applesaucedream | A Day Late and a Dollar Short

Current Music: April 3, 2013

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A Day Late and a Dollar Short

As far as dreams go, this seems surprisingly...normal. True, the dreamers of Manhattan and beyond will find themselves stranded in the middle of the ocean on a fairly deserted rocky island, but it's nothing so unusual as the labyrinth from last time, and no one appears to have become an animal or reverted to an insane past (or future) version of themself. Besides, well, rocks and grass, there's nothing here but an abandoned lighthouse, the doors and windows broken, and the spare furniture worn by the weather. You can go up the spiral staircase to look at the view, but there's nothing to see but the endless ocean. One might almost think tonight was a night for simple socializing via the telepathic current.

As if anything to do with the rift is ever that simple, you silly bumpkin. How quickly each person realizes what is unusual about tonight's dream will depend in large part on their personality. Some might go the entire night without noticing (except from the distress of others, naturally), but some will find out the instant they open their mouths to converse with another dreamer. You see, each and every dreamer will be completely unable to tell a lie for as long as the dream lasts. The truth might be evaded by omission, but any attempt to say that which is untrue will result in the corresponding truth emerging instead.

Good thing it's just a dream and everyone's going to forget in the morning, right? Right??

[Mod note: As usual, players can choose to have their characters remember or forget anything that happens in the Dreaming. As per usual party rules, both members and non-members are welcome to play any character in this post, regardless of whether that character is currently in the game. Unlike usual, tonight's theme is not optional; all characters will be subject to the enforced truth-telling. Have fun!]

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The idea that Peter could've gotten something else entirely hadn't even occured to her, but at least she doesn't have to worry about it for very long. (And she knows he didn't have a quickie, as he said so earlier.) Still, you'd think with how much Peter whines about not having money, he'd've asked for something in return.

She shakes her head in exasparation, and turns to Gabriel. "How do you know this Seth, anyway?"

"...He said he was getting rid of it," says Peter slowly, the truth of the matter finally dawning on him. "I thought he just pulled it out and it...went away."

Great, and now he feels even shittier about doing it. Not that he wouldn't have anyway, he tells himself. He just would have asked for more money. Notably, he does not voice this opinion.

"He lives with me. Sometimes." This is probably not the best of all possible explanations, but it is the truthful one. "He's got another place, but he likes my company." See, lots of people enjoy his company.

"We're definitely going to have a talk about this," he reassures Lucy. He doesn't want them thinking that he's going to let this go just because he lives with the guy.

Lucy blinks at Gabe saying Seth lives with him. Slightly unexpected turn. But given how much he was just badmouthing the guy about being an ass, she doesn't expect it to fly by unnoticed, and she nods at his reassurances. At least if Gabriel knows the guy, he'll be easy to track down.

"So what do you intend to do? Make him pay Peter, or make him give the power back?" she asks Gabriel.

Because yeah, she's not asking Peter directly about this. She's fairly certain even if he does regret giving up his power, he's unlikely to admit it was a mistake. Well, unless goaded into it here, he's already pissy from being tricked and from being more truthful than he wants to be, so she won't tempt fate at the moment.

Peter continues to ignore Gabriel's previous advice about standing and looking pretty. "Who the fuck is this guy?" he asks, finally thinking to ask that question long after he handed over his one supernatural aspect to Seth. Then, sensing a more important question, he adds, "...And how much do you think it was worth?"

"Maybe you should have asked that before handing over your power." Honestly.

He doesn't bother answering Peter's second question. The worth of his power shouldn't matter. To Lucy, he answers, "He's getting it back." That he's sure of. And then he's going to let me teach him to use it. "And then I'll try convincing Peter into letting me teach him to control it."

Lucy nods her approval to Gabriel's plan. "I'll help," she agrees. "Both with the convincing and the teaching, if necessary." Because hey, guess what, Lucy actually has practiced her power and uses it quite often. Even though the consequences of her failing to use it sometimes would've been great.

Peter's going to take that as an answer to his second question, though, because clearly that was the more important of the two. "Fuck," he grouses, taking it to mean that the cost should have been very high indeed. He might not have had to do any busking at all this month.

Bristling, he asks the pair of them, "Don't I get any say in it? I'm the one who chose to get rid of it!"

No. "Yes." Gabriel sighs demonstratively. "You get a limited say, based on how much you make decisions to your own benefit."

He'd nearly forgotten that Lucy has a power of her own. If she's offering to help, that means she's learned how to control it since he last saw it in use.

