[Nexus] The Black Dragon's Den XV

[5a Violista]

[=> Basement]

Wow, that was really well-timed, June says to Wanessa.
"Thanks," she says to the goblin.

So, she goes through and gets back to the Black Dragon's Den.

As this is a new scene in a new thread, I'd normally give a description of June and say that the redhead looks pretty androgynous etc etc but the clothes she's wearing are skimpy enough that there's very little left to the imagination (work boots, something that's a cross between boxer briefs and boyshorts, and webbing as a top) and she'd rather people pay as little attention to her as possible so long as she's dressed like this. And if you don't have a description then people usually pay less attention to you.

"Okay, so...probably going to have to get the backup key to my room, so..." she heads to the stairs to leave the basement, so that she can go to an employees-only area to get the spare key to her room.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Assembling the Crew]

Cue a couple more thieves for our merry band of rogues and vagabonds!

The first one to arrive is a young, androgynous looking man of average height, with golden hair going past his shoulders, and mismatched eyes the color of molten gold and clear azure skies. He quietly slips over to the far corner of the table without introducing himself to, or looking at anyone, sitting somewhat timidly on a chair, both knees drawn up to his chest. His skin is tan, and clear everywhere except his face, which is dusted with a sheen of golden scale-shaped blemishes over his cheek and nose, and he has two cloudy white horns that poke up out of his hair to twin points, the right horn clad with a golden band around the middle. He's dressed somewhat eclectically - a frilly sleeveless top, bright pink, with brass buttons, over a pair of black shorts and a contrasting pair of thigh-high socks, one banded blue and white, the other a solid pink color. On his feet he's wearing a pair of beat up and mismatched sneakers, though they both look to be sized correctly, and comfortable enough.

Aside from his clothes, he doesn't appear to have anything else on him in terms of equipment except a small beltpouch with a folding clasp, and nothing on him in terms of weaponry. He remains silent, alternately staring at the table or looking restlessly around the room (carefully avoiding the gaze of anyone present) until someone addresses him.


The second to arrive shows up with a good deal more style and panache. He's on the shorter side for a humanoid man, dressed in a long, sleek coat the color of night-time smog, with a pair of long tails that flap and flutter most impressively when he moves, breaking up his outline. Underneath the coat is an odd, dusky blue top of a heavy cloth, dusted with silver thread. It's paneled, fitted, and cut to be reminiscent of the shape of a vest, though it extends to cover the entire torso, with a hood that comes up to cover the wearer's head. Sharp eyes might notice that the vest seems to be subtly reinforced with stiffened panels, sewn into hidden pockets in the fabric. The bottom portion of his outfit appears to be similarly reinforced, and of a single piece - dark pants that extend down seamlessly into 'boots' on the feet, with a slight heel and platform to give him a few extra inches of height. Underneath his dusky blue hood, framed by a few errant locks of dark hair, is a full face mask with an enameled surface, colored dark blue and dotted with flecks of silver to resemble a swirling night sky. He wears gloves on both hands, though the right glove only covers the last two fingers of his hand, somewhat like an artist's glove, leaving a grey-skinned thumb, index, and middle finger exposed. The left glove covers all the fingers of that hand, and is backed by more stiffened plates, with sharp metal claws that look as though they could be mechanically extended over the tips of the fingers if needed.

In a holster on his hip hangs what looks like a flintlock pistol, with a brushed metal barrel and an ebony handle inset with a small amount of silver banding, though where the firing mechanism would be is instead what seems to be an inset glass capsule, which pulses softly with an internal energy of some kind. A close look at the barrel would reveal that the length of it has been carved with runes, making it likely to be magically powered in some way. He also has a dagger sheathed visibly by his right 'boot', and likely more secreted elsewhere besides.

