Missrecalled Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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misrecalled_tdms2023-09-03 06:09 am
missrecalled_mods) wrote in misrecalled_tdms2023-09-03 06:09 am
Once upon a dream... (4th Wall Event/TDM Combo platter)
[((OOC note: This fourth wall is open to any character who would be game legal. If a character who posted here reserves or apps in September, these threads can be considered game canon as long as all involved agree. If a character doesn't app, for those in game already... wow that was a weird dream. Wait, what did you dream about again?))]
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For Jordan, still comatose after the magical mishap that had resulted in the first Misrecalled being summoned, it began with a dream. A dream so strong, that it had her stirring fitfully even in her current state; and eventually caused her to release an uncontrolled burst of magic.
For everyone else, unaware of what was coming, it began with falling asleep. Whether or not someone was tired before hand, whether they even could sleep, they simply fell asleep - or a reasonable facsimile - wherever they happened to be. Maybe they remembered falling asleep, maybe they didn't. But either way they suddenly found themselves in... a very strange place.
First all there was that they could see was a vast featureless plain in shining gold and silken draperies. But that was only a glimpse, for just by existing in this space, each dreamer warps it. Changes it. Not all at once, but bits, constantly changing between them and whomever they encounter. Each person brings with them bits of three places... where they had been last, a familiar place from memory, and whatever place they call home. But this is constantly changing and shifting, more so the more dreamers are present in any space. Before long, Bits of different landscapes, different environments, even different weather conditions will cover the landscape like some crazy patchwork quilt. Here a bit of a sunny, idyllic garden, there a section of shadowy, graffiti covered slum. To one side, a chunk of charming cobblestone streets under sunset tinged skies, to the other, a forest of towering trees, some of which seem to be moving. And glimpsed through the gaps between some of the odd terrain sections, some remainder of the poorly defined golden space, hung with colorful draperies could still be seen.
And the ground itself was not immune to the changes. While the ground on which they stood might seem stable enough, if someone walked more than a few paces in any direction, that could change. Solid ground could become shifting sand. Or water. Or a wall might suddenly appear to block their path. Doors might lead to places they definitely shouldn't or open to the edge of a sheer cliff. And if the complete lack of logic to the landscape wasn't enough of an indication that this was some sort of dream, then the unreadable signs would clinch it. Because any signs - or indeed, anything with writing on it that they didn't have on their person when they arrived - was covered with nothing but unreadable gibberish.
And it got even more surreal when a dreamer spotted anyone else in the dreamspace, or even looked at their own reflection - for each person appears in the dream in whatever way they see themselves. So someone with low self confidence might be short, someone with a huge ego might tower. If someone sees themselves as a horrible criminal who needs to repent, they might be in prison togs. If the change is dramatic enough people who know each other well might still fail to recognize each other within the dreaming.
Now normally such a bizarre dream might have been put down to stress, a meal that disagreed with them, or maybe indulging in some sort of illicit substance, but this clearly was no ordinary dream, if for no other reason than that in this dream, they weren't alone. The other people they encounter are not just figments of their imagination, and they too change the shared dream space.
Those already either on the Isle or in the kingdom of Auradon proper would find themselves all thrown together in the bizarre dreamworld. And that would have been strange enough. But more than the current populations of Auradon and the Isle could be found in this place. Maybe the faces where familiar. Maybe they weren't. But they definitely hadn't turned up in the physical world that was home to Ben and Mal. Yet anyway.
Given the extremely variable geography, exploring the area might be dangerous. At least as dangerous as anything in a dream could be. But investigating might help them find a way back to the physical world faster, for those who realize they are dreaming. Or they could just stand around and talk or complain about the latest bit of magical weirdness to happen to them and hope they woke up soon. Or they could go with it and enjoy the weird. It was their dream, after all. They could pretty much do what they liked. Or at least try to. Either way, they seemed stuck there for the present, for better or worse.
