of course, one might find something rather more predatory has taken up residence….

The town hall never seems to be in the same place twice. Finding your way through the streets to any one particular building is an exercise in frustration, as the town seems to shift and change whenever part of it is out of your sight. The hall itself isn't much better once you get inside; stairwells have a habit of appearing on the ceiling, hallways turn into dead ends while your back is turned, and floors are liable to open up into fathomless pits.

The Labyrinth is where many journeys seem destined to end. The way out is, more often than not, the way in. Try to leave one part of Caerdroia, and the doorway might very well open into the labyrinth. And, like any good labyrinth, this one is home to a Minotaur. And, like any good Minotaur, this one would be more than happy to tear you to pieces.

[OOC: Once again, the shared dream is open to all characters, including those not currently in the game and those belonging to players who are not currently members. Once again, too, players are free to choose whether their characters see the dream for what it is, whether they are forced to abide by its rules, and whether they will remember this in the morning.]

Comments

[jennifer_strange]

One upside to having such unadorned hallways: when Jennifer (barely) hears someone calling her name, it isn't too difficult to her to spot just who the someone is. "Aglet?" She certainly wasn't expecting to see him, but it's not an unwelcome surprise, and she finds herself smiling as she climbs to her feet and starts to head his way.

She's held up for a moment by the beast, who only lingers long enough to pry the left front leg off of the bench. Tail wagging, it carries the bit of iron scrollwork in its jaws as it follows her over to the potted plant. She drops into a crouch a few feet away, keeping her movements slower than usual so she doesn't startle him. "How'd you end up here?"

[watchesthebeans]

Aglet still doesn't much care for the beast, and seeing it tear apart Bean-sized furniture really doesn't help him feel better disposed toward it. At least its mouth is full? He's relieved he doesn't have to go to Jennifer, since at least having the potted plant makes him feel like he could maybe dodge away if the Quarkbeast decides to discontinue its not-eating-Borrowers streak.

"I was just...." he starts, ready to recount the whole story. Sadly, he draws a blak. "I...wandered out of the apartment?" he suggests, digging up the explanation he's unconsciously assumed to be the case, though why he would have done so is a mystery. "I can't find my way back."

[jennifer_strange]

Jennifer sighs. It had been wishful thinking that had prompted her question, and she's not surprised that Aglet seems to be as unsure of how he ended up here as she is. It's still frustrating, though. "Me, neither," she admits with a dissatisfied little frown. "But wherever we are, there's some spellwork going on. The hallways keep twisting back on themselves - have you noticed?"

[watchesthebeans]

"I thought it was me. Aunt Euphony always said I couldn't find my way out of a paper bag without directions." Which had been a bit harsh, to be honest, but it was true that he'd kept getting lost long after he ought to have found his way around his cousins' home in the shop.

[jennifer_strange]

"It's definitely not just you," Jennifer assures him. "The beast and I have been stuck here for hours. Feels like hours, anyway," she amends, wrinkling her nose. "If I had Exhorbitus, it might help a little, but without it..." she shrugs. To be honest, she doubts that the sword would make finding her way out of here any easier. It would, however, be incredibly satisfying to just hack her way straight through the walls instead of perpetually wandering the hallways.

[watchesthebeans]

"So we're not near the apartment?" Just clarifying that, because he'd really sort of like to get back to his shelf now. It's nice and closed-in now that they've got a better wall on the front of it, and his stuff's there.

[jennifer_strange]

"I'm not sure we're even in New York." The people outside had been ignoring them to a degree that seemed excessive even for NYC, and this building is either drenched in magic or just completely unconcerned with the laws of physics. Either way, not things she'd associate with the city she'd been in yesterday.

"Maybe the rift brought us here." Except she doesn't remember that happening, and she's not sure if the rift is in the habit of giving people a little amnesia on top of its other shenanigans.

[watchesthebeans]

"I thought people always came through the rift alone," Aglet points out, taking a step or two back so he can sit on the rim of the potted plant's saucer. "Are there any windows? It all looks the same from down here."

[jennifer_strange]

"Not always." Jennifer shifts to sit back against the wall again, keeping herself between Aglet and the beast. "When I came through, the Quarkbeast was with me."

The beast, realizing they're not going anywhere for a few minutes, settles in to gnaw on the bench leg.

[watchesthebeans]

"Were you holding onto it?" Maybe that makes a difference. Aglet has all his tools that were on him when he fell, after all.

[jennifer_strange]

"I was touching it," she admits. Not the same as actually holding it, but maybe it was close enough for the rift's purposes. "But if this isn't related to the rift, how else could we have ended up here? Someone would have had to sneak into the flat and drug us or something - us and the beast." And she has a hard time believing the beast would have gone quietly. Nor can she imagine why someone would go to the trouble of drugging them and moving them, and still let her keep the beast through it all.

