I've picked petals looking for answers

[good4you]

[This summer had been the absolute worst of Jared Kleinman's life. Which was really saying something, because he was counting the one where he couldn't go to summer camp because he'd broken his ankle trying to impress Evan with a 'sick bike trick'. Sure, he'd been a miserable, lonely twelve year old trapped inside for months, but at least Evan had felt guilty enough about witnessing the incident to visit sometimes. Plus send a bunch of postcards.

This year, however, Jared had been completely alone. No camp, no postcards, and no Evan. Alana still sent him texts every now and then, but he was pretty certain she'd figured out that he'd been in on the whole email fiasco and was only being nice because she could tell Jared was more hurt about getting used than she was. God, how lame was that? His last "friend" only sticking around out of pity. All he really had left was video games--not that he'd been allowed to just enjoy those in peace, of fucking course. Once his parents realized all his down time was being spent escaping into various virtual realities, they'd begun worrying. Gently suggesting activities and places to go, giving him concerned looks whenever they thought he wouldn't notice. Eventually, Jared just started packing up his laptop and handhelds to hang at an internet cafe so he didn't have to feel like the pitiful loser he already believed himself to be in his own home.
Once he found his routine, the summer months came and went uneventfully as he prepared for college and pinned all his hopes on a fresh start in a place nobody knew him. Maybe it would be better. Maybe he wouldn't find himself building a teetering tower of regrets in every quiet moment he was left alone. Maybe he could finally bring himself to delete Evan 'huge fucking jerk' Hansen from his tiny list of phone contacts. ]

Ugh, fucking pathetic.

[Jared flops sideways onto his bed, backpack still on, as he stares at his contacts list for probably the thousandth time this month. Why couldn't he just let go? He'd been ditched. Dropped, like a decent show on network TV. Thrown out like a dried-up pen. It should be easy. It should be...
He glares at his phone as he returns to the home screen, letting out an irritated sigh.]

This is so damned stupid. He probably deleted me ages ago. [Yet here Jared was, waiting around like the tree-hugging asshole is going to text him an apology any second now. Yeah, right. He shoves his phone back in pocket, and-

...and, this. This isn't his bedroom?]

Where the fuck?

[Where the fuck?!

There's now a very confused young nerd wandering the castle in a state of total confusion.]

Comments

[dustless]

[And before long, he'll find a kid taking a nap on the floor.

...Yeah. It's not even a comfortable patch of floor, it's stone. Not that it seems to be bothering them any.]

[insanelycool]

[Honestly, the 'sleeping on the floor' bit doesn't strike him as particularly odd. He'd spent enough years as a glorified baby sitter at summer camp to know kids can fall asleep anywhere. He also knew they could be cranky little jerks if you woke them up too soon, which, honestly, he could relate to. So as much as he'd like to get out of here ASAP, he decides he has better chances of actually getting help if he waits for the kid to wake up on their own and plops down nearby to play games on his phone. It isn't as if he has a whole lot of other options. This is the first other human he's run across, and he has no reception to google maps his way out of wherever the hell this is; if that would even work.

This shit felt a lot bigger and weirder than anything google could fix for him. His best guess so far is that he got into a car crash he doesn't remember and is in a coma or something. It would be just his luck.]

[dustless]

[He doesn't have long to wait. Frisk's got some wonky sleep issues lately, and someone being around rouses them from their sleep.

At least whoever it is happens to be nice enough not to shake them, or anything.

Their eyes open, and they glance to the side. At the person. And that's it, no more movement.]

...Hi. [They have quite the quiet voice.]

[treepics]

[ Evan is mostly sure this is all a dream. People don't just end up in weird castles, right? That's like...the plot of a bad fantasy film or something, not real life. So he clings to that idea a lot longer than he should, wandering around in a confused-bordering-alarmed haze. Because as much as he tells himself it's got to be a dream, it all feels very real. And he doesn't remember falling asleep. And he's been pretty lucid this whole time? And...yeah. It's a lot.

He doesn't know where he's going, but of course he manages to find his way to the aviary, to the biggest goddamn tree that could ever be shoved into a building. It's a little comforting, at first, but the creepy collection of birds hanging out in the branches squashes that feeling pretty quickly. Even so, he still goes to sit beneath the tree. It might be creepy, but he's not really sure what else he's supposed to do in this situation.

