applesaucedream | Far Side of the Aurora Borealis

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

And here she was, thinking she and Modomnoc had a somewhat prickly relationship. Compared to these two, they're the very best of pals.

"I don't know," she says, glancing back and forth between Peter and the goat. "I can kind of see the resemblance." There's a quiet snort from Modomnoc that might be amusement or might be discouragement, but it's too late for the latter.

"Yeah? And what's that say about someone who has a giant bug?" asks Peter pointedly. Modomnoc, he's looking at you.

"And what mythos is that supposed to come from, anyway?" asks the goat, finally coming round enough to show a hint of curiosity -- and to suddenly spring up onto the wall and perch there. "It sounds like bullshit to me."

"That I'm essential to a healthy ecosystem," Sunshine deadpans, refusing to let someone with a goat-shaped soul make her feel stupid for having a bee. Bees are useful, and goats are mostly known for being assholes and eating things they shouldn't.

When the goat manages to get up onto the wall, after all, Sunshine carefully scoots back a bit, then rethinks things and gets off the wall entirely. The threat of Peter ending up on the ground seems to have passed, so there's no reason for her to settle in (or prolong this conversation at all, for that matter).

"This mythos," Modomnoc says, taking off once again to buzz in lazy little circles around Sunshine's head. "Everyone here has one."

"Everyone at Oxford?" asks the goat with a derisive snort. "That's news to me. That's probably news to Oxford, too."

She seems to take Sunshine's departure from the wall as a sort of small victory -- or perhaps a challenge. She stays on top of the wall, but picks her way to the point closest to Sunshine as if to ward her off if she tries to sit back down. Peter's expression goes distant and uncomfortable as the goat moves as far away from him as she's been yet, and the goat lifts her head to look over her shoulder at him as Peter takes a reluctant step forward to relieve the cold aloneness that had begun to snake its way through his chest.

"Or that you're a mindless drone," Peter quips back at Sunshine.

"Everyone at this Oxford," Modomnoc says, moving to hover purposefully between Sunshine and the approaching goat. He's pretty sure a good sting or five wouldn't be fatal for him, should the goat decide to push her luck.

Sunshine snorts in response to Peter's joke. "As opposed to an asshole who makes questionable dietary choices?"

Ugh, bee. The goat takes the last step she can and stay on the wall, tugging Peter forward again like he's on an invisible string, but her attention turns to warily watching the insect. Peter tries to make it look like he just happens to be strolling in that direction, without much luck.

"Do I look like a fat-arse?" asks Peter, gesturing to himself. He eats perfectly well, thank you. Sugar and alcohol are among the basic food groups, are they not? "Anyway, I only have you to say my soul even has anything to do with --" he gestures at the goat "--that."

Sunshine shrugs irritably. She only has so much patience for this ('this' meaning 'obnoxious strangers'). Not that she's been a model of civility, herself, but at least she tried to be nice - even did him a favor by stopping him from keeling over in sudden agony.

"Whatever." Technically, he only has two drunk socialites to say for it, but she doesn't foresee any good coming out of her sharing that tidbit, so she keeps it to herself. And she starts stepping back, a prelude to an exit. "Talk to her. You might be surprised." And that's about all the goodwill she has to spare, so she turns to leave, Modomnoc buzzing after her.

"Or I might not," Peter replies. He's not particularly interested in her staying, either. "Hey, goat," he says to the goat. "Get down here, we're going."

"My name is Cascia," the goat says with acid in her voice. "And you can come here."

Both of them seem more interested in each other at this point, really, so it won't be any trouble for Sunshine to make her exit.

Far Side of the Aurora Borealis

Jeez! Hope you make it home sans anymore hitches!

wooo five hours sleep

welcome home!

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