applesaucedream | Charlie's Coffeehouse [Open to Multiple]

Current Music: June 10th, 2013

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Charlie's Coffeehouse [Open to Multiple]

As if to make up for the previous evening's kali horror show, Sunshine's dream is warm and familiar. She's in a bakery - her bakery in her stepdad's coffeehouse, though elements of her new workplace sneak in here and there. She hardly notices the inconsistencies as she churns out trays of muffins and sheets of cookies. Charlie's working the register, Mel's in the kitchen, Mary's waitressing, and her mom is probably in her office giving someone hell over the phone. All is as it should be.

If she knew she was dreaming, she would probably think it fitting that anyone drop in, relax, and eat some cookies (well, okay, if she knew she was dreaming she might not recommend eating anything, but whatever, she breaks that rule all the time). Last night was rough, and people deserve a break - and a toxic sugar concoction or two. As it is, she's not paying any particular attention to the customers as she carries out a tray of Killer Zebras and transfers them into a display case.

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Well, she was right about him not being a local. She's less certain about where he could be coming from (and headed to) if New Arcadia isn't his destination, but that'll have to wait.

"Charlie's my stepdad," she says, and she's just going to go ahead and sit down, now. Forward, maybe, but he's the one asking questions with long, involved answers. Besides, she's been in the business too long to fail to recognize the myriad ways a customer can signal that they'd really prefer it if you left them the hell alone, and this guy's displaying none of them. "He owns the place, and my mom helps run the admin side of things. I've been working here since I was in high school." Belatedly remembering that they haven't actually been introduced, she adds, "I'm Sunshine."

Topher is pleased by her sitting down, so that should probably answer her question on whether it was a good idea. He finishes up his cinnamon roll while she talks.

"Topher," he answers, wiping off his hands with a napkin before offering his hand to her. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," she replies, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake before releasing him.

Leaning her elbows on the table, she asks, "So, are you checking out the Other Museum while you're in town?" It's pretty much the main attraction in a town that is, itself, something of an attraction by virtue of how well it survived the Wars.

"What's that?" he asks, figuring he can get away with being clueless since he's not local. It'd perhaps be nice to go on a little tour of her homeworld while here, but he doesn't think he can spring that without hefty manipulation, or telling her it's a dream, and the latter is easier. And less, well, manipulative.

"It's exactly what it sounds like," she replies, wavering between amusement and incredulity. Most cities of a certain size have Other museums, and New Arcadia's is nationally recognized. "Tour groups come through every year to visit it." Honestly, she's not so sure it's worth the trip unless you're going for the private collections, and you'd need three Ph.Ds before you'd be able to get your hands on any of that. "The ghoul attack simulation is supposed to be pretty good, but I've never been through it." Noooo thank you.

Right, that's stuff he's supposed to know, okay. He decides to drop the charade, and while she's thinking of the Other Museum, let's her mental image of it affect the surroundings. He keeps the chairs and table, but the rest of the bakery fades away to be replaced by...

Sunshine grips the edge of the table as the familiar surroundings of the coffeeshop fade and blur. A moment later, they're sitting in the main lobby of the Other Museum, their table one of several in a little cafe across from the ticket counter. (She wouldn't think of the Other Museum as inspiring any great spark in appetite, but what does she know.) Off to her right, an arched doorway leads to the exhibit hall, through which a few signs can be seen. They say things like: 'Demons & Ghouls - Lvl 2' and 'Weres & Partbloods - Lvl 3.' Above the doorway, a banner reads, 'VAMPIRES: The Darkest Others' in a rather desperate font.

"What the hell was that?" she hisses at Topher. Did he put some kind of whammy on her? Is this an illusion, or did he actually transport them across town? Gods and frigging angels. This is what she gets for engaging randoms, huh?

"You're dreaming. The dream changed," Topher answers with a shrug. He glances around. So a museum about certain supernatural creatures is the main attraction in her town, huh? He's going to go ahead and guess that this is one of the universes when they actually exist.