[watchesthebeans]

Aglet snorts dismissively. "A Bean couldn't sneak up on me." Yeah, he's still using that word. She can tell him it's incorrect all she likes. "Even if you weren't all thunderously loud, a Borrower can always feel when you're close by."

Supposedly.

[jennifer_strange]

Can you see her rolling her eyes from all the way down there, Aglet? She doesn't recall any human-noticing sixth sense being mentioned when she was filling out his registration forms, but then again, his abilities might not be relevant even if he does have them.

"You don't know what sort of rift-related abilities anyone else might have," she points out, frowning down at him. "Someone could be able to knock us unconscious from the hallway outside, just by thinking about it."

[watchesthebeans]

He forgot about it, okay? It wasn't at all that he's never been really sure he has it, obviously. He frowns. "Wouldn't Romac stop them from doing that?" From his perspective, Romac has control over everything.

[jennifer_strange]

"That's assuming they'd know about it." Jennifer leans her head back against the wall. "It's not just Romac in the city - there's that rebel group, too."

She doesn't know much about the rebels, but she knows plenty of less-than-flattering things about human nature. If some rebel faction is determined to make things unpleasant for Romac, she doubts they'd care if a few bystanders got caught up in it.

[watchesthebeans]

"I don't get it. Why would anyone want to be a rebel? I mean, if I didn't want you and Romac helping me, I just would've disappeared." Simple as that. That it might not be possible for others to do so doesn't cross his mind, nor that they might have a point in trying to change the system. Concepts like governance and social justice are a bit beyond the scope of his personal experience, and he only has the vaguest outline of Bean history to guide his perceptions of their culture.

[jennifer_strange]

Jennifer heaves her shoulders in a weary shrug. "We can't all just live in the walls," she points out, not unkindly. "I wouldn't want to be homeless in this city, and we can't leave Manhattan." Which is less of an issue for someone who probably couldn't leave even if he gave it his very best shot, but still. Even humans can have limited options, Aglet.

[watchesthebeans]

"But why does that mean they have to attack other people?" Aglet still doesn't get it, though he's at least a little bit abashed at being reminded that Beans aren't as good at disappearing as Borrowers.

[jennifer_strange]

"I don't know," Jennifer replies, bumping the back of her head against the wall. "I'm just trying to figure out where we are and how we got here." And she doesn't handle being confused with as much good grace as she might.

[watchesthebeans]

But doesn't Jennifer have all the answers? Aglet makes a frustrated little noise. "Well, I wouldn't know," he grouses.

[jennifer_strange]

If only. Determined not to lose her temper, Jennifer takes a few slow, deep breaths. Then, she tries to steer things in a more useful direction. "Well, we won't get anywhere just sitting here." Giving Aglet a thoughtful look, she asks, "Could you ride on my shoulder or in one of my pockets without falling off or shrinking me?" Or both? Because it'll be slow going if she and the beast have to stick to his pace.

[watchesthebeans]

Not to mention that he probably wouldn't be okay with walking along next to her giant feet and the Quarkbeast's giant pointy everything. Her suggestions, however, make him a little uneasy. "I've never tried it," he admits. "I don't think I could shrink you through your clothes...but the pocket would be better than a shoulder."

[jennifer_strange]

The pockets of her jeans would probably be a bit too tight a squeeze, but the zippered hoodie she's wearing has roomier options. And with the way she's sitting on the floor, they're quite close to Aglet's height, already.

"Climb aboard," she says, tugging down her hem to bring the pocket even closer to the ground than it is already. He ought to be able to climb in without any accidental size swapping.

Just finished reading Shades of Grey. Upsetting! Want sequels.

[watchesthebeans]

At least it looks pretty soft in there? He's noticed, of course, how she's careful never to touch him, though he's unsure whether it would happen again just from a touch.

"Just don't forget and put your wallet in with me,"he chuckles nervously, toddling over and making the climb. When he reaches the lip of her pocket there's a moment of awkward repositioning before he loses his balance and simply tumbles inside.

I believe there is a prequel set to come out in 2015.

[jennifer_strange]

If he asked Jennifer, she'd guess that there's more to it than just touch, as well. But experimentation is for times when it wouldn't be problematic for them to switch sizes, and right now is not one of those times. He's still too twitchy around the beast, despite her frequent reassurances.

"I'll be careful," she promises, neglecting to mention that she's far more likely to just stuff her hand in there, which would be worse for both of them (and quite possibly ruinous for her pocket). She sits up a bit straighter once he's in, but doesn't move to get up. "Let me know when you're ready."