Home 27: Ward-bound

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

Just terrible. That's often the case on this path. Things corrode until there's little left but strange attachments.

The little wheeled machines, they're following him now. They won't come closer while he's watching them, but they keep showing up right on his heels.
They, too, are in terrible shape.

The path leads down. Fewer cameras, more heat. His skin might start to feel too small on him. In their place, screens, broken or filled with static. Before some of them sit skeletons, or people so thin as to be like skeletons, eyes rapt and unblinking.

Shouldn't he do something? Or has he already done it?

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

Mist can't just leave these people to sit here. But he's also not strong enough to take them with him.
He does what he can: he reaches out to close the eyes of the victims that still have eyelids before moving on. Perhaps now they can sleep properly.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

Closing their eyes so that they cannot see the signals even if they were there on the screens to be seen.
A strong move, if an obscure one.
He comes to a larger rounded room, where the air is cool again, and his memory is clear again. From above, trails of sand crumble in little waterfalls, making heaps on the uneven floor.
There is a pathway to the right - the other tunnel would also have led here.
There is a pathway on the far side - music is playing from down there, faintly.

And there are others here, who are dreaming and not only dreams; he can tell somehow.
A mechanical girl with jet-engines over her shoulders and jewel-screened eyes, dressed in pale camouflage clothes where she rests in a sand-pile.
A rectangular slab of plasma screens, larger than a breadbox but smaller than a refrigerator, displaying a monocolor cat.
A heavily-built man with skin of brass, pacing in front of the exit.

The little rolling things have followed him here. And behind them, a few of those gaunt watchers are crawling this way as well, neither watching nor resting now.

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

The cat bothers Mist, but he can’t put a finger on why. He’s not sure why the girl rests there but she seems peaceful at least. Mist walks towards the exit on the far side of the room but stops at the restless man.
”What’s wrong, friend? You look worried.”
He asks, though perhaps he has his own worries too. He can’t quite remember. But it was something about eternity.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

"It doesn't make sense!" Complains the brass man. "As soon as the night ends, every time, it all falls to bits. I can never remember enough."

"He doesn't know how to relax." chimes the mechanical girl. It's good to be dreaming. No negotiations, no violence. It doesn't matter if you can't remember the music afterwards, does it?

The screens show a cheery " :3 "

[Rebonack]

[Underside Tunnels]

Fortunate that Arthfael avoided that verbal slip up.

It would have gotten a pretty major eye-roll from Khannie along with a 'not THAT kind of harpy'.

"I've met Tuskfang, he's adorable. There was this weird kid at Glog digging hole for a treasure hunt I guess? She lead us around the camp-site and we found some actual treasure hidden in some rocks behind the lake. It's was just a bunch of cool little trinkets but it was still fun. I know Tuskfang liked it I think he wants to be a treasure hunter or something like that."

Treasure hunter is a pretty great profession as certain cats can confirm.

"Still not sure who hid the box in the rocks. Someone must have put it there, right?"

It continues to be a mystery.

Khannie watches the dark, rushing water as their ride continues onward. She's imagining all the strange treasures that might be hidden away in a place like this.

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

”How does it fall apart? Have you been here a while?” Mist asks him. Is he doing some sort of loop? What’s so important about memory that it’s ruining whatever it is the man is trying to accomplish?

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

"The speed, the timing. I can't remember when anything was." The brass man rambles. "So how can I keep anything going if I don't remember what came last?"
"Been here every day for..." "...I can't recall. But a very long time."

"Oh, every day, really? I guess I do see him a lot." muses the jet girl. "Must be stuck in the other world. Nothing new happening to him."

Screen:

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

Which other world? There's lots, Mist ponders.
"Well, who are you? I'm going that way." Mist points to the exit.
"If you want you could come with me and maybe you'll remember." He does seem to have acquired a bit of an entourage, hasn't he?

[Ashen Lilies]

[Cass' Tower]

Wenomir chuckles and briefly considers mentioning that he finds it flattering, but decides not to push his luck. He changes the topic to tease Wren from some other direction. This likely goes on until they've finished their game, which almost certainly ends in Wren's victory.

[Cass' Tower]

Wren stretches languidly as the game draws to a close.

"Well played. You learned quickly. One day I'll have to teach you some drow strategy games. I have a feeling that you'd do well," says Wren, smiling at Wenomir without a hint of irony. "For now, I'll have to say good night to you two kids. I have a hot date I need to be getting to."