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For Jordan, still comatose after the magical mishap that had resulted in the first Misrecalled being summoned, it began with a dream. A dream so strong, that it had her stirring fitfully even in her current state; and eventually caused her to release an uncontrolled burst of magic.
For everyone else, unaware of what was coming, it began with falling asleep. Whether or not someone was tired before hand, whether they even could sleep, they simply fell asleep - or a reasonable facsimile - wherever they happened to be. Maybe they remembered falling asleep, maybe they didn't. But either way they suddenly found themselves in... a very strange place.
First all there was that they could see was a vast featureless plain in shining gold and silken draperies. But that was only a glimpse, for just by existing in this space, each dreamer warps it. Changes it. Not all at once, but bits, constantly changing between them and whomever they encounter. Each person brings with them bits of three places... where they had been last, a familiar place from memory, and whatever place they call home. But this is constantly changing and shifting, more so the more dreamers are present in any space. Before long, Bits of different landscapes, different environments, even different weather conditions will cover the landscape like some crazy patchwork quilt. Here a bit of a sunny, idyllic garden, there a section of shadowy, graffiti covered slum. To one side, a chunk of charming cobblestone streets under sunset tinged skies, to the other, a forest of towering trees, some of which seem to be moving. And glimpsed through the gaps between some of the odd terrain sections, some remainder of the poorly defined golden space, hung with colorful draperies could still be seen.
And the ground itself was not immune to the changes. While the ground on which they stood might seem stable enough, if someone walked more than a few paces in any direction, that could change. Solid ground could become shifting sand. Or water. Or a wall might suddenly appear to block their path. Doors might lead to places they definitely shouldn't or open to the edge of a sheer cliff. And if the complete lack of logic to the landscape wasn't enough of an indication that this was some sort of dream, then the unreadable signs would clinch it. Because any signs - or indeed, anything with writing on it that they didn't have on their person when they arrived - was covered with nothing but unreadable gibberish.
And it got even more surreal when a dreamer spotted anyone else in the dreamspace, or even looked at their own reflection - for each person appears in the dream in whatever way they see themselves. So someone with low self confidence might be short, someone with a huge ego might tower. If someone sees themselves as a horrible criminal who needs to repent, they might be in prison togs. If the change is dramatic enough people who know each other well might still fail to recognize each other within the dreaming.
Now normally such a bizarre dream might have been put down to stress, a meal that disagreed with them, or maybe indulging in some sort of illicit substance, but this clearly was no ordinary dream, if for no other reason than that in this dream, they weren't alone. The other people they encounter are not just figments of their imagination, and they too change the shared dream space.
Those already either on the Isle or in the kingdom of Auradon proper would find themselves all thrown together in the bizarre dreamworld. And that would have been strange enough. But more than the current populations of Auradon and the Isle could be found in this place. Maybe the faces where familiar. Maybe they weren't. But they definitely hadn't turned up in the physical world that was home to Ben and Mal. Yet anyway.
Given the extremely variable geography, exploring the area might be dangerous. At least as dangerous as anything in a dream could be. But investigating might help them find a way back to the physical world faster, for those who realize they are dreaming. Or they could just stand around and talk or complain about the latest bit of magical weirdness to happen to them and hope they woke up soon. Or they could go with it and enjoy the weird. It was their dream, after all. They could pretty much do what they liked. Or at least try to. Either way, they seemed stuck there for the present, for better or worse.
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"It is! Or it was. It's been rather the worse for wear for a while, but a friend and I rebuilt it just a bit ago. I've yet to remake what was in it, but... I'm enjoying the glimpse into what had been." She didn't sound entirely upset about it, though. Resigned, perhaps? She certainly hadn't lost her smile. This wasn't so much a tease to her, as it was a chance to revisit it despite events, and she appreciated it for that.
"Would you like to see around a bit?" She gestured in further, in clear invitation.