Nocturne saunters across the room with a confident air, picking a chair seemingly at random and languorously dropping himself into it, before leaning forward slightly over the table, gracing their host with a polite bow of the head, and a shorter nod to everyone else in presence.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Basement]

June and Wanessa have to make her way through a knife fight arena and a big storage room of kegs and casks before they find the stairs up to the kitchen. It's enough of a maze even before you account for the hundred secret doors that June can now easily sense in the walls and under the shelves. The smell of alcohol in various proofs and qualities is overwhelming.

They must have had a problem with someone sneaking into the storeroom since I was here last, Wanessa speculates. I know Rakdosbucks makes deliveries down here all the time, but I guess there's no reason to tell the password to anyone but the delivery drivers.

As June starts up the creaky spiral staircase, Wanessa stays behind. This is where we part ways, I think. Most of this place doesn't have windows, but I don't want to get stuck up there if some drunk juggernaut tries to open a new skylight.

[5a Violista]

[Basement] => [Upstairs] => [June's Room]

She still finds it pretty weird how she can sense things that she shouldn't be able to. And that's not to mention all the smells - even after adjusting to the smell of alcohol, there's also the smell of puke from upstairs, and blood from that direction, and. . .it's all just too much. Hopefully she can adapt quickly, because she's already been overwhelmed by sensory overload several times today.

Okay. That's a good point, she says back. Being trapped in the sunlight would be bad. So, um...I don't have a phone. How'll I be able to contact you later? June asks over thought...or whatever it is they're doing. Because, after all, she'll still have to learn magic or whatever another day. And there's the once-a-lunar-month blood donation she needs, because withdrawal doesn't sound very nice. And if she goes through withdrawal, she'll probably lose all these extra senses, or something, right? There's a lot to consider and worry about. Then again, I do know where you work, so... it's probably not that dire to figure everything out.
June takes off the work boots, so that she can hand them back to Wanessa. Already here, it won't be a problem walking around barefoot for just such a short distance.

Anyway.
Trying to avoid the public places and as much attention as possible, June goes upstairs.
After only a little work, she finds the spare key to her room, and heads there.

She unlocks the door. Oh...there's the key, on the table. Locking the door behind her, she goes to pick up the original key. Whatever took her out of the room last night didn't break down the door or unlock it. And there's the knife, just where she left it. And there's the maid outfit, folded up. Perfect, she does have something to wear. She starts messing with the webbing, trying to carefully take it off. Jeez, she'll need a bath, too, along with the nap. Bath first; don't want to make a mess with the webbing everywhere, and it probably won't completely come off without getting washed off, anyway. And there's...
shoes?
Confused, June looks closer: those are the exact same shoes she was wearing. Still black. Even the same uneven wear pattern from being worn while fencing, and everything. This is...weird.

She suddenly hears something from the bed, and finally looks over there:
asleep in the bed is a second June. Or...maybe a first June? Asleep, hugging a blanket like a body pillow, wearing the exact same outfit June was wearing (minus the shoes and socks) when she woke up last night out in the middle of nowhere.
What?
What?
W h a t ?

In shock,
June drops the keys.
They hit the ground.

[Earl of Purple]

Assembling the Crew

Two more people arrive! Supervillains, they're dressed the part. First in is a woman in a jester's motley of pink and yellow, resting a cricket bat with nails driven into it on her shoulder. She moves oddly; very quickly, but without moving a muscle, she zips around by teleporting. She only teleports a very short distance, but there's a very small gap between teleports. Her face is hidden behind a mask with a manic grin and a long nose, and a hood over her head has a peak ending in a small metal star. Following quite shortly behind is a tall man with dark skin, wearing a long black greatcoat and a gasmask with the filter and lower part of it cut away, so it covers the top of his head and his eyes. Under the coat he wears a pair of black trousers, hiking boots and a bandoleer across a dark grey hoody. He's not visibly armed, but the coat and bandoleer could be hiding many things.