Yes, well, Lucy has very deliberately not used her power in front of Gabriel. Well, not that she's had cause to, anyway. She knows she can't use it (effectively) against him, as he'd remember what happened anyway, and there hasn't been any reason for her to use it for him. She also generally prefers not to use it against people she actually knows. It doesn't seem right.

"Do you really not want your power back?" she asks Peter. "If you were able to control it, that is."

Peter fumes. Who is Gabriel -- for that matter, who is Lucy -- to decide he can't make his own decisions? He's a grown man, for fuck's sake.

I really don't. "I'm not sure," he snaps. I never wanted it; it was more trouble than it was worth. "I'm afraid of trying, oohhh, fuck off! Both of you, just fuck off!"

And now he really will storm away.

Gabriel sighs as Peter storms off, but he doesn't move to go after him. Instead, he says to Lucy, "You go talk some sense into him. Next time I see Seth, I'll let him know what the deal is."

Lucy nods in agreement. "And he's got my underwear," she adds exasparatedly - since it's hardly a secret what they were doing a moment before. "Thanks. I'll probably see you around," she says, giving Gabriel a brief smile, before pursuing Peter.

And hey look at that, she managed to have a nice conversation with Gabriel, despite his rather rude interruption. It does help to know that he's trying to do what's best for Peter.

Peter doesn't even remember that he has it, though if he did he might fail to remember that it's just dream-underwear anyway. He goes stalking off over the rocky ground, shoulders hunched against imaginary cold and no particular direction or destination in mind as he simply leaves.

Lucy hurries to catch up, her heels really not helpful in walking around here. Couldn't the dream have given her some sensible footwear? Before she's properly caught up with him, she stumbles and twists her ankle a bit.

She swears and stops, leaning against a large rock, then looks towards Peter and calls "Peter, get back here!" with rather noticable annoyance. She slips her foot out of her shoe and lifts it, rubbing her ankle a bit to try to soften the pain.

He can hear her following him, and is not inclined to slow down or make it easier. If anything, Peter leads her over an even rockier stretch of ground to try to induce her to stop. When she calls out to him he pauses, turning enough to look back and call, "I don't want to talk to you!"

In reply to this, Lucy picks up her shoe and throws it a him. She misses, but only barely. She is all out of patience now. Maybe that will annoy him enough to come back. And if not, well screw it, those heels weren't doing her any good.

Peter lets out a curse and dodges, though it's unlikely his dodging has anything to do with the miss. "What?!" he demands, still not coming over but not leaving, either. "What could you possibly say right now that isn't you trying to make my decisions for me?"

"You've got my underwear," she answers, not so much because she really needs it back (it's a dream, it won't matter soon enough), as to answer what she could possibly say.

Peter lets out something between a sigh and a growl of annoyance, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the garment. Things had been going so well...now he eyes Lucy, considering throwing it back at her. It's too far, though, and he's not bastard enough to throw it on the damp ground.

"Here." He comes over and holds it out impatiently.

She leans over and takes it from him. He didn't bring her shoe, but whatever. "And I wouldn't be trying so hard to make any decisions for you if you asked for my advice or at least told me before you make life-changing decisions. I think I've earned that, or does our relationship only extend to where you'll get your next meal and your next fuck?" she asks, before he has the chance to walk far enough away not to hear her. She's very glad the dream doesn't see fit to change her words, but then she's being rather honest.

She has legitimate reasons to be annoyed here too, you know. "Or is it just that you get to try to control me and trick me into admitting things, but I don't get to have a say in anything you do, is that it?"

Peter winces and rubs his eyes. He doesn't want to have this conversation at all, really, but most of all he doesn't want to have it now. "That's" not "fair," he says, then sighs heavily. "It was a quick decision; it's not like I consulted other people."

"Then don't get huffy when we tell you you acted rashly," she answers, slipping on the underwear again and standing on one foot. Then, unthinkingly, she switches foot to take off her other shoe, since they do much harm then good, and flinches as she puts pressure on her twisted ankle, then mutters another swear.

It's either admit the truth or walk away, and Peter doesn't fancy his chances keeping things friendly with Lucy if he both tricks her and then shuts her out in one night. Anyway, maybe he can still choose how much of the truth to share, rather than just let her assume the worst of him (as he's sure she would).

"I didn't want to change my mind," he says. Then, finally noticing why she stopped, he peers at her foot. "...What's wrong?"

It would be a bit unfortunate if they both admitted wanting to be exclusive only to break up in the same night. But then Lucy is also too stubborn to just let Peter walk away by sabotaging himself.

"I twisted my ankle running after you," she answers, annoyed, though not at him at the moment.

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