Far Side of the Aurora Borealis

[applesaucemod]

Congratulations, dreamers of Manhattan - you get to go to Oxford! It's probably not the Oxford with which any of the dreamers are familiar, though. This one is a bit… different.



The dreamers will find themselves in Jordan College, the oldest and grandest of all the colleges in this version of Oxford, a rambling structure that includes dining halls, libraries, classrooms, chapels, courtyards, a botanical garden, and an extensive network of cellars and tunnels beneath the ground. There are plenty of places to explore!

Sharp-eyed dreamers might notice some subtle architectural quirks. Doors look larger than they'd need to be for solely human use, and every staircase has a little ramp built in - not large enough for a wheelchair, but large enough for, say, a small, scampering animal.

And speaking of - the dreamers are a bit different here, too. Upon arrival, they will realize that they now possess dæmons: physical manifestations of their souls. Be gentle with them; they're undoubtedly confused by being suddenly made manifest. They come with all the side effects and complications inherent with dæmons. They can't travel more than a few yards from their person without it being painful for both parties… and it probably won't take the dreamers long to realize they shouldn't be touching one another's dæmons, what with the shared sensations and all. Still, it's a rare opportunity for the dreamers to chat with their own souls - and the souls of others.

What could possibly go wrong?



[Mod note: you know the drill. All players and characters are welcome, regardless of whether they're current members or not. Characters will remember or forget any and all dream events at players' discretion.]

Comments

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel appears in a library when he's pulled into the dream, books in front of him and a large window behind with mid-day light steaming in. There's also someone else. He turns and sees...a griffin. It's body is as tall as he is, but great golden wings extend beyond that to rival Gabriel's own. He pauses for a moment, because it's more than just a creature. It's as if the rift has taken a piece of his Grace and given it a body.

"Hello, Gabriel." Its voice rumbles out like a purr, and his name is pronounced in Enochian rather than the English translation.

Gabriel smiles despite himself and lifts up a hand to rest on the creature's deadly looking beak. "Hey there."

[adventuressing]

'Gosh.'

Charley's been doing some exploring, and happening upon the library and its current inhabitants, the word comes out rather louder than she'd intended. In the silence peculiar to libraries, especially, it echoes off the high ceilings, falling heavy and dusty in the stacks. The creature standing next to the slight man is-- well, it's magnificent. Lit up with the sunlight coming in through the high windows, it looks almost-- divine, if Charley hadn't given up all belief in such things a long time ago.

Her own daemon, similarly beaked and winged but much, much smaller, swoops in without any preamble, apparently with the intention of inspecting the creature. He only manages about three metres distance from her, through, before something deep down under her diaphragm tugs painfully, and she finds herself compelled to stumble after him as if she'd been pulled.

'Horatio!' she hisses.

[has_a_horn]

It's been a little while since Gabriel arrived and so far he's been enjoying the whole experience. A far cry from some other dreams he's been part of lately. If anything, having this big piece of his Grace wandering about is comforting.

"I know," he answers her, as he picks up a book to read the spine. The creature behind him dips its head in greeting and brushes its wing against Gabriel in doing so. "We're both very impressive." He smirks and ads, "Have we met?"

[adventuressing]

'And with a fine opinion of yourselves, it seems,' Charley says, more than a little haughtily.

She feels slightly as though she has to make up for Horatio, who apparently has no pride at all, or who, at least, has decided that pride is of a far lower priority than fascination. He flits over to the gryphon and its man, dipping to land on the creature's back where feathers meet fur, bold as brass. 'What on earth are you?' he asks.

Charley shoots him a dirty little look. It doesn't feel entirely fair, having a bit of oneself flying around and acting against one's better judgement. 'I don't believe so,' she says, turning back to the man. 'I've only just arrived. In New York, I mean, assuming this is some sort of... psychic projection thingy. I'm Charlotte. Charley to my friends. And that little rascal is--'

'Horatio. I'm quite capable of introducing myself, thank you.'

[has_a_horn]

The griffin ruffles it's feathers when the little hawk lands on its back, but doesn't make any move to dislodge it. "My name is Venia, little one. I'm a Griffin."

Gabriel smirks at the interchange between the two animals, but keeps his focus on the girl. "Nice to meet you Charley." He holds out a hand for her to shake. "I'm Gabriel. And yes, this is a psychic projection thingie. But I usually just call them shared dreams."

[adventuressing]

Horatio seems to have decided he likes Venia, as he sets in to picking through the feathers at the base of her wings in a friendly sort of way. Charley really isn't sure whether animal or human behaviour seems to be the accepted modus operandi for these... familiars, or whatever they are. A bit of both, apparently. Leaving him to it, she closes the distance between herself and Gabriel and takes his hand in a firm shake.