The man nods at Larza, and the others, whilst the teleporting girl drops into a curtsy. They don't mind where they sit, but will sit next to each other, the cricket bat leaning against her chair.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Downstairs]

Behind the spectators and coaches in the knife-fighting arena, a lone vending machine hums quietly in the corner, sporting a DxMon energy drink logo perfectly suiting the Den's aesthetic. Wanessa rifles through the ludicrous array of keys hanging from a carabiner on her belt, picks one out, and uses it to open up the machine and pick out a can of her favorite blood punch before closing it back up.

[5a Violista]

[June's Room] => [Back Downstairs]

Luckily, although the sleeper shifts after the clattering, he doesn't wake up.


June has no idea what's going on. Getting caught in here could be bad, right? What would the other June think? What even? Is?

She quietly crouches down to grab one of the keys again. She needs to get out of here to figure things out. Is Wanessa still around? How far can they even talk over telepathy? Can she get close enough to say something in time before Wanessa leaves?

Obviously, June doesn't want to run out of the room half-dressed again, so...she looks over at the french maid clothes. Guess that's really the only option, then. Just throwing on the dress (it gets a little stuck at the webbing, but at this point it has already lost most of its stickiness) and the shoes, she tip-toes out of the room and locks it again behind her.

She takes a deep breath. Okay.
June starts quickly walking back down, not wanting to run and make things worse. Hey, uh...Wanessa? Are you still there? Her 'voice' probably sounds a little panicked, confused, etc. Can you hear me?

After some sort of confirmation, June pauses, stuck on how to explain this. She keeps on going back and down, until she gets to the stairs again. There's a...there's a...jeez, how do I explain this? There's another me in my room, still asleep. What should I do?

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Downstairs]

I can hear you, Wanessa replies as she cracks open her drink. She has to stop mid-sip to process the weird news. That is unusual. Another you?

So unusual, in fact, that she begins muttering aloud as well as in her telepathy as she speculates.

"Have you ruled out some kind of spirit? I could imagine an astral projection, or a twin that was already following you but invisible until now," but no, it's pretty easily conveyed that the other June seemed pretty corporeal. "Did anything else strange happen to you yesterday, before you went to sleep? Did you sign any contracts- yes, of course you did, you were hired here. But, no, This would be exceedingly weird for a contract, even if your double were kept as a slave why would it send one of you out to the country like that..."

[5a Violista]

[going Downstairs]

Hearing that Wanessa's there calms down June a bit. She's not entirely sure about how exactly she's supposed to feel about her, but it's definitely a bunch of positive emotions. She doesn't feel the need to walk as quickly now, and now just descends the stairs at a more casual pace.

I don't have a twin, she informs her. And I've never done astral projection so I don't even know if it's possible for me. Not to mention, the boss here seemed pretty nice, so I don't think he would do that.

Okay.
Thinking.
What else strange happened to her yesterday?
Not much happened. Woke up in a crater, walked to town. Met a friendly fiend, got kidnapped by cultists, got rescued, got rejected at multiple places for jobs, got a job, a room, and a free meal, prayed, went to sleep. She reaches the bottom of the stairs and starts feeling around for Wanessa. That's basically it. Nothing really out of the ordinary.

She starts going in the direction she feels Wanessa is. Door to the room was locked, too, and everything was exactly where I remember putting it last night. Even the wear patterns on the shoes were the same as what I was wearing earlier.

...but, thinking to an earlier question, I don't even know how I'd confirm or rule out it being a spirit. Even some basic words seem to mean different things here than where I came from, so I imagine 'spirit' is that way, too.

[Purple Eagle]

[Assembling the Crew]

The next time the door opens, it reveals a tall rotund man in his fifties. He is blue-eyed and green-skinned, with 3 pairs of webbed hands and white hair reaching up to his shoulders. He's wearing a light blue shirt, navy blue trousers and brown shoes under a white labcoat. In one of his hands, he clutches a piece of paper, the invitation the others likely also hold in their hands... or pockets.

