dreamcrystals | 001 ⚡ Dream Recording

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001 ⚡ Dream Recording

Sender: Brontë Wyvernwind
To: Everyone
Subject: Passive Dream Recording
Warning: Spiders, mild body horror I guess?

At first, there doesn't seem to be anything. Nothing but the endless darkness that surrounds Dorian, bearing down on him in a way that's almost suffocating. There is also, oddly, a sense of familiarity here, but it's hardly a comfort in this place, and it only seems to add to the chill starting to run down his back.

Just as he is about to start moving, though, a silver gleam catches whatever faint light manages to get through, and he turns to see a slowly approaching figure; mostly hidden in the shadows, but as it draws closer, the features of what appears to be a young woman start to become clearer, black ooze dripping from the pointed crown on her head down her face.

Dorian frowns, confusion superseding any relief he would normally feel at seeing someone he knows. "Opal?"

The woman laughs, but it's a dark, twisted sound that echoes hollow in the darkness. She tilts her head to the side and her neck cracks, almost in a broken way, then slowly begins to rise up, as if growing taller somehow. But as she steps further out from the shadows it becomes even clearer; her lower half has been replaced with the swollen, bulbous abdomen of a massive spider. The long, pointed legs tick against the ground as she reaches her full height, easily towering over Dorian as she stares down at him with glowing, blood-red eyes.

Dorian's breath catches, but even as his hand instinctively goes to his side he already knows his weapon isn't there. "Wh...What are you doing here?"

The woman laughs again, and this time there's something almost hypnotic in her tone, though there's still the edge of something wrong in it. "Tsk tsk," she hums. "Just because you've landed in some other world, you didn't expect that I would still find you? How little you must think of me."

He grits his teeth, trying to keep his hands from shaking. "What do you want?"

One of the spider legs reaches out, and he stiffens as it seems to wrap around his shoulders. She responds in almost a purr, "I'm still waiting for you to keep your end of our bargain, you know."

"Bargain?" He is genuinely confused for the moment, even as he winces when some of the black sludge drips from her face and onto the ground in front of him, barely missing him. "You already have your champion."

She pulls her leg back as she laughs again, and Dorian releases an uneasy breath. "You mean your friend here?" She runs a human hand along her upper body with black-stained fingertips, leaving more of the ooze smeared across the pink top. "She'll be fun for a while, but let's not fool ourselves. Do you really expect this little girl to survive me?"

He breathes in sharply, then growls low in his throat. "Don't...Don't you dare..."

"What?" She smirks, giving him a sidelong look as she retreats back a bit. "What do you intend to do, stuck here while she's there and at my mercy?"

Dorian's hands curl into tight fists, his nails digging into his palms hard enough to draw blood. "If you do anything to hurt her, I will make you regret it."

"Is that so?" Suddenly the woman is close once more, leaning in to be face to face with him, and more black ooze drips down from the crown as the red eyes bore directly into his core. Slits start appearing and opening up, revealing more of the glowing red eyes all along her body, and when she speaks again her voice is deep and haunting, touching the very depths of his soul.

"And whose fault is it that she's wearing my crown in the first place?"

The black muck immediately starts to pour from her head, creating thick cords that weave into a web that ensnares him, and as she begins to laugh hundreds of millions of spiders start skittering from her mouth, consuming the area as the darkness once had until all that can be seen are glowing red eyes and millions of spider legs.

Then there's a scream, the spiders obscuring whatever would cause such a sound. And the dream abruptly ends.

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[ Though she has been a part of this realm of dreams for nearly a year now, seeing others dreams in this manner hasn't gotten any easier. Somehow, it's different when she is pulled to walk through another's dreams, where she can interact and affect the dream and actively aid in bidding the dreamer to wake.

But when dreams are received like this, through the dream lanterns, and there's nothing that Ori can do but watch as an acquaintance or friend has such dreams... it always leaves her feeling helpless. She can only imagine what it's like for the one who had the dream in the first place. Her heart is heavy as she looks down at her glowing lantern, waiting for the light to fade before she finds her journal and writes: ]

Mister Wyvernwind,

Your dream was dispersed through our lanterns this evening. It's always a hard experience for all involved, but especially the one whose dream was shared... Please let me know if you'd like to talk, or take a walk, or anything at all.

Oriphi

[ Yeah, she noticed that the dream came from a certain "Brontë Wyvernwind," despite her seeing that it was Dorian in the dream. ]

[ It takes Dorian a while before he even sees the journal message, as he spends a moment just trying to breathe and reorient himself, confused and distressed as he had been upon awakening. When he finally does read it, though, he isn't sure how to respond at first. ]

Just Dorian is fine.

[ If she had been unsure if Brontë and Dorian had been the same person, the echo back to their first meeting would hopefully reassure her. But he hesitates before writing any more, not at all sure what he did want. To meet up might involve some questions, and he isn't sure he's ready - or willing - to answer any right now.

