[mingle] what's the dream and what's the reality?

[lovetheme]

Lately the castle's nights have been very clear and almost warm, even up so high among the clouds as they are. But regardless of the weather, they are generally peaceful nights, and few things seem to stir during them...apart from the castle's inhabitants, be it with late-night roving or with sleep. The dreams, by extension, are at least undisturbed...if maybe not always pleasant. That sort of thing tends to vary by the person, of course.

But now--and for several nights, consecutively--the castle residents may find their dreams starting to take on stranger shapes: memories they've never had, friends that don't usually arrive, strangers they've never seen. These odd impressions might cling and continue to confuse even upon waking, vivid as they were; was it really just a dream, or maybe something more...? Does that newcomer in your dream remember you there too, in the daytime?

Either way, there seems to be an strange energy in the air during these nights. And it's bringing dreams together.

((ooc: And here's the catch-all post for the dream-sharing event! Feel free to top-level with your character's dreams here, or thread around in others! The event should only last about a week, but backtagging is eternal c: The ooc planning post can be found here!))

Comments

[ofthehellguard]

"If there is some master of this castle drawing people here and afflicting them, I wish they would show themselves already."

[dr_awesome]

"Grune, no!" Neil calls out, and his fingers brush against her wrist before she starts falling, the ground coming fast towards her before it blurs into blackness.

In another instant, Grune seems to stop her descent, floating in midair. The cliff has disappeared, and she's instead high up above the earth, hovering among the stars.

Neil's voice is faint, but muffled words can be heard somewhere below Grune.

[systematicsupport]

Their teeth are sharp, enough for S-4 to step back with a wince.

"See? What did I tell you? Another hostile human, just like the rest of them. You must destroy it, S-4."

S-4's hands shake, and he keeps stepping backwards.

"I don't.. I'm scared..."

[dustless]

Disturbingly, they freeze, blinking.

That's what the scientist wants? That's normal.

(Seems the dread isn't theirs.)

"...it's okay," Frisk says quietly. "You don't need to be scared."

[lostinmyway]

Grune hadn't been scared as she fell after the other woman; she knew everything would be all right. But when she stops and hangs in the air, she blinks a few times. My, that was sudden.

Neil sounds very worried, and so she calls out, "Hello, Neil! I'm up here. Are you down there?"

[lostlegacy]

"Really?"

She looks up at the starry sky above them. She can't see any pictures....

[lightofthestars]

"I am sorry." That must be difficult to bear.

She is quiet a moment, and then she says, "The next time I take my rest, would you like to sit with me? Maybe you would be able to find some brief peace."

[lightofthestars]

A small smile twists her lips. "In that, we agree. Am I right that you, too, would have many words to speak to them?"

[lostlegacy]

She shrugs again, but listlessly.

"Mommy's in Luceti and Daddy's on the Legacy."

And she's here. But at least Gee Girl is here, too.

[lostinmyway]

She keeps her hand where it is, letting him decide what he wants to do.

"Are you sure?" she asks softly.

[lostinmyway]

Grune isn't afraid. She's here with S-4. As long as they're together, everything will be all right.

But she is worried.

"S-4, dear, I think some people are in a little trouble," she says as she's led past the doors. "We should go help them."

[lostlegacy]

She frowns, too, and mutters. "He wouldn't like a picture with a bad guy in it."

She goes back to drawing. She'll show him what a good picture looks like.

[andthebat]

And of course, things aren't as simple as he'd like. He refuses to even dignify that false innocence with a reaction.

The Batman does his best to ignore Frisk and Sophie-even when the latter shouts so loud it feels like it's piercing his skull- keeping his focus entirely on the child in front of him. He has to remember that fact: Chara's a child and he's a monster. If it comes down to it, it's no contest.

He abruptly unfurls his wings, rapidly creating a bigger barrier between Chara and everyone else.

"I won't let you hurt them anymore," he says. "Put down down the knife before I make you."