'The pleasure's mine, I'm sure. And good, I thought it was something of the sort; far too many people and far too sensical for it to be a regular dream. Other than the... animals thing.' She waves a hand at Horatio and Venia. 'I take it this is to do with the Rift as well?'

[has_a_horn]

Venia huffs out a breath and lowers to the floor, all the better to enjoy the grooming they're receiving. A rumble of a purr becomes background noise for Gabriel and Charley's conversation.

Gabriel props himself on the edge of one of the tables and shrugs. "That's what I've been assuming. This is one of the nicer ones. They're not always as kind. Unless you like the idea of embodying your worst fears."

He looks back at Venia and Horatio, enjoying the sight. Horatio shines in his sight, like a human soul might. That, and him knowing that Venia is a piece of his Grace makes it easy to discern the theme of the evening. When he turns back to her, it's with a small smile on his lips. "Why do you think your soul is a falcon?"

[adventuressing]

Charley blinks, startled, and looks from Gabriel down to Venia and Horatio, both of whom seem entirely content where they are.

'Is that what he is?'

Charley-- well, Charley hadn't thought she believed in the soul as a concept, really. It went along with not believing in Heaven and Hell; the soul had been invented by religion, and people too terrified to believe that nothing of them survived after they died. Certainly there was something that made a person who they were, but she'd never really thought of that as a soul.

'I-- well, I never really believed in souls.'

But it's as good an explanation as any, and a good word to put to Horatio, whom she's been referring to with handwavey vagueness, knowing him to be part of her, but unclear how. If he's her soul, though... She finds herself smiling slightly as she watches him, a tiny thing, maybe the size of a jay, but with a wicked little beak, the slatey grey of his back glinting almost blue in the sunlight. There's something oddly satisfying about the thought, like the tumblers of a lock clicking into place.

Shaking herself out of her reverie, she turns back to Gabriel with a little shrug. 'I don't know. I suppose I've always wanted to travel, to have adventures? Latin peregrinus and all that.'

[interndana]

Dana stretches, and finds herself sitting in an overstuffed chair with well-worn upholstery. In front of her are bookshelves, tall and imposing. Immediately, she is filled with terror: this is a library. Dana wants to gasp, but she stifles the sound with a hand over her mouth and sinks down lower in the chair, trying to hide. Librarians can hear far better than humans can, though their vision is based on movement. If she stays quiet and still, she can survive.

"What is it?" someone whispers over her shoulder. It is a tiny voice, filled with fear, and Dana startles and almost falls out of the chair. She turns her head sharply, glaring at whoever is foolish enough to speak, and finds herself confronted with a small creature with huge brown eyes, clinging to the top of the chair. It is trembling, clearly just as afraid as Dana is, its ears swiveling around like antennae. "Did you hear something?" it says. He says.

Dana shakes her head. "Just you," she whispers back. "Who are you?" Dana knows, somehow, that this creature is a who and not a what.

"Teotimus," he says, his head turning with short sharp movements as he looks around the library. "I know you, you're...you're Dana." he climbs down the backrest of the chair, still trembling.

"I know you somehow," Dana replies, tilting her head. Teotimus looks at her, glances back around at the looming shelves, and then jumps the short distance onto Dana's shoulder. He weighs almost nothing, but Dana feels the impact like the drape of a heavy blanket. "Oh," she whispers, and brings a hand up to touch his soft gray fur. It comforts both of them, the feeling multiplied by their closeness. They sit perched in the chair, clinging to one another, and gradually the trembling subsides.

"I think," says Teotimus, climbing up onto her head, "I think this isn't a dangerous place." his tail drapes around Dana's neck, twitching as he looks around from the improved perspective. "I see light over there."

"There's no windows in the library," Dana murmurs. "The librarians would break them..." But then, of course, this isn't Night Vale. She remembers with a small frown; she is not home any more.

"There's windows," Teotimus affirms, peering over the chair. "And something else, look!" his whispering voice is full of excitement and curiosity. "It's beautiful."

Dana raises herself up, turning around to look over the back of the chair, and is astounded at the sight: A great creature with golden wings and a majestic feathery mane. There is also a man, and the beast rumbles a sound at him like thunder. Thunder that sounds the tiniest bit like Sumerian.

Teotimus clutches Dana's hair with his tiny, gecko-like hands, and they let out a single shriek.

[has_a_horn]

The dual shriek from the other side of the room draws Gabriel's attention and he drops his hand from his counterpart's beak as he looks in Dana's direction. The griffin gives him a nudge in the direction of the noise and Gabriel obliges, walking closer with the griffin padding along silently behind him.

"Hello? Someone there?"

[interndana]

Two wide-eyed faces peek from behind the chair. Dana says nothing, staring at the man and the mythical, magical animal behind him. She cannot believe this is happening.