That uppermost room was apparently some kind of observatory -- visible now from the inside, the roof wasn't actually as opaque as it might have seemed. Rather than being done all in stone or wooden shingles or any other such common thing, it was finished with stained glass coming up to a point in the center, up over the few rafters, curtains that could've formed a canopy tied aside instead, to allow the sun through. There weren't any lamps on inside at all, the hints of shifting hues caused not by simple refraction through clear glass, but by a myriad of small panes fitted together, overlapping to somehow result in near white by the time it reached the floor.
There was a large table present, with papers spread out over it, and ink and quill. Someone had been noting down star positions... and it was further explained by a large telescope of some sort that sat just inside the door to the balcony, off to one side, out of immediate sight. A pile of books were sitting on the table as well, and pots of plants sat near the other huge window-like doors of the room, and hung in pots from the rafters as well, their tendrils hanging low, covered in little flowers.
It was a beautiful room, really. And offset from the center, there looked to be a stairway down, a thin, decorative wooden railing mostly enclosing the recess in the hole where it went down, more flowering plants taking advantage of its presence to use it as a trellis, decorating it as well.
"You'd be quite welcome to...."
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"It is amazing. I would love to see more," they replied with some enthusiasm, the light spiraling back to the floor and solidifying once again. "I do not know how I am here, but I will take advantage of it."
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If one considered that a "proper" castle was supposed to house many dozens or even hundreds of people or more, then hers was quite small; it really was meant only for a handful, perhaps up to a dozen, to stay long very comfortably. But it was neatly built, the stones even, the rooms' shapes looking like something that might have been made more recently somehow, rather than laid out piece by piece by hand, as must have been done traditionally. A medieval building, with more modern construction methods? Closer inspection showed tiny specks of something, perhaps mica, embedded in the dark stone's polished surfaces, giving the blocks their subtle sparkle. There were few spots for lamps or sconces or anything of the sort; the stained glass let in quite a lot of light, and where it did not, she would absently gesture, and a small ball of a glow would start from wherever she'd barely indicated, a materially sourceless illumination that hinted at very real origins for old stories of will-o-wisps. They followed the two of them, or faded once left behind.
She led them both through the hallways, seeming completely at ease, even happy here... but as if that were a surprise? This was her home, after all. A giant work of art as much as it was a mansion, her castle had much that was to be expected: a few small places that would have to be a privy, a large bath room with a tub built several yards across in both directions, a kitchen area with doors that descended to the cellar by the pantry, with shelves and shelves full of bottles of wine and little actual fresh food to be found... an area outside that seemed to be a rather nice barn or stables, built onto the castle the way one might expect a garage to be, in more recent times, though it didn't look to be much used, past storing hay and dried grasses... a large hall, for who knew what, perhaps throwing a party? A ballroom of sorts? A large courtyard, full of even more roses.... There were bedrooms, for guests, all of them fairly large....
Two of the bedrooms turned out to overlook the front of the castle, mirroring each other in their placement on either side. One of them seemed unoccupied; the other was half library, with shelves full of handmade, probably handwritten books covering most of about half of it. In the unoccupied room, the littler room just past that end was a sort of en suite bathroom, but in this room -- Mallia's own, Rren could guess -- that smaller adjoining room was a storage of some kind, shelves full of crystals and jewels, many cut and polished, many others not. Some were set into staffs, or set in jewelry of some kind, be it a pendant or ring. Most were still loose, simply sitting in place in a nest of twigs or string, to keep them in place. She'd collected shiny objects, apparently...?
But perhaps also interesting was what wasn't present: there was no throne room at all. The large ballroom didn't have a clear singular front or back, at least not as it currently appeared. The chairs throughout the castle were all of similar builds, not all identical, but clearly enough nothing intended to create a sense of higher stature. Artistic carvings or paintings over them were simply that, decoration....
And even had Rren been looking for it, there was no crown to be found here. She seemingly didn't hold herself up as any sort of ruler, even here in her part of the dreamscape, simply the owner of the rather impressively pretty stone mansion, her playground, her safe haven full of flowers and stained glass, and things collected over many centuries....
