Once upon a dream... (4th Wall Event/TDM Combo platter)

[missrecalled_mods]

[((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.

Comments

Skisan | Star Trek OC | OTA

[logic_in_unity]

Perhaps to one who had never entered a shared mental state, this place would have seemed off-putting. But for a trained Vulcan who had only recently undergone a mind-meld, it did little more than raise an eyebrow. Some bits and pieces he contributed might have similarities to a certain young Romulan, if someone encountered both of them. There was in fact, one piece the exact same. A verdant world with a lavender sky a brief glimpse of two suns overhead, and a settlement under construction. Where his varied, however, were the pieces of a simple enough building like something between a hospital and a monastery set in a harsh desert, and then a busy futuristic city laid out like a maze with signs of a tremendous disparity of wealth.

Skisan's image of himself was exactly as he was. Maintaining that image was a necessity, particularly for a race that could link minds, as someone else could warp that image with intent or without, if one was uncertain. He stood 6' tall, which while not abnormal for a Vulcan, came out somewhat taller than average compared to humans. If one knew much about Vulcans, some aspects of his appearance might come as a surprise. Rather than the traditional straight haircut, thick curls framed his face and he had a level of scruff which most Vulcans would never have permitted. Outside of that he had deep blue eyes and while he did not possess the most pale of skin-tones, it was certainly light enough that the green undertones were readily visible. He wore simple robes with embroidery along multiple borders.

While he had little beyond both of them being vulcanoids physically in common with his ward, those who knew Æn'kae might pick up a sense of familiarity, subtle, but there. Just little pieces of mannerisms. And it would get even more pronounced when he spoke as there were similarities in tone and accent both.

He might have tried to wake if he had not been curious in regards to this shared mental state, and perhaps upon failing he might have had some cause for concern, but as it was that had not yet come up. He also did not try to reshape the world around him, but rather. Observed. What he contributed and what he did not at all recognize both. He wished to discover what had caused this shared state that was not a mind-meld, and, perhaps, to learn of others who had been brought in. He raised an eyebrow as he stepped forward and the ground shifted in the process to something entirely unknown. "Curious," he murmured.

Re: Skisan | Star Trek OC | OTA

[nobodys_puppet]

The small figure hadn't noticed him until he spoke, at which point she gave a small start and tried to hide against the wall she'd been pressed against. She was no taller than a toddler, wearing her long black coat, but her hood was pulled back, and instead of a head she had a round mirror with a crack running through it. Her neck and the little bit of skin that showed above her zipper showed her usual flesh tone, but riddled through with cracks. She held her Keyblade in one hand and an ice cream in her other hand.

The worst of it, perhaps, was that she was partially translucent.

Of course at the moment she was torn between terrified of disappearing and wishing she could be invisible. Her fear was so strong that it was almost an additional presence.

[logic_in_unity]

Skisan took her appearance in, making note of all of it. In a mindscape these sorts of things were normal, regardless of how her species might have appeared normally. He held no doubt that the toy(?) and food item she held had just as much significance as all of the features. Even if he'd had the control over emotions that a Vulcan should, he would have picked up her fear in this place. But as he had not fully regained that control, he was acutely aware of it and knew he needed to proceed with care. Now, he didn't know her age and given her size, he opted to pick words with care as he didn't want to confuse her without even helping.

"Peace, I intend no harm," he said, tone soft. It was certainly flat, not precisely soothing, but rather even. But that very lack of tone may just be of aid.

[nobodys_puppet]

She actually gave a small whimper. She reached up to pull her hood up, but her hands were full. So she couldn't. She hunched in on herself. She was terrified to speak, but didn't know what else to do, as the sky above them shifted to match the one in the World That Never Was, even as the patch of ground under one of her boots became a sunset kissed stone ledge.

[logic_in_unity]

These shifts told him, in no uncertain terms, how much strength her memories held for her. He did not move forward, but slowly raised his hands to make it clear he held nothing. It was meaningless here as one could just as easily manifest an item with their hands out as hidden. But he had observed that many species still found it showed intent well enough. "May I inquire where you were before entering this dreamscape?" Perhaps it would provide some answers, as he certainly doubted she had been on Ah'rak.

[nobodys_puppet]

Did she really have to answer? She looked for an escape, not that there was any visible evidence of that since she had a rounded cracked mirror rather than a head. She didn't see a way to escape. Her answer was reluctant and a whisper. "T...the Isle...."