Teotimus cannot stay silent, clambering around on Dana's head, tail twitching in excitement. "Yes we're here!" he says, delighted. "Hello!" he waves one little hand.

Perhaps encouraged by his initiative, Dana clears her throat. "Is that-" she grins and feels the urge to laugh. "Is that a griffin?" She bites her lip; she can't help it--it's so unreal, this majestic sight, and she thought she learned in history classes that griffins went extinct eons ago, and something about the creature and the man it's accompanying seem so very full of light and mirth, and it's infectious.

[has_a_horn]

"It is, yeah," Gabriel responds, feeling complimented by the pair's wonder. Gabriel makes his way around to her former hiding place and offers his hand in greeting. "I'm Gabriel. And this is-"

"Venia." the griffin supplies, it's head twisting down to get a better look at the bushbaby. "Who are you, little one?"

Gabriel tucks his head down, smiling at Venia's curiosity before he answers Dana's unspoken question. "Being a dream, I think there may be more leeway than usual for...more creative interpretations." Like griffins.

[johnny_truant]

Johnny staggers through the library, lost and alone, his shoulder and his head aching from what Zagreus' thing did to him. He's still holding Nova - she's clinging to him, whispering to him desperately, trying to keep him together. He feels sick but he has to keep moving.

"The hell happens if you fall asleep in a dream?" murmurs Johnny.

"I don't know," says Nova softly. "But I don't think you should try it."

Johnny laughs, sort of, it's weak and raw and humorless, but it's something. He's about to think of something else dumb to ask when they wander into an expansive space which is filled with a-

"HOLY SHIT WHAT IS THAT," Johnny practically shrieks, stumbling back against the stacks, exacerbating his pain. His yell rings horribly throughout the empty space, and he feels like a goddamn idiot drawing attention to himself after what he's been through, but he doesn't have much time to hate himself for it before Nova squeaks "Gabriel!!"

Who is standing beside the third fucking mythological creature he's seen this evening.

"Oh," says Johnny, relaxing, but only slightly. "Hi."

[has_a_horn]

The griffin's head perks up as Johnny enters, a sounds of warning murmuring from it's beak, and Gabriel's head whips around when Johnny yells out. He'd been sitting amidst a pile of books pulled from the shelves- their contents definitely give him a better idea of what sort of world they've been dropped into.

Something about this isn't right, though. He can feel Johnny's pain radiating off of him from the other side of the room, and the way he's acting doesn't do anything to assuage his worries. He stands, and his griffin follows behind him as they approach Johnny. "Hey. It's a griffin. Don't worry about it." When he reaches him, he sets a hand on his shoulder, sending some healing energy in his direction in the hopes that it will alleviate some of the more physical manifestations of pain. "What happened?"

[johnny_truant]

The relief is instantaneous, spreading outward across the joint from Gabriel's hand. Johnny takes a moment to catch his breath, staring at his arm, then at his landlord.

He barely has the energy to utter "Zagreus," before his exhaustion gets the better of him, his knees buckle and he collapses forward.

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel catches Johnny by the elbows, stopping him from falling to the ground, then swiftly moves an arm around and hefts Johnny up into his arms. He holds Johnny, and the little rabbit that houses Johnny's soul balances where it had last been, in Johnny's arms.

"Venia, a chair." The griffin makes a worried circle around them before proceeding Gabriel back to the table, where it pulls back one of the chairs with it's beak. Gabriel maneuvers Johnny into the vacant spot and kneels in front of him.

Whatever Zagreus has done, he doesn't like it. He wonders if Zagreus is somehow targeting the people around him for this sort of special treatment. It's a thought that he doesn't want to entertain for long. If it's true, he should be warning people, but whatever Zagreus is up to, it needs to stop, no matter who is involved.

He sets a hand back at Johnny's elbow, and looks up trying to catch his gaze. "What did he do?"

[johnny_truant]

Johnny feels the room spin, feels a particular loss of balance, like the earth has been swept away beneath his feet - no, it's him that's been swept, Gabriel's picked him up. He can't even muster the energy to protest - any protestation would be feeble and pointless, anyway. He curls inward, holding onto Nova as tight as he can.

When Gabriel deposits him in the chair he feels his head roll back, and he snaps back awake, blinking up at Venia.

"She's beautiful," he murmurs, almost to himself.

"Johnny..." Nova gives him a little nudge with her paw.

Johnny lowers his gaze back to Gabriel and feels a sudden drop in his stomach. This is the first time they've really been face to face or made any kind of signficant contact since... well, pretty much since he moved in. He's been pretty dedicated to avoiding him. Which feels stupid now. Gabriel looks so... intense, or... worried, or something.

"He..." He hesitates, shaking his head slowly, not actually sure what Zagreus did.