[buttercup_eater]

* Be quiet. Chara thinks to themselves, somewhat desperately. * We can't move our body.

Frisk's voice sounds wrong, they notice. They don't know why, and they can't ask before the voice on the other side of the door airily responds: "Oh, what a unique name." And something about the honeyed emphasis on unique makes it feel as though something slimy is crawling down Chara's neck and spine.

And then- one moment, nothing's there, and then the next, Chara's mother has clipped through the door like a video game glitch, no opening or closing necessary, and she's standing at the head of the table.

She's impossibly tall and smooth looking, with the tidiest hair and clothes, and she has a pair of luminous brown eyes that are big and round like an owl's, too big for her face. In her hands, she carries an empty wooden bowl. Frisk might notice the way that Chara shrinks back in their chair when they see it.

Chara's mother doesn't look at Chara, however. The first thing looks at Frisk, and specifically, Frisk's hands.

"Take that off," she says. "Chara, what have I told you about gloves at the table? It's not that hard to remember."

[dustless]

Frisk and their Chara don't hear, it seems, but they're quiet anyway, staring at the woman. The outside-Chara's reaction is noted, but they're a little more focused on those eyes. They look...fake.

They ignore her tone, focus on the words, and give her a polite--if strained--smile. "Yeah. It is. I m͜͠a̧̡͠d̸̡̨̧́ę̀͜ it." Spelled it, shaped it, wrote over the kid that Frisk used to be. They'd met more than one kid with the name their mom and dad gave them, but they'd never met another Frisk.

Everything about this woman looks fake. Maybe she's made of plastic--maybe that's why Chara wants them to act like a doll, so this doll thinks they're the same. Like a lot of monsters mistook them for a monster too.

They tear their eyes from the fake woman's and glance around, deciding this entire house is a doll's house--no, a puppet theater.

And it sounds like they've been given a role to play. So they're Chara now, huh. Okay.

* Smells like dead flowers.

Frisk-and-Chara look down, smile twitching into something a little more genuine. "Can't. It's important to the orange one," they tell her matter-of-factly. Plus it's been sewn into their skin, too, so they couldn't even if it wasn't important.

[lostlegacy]

Normally she just tries and tries to get away, but...this is different. She twists around. Is Batman gonna stop them?

"Make me?" Chara asks. Something shifts--Sophie and Batman's viewpoint, or they shrink, or Chara grows. Regardless, they now tower over both of them. "I don't think you can."

[regalduchess]

"You do not have parents with you right now?"

--well. She can...

"Would you like me to be your foster parent until they return?"

[notsogrimreaper]

"I... I suppose it's worth a shot. Maybe I'll feel better if someone is nearby."

He kind of doubts it, but her offer is so genuinely heartfelt that he has to accept it. He doesn't want to disappoint her.

[dr_awesome]

"Yeah, I can show you! I know lots of them."

He practically swallows the rest of his hot dog in one bite, standing back up, ready to lead Sophie to the telescope.

[dr_awesome]

Neil doesn't answer her, but his words become a little clearer.

"Maybe I should have been an astronaut like Johnny. I mean, at least he accomplished something with his dream-life. I... can't even think of anything to wish for. Besides her."

The stars look odd, flashing in different colours.

[ofthehellguard]

"Very few, actually."

Uriel summons her blade to her hand to make her point. Diplomacy has never been a part of her job...

[lightofthestars]

At the sight of the weapon, Tauriel draws in a sharp breath as she puts several paces between herself and the other woman. When Úriel's purpose becomes clear, she relaxes a small amount, but comes no closer.

"...I did not know you could conceal your blade so well."

[lostinmyway]

The stars are so beautiful that, for a moment, she forgets that Neil is speaking. But then she remembers, and she calls out again, "Neil, you should come up here! It's very pretty!"

[lostlegacy]

"Okay."

She stands up, too. She'll take his word for it.

[lostlegacy]

"What's 'foster'?" Sophie asks with a bit of a frown.