[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

[andthebat]

A: Gotham City Skyline

Hopefully you're not afraid of heights, because right now you're standing hundreds of stories above a street full of rushing cars, on the side of a building lined with gargoyles. The wind whips at your hair and clothes. Streets and buildings stretch out beyond yours, dark deco skyscrapers and similar elegant, old style structures, electric lights that glitter like stars, the city extending as far as the eye can see. Even if you can't quite see them from up here, you have a definite sense of countless dark nooks and crannies and alleyways to be explored.

And then, as you're standing there, the wind picks up and suddenly an enormous, bat-like monster is swooping past you.

B: A Bat In A Cage

You appear to be in some sort of abandoned underground car park, gloomy and musty smelling, full of large wooden crates containing who knows what. Despite the flickering overhead lights, the distant stretches of the car park are shrouded in darkness, giving the impression of infinite space. At least there's a cement wall to your left that you might be able to orient yourself with.

Still, you'll need to be careful: You're not alone here. Patrolling in between the crates are numerous heavily armed men in strange uniforms that consist of dark tactical armor, masks that cover their entire heads, and goggles that give each guard the appearance of three glowing orange eyes. What's more, a few of the men are guarding a large metal cage a few feet away from you, in which a possibly familiar beast is crouched. None of them have spotted you yet- but you may need to move out of sight quickly.

C: Some Montage Music and You'll Be Set

How do you feel about obstacle courses? Because that's what you're looking at right now. It's a bit crude looking, consisting of mostly wooden equipment that's clearly been homemade- though it all appears sturdy- spread out in a lap over a large patch of dirt. The area beyond the obstacle course appears to be some sort of park or massive garden, and looming over the trees in the distance you can see a big fancy house.

Then you hear a whistle, and a moment later three beastly people drop out of the sky around you. The first is the Batman himself, landing a few feet in front of you. The second lands to your left- they're another bat person, like the Batman, except they're a bit smaller, girlish looking, with less of a mane and reddish fur, and they're wearing a shabby purple dress. And to your right lands another person, but this one resembles a red breasted robin, though they're about the size of a human being and dressed in eye catching bright clothes. Luckily, all three of your new companions seem to be in a good mood.

"Okay," Batman announces, "Here's what we'll do. You three will start at the monkey bars, and do ten laps around the circuit." He holds up a stopwatch. "Let's see if any of you can beat the old record."

D: Little Boy Lost

Fog surrounds you, engulfing the cobbled street and buildings in a chilly haze. It's probably sometime in the evening, because there's a reddish glow in the area like the sun's setting and the street lights are on, though the lamps don't seem to be doing much for the gloom beyond brightening up whatever cone of fog is underneath them. The street is empty and silent, but for the distant tolling of a bell.

The bell tolls once... twice... nine times in total before stopping, and then small, frantic footsteps can be heard racing down the cobblestones. A shadowy figure emerges from the fog and before either of you can stop it, it barrels straight into you.

"Ooof!"

It's a boy. A human boy, with dark hair and large blue eyes, which are now staring at you frantically. "What are you doing here?" he asks, confusion and worry clearly evident in his tone.

B - Grune why.

[lostinmyway]

Grune looks about at the new place she's standing in. It's very interesting and very big, and there are so many people about! And--oh! It's one of her friends! But...why is he in a cage?

Rather than ducking out of sight, Grune walks directly toward the people in front of Batman's cage. "Hello."

a question bruce will be internally screaming a lot, i am sure.

[andthebat]

Batman looks up just before the guards do, tilting his head slightly in Grune's direction. There's a split-second of recognition before his eyes narrow in obvious displeasure.

(What is she thinking?)

But the guards are quick to notice Grune's approach too, and when she greets them they immediately shift towards her and hold up their weapons. Inside the cage, the Batman averts his gaze.

"State your business," one of the guards says- and oddly, when he speaks the mask over his mouth warps and splits unevenly, revealing a mouth full of pointed teeth.

So am I. orz

[lostinmyway]

Grune's head tilts as she watches him speak. Oh, isn't that a mask?

"I'm here to visit the Batman," she says. "Why is he in there?"

[andthebat]

It's hard to say. The difference between a mask and flesh seems somehow blurred in here.

The guards exchange a glance, and the second one says, with more than a hint of condescension to it, "This is a dangerous animal, ma'am. You'd better stand aside if you care for your own safety." He taps his weapon- a warped looking black baton- against his palm.

[lostinmyway]

She shakes her head. "Oh, no, he's not dangerous. He's very sweet."

If she notices the weapon, she doesn't give any sign of it.

[andthebat]

The guards make various disbelieving sounds, and one of them even fakes a laugh.

"He's a criminal, ma'am. Just like everyone else in Gotham," the second guard says.

The first guard scornfully adds, "You want to turn into a criminal too?"

D

[lostinmyway]

"Oh, my."

Grune's hands drop to the shoulders of the person who ran into her--oh, it's a little boy. And he's asking a question that's a little difficult.

Her head tilts to one side. "Hmm.... What am I doing here?"

[andthebat]

Dismay crosses the boy's features; evidently Grune's answer wasn't the sort he was hoping for. He turns his face away from her and raises his hands to gently take Grune's wrists and move her hands from his shoulders.