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They didn't think to question many things. For one, with what they had seen that Mallia was capable of, the construction method could easily have involved assistance from those abilities. Or been entirely modern, as she'd mentioned it being rebuilt with help. Or both. They also did not even know enough about castles by and large to expect a throne room. While the one they knew now had one, it was also the only one they had ever encountered and for all they knew, it could be the outlier.
And to be honest, even if they knew, they would have been more surprised to see either it or a crown. Mallia just did not seem like the sort to have either.
What they did notice was that Mallia seemed happy here. And in a way, that felt somewhat... sad? This was her home, and here she was stuck in a completely unfamiliar place normally. The next time they re-materialized by her and took her hand they gave it an extra squeeze. "Your home is very... welcoming."
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She paused; her tone had gotten... not quite sad. Wistful? There was a kind of quiet acceptance in it, about something she wasn't directly saying... but it was something else which had occurred to her, that'd made her reconsider her words before they left her. She looked back to Rren, smile almost a bit... mischievous?
"Well...."
A glance behind Rren, and a little nod: look that way?
That way, where previously the doorway to the hall had been empty, someone now stood. A someone who appeared at a glance to be in his 40s or even 50s, blond hair streaked with white... and not exactly human. He had the same subtle points to his ears that Mallia did, nearly hidden in the mop of his hair, and the same slightly-too-large irises, though his were a pale blue, rather than a dark purple. Where her dress was elegant and refined, his was peasant at best, though in good repair, all browns and greens, something that would only help him blend in, if he were to step into the woods. He seemed relaxed, smiling a little like he was used to doing so, looking toward the two of them with the same kind of soft fondness that Mallia had so often displayed. He wasn't quite leaning on a staff that looked to be made of a twisted, polished length of wood... with something in a bit of a blub in its shape, at around head level. Something shiny barely peeked out from the gaps in the grain there....
One could be entirely forgiven for thinking him merely a farmer or something; the dust on his pants' legs and the canvas of his boots said he'd been long on his feet, or perhaps simply didn't pay his outward appearance too close a consideration. Someone who perhaps wouldn't even bother rolling up his sleeves before helping with physical chores. But for all that he himself seemed fairly unassuming in the moment, there was something about that staff....
Hadn't there been one just like it in that side-room, off of Mallia's quarters? Not similar, but that exact staff?
He raised an eyebrow, his expression otherwise one of perfect mock-innocence as he looked between them. "Blaming me for something already," he sighed, feigning exasperation. "I spend all this time helping rebuild all this, moving a forest back here, took care of the roses all this time--"
"--And I'll wager that before the month is out, there'll be more people making their way here than I'd have hosted in years, even back in our heyday."
Something had happened, before, and she wasn't exactly bringing it up. Not directly....
"Well, that's it, then. Nothing for it. We'll have to change the floor plans again and expand." The exasperation was clearly all for comedic effect. "I'll need more wine." A glance back to her, and then to Rren, tapping a finger against the wood he held. "Can't drink a staff, after all." Right, as if that cleared anything up....
"We'll use the tower, and my room," she said, quieter, smile not fading, though she closed her eyes a little. "We'll repurpose the main hall, if it comes to it. Make no mistake, however... I'm looking forward to it."
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But for the here and now, they did not release Mallia's hand, giving it a squeeze when she closed her eyes. "I am certain it will work well," they said softly, giving a small half smile.
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"But the place is ready enough, and I'd filled everything we'd collected again, there at the castle... so if he should arrive back before I do, at least he shouldn't be unable to handle such a gathering on his own. Even if it lasts years. And I know that the others would assist where they were able, and there's plenty to go around." Maybe there was a reason she wasn't so concerned about being in Auradon rather than home after all?
She eyed Rren. "I'd invite you more officially, but I don't know how I left to Auradon, let alone how to bring someone else...." So Rren had an unofficial invitation, then? "I could always put on a show for you of it, if you'd like... but it wouldn't be quite as good as the real thing. I'm not that talented."