Dreams are a person's subconscious working through things. At least, Evan remembers being told that at some point. Probably by a therapist. He's not sure what 'Enormous castle' means as far as his subconscious goes, though. Usually he just dreams about things like The Connor Project, everything that happened Senior year, or the classic 'going to school (or work, now that he's at Pottery Barn. Which is a special kind of hell) without pants on.'

He's not sure whether the change in dreamscape should be considered a good thing or a bad thing, but he doesn't have long to dwell. Because shortly after he sits, the weird birds in this weird dream decide they want to sing the creepiest nightmare fuel birdsong known to humankind. Cool. Evan's just going to go. As quickly as possible and without looking where he's going.

Which is why he ends up running right into someone. Evan had been moving pretty quickly, too, so the impact is hard. He almost falls over as he hurriedly backs up and stumbles over an apology. An apology that grinds to a halt as he looks up and sees...Jared.

Jared, who he hasn't spoken to since the fight. Jared, who Evan had wanted to apologize to but couldn't. Because he couldn't find the right words to say, and always ended up tossing his phone across the room when he tried. What he'd said had been...it had been horrible. Evan had been horrible. And the longer he tried to figure out how to apologize properly, the more it seemed like too much time had passed. Like he'd missed his chance. Like he's just too late.

And then too much time did pass, and it was too late.

All at once, this dream is worse than any Connor Project dream could ever be. Because Jared dreams never end well. Evan always wakes up trying not to cry. I should have apologized.] ...Jared?

[ His voice is small. He considers turning on his heels and going back the way he came, but doesn't. That kind of stuff never works in dreams. ]

[good4you]

[The unexpected impact knocks him into the adjacent wall, where he manages to catch himself before he ends up in the floor. He'd had too much practice being bounced around school corridors to go down that easily. He'd also had plenty of practice snapping at people to discourage them from letting it happen again, intentional or not.]

Jesus, watch where you're- [Jared turns and immediately freezes, words dying in his throat the second he realizes who he's speaking to. What was Evan doing here? Wherever the hell 'here' is; probably some kind of horrible coma dream. It was the only explanation that made sense, especially now that Evan was here. Though he would hope his subconscious would know to at least put the guy in tighter jeans.

But then he hears that hesitant little 'Jared' and it feels all too real again.]

Oh, great. [He busies himself, straightening his glasses and adjusting his backpack. Dusting his shorts off. Anything to hide how ruffled he is.]

This shitty day couldn't get any weirder, why wouldn't the universe throw you at me too? [When he finally runs out of things to mess with, Jared settles for crossing his arms and scowling.]

I don't suppose you know where the fuck we are?

[Jared would regret spitting out every 'you' like it was offensive later, but right now he was too pissed off to care. As much as he'd missed his ex-friend, actually seeing Evan had brought all his hurt and confused feelings bubbling back up to the surface again.]

[treepics]

[ Evan winces a little at the harsh way Jared says you. It's like it's being thrown at him, like it's an insult. But he kind of. He deserves this. After everything that happened, everything he said. He deserves Jared's ire. Honestly, he's mentally preparing himself for worse, and is surprised when Jared tosses him a question instead of a list of all the ways he failed as a friend.

He fidgets a little and shrugs, looking down at his feet. ]

Oh, I don't--I thought this was just a weird dream? It's not very realistic being in a--being here. So I didn't look for any signs or anything. [ Evan runs a hand through his hair and tries to subtly glance "Dream" Jared's way, to gauge his reaction. ] But if it's my weird dream, I guess there should be a way to...to figure it out? Like if I think really hard, maybe we--

Maybe I can find a sign.

[firewalled]

[Ah, yes. The sound of confused vulgarity. A classic sound among the halls of the castle. Rich remembers when he was the one running around swearing about the bizarre dream world he'd been thrust into like it was yesterday.

...Though to be honest, there was probably something weird that happened yesterday that got a yell or two out of him.

Still, he's not just here to reminisce. He hears that distressed voice and follows it to its source, hoping seeing someone half-normal will at least reassure the poor new kid.]

Hey, hey, keep it down, will you? There are kids around here. Take a minute and try some breathing techniques?