[logic_in_unity]

He arched an eyebrow upwards. "Curious. I am unfamiliar with this place," he admitted. Certainly it could just be a part of another planet he wasn't familiar with, but that only raised its own questions. Namely, what had caused a shared dream-state amongst strangers across multiple worlds?

[nobodys_puppet]

She gave a small shrug, looking around again for an escape. She gasped catching the sight of the sky that had once been outside her window. She shrunk away from it, pulling her Keyblade close to her chest. Defensively.

[logic_in_unity]

While Skisan had only been observing up until this point, there was no logic and a great deal of cruelty in just leaving the girl in panic. So he closed his eyes for a moment and focused. Willing the sky to shift to the soft purple hues found on Mol'Rihan. It was entirely likely she'd shift them back, as he had more control of what he brought with him than others, but if he could demonstrate that they could be changed even briefly, perhaps it would aid with that.

When he opened his eyes he looked back to the sky and then to her. "I am uncertain what place you pictured, but you are not there right now. This is more akin to a shared dream than a physical location."

[nobodys_puppet]

"A.... nightmare? I'm... alseep?" That helped, some.

[logic_in_unity]

He arched an eyebrow upwards. "We are all asleep, yes. I would note that knowing this, together we can avoid allowing it to become a nightmare." At least more than it already had been for her.

[nobodys_puppet]

"Dreams.... together....?" She was so confused. And now differently scared. But at least it was less sharp.

[logic_in_unity]

Curious. It seemed as though this was an occurrence she did not know was possible. Which only deepened the mystery here. He was very much intrigued in getting to the bottom of it. "It is not a common occurrence. And I will acknowledge I am uncertain as to the cause of this one, but it is not impossible."

[under_the_raptors_wings]

(OOC: Look I know it's just me back and forth, but I had these two in one place and they had some issues to resolve. Cut for length.)

---

The more Æn'kae explored, the more the memories milled about. He still did not know where he was, or why. This place pulled from his memories, certainly, the same three familiar places, the old warbird, Mol'Rihan, and the ballroom with the Epohhir. But it also existed on its own, as most of his time was spent in a featureless plain except for silken draperies. And, sometimes he caught glimpses of places he didn't recognize, entered briefly into spaces created from someone else's memories.

But then he saw signs of a grimy city with neon lights and paused mid-step, staring at the writing on the sign to one side of him. Those. Those were properly shaped Rihan characters, not the strange Standard ones he'd gotten used to. "Jolan'tru?!" he called out. Looking for signs of an actual person, of the source of this place. He had no memories of Ch'Rihan, but this had to be a city from there. It had to be. He started running, picking up speed as he looked around each corner. The whole place was laid out like a maze. And had he run down this alley already?

Skisan had almost ventured forth when he heard the voice call out in Rihan. This was hardly out of place in two of the places he'd brought with him, and would not have been cause to turn on its own. Even if he had not yet encountered a person from memory, it was entirely possible that he had brought someone. People often entered the shared mindscapes in a mind-meld for instance, manifested out of one subconscious or another. That the voice was all too familiar only made sense with that in mind.

But there was more to this voice, layers of emotions stronger than he should have felt from his ward, even if the young man were actually present, so he changed direction, to seek him out. "Stay where you are. I will find you, Æn'kae."

Æn'kae skidded to a halt, resting his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. What? "Skisan?"

The buildings between them dissipated, leaving a field from Mol'Rihan, a memory easy for Skisan to change to since both parties contributed to it. He raised an eyebrow as he took in his ward's appearance, concern adding to the lines around his eyes, but not otherwise impacting his features. The young man's image of himself wasn't so different from what Skisan knew, but the subtle changes were concerning. He was younger, perhaps a bit shorter, coming to about Skisan's height rather than taller, but neither of those were any reason for surprise. The lack of the one feature that made it clear he was Rihan at a glance caused concern, but the Tal Shiar uniform very clearly manifested from fear? That part deeply unsettled Skisan.

Æn'kae stared blankly at his old teacher. He had never, ever seen the man with anything but a traditional Vulcan haircut. He hadn't even realized the older Vulcan's hair was curly before this. And on top of that, there were lines he hadn't seen before and, since when would he have a beard shadow? Skisan would never. He stiffened up and took a step back, eyes narrowed. This had to be a trick. Right?

