[open] somnus & YOU; interactive dream

[luciing]

Who: somnus and you
Which: Interactive Dream, just one, open
What: ITS SPOOKS SEASON NOW so
Warnings: themes of shadow/darkness but emphasis on moving forward. also dreamotion practice.


[ The dream manifests from the depths of sleep and memory, shadow and void, and you may find that the moment gravity recalls its function, your form touches down onto the smooth, cool surface of black marble. The stone base outstretches before you in a long, solitary path, and before your feet is a single gold-and-black metal epitaph with the numeral I on it. A short way ahead, another II marks another epitaph upon the ground. Beyond that, a III, with the rest remaining obscured by distance alone. Whether this pattern is an arbitrary count or a warning for something more, the dream gives no other indication, perhaps purposefully stripped of any further design.

While no walls line the path, it seems you cannot stray from it. Despite the apparent vastness of the hall, all sounds are cut short, swallowed by the overwhelming pitch of blackness beyond, blanketing all in mournful silence. The only other curiosity the dream holds is the faint scent of wheat, of harvest carried by a crisp breeze, that seems to originate from far down the hall.

Somnus is there beside you as you appear within this dream of his, and in acknowledgment, he dips his helm in your direction. There are but two options: force an exit with the practice of dreammotion or proceed. For now, however: ]

Let us walk.

Comments

[refire]

It's been a while! How are you doing?

[Alphen seems a little better after taking some time off from the smithy. He seems to be at his usual mood. This must be another dream but Alphen isn't sure what's going on in it. He just nods and agrees to walk with Somnus for the time being.]

Kinda feels weird not seeing you at the smithy but hey I'm still here and kicking. Let's walk.

[luciing]

Indeed.

[ And so they begin to walk down the path, passing the first two numerals. So far, nothing peculiar happens.

The last time they had met, Alphen had been in a morose state, needing some time to himself to sort out his personal affairs. Courtesy due, Somnus inquires: ]

How are you faring?

[refire]

I'm doing a little better, thanks for asking. I think I might still need more time to figure things out but I just have to be patient with it.

[ There's no use stressing himself to death over it. Alphen does seem more willing to talk too because he's had time to figure out his own feelings. ]

How about yourself?

[luciing]

As you can see, I am a captive of this dream. [ Not literally, of course; it would be an easier manner in which to wake from this dream-- but that may also decrease the point of what could be used as a dreamotion exercise.

Somnus raises a hand, tapping against one of the invisible "walls" that line the hall. ] It appears they remain unbreakable. [ ...On his part, because they are built by his subconscious. Alphen is free to attempt to break them, though. ]

[refire]

This is some wild dream. It couldn't be mine, that's for sure. Is this in any way related to that suit of armor you always have?

[It's hard to not think about the giant suit of armor, honestly. ]

[judicialassistant]

...Roman numerals?

[ A young girl's voice is spoken in a whisper by the time she reaches the second epitaph. The sound of her footsteps against marble seem to click louder than usual as they slow to a stop, and she brushes her fingers gingerly against the the II. It feels like a light layer of dust coming off as she examines her fingers carefully, but then she takes a deep breath, shaking her head when nothing else seems to happen.

She decides to keep walking to see if the other epitaphs are similarly labeled, and where they might lead. A faint smell carries in the air, slowly becoming more obvious, but before she can pinpoint what it might be, she is stopped by a sudden presence beside her. ]

Ah... [ Why can't she shake the feeling that she is intruding? She always feels out of place. ] ...Where are we going?

[luciing]

[ The echo of his sabatons upon the marble floor cut short as he comes to a brief pause. Hers is a new face, and so his helm tilts in her direction, direct but respectful. Her unease is easy to read. ]

Forward, or... [ His voice is low and carrying a hollow quality to it as if no physical body resides within the armor. He lifts a metal-clad hand upward, curling his fingers in to gently rapt the back of his knuckles against the invisible wall that confines them both to this path. ] ...out, should you have the dreamotion capacity to shatter this.

