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

[wildmage_daine]

Daine presses her lips together, blushing unhappily. It's no great secret that she never knew her Da growing up, but the fact that he's a god is something she tries to keep to herself. Now, she's torn between trying to keep it as private as she can, given the circumstances, and wanting to know how on earth the Doyles know. It's one thing to see her wild magic, quite another to know the source of it. Even Numair hadn't figured out that just by looking at her.

A low growl rumbles in her wolf's chest - too low for Daine to hear, but she can feel it through the leg he's leaning against. "Ma was human," he says, raising his lip enough for a gleam of sharp teeth to be clearly visible. "Da was never there."

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta still doesn't understand what they're talking about, but he does understand that it's upsetting Daine. Taking a step closer, he lays a supportive hand on her shoulder. Beside him, Nilakshi shifts forward, stretching out her trunk to sniff curiously at the air around Augustine.

"Have you always had animal souls?" Peeta asks with interest. The quartet seems completely unsurprised and unperturbed by current circumstances, and they know more about what's going on than either Peeta or Daine. Maybe this is Frank's dream, or Sadie's. "It's new for us."

[sadie_doyle]

Oh, the poor dear! Realizing she's overstepped, Sadie has the good grace to back down despite her continued curiosity (it's not every day one meets a demigoddess, after all).

She's just about to apologize when Frank touches Augustine's tail, and then she has to stifle a little gasp of surprise. She turns to arch an eyebrow at Frank, her expression trying to be disapproving and not quite getting there. And Gertrude isn't even within her reach - drat them both. She'll have to get her own back later.

Turning back to the children, she waves a hand in airy dismissal. "No, this is new for us, as well. It's been quite the experience!" But speaking of experiences - their liquor picnic is being delayed, and she knows Frank well enough to make a very educated guess about his willingness to continue this conversation. "But if you'll excuse us, we're on something of a quest at the moment."

[frank_doyle]

"Quest is exactly the word!" agrees Frank. "Look at the time! This buzz won't keep forever. Nice to meet you, children, and your lovely souls too. Sadie?"

Delighted to have recaptured her attention, he gives Gertrude a conspiratorial nudge and resumse rolling the barrel on its path through the elaborate dreamscape.

[wildmage_daine]

Peeta's efforts don't go unnoticed, and Daine shoots him a quick, grateful look. Even considering his efforts, though, she's surprised by how quickly the conversation's turned from uncomfortable prying about her parents to the Doyles making their escape. Still, she's not exactly eager to keep talking to people who are going to refer to her as a 'demigoddess,' so she makes no attempt to call them back. Instead, she and Coromotto watch them uneasily, her fingers tangled in the thick fur of his shoulder.

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta lets his hand drop back to his side as the raucous quartet disappear from view. "Well, that was strange," he mutters, before survey Daine with a critical eye. "Are you okay?"

[wildmage_daine]

"Yes," she says absently, still frowning at the archway through which the Doyles have vanished. Coromotto gives himself a little shake, and Daine blinks before turning her attention to Peeta. "Yes," she says again, with more conviction. "That was just… strange, is all."

[peeta_mellark]

"It definitely was." Peeta's curious, but given the way Daine reacted to the Doyles' accusations, he decides not to ask about her parentage. He doesn't want to pry, and it's clearly not something she wants to discuss. Instead, he finds himself back at their original topic of discussion.

"At least we know what's going on now." He gives Daine a crooked smile as he runs a hand down Nilakshi's trunk. "They're our souls."

While his mind still struggles to fully grasp the foreign concept, his heart understands it completely, the single word somehow encapsulating everything he and Daine - and Coromotto and Nilakshi - had been struggling to explain before.