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They shrugged then. "If I ever found a way to your reality, I would visit even sans invitation," a mischievous light made it into their eyes. "So perhaps one day I will visit with Khell. She is a worth-while person to meet. I assure you."
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"Here," she said, pointing to a spot, "This is where my home is. Any ents around it will be on guard. You'll have to approach as friends, and focus on that; they can read intention." She smiled, though, plainly not worried so much as just letting them in on how it worked; no sense letting things go wrong, simply by having one's attention on other matters, was there? "And if you've any trouble, find one of the fae. Speak our language; they'll welcome you.
"Though, if the when might be a potential uncertainty...." A little hesitation, but her smile didn't disappear: "Should I not be there, and should my lands be... in trouble... then depending on when, I'll either be out and about, performing feats to try to draw the other fae's attention, and you ought to seek me out...." She gestured to part of the map, a general idea of where she might be pulling off whatever stunts she was talking about, "...Or I'll be trying to retire here." Another spot, a much smaller one, "I found some ents; you'd hear of a haunted grove.
"It would still work to find the other fae, if you're able, I think...." An absent gesture to the image of her friend over there in the doorway from a minute ago, indicating him. "If you can find Sia -- Dandwyn, Zacharie, Marna, Merlin, whatever it is he's going by, he's a winemaker, gardener, healer... he in particular can help you convince me to return. Bring the dark berry wine; he can make it. Even when I can't remember my own name, I'll remember that." She grinned slightly sheepishly, but wasn't hesitating in owning up to it. "Honestly, I'll only need to return home. I've lived so long in my castle, I've left quite an imprint there."
That... was probably the most she'd said about her past troubles so far.
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A pause as they considered. "I do think we would still become friends even so. Khell and I are hardly earth natives in our own reality, much less yours. I. Cannot guarantee Khell would not be hostile in the middle of a forest, but it would be more akin to grumpiness than to any actual ill intent. And she would not harm anything, which I imagine would assist."
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"But I'm having difficulty picturing you not being able to make friends among us. And you'd be welcome in my home regardless; one need not already know you, to have love for a friend." She gave Rren's hand a little squeeze more, quiet. "You'd still be you. And that's more than enough."
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They looked around the castle then, not flitting away because they did not want to drop Mallia's hand. "I suppose how we might meet in another reality would only matter if it comes about."
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"Easier, then, to lower one's guard," he agreed, quiet, confirming that for them.
Mallia barely paused, glancing back; she seemed to've been only somewhat expecting it, as she'd opened her mouth to say something before he'd spoken up. She didn't seem to even really notice consciously that it was an interruption, as she was just brushing it off without another thought, as she smiled a little and gave Rren a little nod. Having joined in like that was clearly entirely in line with how her friend was. "And be found in the first place, for it.
"Of course, if you should find yourself in my world, much before the now... it might be in your best interests to find one of us, due to your nature, as well. ...And your friend's. But my home would be yours, while it stands." Another little gesture, to the castle... Rren wanted to go explore around some more, maybe?
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"Any of us would welcome another friend," she said. "If my castle isn't standing, find my people anyway."
And with another small gesture, she indicated the grand hall again.
Sia stepped aside to let them through more obviously, though he hadn't exactly been blocking the doorway, big as it was. Past him, the room was no longer unoccupied; the impression of more people was unmistakable. Their shapes, their voices, bits of conversations in the elves' language... It wasn't all clear yet, but they would come into focus as Mallia stepped closer, glancing to make sure Rren was interested in following.
She only had so much attention span, to maintain it all at once, but in a dream, that was easier. In a dream, it didn't require quite as much deliberate effort.