Sunshine straightens at that pronouncement, then promptly feels like an idiot. Gods, she should be used to this carthaginian dream madness by now. She slumps forward, burying her face in her arms and indulging in a groan of embarrassment. That done, she lifts her head to give Topher a shrewd look. "So you're from New York."

Hey, she picks up fast. At least he doesn't have to sit around and explain it to her, that's a relief. He doesn't think it's particularly embarrassing. Well, it would be if he didn't realise.

"Mhm," he answers with a nod. "See, when I said 'passing through', I meant your head, not your town."

Yeesh, Topher, go ahead and dial up the creepy a little more. Even if it's technically accurate, it still rubs her the wrong way. Maybe because he was fully aware it was a dream the whole time and didn't elect to say anything until now.

Well. Maybe she should be glad he gave her as much time in the coffeehouse as he did before changing the scenery.

"Hilarious," Sunshine deadpans, leaning back in her chair. "Are you in the habit of gate-crashing the dreams of others?" She's done her fair share of the same, but it was always an accident. And okay, maybe Topher just looks smug because he caught on faster and not because he's here on purpose, but if he is here on purpose, she'd like to know.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to gate-crash," he answers quickly, realising Sunshine doesn't like where this is going. He's found her quite pleasant so far, and doesn't want to alienate her immediately. "Just... Your dream looked nice. I just wanted some nice...ness."

She considers that, vague memories of the previous evening's 'entertainment' resurfacing, and nods in acceptance that is only a little begrudging. "Fair enough, I suppose." Can she really blame him for finding Charlie's Coffeehouse more appealing than that godawful jungle? Or, for that matter, than Manhattan?

Not that they're at Charlie's anymore, and the Other Museum isn't all that high on her list of relaxing places to be. It's sort of hard to enjoy the exhibits when she knows so many Others. The ones about partbloods and Weres are pretty unbiased, all things considered, but no one pulls all their punches when they talk about vampires.

"Can we, uh… go back?" she asks. It's not just the more pleasant atmosphere she's after; she wants to have a few more minutes of an ostensibly normal workday. As if the rift never took her. Raising her eyebrows, she sweetens the pot: "You can even sit in the bakery. Get first dibs." He's skinny; he'll fit on the stool without any problem.

Topher smiles in reply to that. The museum looking interesting, but not exactly 'nice', no. And he can feel that she's not very comfortable here.

And then their surroundings change again, bringing them back to where they were sitting before, as if they never left. Topher only initiates the change, but it's still her memories that fill up the place. "I wouldn't mind trying a few more things," he answers.

"Thanks," she says once they're back in the coffeehouse, already relaxing. It's bittersweet - she's not really back home, and now she knows it - but it's still good to see the place again, and she takes in the details with a sort of hunger, wanting to make sure they stick. (Yeah, it's all a product of her own imagination, anyway, and the fact that these details are here at all is proof she hasn't lost them… but still. The refresher can't hurt.)

"It's this way," she says, getting up out of the chair and beckoning for Topher to follow her. No one objects when they see her leading a stranger into the bakery, but… well, why would they? As they step into the bakery proper, there are a few faint chirrups and squeaks from the collection of charms tacked over the doorway. "Don't mind them," Sunshine nods toward the charms as she grabs her apron. "They mean well, they're just a bit…" she shrugs, not having the heart to actually insult them while they're in earshot. She knows it's just her mom's way of trying to look out for her, but dealing with the charms is a little like dealing with a really sweet but tragically stupid dog.

Does Sunshine know that every time you remember something, you reconstruct it in your head, overwriting the old information? Every time you recall something, picture it in your mind, it's a little less accurate. It's surely the same with the Dreaming. Once upon a time, Topher could've stored this sort of stuff on a harddrive, keep it the same forever. Could've made sure all his own memories were safe too, not to be tampered with. But he forgoes that to avoid the risk of bringing that sort of technology to this universe. Though sometimes he's tempted.

Topher rises and follows Sunshine back into the bakery, looking around and taking in the details. He pauses after passing through the doorway, looking up at the things. "What are they?" he asks curiously.