"I- I have to go," he says. "Sorry, Grune."

[lostinmyway]

She lets him remove her hands, and she doesn't question how this child knows her name, either. It must mean he's a friend!

But she's still confused.

"Oh? Where are you going?"

[andthebat]

Well, she's not wrong.

"Not going anywhere," he says. "But I have to look for my parents. You haven't seen them, have you? They look like me, except taller-" he raises one hand, palm flat and facing downwards, to indicate tallness, "-and well, my mother's a girl and has longer hair. And my dad has a mustache."

He lowers his hand and clasps it tightly to his other one, forming an anxious knot of fingers.

[lostinmyway]

She shakes her head. "No, I haven't seen them...I don't think."

A moment's pause while she considers this. Then she shakes her head again, looks down at her friend, and smiles. "Why don't we look for them together?"

[andthebat]

For a moment the boy's face falls even further, but then he squares his shoulders and appears to think quickly over Grune's offer.

"Okay," he says, "But it could be dangerous. If we meet the man with a gun, I'll need to protect you."

So saying, he reaches out to slip one hand into Grune's.

A rn \o/

[dustless]

Their hair goes wild, buffeted by the wind streaming from his wings.

"Are you in a rush?" they call after the bat beast, stepping to the edge. "I wanna come too!"

So saying, they grin and leap off.

frisk why

[andthebat]

The Batman twists around in the air at the sound of Frisk's voice, and even in the dream there's a spike of panic when he sees them leap off of the edge. But with a mighty beating of his wings, Batman swoops towards Frisk and grabs them in his arms.

They continue to glide downwards, the electric lights of the buildings around them and the streetlights below whirling and whirling.

"Don't you know it's dangerous to fly without wings?" he scolds.

they have reasons

[dustless]

"Of course I do," they say. Their grin's been replaced with a hint of a glower. "But I don't need them when I've got my cell phone."

Batman's probably had to hold onto people and things that very much don't want to be held before. Add this small child to the list, 'cause now they're struggling, trying to worm their way out of his arms.

"Let go, just want to follow!"

[andthebat]

"And how was I supposed to know that?" Batman asks. He makes an exasperated face at Frisk, though it might be hard for Frisk to notice while the two of them are wheeling their way through the air.

They're definitely going to have their work cut out for them, because Batman very determinedly clutches them towards him. "You've picked a bad night for it," he says. "I have business to attend to."

[dustless]

"...I don't know," they concede after a moment of reflection. "But you know now. So let go anyway."

They spread their arms like they're going to fly out of his arms, though they don't manage to. "What business? Bat-business?"

[andthebat]

And the Batman continues to fail to let go of Frisk, although at least he slows into a leisurely glide down towards the roof of a nearby apartment complex.

"Penguin business, actually," he says. "I'll let you go when we land, but you can't follow me, got it?"

A - I wish to say that Uriel may intend violence but I don't. XD;

[ofthehellguard]

Uriel has never seen this skyline before, but she has seen one like it-- a century ago, before Earth was ruled by demons.

Normally she'd be confused as to where 100 years of damage went, but this is a dream, and when an enormous bat-like creature flies past-- well, her mind fills in the blanks.

With a cry the angel summons her sword and takes off after the "demon".

[andthebat]

The Batman sharply turns his head to look up and responds to Uriel's cry with a warning shriek of his own. It comes out strange and echo-like.

He doesn't bring out a weapon of his own, preferring to swoop around a corner of the building and lead his new opponent deeper into the city. It's his territory, after all, and nobody knows the ins and outs of the Gotham skyline better than he does.

[ofthehellguard]

Uriel feels no temptation to heed his warning, and follows him around the corner only too willingly. She has a very low opinion of demons and their intelligence, and it's only a matter of time before she can catch up with this one and make short work of it.

[andthebat]

The Batman twists and turns his way through the skyscrapers, occasionally swooping far down or far up. It doesn't take a genius to figure out he's trying to shake her off.

As he flies deeper into the city, the skyscrapers and other buildings get more and more decrepit. Eventually, he spies one that looks like it was abandoned half-way through construction, leaving just a maze of old steel beams and wooden platforms. The area inside looks a little confined, but nevertheless he flies into the web.

Let's see who the more agile flyer is.

D.

[whataprettyname]

The bell. The bell.

She has to get home. She has to find her parents. If the bell tolls again, it will be too late. Chihiro looks around frantically, and that means that she's looking in the complete opposite direction when the boy barrels into her.

"Oof!"

She staggers, arms pinwheeling a little as she tries to regain her balance, before looking up wildly at the boy. He looks human. But sometimes a lot of things can look human. Either way, he doesn't feel like a threat, certainly not as much as the shadows or the fog.

"I...I-I don't know! I don't know where I am! What's happening?!"

[andthebat]

The boy keeps staring at her, though he fidgets where he stands, as if any second he's going to bolt.

"We're in Park Row!" he says. And it sounds incredulous, as if the answer's obvious, but then the boy visibly hesitates and bites his lip, adding. "I- I think! We shouldn't stay here. It isn't safe."

The last part is very firm.