Dr Lovelace purposefully strides into the room like he's the most important one there, but chooses to remain standing once he gets close enough to the group. "Greetings. Saw note. Will join, chance for... heh... 'field experiments'." He says in a deep, gravelly Southern-accented voice.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Downstairs]

It's true. I'm not entirely sure what kind of spirit this could entail, either.

June reaches the doorway to the surprisingly well-lit knife-fighting room and spots Wanessa mid-argument.

"HEY! YOUS BETTIN' OR YOUS FIGHTIN'?"

"What? It's looking at me, but I'm clearly here to work on the machine. So, I guess the answer it's looking for is... no?"

Wanessa then notices June and runs to pull her aside behind a cask in the storeroom.

Alright. Your story introduces at least three possible lines of inquiry, but I'm most interested in the very first one. You woke up yesterday the same way you woke up last night? In a crater, in the country? How many other times has that happened?

[5a Violista]

[Downstairs]

Oh, right. Knife fights.
She heard about them but this is the first time she's actually seeing them.
June...isn't really sure she wants to watch.

Which is why she's thankful when Wanessa takes her over to a hidden place in the storeroom.

Yes, I did, she says. Same thing happened; I only remember it happening twice. Last night, and...yesterday morning.

June isn't really sure how it helps to know this. However, there is one other thing she hasn't really mentioned or..really hinted at to Wanessa. It's related to this, and since June can't tell how the rest of this is relevant, then not seeing how this is helpful doesn't say much.
June runs her hand through her hair. Also. There was a difference between the two times. The first time, I was physically male. So...not sure if this is relevant, either. But. Y'know.

[Hattish Thing]

[Assembling the Crew]

The goblin continues to comfortably recline within her chair, flashing little waves towards her fellow conspirators as they enter. She bears a special appreciation for the timid man's eclectic sense of fashion, as well as for the masked woman's clown-like aesthetic. Bright colors, assembled unusually, often stood out to her. There were killers here, too - she could feel it. Her eyes narrow as she glances towards the gunslinger in particular, batting her lashes somewhat suggestively as she welcomes him forward. She enjoyed what she saw, from his outlandish outfit to his exotic firearm.

What was under that mask of his? She was determined to find out, one way or another. The others were less enticing to her. The man with the arms, his accent was bothersome. Even worse, he was positively decrepit! The oldies were the worst of the mud people, failing even to perform the basic courtesy of being somewhat pleasant to look at. The figure in the gas mask was a little too spooky, his outfit did not speak to her. With any luck, he would prove useful despite his poor taste. Finally, the satyr was intriguing. She knew of their kind, having often traveled alongside them.

They were usually good fun, there's no denying that. This one appeared to be eager to please, very professional seeming. How unusual! She would have to find out more. So many exciting people, so many opportunities ahead! Larza cannot help but daydream for a moment or so, absentmindedly tapping her claws against the bottle of champagne in her lap. A barservant enters the room, passing out glasses. Once he leaves, the door is shut behind them. This is enough to draw the colorful goblin out of her fantasies. A toothy grin forms upon her runny face before she pops the cork.

She pours herself a glass before passing it to the person on her right. "A'richt, lads 'n' ladies. Na doubt ye'r wondering how come ye'r 'ere."

"Ye'r 'ere, mah lovelies, 'cause ye'v git talent! Ye'v th' wull tae dae th' impossible, tae tak' whit's rightly owed tae you!"

"Tell us, who urr ye tae join us 'ere?!" She points a finger to the person at her right, awaiting an introduction.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Downstairs]

I see! Wanessa raises her hand to her chin to consider this. It's a good thing she thought to do pronouns earlier. Prior to that, which were you, physically speaking? Did you happen to notice whether the June in the bed was male?

[5a Violista]

[Downstairs]

Physically speaking, I was male, she says. She pauses, trying to think about the point of that question: to see which one is more 'original'? But also I was blonde, but both me and the...me upstairs aren't. Redhead is different from blonde.