Skisan took in all of that, he hardly could avoid it, the young man was practically screaming his emotions for any telepath to hear. He wouldn't even be surprised if he leaked to non-telepaths on occasion. Which was a level of power Æn'kae had never demonstrated before. All of these things told Skisan that this both was and was not his ward. "This is no trick. I am Skisan, but I am, perhaps, not the Skisan you knew."

... ... Not the Skisan he knew? Æn'kae groaned. Not more alternate reality nonsense. "O-oh." That disappointed him. He'd been so hurt by a realization about Skisan so recently, so why was not getting to see him so disappointing?

Skisan's lips twitched, just slightly, but he kept his expression. "I believe we should speak." He took a moment to focus a little more, low seating from the room where he'd been staying on Vulcan materializing around him.

Æn'kae blinked, taking a seat on the cushion on the floor, almost on autopilot. "You can control this?"

"It is a shared mindscape, my control is limited and someone else's subconscious could easily interfere, but within my own memories, it is simple enough." He raised an eyebrow at Æn'kae. "It is something you could achieve also, with the right training."

While Skisan hadn't intended it as criticism, Æn'kae took it as such, lowering his head and flushing. "Ie. Sorry, sir."

He took a seat, silent for a moment. "As you do not yet have this training, you have no reason to feel remorse that you did not do so. Even with training, if there was no need, would there be any logic behind making changes?"

Æn'kae didn't look up, but he did shake his head no, fidgeting with his hands. "I uh. I would like to get rid of this." He tugged at the harness, aware of the hated uniform suddenly.

"I can assist, but to do so I would require knowledge of why you picture it as part of you." When the boy only flushed, remaining quiet, Skisan continued. "I imagine that it is some part of where our paths diverged. I would ask if I was arrested by the secret police in your reality?"

Æn'kae's head jerked up. "They captured you too?" Concern, fear, pain flooded out and if Skisan had not regained some emotional control that flood would have overwhelmed him.

He still had to pause a moment to collect himself before nodding. "Major Lhihath decided I would be an ideal target to use in propaganda."

Æn'kae chewed his lip. "I uh... I've never heard of him. I was captured by Colonel Hakeev."

Now that was, by the terran phrase, a bomb shell. Neither he nor his ward had even received any note from that particular menace. If he was perhaps a bit more pale, a bit more stiff when he replied, he suspected his ward was too rattled to notice. "You do not need to share more. If he was involved, I understand enough." He offered a hand to Æn'kae who looked surprised for a moment, but then took it.

Skisan was certain not only that he picked up more than his ward intended, but also that his ward picked up thoughts and emotions from him. All of that could wait. What he really focused on was how he saw his ward, sharing that image with his ward, not forcing it, but holding it out in ready reach so that Æn'kae could correct his own mental image using it.

The harness disappeared first, and then the rest of the outfit shifted to the sort of neutral clothes the boy normally wore, and Æn'kae closed his eyes, losing a great deal of tension, just focusing on breathing for a moment.

"You have not told the Skisan of your reality what happened to you." It was a statement, not a question, the two had swapped enough mutual memories to make that clear.

"No, I uh. I haven't spoken with him in years, he went back to Ah'rak after sending me away." He hadn't taken him in as a ward. Hadn't helped him find a home where he could follow his dreams. Hadn't even been honest. And yet. And yet. Staying in Rihan colonies had gotten this Skisan arrested, had done irreparable harm that the older Vuhlkansu hid on the surface but was all too obvious when their minds brushed. Why would he wish that on his own teacher?

Skisan made a choice in that moment. This Æn'kae was so much more lost than the one he knew. And so much of that came down to choices from his double, choices he'd honestly considered himself. He took Æn'kae in a firm hug and held on. Hugs were awkward for Vulcans in the best of circumstances and this was no exception, but that did not change the fact that Æn'kae needed one.

Æn'kae tensed up in surprise and then returned the hug, fingers curling into Skisan's robe as he latched on tightly, desperately.

There was more Skisan wished to say, warnings he wished to give, and perhaps apologies, but those would wait to see if they had time.

Chell here is so very, very confused...

[queen_butterfly]

He hadn't been awake for long... and in all honesty, maybe he still wasn't quite focused again yet. He'd been dimly aware of another's strong presence... and then it was gone. A pause, briefly, and then another had come, one that, unlike the previous, had made an effort to wake him. Perhaps not specifically him, but the trees surrounding. He'd been aware of movement, of activity, and then a sort of stillness, a settling. Another little pause, and he'd finally gotten up to see what was going on. It had been different, had finally broken through his long dormancy....