"His creature," supplies Nova, twitching her nose nervously. Johnny can feel her intimidation at facing Gabriel, and his griffin, palpably. "It was a... a chimaera. The snake head bit Johnny's shoulder."

"Oh, and the lion part punched me in the face," says Johnny, actually managing to sound a little droll.

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel cracks a smile at Johnny's addition and his return to the world of more conscious thought, but he still is concerned about what happened. His earlier touch would have healed over any wounds Johnny's received from being bitten, but he's not sure what sort of lasting damage Zagreus (and his Chimaera, of all things) could do to Johnny in the waking world. Zagreus has some sort of mind powers, but he doesn't know their extent. It could be just that Zagreus has chosen Johnny for his new plaything in the dreaming.

Venia turns around, facing Johnny. Their head cocks to the side, amused. "I promise not to punch you with my lion parts." Gabriel drops his hand from Johnny's elbow and pushes the griffin away, more playful than serious, as he gets up.

He pulls a chair over for himself and sits with one knee between Johnny's so that he can get as close as he was. "How do you feel?"

[johnny_truant]

"Uh." Johnny looks at him, dazed. "I mean, not super great, but... better now." He shudders very slightly, and Nova shifts in his arms, looking up at him.

"Oh." Johnny loosens his hold and lets her down on the floor. He's reluctant to let her go but he doesn't want to smother her, either. And he wants to look recovered. He doesn't want Gabe looking at him like... that, not right now. He doesn't want to have to think about what's been done to him. "This is, uh, Novatiana."

"Nova," she corrects.

"She's decided she wants a nickname," says Johnny.

"You're a grown-ass man who goes by Johnny," she retorts. It seems they are equally likely to resort to humor in times of stress.

Johnny tilts his head up to the griffin. "Venia, right?" he says. Maybe Gabe will let him get away with this not-so-subtle subject shift.

[theoldgirl]

During their wanderings, the TARDIS and the Unicorn come across a gate that leads into a rather large walled garden, the lush grass dotted with brightly colored flowers and bushes in full bloom. There are benches and a fountain, fruit trees and more greenery growing on the enclosing walls.

Before the TARDIS has much of a chance to take in the rich varied smells and the birdsong in the air, the Unicorn raises its head in excitement and gives a resounding whinny. It has spotted Gabriel and his griffin by the fountain moments before she could and, unlike her, doesn't hesitate for even a second before trotting over towards them. Her manifestation's excitement is difficult to resist, so she quickly follows suit, brushing against Gabriel's mind to say hello in her own way.

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel is watching his griffin take a sip of water from the fountain when the creature quickly cleans its beak against the side of the fountain and turns around. Gabriel looks up and spots the unicorn first. For a moment, he's surprised at the sight, but it feels intimately familiar. When the TARDIS follows, he grins and brushes back against her mind in greeting.

Venia, meanwhile, pads up to the unicorn excitedly and leans in to nuzzle against the creatures neck.

Both Venia and Gabriel say hello at the same time.

[theoldgirl]

The Unicorn returns the affectionate gesture immediately, blowing hot air across the feathers on Venia's neck and grooming them carefully with its teeth. The only word it feels the need to say is a melodious Gallifreyan term of endearment.

The two creatures' intimacy feels so safe and familiar that the TARDIS can't help but smile, increasing her mental contact with Gabriel as well. She stops short on her way to him in order to study the griffin, particularly fascinated by its expansive wings. "I have been rather confused about what dictates the shape of these manifestations," she says by way of dismissing an unnecessary verbal greeting, "but I can see the resemblance in your case."

[has_a_horn]

"Let me guess." He raises a hand to his nose and strokes finger along the curve of it. "Hmmm. The beak?"

He huffs out a laugh and takes a step closer to her so that he can kiss her on the cheek. "The fantastic sense of humor?" As he pulls away, he takes a glance toward Venia, but the Griffin seems a little too occupied to be cracking jokes. A great purr rumbles out from Venia's chest as the unicorn continues its grooming.

"I would have expected you connected to something a little more alien."

[theoldgirl]

At the mention of his nose she glances at him and chuckles, before studying the two manifestations again. The deep, clear affection she can feel emanating from them and his kiss make her want to follow their example, so she slips her hand into his, pressing closer. Watching the griffin so obviously enjoy the grooming it's receiving, she wonders idly if Gabriel would like the same done to his feathers.

"The setting and all the other creatures here are Terran," she points out, giving her own guess at the rules of this dream. "Or perhaps this was simply the most convenient, since I have taken a similar form here before."

[has_a_horn]

"I remember that. I think I was an albatross at the time." He smiles and squeezes her hand, but he's thinking of how, at the time, they'd both been under the impression that the other person hated them and so avoided each other entirely. They've spent far too much time in argument and misunderstanding since they met and he doesn't want to fall back into that again.