It looked, at a glance, as though they were all elves. A few of them seemed to notice Rren and Mallia, and gave a little smile and a wave or a nod, a few simply holding up their glasses a little to them in what was clearly an equivalent of a wave hello. If Rren were listening, there would be more of the language to pick up -- talk from a parent, about how they'd had to sew their child's dress for the umpteenth time, and the next time he ripped it, they'd make him fix it. A few of them exchanging recipes as they chatted with a little plate of food in one hand. A baby fussing quietly, and their mother taking the tiny one back to feed them. Someone talking about the economy of somewhere, and how they figured it might be well worth it to take some glamour-coins to the neighboring king's treasurers, to exchange for smaller currency to spend in the former place... Someone else barely keeping in their laughter as they told about this one night their sister was trying to be on guard against wolves, and ended up scaring them witless instead....
A few of them stood out, and not just for having been more detailed and solid-seeming, as they were closer, perhaps people from her memories more than her imagination. A very few wore well-tailored leather outfits, despite no one else at all wearing any such thing. In fact, other than those few, leather and bone were basically nowhere to be found, even on their boots and shoes and belts. Those few who wore it seemed to move almost a little differently... something about the way they glanced before so much as turning their head, their ready stances... it seemed almost reminiscent of a predator's mannerisms. And yet, the people around them, that they were spending time with, seemed perfectly relaxed, unthreatened. And, when one was caught eyeing Rren, they gave a hint of a smile and a subtle, respectful little nod in acknowledgement as well. Those, despite sharing the same apparently species-wide features as the rest... they weren't quite like the others. And yet, there was no sense of them not being perfectly welcome here....
Similarly, though for the opposite reasons, were a few more that seemed different somehow. It wasn't how they dressed, like how those other few stood out for wearing leather. Perhaps it was their comparative seeming shyness? It was more than a simple reluctance to be social, for they were mingling with the others. It was a subtle state of being on edge, even though they might've seen largely relaxed. Something about their stances, the way one of them inhaled a little before realizing that it was the person beside them simply putting an arm around them, and then happily relaxing into that casually protective sort of embrace. One of them actually had some sort of spiral-twisted thing hanging from their beltstrings, almost lost in their clothing's folds of fabric. It did look to maybe be bone, but what sort of bone was so evenly wound and pointed like that, a thick wand of some kind? Perhaps it was like Sia's staff? ...But it had no gem.... And these few, like those that wore leather, were part of the party, happy here despite their more skittish nature.... In fact, one of them seemed to be shyly flirting with one of those few leather-clad individuals, sharing some wine with them, cheeks quite pink already.
That part of one's nature, then, was not an impediment to inclusion among Mallia's people. There were more similarities than differences, in at least apparent species, besides: with nearly everyone either being an elf, or looking like one, their ears all had similarly small points to them, their eyes all had irises larger than the average. They otherwise seemed fairly humanlike, though with hair colors ranging from snow white, to colors outside the usual human spectrum. Perhaps they were dyed? Or maybe not dye, but it could have been illusion-magic making that one's hair such a cherry red, even including the details like their eyebrows. Or that other's, a gray that was more blue than not. Assuming they weren't using their magic to disguise themselves as human, there were going to be tells as to what they were, physically. But even still, the language was surely going to be the easiest one....
But... only nearly everyone there appeared, superficially, to be an elf, or perhaps wholly one. There were a few that surely stood out for even more blatant differences than mannerisms and general demeanor.
One of the children was getting some sort of cookies from a table of foods off to the side of the party there, a rag doll of nearly their own size hugged up to their side. It was dressed in similar clothes to the child, actually... and as the kid stretched up onto their tiptoes to try reaching something closer to the middle of the table, they took their hand away from the doll. It not only didn't fall, but it actually took a step on its own, turning to better see the table too, and then found something a few dishes down to reach up to take from.
One of the adults had a bird on their shoulder... and this bird was likewise a construct, wings' feathers made of some sort of thin, stiff material that had been painted, its head and neck and torso done in solid segments that overlaid one another just so, a lovely sort of shell for any robot, one that looked to allow it almost a similar range of movement as a biological bird. It moved to keep its balance as its person did, absently, tilting its head and shifting a little bit from one foot to the other, and then turned to nuzzle into their elf's cheek, interrupting the conversation and getting petted for doing so. Whether or not it was fully sapient, it was a lovely example of someone's workmanship indeed, for a body like that.
