[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

[exuviiated]

...might as well keep the kid close so they don't get hurt, especially if there's a battish interruption. "We're going to be ripping files off a server and then wiping the server to make sure it seems like simple equipment failure. You know how to do that, right? If not, that's okay. I can teach you."

[dustless]

They aren't afraid of any bats or any cops!

"...I know how to take the files, but not the deleting. Not so it was like that. Alphys always did that part."

[exuviiated]

"Alright. Then I'll do it and I'll show you so you can help with the rest, okay?"

He's making this kid an accomplice. Dear god.

[dustless]

Is that really so strange in Gotham? At least they're not going to turn out like Prank. Their boss isn't as bad as Joker.

"Right!" They bound forward, despite not having anywhere to go yet. "When do we start?"

aaron: please don't get shot frisk i don't want to be responsible for this

[exuviiated]

...Not really, no, but it still leaves a wrong squirmy feeling low in Aaron's chest. "A minute or two. Strix and some of the others are in there drawing fi-- keeping any interruptions away. Stick close to me and we'll do great, okay?"

frisk: IT'S FINE I'LL BE FINE THIS IS F

[dustless]

"Right!" they repeat, and take 'close' a bit literally, hooking their arm with his at the elbow.

Around them, all the lights are flickering. Frisk doesn't seem to notice.

[exuviiated]

And now the kid is literally attached to him. Fine, okay, he'll deal with this, even though the flickering of the lights makes him uneasy.

"This way."

And then, they venture off into the fuzziness of the rest of the maze-- it sharpens around them, in exchange for the path behind them blurring out.

[dustless]

There are voices echoing from somewhere, around corners they kind of know already are dead-ends.

Though Aaron's the one guiding them, they pick up their pace. They still look pretty cheerful despite it.

[exuviiated]

It smells like a musty storeroom, dust and old things moldering forgotten in corners-- it shouldn't smell like that, and yet it does. Aaron pulls Frisk around a corner that isn't a dead end, but the colors are all different and wrong, and the path is closing up behind them. Up ahead, there's a stack of servers.

"Okay, just right up here. Don't trip."

Because there's holes missing in the ground, apparently.

[dustless]

Well, of course there are. It's a maze, and mazes are traps, and traps have weird things going on with the floor. That's just logic.

They skip around the holes and, as soon as they get to the servers, carefully put their hand on one. It's warm and humming and Frisk thinks they might need to climb up it.

[exuviiated]

Aaron sighs and pulls a flash drive out of his pocket. "Hold on to this. I'll give you a boost, and then you put it in one of the ports. It'll immediately download. Got that?"

If they don't, he presses the drive into their palm anyways; the noises are getting louder.

[dustless]

A firm nod. Of course they've used computers before.

"Something's coming," they say unnecessarily, planting one foot on a bundle of thick wires sticking out from...somewhere. It hums angrily, but doesn't dislodge, which is probably still alright.

quick kind of lazy reply... sorr

[exuviiated]

Oh, boy. Griffin doesn't like the way the stack of servers wobble at all, and so grabs Frisk around their waist in case they fall, or just for the extra stability.

"Yes. I know. Keep it up, and if I have to deal with anything I will."

He doesn't want this kid to have to deal with any vigilantes, or even Riddler, if he's mad.

i do not mind and also sry for own lateness /o/

[dustless]

They push the drive into a port, smiling at the satisfying click.

A timer appears. They can't actually see it, but they can hear the seconds ticking as the files start to download.

Griffin gets a pat on the arm in thanks, and then the lights in the ceiling go black.

[exuviiated]

Griffin bites back a swear. It wouldn't do to introduce the kid to crime and then cussing in one profane fell swoop, now, would it?

Frisk finds themself on the ground, and then Griffin grabs their wrist and runs. "Come on, we need to find a way out of here!"

[dustless]

"But the floor--"

There are still some holes. And there are jagged crystals pushing their way out of the walls' panels, growing fast enough to almost clip the two of them. On the plus side, the purple is better than absolute darkness.

[exuviiated]

Whatever. They're light. Aaron snatches Frisk up and runs, leaping over the glowing purple shards of crystal. One snags on his pants, cuts into his leg, but the pain is fuzzy and far-off so he keeps going. "We're gonna be fine. I know the way out."