Wren winks playfully, taking a moment to check himself and his appearance, before heading out, leaving Wenomir and Cass (and her cat, and her lizards) alone.

[Ironsmith]

[Underside Tunnels]

"Our aunt married a Wolfen and they have half-Wolfen kids. And, you know." She gestures to Cheasadh. "I'm a goblin, she's a gnome and we're sisters. This sort of thing just happens. And I like that. One of our cousins is dating a human, too. Not everyone in our family likes that, but I think they're slowly getting over it."

As she speaks, the other kids will hear the sound of water. The bridge the rockamander is walking along starts sloping downwards until it reaches the underground river. It flows lazily from one expanse of dark to another. The waters themselves are pitch-black, of course, making them foreboding. The rockamander takes a turn right and begins to walk along the shore of the dark river.

Underside Tunnels

"Yeah, it's... it's great being friends with other folk, and we are all people." Cheasadh smiles at that, thinking of her father and how he'd react to those words. She'll reach out to either hug or squeeze Brinika's hand, whichever is easier. "Have you met Tuskfang yet? He's at GLoG full time with Aunt Reelshka, and he's really cute." Maybe he'll grow out of it, maybe he won't. Maybe Cheasadh won't ever consider Tuskfang something other than 'cute'.

[Underside Tunnels]

Fortunate that Arthfael avoided that verbal slip up.

It would have gotten a pretty major eye-roll from Khannie along with a 'not THAT kind of harpy'.

"I've met Tuskfang, he's adorable. There was this weird kid at Glog digging hole for a treasure hunt I guess? She lead us around the camp-site and we found some actual treasure hidden in some rocks behind the lake. It's was just a bunch of cool little trinkets but it was still fun. I know Tuskfang liked it I think he wants to be a treasure hunter or something like that."

Treasure hunter is a pretty great profession as certain cats can confirm.

"Still not sure who hid the box in the rocks. Someone must have put it there, right?"

It continues to be a mystery.

Khannie watches the dark, rushing water as their ride continues onward. She's imagining all the strange treasures that might be hidden away in a place like this.

[Underside Tunnels]

Arthfael starts to reply, but a quick glance over the side of the rockamander puts an end to that. He quickly find himself looking up at the cave ceiling, trying to ignore their close proximity to the river. "Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down, don't look-mmk!" He clamps a hand over his mouth, looking slightly green around his cheeks. That didn't do much to stop the sound of rushing water beneath them. He'd have to find another way of drowning out the noise... and apparently, the chatter between the girls wasn't doing it.

Fort Aegis Resort

Sam nods and hands her the bowl with the more clear broth.
"Um, well, whatever you're comfortable with. If you want I'll just have both and we can order you something else, heh." Sam offers, chuckling.

Eun, I might call myself your pretty werepig side, but I'm not you. He's YOUR date, you don't have to share him with me. In fact the idea is kinda creepy if you think about it. Please don't worry about me.
That said if you want to borrow my guts for a while, go right ahead. Werewolves are supposed to take after their animal eventually, maybe using me will give you some of my fortitude...

[Fort Aegis Resort]

...We can do that?

Of course they can. Eun was able to borrow most of Buhan's body before. It shouldn't be particularly difficult to borrow a much smaller part of her. She'd just have to figure out how.

...She probably wasn't managing that in the next thirty seconds. Outside the difficulty of figuring out how to do a partial shift in the first place, integrating the organs of a different species into her own metabolism would be a difficult task regardless. One she'd spend weeks studying for before making even a first attempt. Her natural intestines might not work great, but at least they were hers and she didn't need to worry about her immune system tearing it a new one.

"I'll, um, pass, thanks." Eun mumbles.

Wait.

Crap.

She got her wires crossed again.

"Sorry, that was..." She gestures at the side of her head. "...That was meant for her, not you. I'm, uh, fine with chicken." She quietly drags the bowl over and idly pokes at it with her spoon, feeling her stomach churn up under her anyway.

...She should say something else. Otherwise that's going to be the only thing Sam will have to work with for conversation, and she doubts he'll consider it much of a date if it's just a half hour of awkward silence.

"...So, um..." She glances around the room, looking for a prompt, her eyes finally settling on the futuristic console they both just got off of using. "...That's, um, not your first time, not by a long shot, huh?"