There would probably be a few more examples, if Rren wanted to explore around... and of course, one of them would be a certain wooden-looking figure standing quietly off to the side, engaged in quiet conversation with one of those more nervous-seeming people and another elf....
Actual poppets, perhaps? Mallia had doubtless told Rren more about the practice among her people, but it was different, to see them there, interacting with the others, and generally just... being. Being treated like anyone else, being so wildly different in materials and craftsmanship, being from what seemed like a time far too early to have been created with any sort of computers' involvement.... It was surely no wonder, then, that Mallia was so quick to accept Rren's explanation of their own nature, and equate it to this in some way? The rag doll was clearly another child, and a good friend or more to their playmate. The tree-looking one was blatantly holding his own in speaking with the ones around him, an equal and treated as such. The bird... well, it was clearly very much treasured, and those nearby that it wasn't sitting on the shoulder of seemed to appreciate it, one of them reaching over as its person turned a little to let them pet it as well.
She wanted Rren to know what her people were like, that they might find them more easily... well, this was absolutely one way to familiarize someone with them.
"I'll do my best," she said quietly, giving them a smile. Time to puppeteer a crowd, or at least the portion of it that Rren turned their attention toward....
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They loved seeing all this, getting a window into Mallia's life, her friends, her people. but they didn't know how much strain it was on her.
A pause.
"Oh! I could show you some of where I am from. If you would like?"
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"If you'd rather?" She turned more toward Rren, still smiling, ready to take their lead. She was offering the ballroom full of guests, of course, but it could wait! She wanted to see what Rren would do, honestly. She could cast illusions even while awake, to do a lesser version of this later on, in the real world, if Rren wanted. But here... here, surely Rren had equal capability to hers?
This would be a treat, she was sure.
Behind them, the crowd began to fade, though the sense of them lingered, the sounds of the conversations still carrying....
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She tilted her head back toward the hallway, indicating the courtyard in that direction. "Shall we?"
Down the hallway, out the courtyard, through the side, and out past the forest beyond the garden, right?
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Would they be able to share with Mallia as she had shared with them? They certainly hoped so, but they wouldn't know for sure until they were out of her home.
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The evening air was pleasantly cool, the scent of roses faintly everywhere in the courtyard and its bit of garden... and she led out through it, to the forest just beyond.
"These," she said quietly, gesturing to the trees, "are ents."
As they approached, it became more obvious that their little movements weren't simply a matter of the breeze stirring a couple leaves here or there; the ones they were approaching were starting to move of their own accord, pulling their roots up closer to themselves. They shifted, beginning to rearrange themselves, forming a bit more of a path for them, pulling branches aside and everything. Those were the trees she'd mentioned approaching carefully, on account of them having a more empathic nature... which probably explained them parting now, in the dreamscape; she would expect them to be able to figure out that she wanted to leave, so this was how they'd behave for her.
"Were they real... I'd say that this might serve as an introduction enough, honestly."
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Off through the forest she led them, the trees smallish close to her castle, but quickly growing in size as they went, showing their age in both individual height and girth, and in how many of them had grown together into one organism; it was not a mere handful that looked as though they had started out as several individual trees that were collaborating to form something bigger, something that looked distinctly older, their bark having smoothed together into a single surface despite their form suggesting multiple trunks leaning against one another, and roots following suit. Those were taller, as well, though size aside, they seemed not to be any different from the smaller ones. They still had the little black polished eyes on their trunks. Several had fruits, including those black spherical berries Mallia was so fond of, hanging from their branches, and even lowered them quite obviously, in a silent offer to the two as they drew nearer. The forest wasn't just alive, it was demonstrably aware... and friendly.
Absently, she reached up to one of the lowered branches, hand out... and a few of the big berries dropped right into her hand, prompting more of a smile from her. She gave the tree a nod in thanks, and put one in her mouth, offering the others to Rren.