And, on that note, ...And, no, I didn't really check. That would be a weird thing to check for, wouldn't it?

So...what are you thinking, then?

[Shadowcaller]

[Assembling the Crew]

Jaahlyn had already introduced herself, but some of the others might have missed it so it couldn't hurt to do it again. "As i said earlier, I am Jaahlyn Esperos and I'm mainly interested in acquiring and item from VIGIL. However, I can help out with any other endeavor as I'm specialized in utility. Mainly illusions and enchantments which I weave with my music." She gestures at the flute in her belt. "However, I can do even more things if its required."

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Downstairs]

I'm thinking that if you were clones, there'd be no reason you'd remember anything that happened to the clone who stayed in your room, says Wanessa, and that this would be a lot of effort for a doppelganger, all for a random job as a... maid? Bartender? No.

Based on the timing and circumstances, I was wondering if you might have summoned a dream self - a concept in some cultures of a you that wakes up in another world when your material self goes to sleep. It could be cult-related, or it could have quietly existed since long before either of you arrived. It would explain how you suddenly became a more ideal version of yourself, though not how the other June transformed to match you.

Wanessa doesn't take for granted that people change their sex and hair color on a normal day? What tiny sheltered corner of Nexus has she been living in?

That theory is testable, though. I could go up to your room and wake her up, then see if she remembers any of your experiences from tonight.

[5a Violista]

[Downstairs]

June almost wants to add that she'll also be helping out in the kitchen here, too, but honestly that's completely irrelevant and it's still too much for a doppelganger or whatever. So Wanessa is still correct. But also especially correct about the clones: there's no reason one clone would have the memories a different clone has.

June has never actually considered what an 'ideal version' of herself would look like. And if she did have one, she can't see why hair color would matter. All the other things, sure, could make sense with that explanation. Even makes sense, considering the job here at the tavern. But hair color just isn't something that's ever been on her mind. It is a little too coincidental that I woke up this time after remembering going to sleep, so that checks out and makes sense.

...But! Wait! I woke up in the same way in a crater twice, so does that change anything? Because, seriously, what's the chances of that happening twice? Not that this actually changes anything; they still have to test out the theories.

June has been crouched back here behind a cask for a bit too long, and feels the need to stretch her legs and shoulders. If there's one thing she can't stand, it's waiting in place for too long.

And, speaking of feeling like she can't stand crouching here for much longer, she then asks, And, besides, wouldn't it be better for me to go up? Y'know, just in case of sudden sunlight or something...on the other hand, being woken up by someone who looks just like you has got to be pretty scary. Almost as scary as when that exact same thing happens, but in a room that was locked.
Regardless, the stretching isn't helping. She stands up and walks around the cask.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Downstairs]

I can figure that out, unless your room has a window and you left the blinds open. To see whether it recognizes me or not would be the easiest test for a psychic connection, Wanessa says. Nonetheless, while confirmation about the blinds would be appreciated, if June intends to go up and face herself then Wanessa will follow her to the stairs and no farther.

If I'm wrong and it turns out to be your evil twin or something... actually, you might have an unexpected advantage now. Even if it's a gaslighting savant, The Seer should easily be able to tell whether someone is you or not.

[5a Violista]

[Downstairs]

Wanessa is making a lot of sense. Yeah, seeing Wanessa would help test a lot more things at the same time.
June breathes in, closes her eyes, and breathes out. Okay, yeah, it would be better for you to go up, then. And, as an additional evidence, she says, I think you'll be able to tell whether it's me or not more easily.

Thinking about the route there, she helpfully adds, There's no sunlight getting in the room itself, but I saw a window in the hallway near the room. So... After all this, she's actually a little worried about Wanessa: be careful, okay?

And so, June will wait down here for Wanessa, then. They can still talk over mind-waves, right? Spirit-waves? Whatever this is. Not sure, exactly.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Downstairs / June's Room]

After asking for directions, Wanessa walks away from the stairs. "...too cheap to put in proper vents or A/C, but electrified the residential rooms a long time ago. There should be a path up the walls from the panel..."