~~Shhhhh shut up, let her have this.~~

"Charms," she says, deftly tying her apron behind her back. "They like being able to keep an eye on things." They'd like it more if she let them stay with her full time until they burned out (or went rogue, but that's not as likely below a certain, uh… quality threshold), but she doesn't have the patience to deal with that kind of attention. At least in the bakery, the ambient noise tends to drown them out.

"You can sit over there, if you want," she says with a nod toward the stool. Usually it's reserved for employees, but Topher's not the first non-coffeehouse-worker to occupy it. It's out of the way, which is the most important thing. She's going to be carrying hot trays around, here.

That doesn't really tell him a lot, except they seem to be magical, and have some sort of consciousness. He leaves it at that, and joins her, taking up the stool. Not that he'll really be in the way, when he's only electively physical, and hot trays won't harm him. And if she burns herself, he can help with that.

"So that stuff in the museum - vampires and demons and all that. I take it that's real in your universe?"

Unreality aside, she still finds herself feeling grateful that at least Topher's airing his ignorance back here instead of out among the rest of the customers. "Yes." A few trays of cookies went into the ovens before her break, and now she goes to check on them. "I take it you didn't have those back home?" she asks as she snags a potholder and pulls out a tray of standard double-chocolate-chunk.

"Only in TV shows," he answers with a smile. "My world's almost identical to the one we're in now, only without the rift and all the stuff that comes through. On the surface, at least. I just moved a few years into the future."

He's done plenty research to make sure there isn't a Rossum in this world. So there's a decent difference there too, but not one he discusses.

The temptation to say 'lucky you' is pretty strong, but she resists. Hell, it's not as if she'd gladly take a rift-free Manhattan over her home universe if she was given the choice. At least she's equipped to deal with homeverse weirdness; she gets it. It's the magic-less, Other-less mundanity permeating most of Manhattan that throws her for a loop.

She starts to ask 'how are you adjusting,' but only gets the first two words out before she burns herself setting down the cookie tray. She hisses, and it's not much compared to the noises Con could make, but it's getting there. Seriously, Sunshine? She normally doesn't make such rookie mistakes, and her grimace is more embarrassed than hurt. At least the tray made it onto the cooling rack.

Topher jumps to his feet when he feels the pain shooting through Sunshine. He's been leaving himself pretty open to the input of her mind, so things affecting her, whether it be emotions or sensory input, also easily jumps over to him. He could shut it off, but he'd prefer to just fix the problem. After a moment, he holds out his hands for hers. "Uh, may I?"

Gods, this is appalling. "It's not that bad," she insists, hesitating in the face of his apparent desire to… what, look at it? Does it even matter that she's hurt herself in a dream? Even if it does, it's just a little burn; there's no need for him to go leaping to his feet as if she opened one of fridges and a - a dead butler fell out. Or something. "Seriously, I can just run some cold water over it." But she does finally hold her hand out, if only to reassure him that she's not breaking out in blisters.

Well, they're in the dreaming, so he could make a dead butler disappear as well. (Or concoct a fun murder mystery where they follow clues, that's also possible. And sounds pretty fun, actually.)

He could also make her pain actually affect her real body (it's funny how the mind can make the body react even if it didn't actually receive the original stimulus) and give her a burn, but that's a technique he almost never uses. And if it does, it's to do the opposite thing - heal rather than hurt. There are very few people he dislikes strongly enough to hurt for no good reason.

Topher takes her hand in his - mostly a symbolic gesture, really, and just a way for him to focus more easily on the part of her that's hurting, even if it's all imagined - and he soothes the pain, removing the imagined damage.

Her brow furrows as he takes her hand, but she doesn't pull away. A few seconds later, the burn is gone, soothed away. Even though it never technically existed in the first place, she still raises her eyebrows, surprised and a little impressed. "… Huh. Thanks." She takes her hand back and runs her thumb over her undamaged palm. "Can you do this in the waking world, too?"

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