After climbing out from the twisted trunks of the trees that had held him, he'd wandered about, taking his time, pausing to try looking around him. The world was still indistinct, however familiar the forest had been... and there had been the... what was the word for it? Cloth? If it was that.... He'd shied away from the odddness of it, rested again among the trees for a beat, and then tried again. How he'd ended up at the edge of this place after was anyone's guess; the tangle of forest seemed to have come with him, giving a very odd contrast to the jumbled cityscape.

This figure was humanoid, at least, with features largely in common with so many other species throughout the galaxies. Pointed ears, a little more obvious than Mallia's, still less obvious than the Vulcanoids'. Eyes that were a solid, inky, alien black all through, though the light reflected on them such that it was possible to tell that they were moving about, trying to take in the strange sight. Skin that was... not quite skin? It was light brown, smooth, shiny even, though not solid in color, the grain of wood playing over those features, as though the face were a mask carved by some skilled hand. Sharp contours, high cheekbones and a softly pointed chin. Rather than hair, the edges of the face had darkened to a near black, and a rather artistic sweep of... twigs? It looked to be twigs that reached back, forming almost a sort of crown behind his head, a few small spots of green peeking in here and there, small leaves budding from some of them. It wasn't clothes he wore, but what looked like full platemail armor, its surface likewise nearly black, smooth, similarly bark-like. A few little nubs peeked up from it here and there, and another leaf or two was trying to bud. It looked grown, rather than carved.... The only part of his appearance that seemed like it might've been something else, perhaps cloth, was the cape that hung behind him, from under his pauldrons.

A plant-person? A dryad-knight, arboreal royalty of some sort? He blinked again, absently putting a hand to the tree beside him to steady himself, the bracer on his left forearm seeming to shift a bit, unfolding another layer to it from just under the first. It looked as though, if he were to slide it out further, it might form some sort of shield... but he wasn't, just yet. And though he had said apparently natural shield, he bore nothing that resembled an offensive weapon. No sword, no dagger, no implements of archery, no polearm... not even a sling.

It was the buildings, in all likelihood. Something about them was unsettling to him, and he wasn't certain if he ought to step any closer, practically radiating uncertainty and wariness as he stood there, caught between investigating and retreating....

But he'd been retreated. He'd been retreated for so long, he'd nearly forgotten how to move forward again. He took a deep breath, and another half step into the more artificial-looking place, tense, not yet letting go of the tree....

Where was this? What was this?

[logic_in_unity]

The presence of another interrupted Skisan's plan to exit the mix of his own memories. He turned, and headed for the edge of the cityscape. Once in sight of the newcomer he had to pause and take him in. Given the setting this could easily be someone's perception of themself. Or they could simply be a species he was unfamiliar with.

"If it would aid you, I can recall another place?" He offered before continuing his approach. Already some of the more distant buildings faded, replaced by patches of the desert of Vulcan or the strange trees of Mol'Rihan. He made sure to keep enough control of the mental image to avoid any abrupt changes, however, not wishing to startle the stranger.

He gave a nod that came close to a half bow in greeting. "I am Skisan, and while I am uncertain what brought us here, this is a dreamscape, of sorts."

[queen_butterfly]

The tree-person's attention had been on trying to make sense of the artificial parts of the scene around him at first, so he'd missed the Vulcan's approach, until he spoke up. He turned his head quickly enough to see him once he did, tensing a little on reflex... but that reaction didn't last. Judging by how quickly he relaxed again, having glanced him over and then taken a better look at his face -- and ears, though that detail might've been harder to discern, given the uniform blackness of the newcomer's eyes -- it was hard to tell if it was something about Skisan physically, or simply in his behavior and speech, that was putting him at ease... but it was.

The newcomer returned his gesture, that semi-bow, smiling faintly. "I'm...."

A pause, hesitating. The look on his face said it wasn't an issue of distrust, but a lack of knowing what to say, of having to think about it first. "...I...."

He frowned a little, looking down as he thought. Curse that lack of focus, it was right there, if only he could-- ...wait, was it right there? He thought he knew. It should've been reflexive, to answer here, to introduce himself, so why...?

Quieter, "I think... I was asleep...."