[judicialassistant]

[ His voice... The hollow quality earns him a tilt of Susato's head as he raps at the "wall." Everything tells her that there must be some sort of form or entity within that armor, but she doesn't recognize who, or what is it about the voice that makes the hair on her skin stand at attention.

At the prompting, Susato holds out both of her hands. She blinks and looks up at the "nothing" Somnus seems to indicate, trying to reach out and touch it. Something, keeping them to this path. But are they meant to veer from it?

...Perhaps it feels like glass? ]

I can conjure flames... I think. If that will work. [ One way to find out... though will there be repercussions to that? ]

[luciing]

[ It will feel as smooth and cool as glass, but given the nature of dreams, it is likely to be something else.

The flames that appear within the palm of her hand provide a light that refracts off of his armor, casting undulations of light upon the ground. It is warm, unlike the rest of this realm, and certainly unlike the chill that comes with standing between II and III. The shadows beyond appear to react to it, rippling gently in response to the beacon. Somnus's attention turns to the flame.

Dreamotion is fueled in part by one's own will, and he appears to watch as she tests the flame against the "wall": fine river-like fissures web out from the area closest to the fire, pause, then reabsorb into the clear matrix of the barrier, as if to say-- it's not quite enough to shatter it. ]

...It reacted to the fire.

[sermom]

[Another dream... this place has so many. It makes sense, of course, but Kisara can't help but always find it a little jarring, and clearly invasive. His acknowledgement of her presence makes it a little easier, admittedly, but she still has to ask,]

Is that alright with you?

[This place is so... dark, and grim. Whatever they're about to experience can't be happy, and it's his. He has a right to refuse.]

[luciing]

[ He lifts a gauntlet, gently tapping the back of his knuckles against an invisible surface that lines the path. ]

Have you the dreamotion power to break through?

[ Otherwise, the path is set: a series of numerals upon the ground that counts something. ]

[sermom]

[Kisara frowns at that. The answer is pretty clearly a no... which means going forward is the only option.]

I see. Then... forgive me.

[She'll at least do her best to be respectful, as she moves to walk forward and follow the path.]

[luciing]

[ Whether the barriers presented have been conjured by his own subconscious or something else, it seems he is unable to break them himself, either; at least, not alone. Perhaps there is another way, but with neither the power nor means to defy the path set before them, they can only move forward, as unpleasant and ominous as it is.

Somnus takes one step forward from the first marker upon the marble, leaving the I erased by his massive shadow.

So far, nothing changes. ] May we not encounter any noctaere as we march.

[skyglider]

[The sound of boots against smooth marble makes a sound that is soft and muted. Link follows the path as it's laid out, unaware of any reason not to...at least at this point. Whether he can read the Roman numerals or not, he seems to know what they signify. One. Two. Three... And in the distance, more.

He kneels down, examining the epitaph, brushing his fingers against the gold inlay.

It's a dream. The realization is quick and a little startling, but it makes sense. It's only when he stands again and realizes he's not alone that he begins to wonder whose dream it is. As Somnus acknowledges his presence, he nods slowly, dreamily, in response.]

Alright.

[Perhaps it's some kind of instinct from his memories, to follow the dream until there's nowhere else to go.]

[luciing]

[ It appears this giant suit of armor does not mind the company, and the two begin walking along the corridor, passing over III. At this point, the temperature cools somewhat, as if they have passed some sort of threshold.]

Through the silence, he speaks: ]

Youth, how do you fare with dreamotion?

[skyglider]

[The dream is quite vivid; a faint chill goes through him at the sudden change of temperature. Link tries not to stare at the suit of armor that serves as a walking companion, instead focusing his attention in the distance as they continue walking towards the next numeral.

He hesitates at answering the question, though. How indeed...?]

I've learned a few things.

[It's fairly vague, in terms of answers, but it's the best way he can think to encompass what he means. None of the abilities he's used are new, after all; they're simply augmented, or changed. Most of what he's learned about dreamotion is how to think about it, rather than conjuring new abilities.]