Still... ]

Honestly, I wouldn't mind some company right now.

[ Now that she's awake, Ori doesn't mind waiting for a response. She's accustomed to waking up in the middle of the night for a few hours, anyway, a habit held over from adventuring nights spend keeping watches with friends. But more than anything, she knows that these things take time. Her only hope is that Dorian takes the time that he needs to, to re-center himself, and that perhaps she can help him if he feels that company would help.

When she finally receives word, she feels a pang of sympathy; she would have understood if he refused and told her that he needed time to be alone with his thoughts. Everyone has a different way of responding to these sorts of situations, after all. But if he's sure about wanting company, then she's more than happy to be there for him. ]

Then, Dorian...

What are you in the mood for? I can bring tea. Or we can take a walk along the riverside. Or both?

[ He taps his fingers against the journal page, because that is a good question. ]

I think I wouldn't mind a walk. I might need something stronger to drink than tea, but I doubt that's available at this time of night.

You're in luck, friend. I can deliver on both counts. Shall we meet in the plaza?

[ That gets a faint chuckle from him. That's certainly fortunate. ]

The plaza sounds good, perhaps in about ten minutes?

[ He just needs a couple more minutes just to gather himself. ]

[ At their appointed meeting time, Ori will be waiting for Dorian, all bundled up. It's getting quite cold out these days, especially in the middle of the night, but she's certainly prepared to be outside for it. She is an adventurer, after all!

She also has a basket hanging on her arm, inside of which rest two bottles of wine. Yes, two. Just in case! But she'll just be sitting on a bench in the plaza, stargazing while waiting, looking up at the moons in the night sky. ]

[ Dorian takes a bit of time to clean himself up; he'd woken up in a cold sweat, which was only adding to the chill from the weather. But eventually he felt presentable enough, and pulling on his cape to keep himself warm he heads out.

And eventually he arrives to the plaza, and soon enough finds Oriphi sitting at a bench. With a small smile he approaches, holding his hand up in wave. ]

Hi. I hope you weren't waiting too long.

[ Once she sees him approaching, she smiles and offers a wave of her own before shaking her head. ]

No, and I was enjoying the view of the sky anyway, so it's really no trouble. Now... Drink first, or walk first?

[ He actually considers that for a moment; his first thought is definitely drink first because boy does he need it, but it's also a bit chilly out and a walk would be good way to warm up a bit.

But then it would be easier to walk if the bottles weren't quite as full...though depending on how much they drink, it might not be as easy to walk anyway.

Eventually he just decides what the hell, he really needs a drink. ]

Let's drink a little first and we can go from there.

[ Secretly, Oriphi is glad that Dorian decides to opt for the drink first. She is of a similar mind, that it would help them warm up a bit before going on a walk.

Ori gets to work, pulling one of the wine bottles out of her basket and easing the cork out using dreamotion. She pulls two wooden mugs out of the basket, as well, setting them down on the seat so that she can pour them each a serving. ]

Ahh, one of these nights, we should do this again. But I'll be more prepared and make some mulled wine. It's perfect for this time of year.

[ She carefully wiggles the cork back into the neck of the bottle before putting it back into the basket and handing Dorian his mug of wine. ]

Cheers?

[ He takes a seat on the bench, keeping enough distance to let her pour the wine without worrying about accidentally knocking over anything. ]

Oh yes, that sounds like a great idea. Perhaps a bit, ah...earlier, and not when it might be interrupting people's sleep. Which I apologize for, by the way.

[ He's not sure if she'd already been awake or not, but he still feels a bit guilty that she's dragged herself out here just to keep him company, no matter that she'd offered to.

Taking the mug of wine, he lifts it and gently taps it against hers. ]

Cheers.

[ There's a quiet little sound as their mugs touch. Ori shakes her head, waving her free hand dismissively. ]

It's no trouble at all! I tend to keep odd hours at times... A hard habit to break from a life of adventuring, hm?

[ There's a bit of a pointed, knowing glance leveled his way. He understands, right? Having to get up in the middle of the night to keep watch, things like that... ]

And, like I said... Dreams are quite powerful, here. I've seen quite a few dreams and walked in just as many, I think. It's just part of being here.

[ He chuckles a little with a small nod. He definitely does understand. ] Yes, that's true. I haven't entirely gotten used to getting a straight night of sleep, to be honest.

[ He takes a sip from his mug, mulling over her words a moment. ] I suppose I wasn't prepared for it to be quite like that. Even with being told, that had been unexpected.

Nothing can really prepare you for it...

[ She takes a sip of her own, then peers down into her glass contemplatively. ]

Our fellow dreamwalkers often have a lot of questions about the dream, whenever they get dispersed like this. Others will just want to lend a listening ear. And others won't interact at all, out of respect for your privacy. But... Whatever it is that you feel you need in the moment, Dorian, don't hesitate to ask.