He tried to remember what he could; it was clear even to someone with zero telepathic skill that he was having difficulty doing so. But there must've been something at least half dredged back up there; as absent a move as it looked to be, perhaps even unconscious on his part, he brought a hand up to feel over part of one of the layers of his... chestplates...? There was a subtle little ridge there, a too-even hint of a change in the way the surface reflected the light... assuming that part of him was wooden, as it appeared to be... had he been injured somehow? Because if so, that was a very artificial-looking bit of evidence of it, as straight a change in shape as it was. A weapon's work, surely. Or more charitably, an accident with a blade?

"How long was I asleep?" He turned his head, asking not Skisan, but of all things, the tree beside him. A very brief pause, and then, frowning more, "Oh. ...No, that can't be right...?" He sighed, shaking his head, still confused. Whatever answer he'd gotten, he didn't look to be satisfied with it, but looked back at Skisan. "...For a long time."

[logic_in_unity]

Skisan waited patiently, staying quiet as the stranger worked out his answers. It did not strike him that he was coming up with stories, but rather, that he was trying to work out the current situation. He did not miss the irony of coming out of whatever lengthy sleep he'd been in (something more akin to a deep hibernation than the typical sense of the word, if he had deduced correctly) only to enter a shared dreamscape with strangers.

Really, it meant it made some degree of sense that this stranger would end up part of it, though what brought Skisan himself? That was still a mystery. "I do not know much about your people, so I am uncertain what is the norm for you. But if you are amenable to the idea, I will keep you company and explore?" He recognized that perhaps given his confusion, this being would not want to end up alone just at the present.

He paused then, considering. "I have been in a shared mindscape on many occasions before this, but I cannot say I have accidentally come into one before, so my only guess is something brought me here. Are occurrences like this among the norm for your people, or is this an oddity for you also?"

[queen_butterfly]

He wasn't all that focused yet, that much was very clear... but he was trying to work on that, raising his hand again to rub an eye and taking a deeper breath that wasn't quite a yawn as he took another small step forward, nodding a little to the question of company. One of the trees behind him picked itself up, proving to have less of a root system hiding underground than one might have suspected, and one that seemed to function more as limbs with which to be mobile instead, and stepped after him quietly while he wasn't looking. It didn't seem to be a threat of any kind, at least, given that these trees seemed to be part of this newcomer's entourage of sorts... more like a pet following its caretaker, perhaps?

"Trees don't dream," he said quietly, still considering what to say. "But they do share. And I can share with them...." He looked back to Skisan, expression still puzzled. Hibernation might well have been an accurate guess; he was plenty calm about all this, despite clearly not understanding what he was trying to figure out here, and not quite catching on just yet to some of the other things that, really, might've tipped him off that he wasn't interpreting things correctly here. "Can you also share...?"

[logic_in_unity]

Skisan raised an eyebrow at the trees moving, but didn't question it. Even without this being a dreamscape, there were so many possible species out there. His focus mostly remained on the stranger. His best guess was that they were referring to telepathy. "I have limited telepathy, yes. Not enough to instigate a shared dream with strangers, however. So I am certain there is another force at work."

[elvendryad]

Another pause as he considered it, frowning faintly as he did, and eyed one of his trees for a little pause.

"...Unicorns...?" A glance to Skisan, still considering it. "....No.... No, they mostly see into others... they don't talk much." A small sigh, frowning more, still trying to puzzle this out, even as unfocused as he still was. He put a hand up to rub his eyes in a way that suggested either that his biology was far more mundane in some of the ways that it worked than its appearance would suggest, or that he was actually a more conventional, less plant-based species in the waking world after all. That, or it was simply proof that ending up with tiny bits of annoyance in the inner corners of one's eyes after sleeping was just one of those seemingly universal experiences.

"But I haven't seen them for...." Another pause, frowning more. "....For....."

He glanced aside at one of the trees that'd come up to join him, looking entirely unsurprised by its approach... maybe if he included it in the conversation, it'd volunteer him some answers somehow? But if Skisan were listening himself, it didn't seem as though the trees were truly there, assuming they had compatible minds in the first place. This odd figure had suggested that they did, with how he'd spoken of them and sharing, but... these were probably dream-figments, rather than also-present dreamers themselves. "They stopped visiting.... and then someone else came to stay...."