[Gullara]

Suncrest Manor

"Yeah, um- that helped a bit, yeah." Anastasia certainly sounds a little drowsy as she looks back up at Eliseo. "Eclipse was... hm, maybe not the best one, but it was fun watching it with you," she elaborates, giving him a fond smile. She would still have enjoyed watching this one alone truth be told, but honestly at this point most of the appeal was the time being spent together.

After a beat, however, she shifts, yawning. "Hey uh, do- do you think you'd get in too much trouble if uh, I stayed here tonight?" Ana glances back towards the door, not quite expecting anyone to burst in but still with the thought clearly on her mind.

[Suncrest Manor]

"Uh..." Eliseo looks rather uncertain. "I mean, it's probably no big deal. How do you feel about going back out the window in the morning, though?"

[Arkhosia]

Suncrest Manor

Ana blinks for a second before nodding. ”I uh, yeah - I think I can do that.” She’d snuck inside in the first place, hadn’t she? Course, she had kind of mentioned where she was going to Kitty in the first place - but hey, they can cross that bridge when she gets there. Convincing mom to be quiet comes after they trick Eliseo’s moms.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

Which other world? There's lots, Mist ponders.
"Well, who are you? I'm going that way." Mist points to the exit.
"If you want you could come with me and maybe you'll remember." He does seem to have acquired a bit of an entourage, hasn't he?

There's one other world that's has a particular closeness to this place, which is the waking Nexus itself. That's probable what they mean, even if various semi-dream realms are also close by, and the dreams of other worlds are simple, if not easy, to reach from here.

"I'm...that doesn't matter." says the brass man after a moment, not willing to admit that he can't recall exactly who he is. "You're just going in there? I suppose that's an okay way to try."

The jet girl stands up in an unnaturally rigid manner, disturbing the sand as her turbines start to spin, though slowly. "I'm Loni. I'll come too."

The screens depict its little avatar running out of the frame. It will not be going through that exit, thank you.

He has indeed acquired an entourage. That can happen with this charity, if you do nothing to discourage it.
And through the exit they go. It will be a bit of a long walk, with the passageway growing smoother ans steadier, the music growing louder, and otherwise, just the people and things following in his wake are around.

[Morty]

[Underside Tunnels]

"Oh, yeah. He told us about it. He loves treasure hunts. Sometimes Cheasadh and I draw treasure maps for him and his friends." Brinika squeezes Cheasadh's hand as she says it. "I have no idea how those things got there, either. Aunt Reelshka was stumped too. She grumbled something about 'the Nexus being the Nexus' in that tone of voice she gets when she can't explain something. But the trinkets seem harmless." She glances over at Arthfael. "Uh, are you okay?"

[Cass' Tower]

Once Wren has gone, Wenomir wastes little time in pulling Cass closer, then putting her in his lap and giving her a kiss, embracing her affectionately.

"Any ideas for the rest of the evening?"

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

”It’s nice to meet you.” Mist tells them. It doesn’t occur to him to give them his name. Maybe he forgot it. Or maybe he forgot his courtesy. Or maybe he remembered you shouldn’t give your name out in a dream. He waves goodbye to the cat on the screen.
”So do you remember what you do?” he asks, continuing down the passage. ”I run an inn.”

Fort Aegis Resort

Buhan meant that it might happen on its own, but on second thought maybe she shouldn’t put that thought into Eun’s head. She panicked enough about the nose.

”Naw, we had something like that in the orphanage I was raised in. We had nothing better to do, so we got good at it. Or at least I did. Some of those games were just unfair.”
Sam says this without any sort of somber tone. It’s a thing that happened to him. No need to be down about it.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

After a pause, the cat waves back with a little 3-frame animation. Then they're gone from the room where the ways cross.

"Construction." Explains the brass man. "Bridges, buildings, a church once..."

"I was a soldier." Loni answers.

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

"Ah, that sounds nice." Mist tells the brass man.
"...potentially not as nice. I hope your time was quiet." Mist tells the jet girl, though he thinks that is probably unlikely.
"We're not having a quiet time here." he admits, noting the music around them as they continue down the passage.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

"It's very busy, but it's worthwhile." the brass man agrees. "What is the inn like? I don't think I've ever had cause to stay at one...have I?"

"Well, it was quiet by the end." the jet-girl says.

They come to a new room. Large, 16-sided, organized. An underground facility and not a cave.
At the center, on a pedestal, is the flute, enmeshed in machinery. It is the only well-lit part of the place. The rest, shrouded in darkness, is strewn with wreckage and bones, which is fine, and Mist shouldn't worry about it at all.