[ She's made the mistake, before, of trying to do too much and instead overstepping her bounds. ]

[ He definitely appreciates the chance to decide, because honestly if she had tried pushing he likely would have shut down. But now he has a bit of time to think, trying to determine what he would need. ]

I...I'm not sure, really. I know what others have said about time in our worlds while we're here. But I worry...I worry that something might happen to my friends while I'm stuck here. Especially with someone like that, who I don't know if she's able to transcend worlds or not, but if she can then how can I be sure that nothing is happening back home?

[Beat had only seen the recording my accident, having stayed up late working on his skateboard. He still didn't know how to stop what the crystals projected once they started so he sees the dream in its entirety.

Once it was all done, he couldn't help but couldn't help but think
that there was a lot going on in that dream that he didn't really understand. And while he hadn't asked Dorian much about where he had come from, he realized that it was far different than what he was used to.]

a brother like me aint usually scared a bugs or spiders or nothing
but that one... that lady sent gave me some hella chills yo

[ Dorian can't help a frustrated groan to himself, seeing the journal response. He'd known that it was possible that his dreams could be broadcast for others to see, but why this one? ]

Honestly, I didn't really think much about spiders before I met her. Now I'm pretty sure that I hate them.

aint blaming you for that yo
...you doing aight there?

[There isn't a doubt in his mind that this was a nightmare. He recalls how Dorian had reached out to him back when he had his. The least he could do is offer the same thing for him.]

[ He takes a few deep breathes, trying to get his hand to stop shaking. ]

Honestly? I've been better.

[There wasn't much he could offer Dorian, but maybe he could help distract him at the very least.]

sucks that we dont got phones here
i used to watch videos in bed when i hard a hard time sleeping

[ Dorian doesn't respond right away, and it's a few moments before he finally writes a reply. ]

What's a video?

[There's a bit of a snort from his end. This place really brings in all people from wherever, huh? However he's more than happy to take the time to explain.

But he also realizes that he's never actually had to do something like this before. People usually just got it or knew what it was. Shit. He's going to have to make a lot of assumptions for this one.]

its like uh a moving picture of something someone did
so whoever wants to watch can do that whenever they want

[ There's just a lot Dorian's been getting to learn these days. ]

I see. Is it similar to "TV" that someone told me about before?

yeah you can watch them on tv or something smaller if you got it
like your phone
it was a lotta skate vids for me

...what's a phone?

[ Sorry, Beat, you've got your work cut out for you. ]

[He actually snorts on his end, realizing where he messed up.]

its a device you can keep in your pocket that can do all sorts of stuff
you can talk to people
play games
watch something like i was saying

Really? That sounds like a useful piece of technology. Is it pretty common where you're from?

yeah most people got one of their own
had mine in my pocket when I got here but I gotta take care using it so it dont run out of juice

Oh so it can run out of power as well? Interesting.

[ He's getting to learn so much. ]

Even so, it does sound pretty useful, especially for communication. Is there a limit to how much you're able to talk to someone with it?

nah not really
as long as you got juice and stay connected you good to go
its honestly helluva lot better than writing stuff out like this all the time

Interesting. That really is useful then.

[ Much easier than having to keep it to 25 words. ]

Though I will say, writing things down does make it easier to think about what you'd like to say first.

guess yous right
aint ever really thought about it that way before
just aint used to my hand cramping up as much you know?

[The plight of living in the technological age. He's spoiled and he only realized it when he got here.]

Edited 2022-12-14 12:26 (UTC)

I suppose that's fair. So are letters not written in your world?

nah not really
aint nobody got time for that

[Maybe others do, but definitely not him.]

especially when stuff you send gets there right away you know
its seriously like this without all the writing

That's fair. If there's the option for instant communication, sending and waiting for letters does seem like a bit of a waste.

[Considering how they've been talking a while, Beat feels like he could probably ask this now.]

yo how ya feeling?

[ Dorian doesn't answer the question for a moment, taking the time to really consider it. ]

I think I'll be all right. Still a bit shaken, but not as bad.

[Okay, that's good at least. But... He does remember a tip that was shared with him during his lasy nightmare.]

you know
i git a friend who said drinking tea after nightmares helps her calmn down if you still aint feeling a hundred
maybe its worth a shot

[ He thinks about that for a moment. Tea sounded like something that might keep him awake a bit longer, honestly. Then again, what could it really hurt? ]

I suppose I could give it a try. It couldn't make things any worse, at any rate.

if it dont work just hit ne up again
then i can tell ya about memes instead

I appreciate it, thank you. I'll let you know.

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001 ⚡ Dream Recording

sender: Oriphi

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sender: beat

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