Another pause. "I think I knew her... but.... Mmh....." Nope, not yet awake enough to pull up specifics. Maybe if he had coffee. Then again, he probably didn't actually know about coffee yet.

He looked back down again, rubbing over that thin scar, and brought up his other arm to check it over next. Did those plates slide out after all? ...Yes, and into a nice shield of sorts... with more of those thin scars, on closer inspection. He'd definitely been in a serious altercation before ending up in some sort of suspended state, and had healed -- or been healed? -- while he was out. And it had been a good job of it, too, though not entirely without evidence afterward....

"....I don't feel her nearby...."

[logic_in_unity]

"I suspect, whatever brought us here, is outside either of our experience," he paused, quietly considering the options he was familiar with. There were species that could do this, or could pull them physically to another place with dream elements, but he had no motive he could consider. Which meant that likely, the only way to learn what was happening was to explore. But to do that, might need helping this person come to alertness a little bit more.

"I am unfamiliar with your species or with those you reference. Which leads me to the question, have you met a Vulcan or Romulan before or do I look like another people you are familiar with?" Was there another vulcanoid race out there? In interacting with Romulan historians, he had learned that some ships had been lost during the Hwæl, so it was theoretically possible. Some had even been pulled into blackholes, and while odds were that those had been destroyed, there was some slim chance they had been pulled to another time or reality instead.

[elvendryad]

"A... what?" Blink, blink. He looked back up to Skisan again, still puzzled over this. "I think.... I'm the different one." He frowned a little more, holding up his arm to show that shield of his, and made it fold back up into his forearm again. "I wanted this." He sounded a little unsure, though; that memory was from forever ago. "...So I have it. And...."

Still hesitant, curious about something, he held up his other arm, looking it over... definitely no weaponry there, nor even a second shield. But he opened and closed his fist a few times, looking more toward his elbow as he did, and then with what looked like deliberate direction to do so on his part, that section of his armor -- of his arm, as it was quickly evident -- split open lengthwise, revealing a polished stone that he reached in to mess with a little, frowning further in thought. He didn't pull it out, but he was clearly investigating it, curious. He opened his hand again, and closed it, but it didn't look like however that worked, it was being hampered any by that spot being open. There was no blood, no bone, only light-colored wood with what looked like a good few long, unbroken, vibrantly-hued fibers running lengthwise through it, as part of the grain. He tilted his arm; the gem caught the light, but it was too dark inside to see all the way through.

"...I think I did this." So he'd customized himself? Which meant that his original appearance was still a mystery to Skisan. ...Which was apparently what this guy thought was meant, with the question about their species; maybe there really was more of a basis for this confusion than had originally been evident.

[logic_in_unity]

Skisan considered this a while. That the stranger had customized his appearance did not seem to surprise him at all. "That does not change the fact that we are both unfamiliar with each other. I have seen any number of life forms, but not one that can achieve customizations of the sort you have. It also seems to me that you have no familiarity with my own species, Vulcans."

He didn't focus overmuch on watching what the stranger was doing, but on how he reacted to those words. It had not escaped his attention that he had been initially wary and then calmed down after taking in something about Skisan. He had become increasingly convinced this had to do with appearance more than demeanor. Though he did keep his calm and still.

[elvendryad]

"Is that the name?" He shook his head, making his right arm close again around that shiny shape, and looked back up to Skisan again. "We're the same. We're kin. I changed. I'm... like them now. I remember that much." A gesture toward the trees close behind him, and then a slight pause, and he looked more confused, turning to look at them more directly. "...Aren't I? I'm...."

He was still trying to figure this out, but he seemed pretty certain that, somehow, the two of them were somehow alike. The idea that they weren't looked like one he was simply not entertaining seriously; whatever his understanding of this all was, it seemed quite different from the Vulcan's.

"I know I look different. But I'm not." He looked to him again, back to trying to explain, as though Skisan were the one who was confused here, of the two of them. "We're...." A pause again, struggling to figure out how to articulate whatever idea it was he had... but he still wasn't getting anywhere with it.

And then he seemed to think of something else, expression changing a little as it dawned on him. "...Trees can share...." Another brief glance back at the trees and then back to him, and then Skisan would be able to detect what this tree-person was trying to do: share the thought through what seemed to be his own less-developed telepathy. It was very inexpertly done, but it was an attempt anyway, and if the Vulcan wanted to try focusing on it to take it from him, he might be able to make it out....