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

"It's warm, lots of old wood and patched cushions." Mist says, his voice full of nostalgia and pride. "Just give me a second."
Mist pulls his Mask around him. Shadows hold nothing he fears. His steps are light, irregular, slipping from spot to spot without lingering in any one place for too long. Just in case.
There's a knife in his hand, ready to pry out his flute and jam it into the machines behind it to keep anything from moving due to the flute's absence.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

That is the way of it - one Charity makes it easier to get another, and then still another - though it doesn't go on forever.

Mist crosses the dark floor, disturbing little, caught by nothing, and pries the flute from its enclosure while stopping most of the machinery from functioning.
The music, of course, stops.

Then, there are shouts of anger in the distance, lights begin to flicker on, showing the room filled with people emerging from a long distarcted dream

The brass man looks particularly shocked.

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

That's just many perks of being a fox. Good at being light and pouncy. If he was the heir to the Duke he'd have a lot more trouble doing this. Though the Knight's heir would probably have it easiest, being a bird. Mist tries to return to where they started. Does he feel any different? Or does it only count when he escapes with it?
"It's mine; back off." he growls to the people, though he really would rather not fight people. Maybe they ought to leave.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

It's not his yet. Mist is still being tested, he can tell.

"You can't just take it!" declares the brass man, striding up towards Mist, seeming more present somehow than he has most of the time.
What will all these people dream of, if not this song? Why, they'll have to fight, over that. The disoriented crowd is swiftly becoming an angry mob.

Loni is leaning against the wall of this final room, an amused expression on her face.
The little rolling machines are streaming in through the entrance, those bewitched by the screens shambling after them, turning their hollow, eyes-closed faces towards the center of the commotion.

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

"Of course I can. It's mine, and has always been mine." Mist assures the brass man. Not technically true; at some point someone made it and then later it was given to him. But rightfully so.
Mist puts the flute to his lips and plays - the same song, but more, because it is him playing it and not merely an echo. It is sweet and repetitious; a good song to dream to.

[Ironsmith]

Fort Aegis Resort

Buhan meant that it might happen on its own, but on second thought maybe she shouldn’t put that thought into Eun’s head. She panicked enough about the nose.

”Naw, we had something like that in the orphanage I was raised in. We had nothing better to do, so we got good at it. Or at least I did. Some of those games were just unfair.”
Sam says this without any sort of somber tone. It’s a thing that happened to him. No need to be down about it.

[Fort Aegis Resort]

"...Orphanage?" Eun stares at Sam blankly, the same sort of expression he might get if he claimed to have been raised by wolves. "You were an orphan?"

...He probably still is. She internally berates herself. That question was probably a bit insensitive. Not that Sam would care, but it'd cost her some amount of sleep later that night.

"That's, um... difficult to imagine." Eun quickly adds, swirling her spoon in her soup nervously. "I grew up with both my parents, and there was never a point when they weren't in my life. Almost, uh, excessively so." She grimaces. "And I don't think I've ever met someone who didn't have the same story, more or less... between our economy and modern birth control methods, there aren't..." She trails off, internally deciding that probably wasn't helping the conversation much. "...I, um... I guess what I'm trying to say is, what was it like?"

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

"Of course I can. It's mine, and has always been mine." Mist assures the brass man. Not technically true; at some point someone made it and then later it was given to him. But rightfully so.
Mist puts the flute to his lips and plays - the same song, but more, because it is him playing it and not merely an echo. It is sweet and repetitious; a good song to dream to.

Everyone calms down a good bit. The wheels stop turning, the crowd stops racing towards Mist-
Except for the brass man, who storms up and angrily tries to grab the flute away from him.
"So what if it was yours? You don't need it!"

[Earl of Purple]

Underside Tunnels

"Setting up the treasure hunts are fun." She squeezes back when Brinika squeezes her hand, and smiles at her sister. She's concerned at Arthfael's illness, but less sure of what to do."Is it motion sickness, do you want a bucket or something?" She'll look around for one, hoping there's something because surely goblins get travel sick too, sometimes.

[Deathkeeper]

[Fort Aegis Resort]

"...Orphanage?" Eun stares at Sam blankly, the same sort of expression he might get if he claimed to have been raised by wolves. "You were an orphan?"