[luciing]

[ As they walk, Somnus lifts up an iron-clad hand, gently tapping against the "walls" that line the hall. ] Are you able to shatter these walls?

[ Dreams are filled with both mystery and illusion, and more often than not, one has no control over how they manifest. Although he has been practicing dealing with his own dreams, it seems that these walls are crafted from a deeper part of his subconscious. Meaning, they are too difficult to break... on his part.

But perhaps Link can help. If he is unable to do so, they will simply have to proceed down the hallway. ]

[sleightofhans]

[It's disconcerting, being in a place that exudes isolation with its nonexistent walls and vast darkness expanding out into the hall. He can't discern where he's even at or what these numbers may signify, so it's almost a relief to see this armored knight (?) speak next to him.

The quietness around them has at least broken.]

I do not mind walking, but do you have a destination in mind? I must admit, none of this is familiar to me.

[He's seen many knights in his time, being a prince of the Southern Isles, but his armor is almost ordinate in its design.]

[luciing]

[ Silently, the armored figure raises a hand, gesturing down the corridor where darkness appears to swallow the rest of the path.

When his hand returns to his side, his helm tips in Hans' direction, and he speaks again. In a realm where void consumes all, his hollow voice rumbles like thunder. ]

Forward, unless you possess the power to break through this barrier.

[sleightofhans]

[Hans warily looks down the darkened hall, not quite sure if he's going to be walking to something deeply unpleasant at the end. Even if death lacks its usual consequence here, it's not like he's rushing forward to have such an experience. Although, maybe he won't have much a choice, given the presence of this armored man.]

What sort of power are we referring to?

[He asks, although his eyes are set down the great mystery hall.]

[luciing]

That of dreamotion. [ He answers, his presence stalwart, unmoving. His focus does ease from the young man beforehand, instead remaining focused upon him, as if ready to measure his response. ]

If you cannot break these walls, then we move forward... And we try again, at a later epitaph.

[leveillpier]

Quite the busy body aren't we?

[ Startled as she was by his silent appearance, Alisaie kept her bearing. Her eyes fixed on the person beside her. Said no other words beyond that, keeping her wits about her.

Another dream, mayhaps? The last time she done something similar was a simulation. Was this what it's like being in the depth of someone's subconscious? Though, she was expecting something more than darkness, shadows and such in between.

However, Somnus appeared to be quite a cryptic person. She's never seen the face behind the armor that he wore. He was eccentric at most. ]

Aye, there isn't much else to do at the moment. [ yet, anyway ]

[luciing]

Mayhap you will awaken before the end. [ And with that, they proceed, passing over I, then II. While the darkness that surrounds them lends a cool atmosphere to the dream, the temperature declines by the time they pass III.

A chill settles within the hall, enough that she may be able to see her own breath.

Somnus apparently remains unaffected by this shift. He is a suit of armor, after all, but it's at this point he speaks again: ]

Have you practiced with dreamotion?

[leveillpier]

Mayhaps. You never know in a fragile place like this.

[ She makes note of everything as they continue their walk. She can feel the temperature getting cooler and cooler as they venture further.

There's almost a strange chill as she continues to survey their current location. ]

Not as much as I'd like but I have been since your assistance a while back.

[luciing]

[ Their footsteps echo as they walk. ] Perhaps this may be another opportunity to practice.

[ As they pass yet another epitaph, and just beyond it, a figure appears, pale without shine, hazy as their form manifests from the darkness. Although phantasmal in appearance, they are clad in a glorious, decorate set of armor, not unlike Somnus' own. The figure appears to straighten to attention as their presence...

Somnus' helm terms to regard them, briefly, at which point they lower their beak-like helm in response, and he moves on. ]

Can you break through this wall?

[ As soon as they pass the figure, they vanish into shadow as if forgotten to time. Somnus appears unaffected, looking forward. ]