She finds a fenced-off area of the storeroom full of jury-rigged fuseboxes and obviously-tapped phone lines. A tattered poster featuring a diagram of the Den's electrical system hangs from the fence, covered with layered scrawls and paper notes and held together with tape and red string. It seems to be just enough for her to go by, though, because she identifies a certain conduit, dissolves into its shadow and follows it up into the ceiling with a muffled *shlorp*.

After a few moments of cartoon burrowing through the walls and confusing the rats and spiders, the power outlet in June's room taps. Then taps again. Then rattles a bit. Then its cover breaks off with a *snap* as a flood of liquid shadow pours into the room and congeals back into a fully-grown vampire maintenance worker.

Wanessa groans as she picks herself up off the floor, covered in dust and cobwebs. "It's just as unpleasant as I remember," she mutters. She looks at the other June in the bed. "Is it still asleep, after that? I suppose I wasn't all that loud."

[Purple Eagle]

[Assembling the Crew]

Dr Lovelace frowns a little, not liking that he has to repeat himself, but does so anyway after a deep breath. "You can call me, ah say you can call me Dr. Lovelace. It is mah desire to test out mah chemical creations out in the field for the advancement of science, at any cost. Thus, I can be mighty useful in incapacitatin' guards for you, and could even provide substances to boost your abilities, if y'all so wished." He says, clasping a pair of his hands while the other two pairs remain folded. "Bein' an octopus-type sea-orc mahself, I can also use said cephalopod abilities to aid in this venture', I say."

[5a Violista]

[Downstairs]

June paces while waiting.


[June's Room]

It would probably be good to find some way easy to distinguish the two, right? Well...they're in different rooms right now so there's probably no need at the moment. And I've been using he for this one so that's good enough for now.

June still sleeps.
The sound of a power outlet tapping, rattling, and snapping is comparable to a pair of keys clattering on the ground. And muttering isn't that loud, either.
However, comparing it to the drunken sounds coming through the walls, it's not really that much.
But at this time of day, the bar sounds have gone down a little so...
June stirs in the bed, apparently getting close to waking up. He rolls.
He looks...human. Basically the same the other June was when they first met at the train station.

Seems like Wanessa gets an option to wake him up however she wants. Can set things up, or just observe, or whatever.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[June's Room]

While this mystery June sleeps, there's not much for Wanessa to identify as a discrepancy. She'll have to wake him up and see what's behind his eyes.

"Someone's still in here?" she muses aloud. If that's not enough, she prods his shoulder with one hand while impatiently jangling her keys with the other. "It should wake up. I need to do maintenance."

As soon as his eyes open, Wanessa does the thing. He gets to see a spookily pale woman with straight brown hair that's speckled with plaster and dustbunnies, and she's staring right through him. Is he a person who went on to become the June she met last night?

[Earl of Purple]

Assembling the Crew

"I'm Flicker, I'm fast. That's Spewer, he's my boyfriend. He's... an empath. Yes. He has a superpower that affects people's emotions, particularly their sense of fear." Spewer chuckles a little as he's described as an empath. It's technically true, but he's a very messy empath.

"Either of us can work as distractions, but I can only speed with stuff I can lift off the floor. So I can't steal something big very easily." Since she doesn't have superstrength or touch-telekinesis.

[5a Violista]

[June's Room]

With the prod, the June is woken up.
He opens his eyes, looks at Wanessa, looks a bit confused, and then looks like he has a really intense migraine.
When Wanessa looks through him, she'll see...basically, yeah, the same person who went on to become the June she met last night. Maybe even the exact same person who she did meet. Looks basically the same.

The June opens his mouth, and almost says something.
He blinks.
Then, he says, "Maybe if I close my eyes..."
His eyes don't close, with the exception of another blink.