...He probably still is. She internally berates herself. That question was probably a bit insensitive. Not that Sam would care, but it'd cost her some amount of sleep later that night.

"That's, um... difficult to imagine." Eun quickly adds, swirling her spoon in her soup nervously. "I grew up with both my parents, and there was never a point when they weren't in my life. Almost, uh, excessively so." She grimaces. "And I don't think I've ever met someone who didn't have the same story, more or less... between our economy and modern birth control methods, there aren't..." She trails off, internally deciding that probably wasn't helping the conversation much. "...I, um... I guess what I'm trying to say is, what was it like?"

Fort Aegis Resort

"I mean, I'd rather have had my parents, but I had it alright for Skyside standards. They had to toss me out when I came of age of course; they just didn't have the budget to take care of the little kids and the ones that got old. But I can't really blame them. But well-" Sam shakes his head.
"Properly speaking I was made in a vat and Sam Bacon's mind and soul were copied into the body, but both of us agree not to worry about that too hard. We got proof that we're the same where it counts, and that's good enough for us."
I mean really Eun, if he doesn't care about that can he really be bothered by things you say?

[Dreaming Fox Inn]


Everyone calms down a good bit. The wheels stop turning, the crowd stops racing towards Mist-
Except for the brass man, who storms up and angrily tries to grab the flute away from him.
"So what if it was yours? You don't need it!"

Dreaming Fox Inn

Mist spins, slipping away from the man's grasp.
"It was a gift to me; that makes it precious. Why do you want it? Is it something you remember?" he asks, the question deliberate but not pointed. Perhaps maybe it will help the brass man remember if there's something it seems he truly cares about.

[Ironsmith]

Fort Aegis Resort

"I mean, I'd rather have had my parents, but I had it alright for Skyside standards. They had to toss me out when I came of age of course; they just didn't have the budget to take care of the little kids and the ones that got old. But I can't really blame them. But well-" Sam shakes his head.
"Properly speaking I was made in a vat and Sam Bacon's mind and soul were copied into the body, but both of us agree not to worry about that too hard. We got proof that we're the same where it counts, and that's good enough for us."
I mean really Eun, if he doesn't care about that can he really be bothered by things you say?

[Fort Aegis Resort]

"That's... probably for the better." Eun gives a little nod, trying to put as much conviction into the gesture as she could manage. The ontological implications of cloning (well, "cloning"... they've got about as much in common genetically as Eun does with her dinner) might be interesting, but that sort of conversation really didn't seem like first date material. Especially not when said date is a "clone" himself.

There's a few moments of silence as Eun's mind frantically searches for a way to keep the conversation going; any silence now would still likely be awkward. "I, um... I guess we technically have that much in common." She says finally. "The whole 'grown-in-a-vat' thing, I mean. S-sort of. Um..." She strokes her hair nervously. "I, uh... my mum gave birth to me way, way earlier than she was, um, meant to; I'd only been concieved about three months before then. I was about two inches long at the time, about the size of a small plum." She holds up her fingers to indicate. "The doctors ended up putting me into a pod, similar to the ones we use for all-purpose medical care and sleeping, only much, much smaller. The rest of the growing I did, I did in there."

"...Funny thing, that. We only had that technology because we were invaded by people from the future. In the original timeline, Eun-Jung Bu was a... just a sad memory for my parents. One last attempt at a kid before they called it quits." She rests her chin on her hand and gives Sam a nervous smile. "I have to wonder how many other people exist today who otherwise wouldn't. Other premies saved by the miracle of advanced medical technology. Children born to intertemporal couples. People saved from their original deaths by immigrant police, firefighters, doctors. Suicides prevented because someone was there at the right time. And things more subtle and dependent on the butterfly effect. It... sort of skews the whole issue." She blushes and hastily scoops some soup to her mouth. "...Sorry, that's a bit much a few hours after meeting, isn't it?"

[Ashen Lilies]

[Cass' Tower]

Once Wren has gone, Wenomir wastes little time in pulling Cass closer, then putting her in his lap and giving her a kiss, embracing her affectionately.

"Any ideas for the rest of the evening?"

[Cass' Tower]

Cass is perfectly happy to be scooped up, melting into the kiss with her usual enthusiasm while snaking her arms over Wenomir's broad shoulders.

"I could go for a soak," murmurs Cass, leaning into Wenomir. "I just got done putting the finishing touches and enchantments on the hot tub outside."