Instead, the June from downstairs says, This is so weird. Um. It's me. I think. It feels like I'm in two places at the same time. I... And the June here in the room finishes (Well, technically, both of them are speaking at the same time because it's too hard not to, but one of them is not in the room to be heard): "...I...this feels almost just as bad as that did in the office bathroom." Or suddenly getting The Seer. Basically the same thing: suddenly having many more senses appear at the same time.

...
Well
...
Mystery solved, I guess?
Glad it all ended well.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[June's Room]

"This is fascinating," Wanessa muses. "It looks like I was right, then. She probably had the gift of bilocation all along and never realized it." Same person, same pronouns, right? At the risk of getting The Den's blankets filthier than they already are, Wanessa sits on the foot of the bed next to the new June. "I guess I should call her something other than New June. If anything, she's probably the Elder June. We can workshop it once we work out more about her origins. Does she feel well-rested after sleeping through all of this? Has any of the blood vigor found its way into her system?"

She remembers that there is another June downstairs. At any rate, I imagine you could really use this bed right now. It's been an exhausting night. Are you able to come upstairs without getting too dizzy?

[5a Violista]

[June's Room]

It might be easier to keep on differentiating the two with different pronouns; using different names or titles might be easier, too. Then again, for June personally, she'd find it easier to probably use the same name - at least most of the time - because then it'll be easier when they're separated. But also, it might be easier to differentiate the two totally, in terms of appearance or attitude or...something else.
. . .
June will have to think about this. A lot. It's a very complicated situation that she has never had to deal with before.

"...how about Minerva?" he suggests, saying the first recommendation that comes to mind. Elder June might work, too. "...At least for now, until I can decide something."
"I feel rested," he says, "...but the other me still does not. I...don't feel that 'blood vigor'. Not directly." He swallows, but quickly adds, "But that's a good thing. It's...really the biggest thing helping me differentiate the two...of me." Gosh, grammar is awkward like this.

And then, it's time for the one up here to close his eyes and sit as still as possible, while the downstairs June says, If I go slowly, I think I can make it up. Sure, seeing two different things is hard, but you can just close your eyes. The hardest part is that you also have two senses of balance, two senses of proprioception, and so on. Be right there.

And so, she makes her way up the stairs and over to the room.

Eventually she gets there, says, I'm here, and unlocks the door to open it, come in, and close it behind her.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[June's Room]

This all seems to be adding up so far. Your consciousness is only used to driving one of you at a time. I'm not really sure how much differentiation is healthy for a dream self... but, I've already contributed to it, haven't I?

Wanessa gets up so that Magically-enhanced June can fall into bed. "At any rate, while you rest, I guess that means Minerva can get a head start on work and clothes shopping? But, I need to get going myself. I came up here because it was important, but I am still better off underground, and I think I've done all I can for you for now." She flips through her keys for a little pen and scribbles something on a receipt from her pocket. "Here, my phone number. You can call me once you have a phone of your own. You don't need to panic if I don't answer it; it's a landline. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy enjoy your extra life!"

After handing off the scribblenote, Wanessa melts back into the hole in the wall and returns to the basement to start her trek home.

[5a Violista]

[June's Room]

I don't know anything about what dream selves are so I guess that's one more thing I need to learn about. June makes her way to the bed, and flumps onto it.
Sure, she still needs to take care of the webbing and bathe and everything else, but. . .Minerva can get that all ready while June rests her eyes.

Minerva stands up to grab the receipt and the number. He nods and smiles and waves 'bye'.

Meanwhile, June has figured that it's easier to answer using the method of communication that only one of the two can do: Yeah. Um...thanks for coming up even though it was dangerous. Might take a week or two, but I'll call you. Thanks! Even if she has to use pay phones or whatever. If those are still around anywhere.

Once alone again, June/Minerva tries to get accustomed to this, get things ready, and so on so that June can sleep while Minerva starts the day.