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

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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The description made her laugh - a witchy kind of cackle that she couldn't help. "Oh, you don't know the half of it. It's an unstable place that houses unstable people." Here she wanted to leave it be, but the dramatic theater kid in her just couldn't let it go.

Æn'kae arched an eyebrow upwards, amusement crossing her face. "Noted. I uh, don't think you'll have to head that direction anyway. I've found that just walking alters the landscape pretty drastically." As demonstrated by his being here. Of course, on the same vein, it was possible the interior of the place she wanted to avoid might materialize around her, but he didn't want to bring that up and possibly cause it to happen.

He focused back on the chain and gave one attempt to get it to budge, he probably could have tried harder, but he didn't exactly want to slip and hurt her. And then he released them and took a step back. "Maybe the chains will fade when you walk as well?" Worth a shot as he didn't see that he'd have luck even with more effort.

Aaand introductions. Things kept coming up where he forgot that when meeting people. "I uh, I'm Æn'kae, by the way."

Walking alters the nature of the landscape, hm? That did sound like the very nature of dreams - especially if the one in charge was dangerous. She had no proof Nodoff had a hand in this, but then, she had no proof he didn't either. Playing it safe was so boring.

She gave a few tugs on the chains... no dice. She clicked her tongue to her cheek in disappointment - but she wasn't going to blame him. He may not have been wearing chains, but he was as much a prisoner as she was in this place. "Then we might as well get walking. Change rarely happens when you stay still."

Play it cool. Play it calm. Everything was fine.

"Morgana. Morgana McCawber." She introduced herself as she began to walk, expecting him to follow. "I'd ask you what was going on, but judging by that look on your face, you're just as lost as I am in every definition of the word. I don't suppose you've seen a speckle-faced, maniacal imp floating around, have you?"

Æn'kae arched an eyebrow upwards, falling in step and folding his hands behind his back. "No. I can't say I have." A pause. "I also can't say I know what an 'imp' is, but I haven't seen anyone floating at all, so uh." He shrugged. "I suspect whatever this is, it's most likely caused by something magic related gone amiss here than whoever that is though."

"Amiss 'here'?" Morgana took note of that notation. "So you suspect the place is the problem, and not someone behind the scenes?" Ugh, that could be annoying. You couldn't beat up a place into submission. Maybe if her had her tome with her... but "ifs" weren't going to solve things either.

As predicted, the ground was changing underneath their very foot - soft grass turned into creaky wooden floors just like the house they left behind. Morgana was doing all in her power to ignore it, keeping her head level and not even bothering to look down.

Æn'kae "I wouldn't even know where to begin with an explanation. But, ie, a space like this pulling from multiple people's memories at once is well, uh... gotta say that's new."

He wondered if he could deliberately call up some of his own memories to influence the space here? He hadn't tried it yet, but if it could be done subconsciously, nothing seemed to say it was impossible. And it's not like anything he'd seen here yet from his own head had been dangerous. He supposed it was possible that could change, but...

"So we're both equally clueless. Small comfort." Not that she was trying to be bitter at him - it wasn't his fault. Or if it was, he was a spectacular liar.

"The only thing I can be sure of on my end is that it must be a dream... and if that's the case, hopefully it's a simple matter of waking us up. If things finally go my way, I'll be gone from this place in a matter of minutes and just be back in my coffin."

...

"Bed. Back in my bed."

Yes, she slept in a bed, like a normal mortal, she definitely didn't sleep in a coffin like some sort of vampire hybrid, no sir!

Æn'kae's lip quirked upwards in a small smile. She might not be bitter at him, but she could hardly hide that she was bitter. He considered what she actually said then. "A shared dream state then, huh," and now it was his turn to sound bitter and entirely not at her. "That would fit the evidence," but he wasn't happy about getting caught up in something so like a mindmeld at all, much less with strangers.

The word coffin did not quite translate, but he was entirely certain that whatever it meant, bed was not accurate, and whatever it was, it was something she didn't want to admit. And while he didn't plan to pry, he did raise an eyebrow pointedly at her. Hey, if she was going to get better at lying, she should at least know when she'd been caught. And who better to offer this service than a Rihanha.

Good luck there, buddy. If she hadn't told her (sort of?)boyfriend(s?) about what she was, this random guy wasn't going to get those answers. Instead, she pleaded ignorance, trying to pretend she hadn't said anything weird at all.

"Maybe there was some connection to what we were doing before we slept," Morgana said quickly in a desperate attempt to change the subject. "I was working on a new song before I called it quits for the day. You?"

He accepted the subject shift with no note. He hadn't wanted or expected a response to the eyebrow raise. (and wouldn't have known what a vampire was if he'd gotten one.) So when she ignored the expression he shrugged and focused forward again.

He shifted mannerisms back to normal, chewing at his lip. "I was taking care of some," Epohhir? Pets? A magically materialized invasive species? "Rescued wildlife." That seemed like it would need the least context to make it make sense.

"I didn't actually call it quits though. One moment I was taking care of them and the next," He could no longer sense them, indicating that no matter what he saw they were no longer actually there? "The room started picking up aspects from a couple other places. So uh... I must have fallen asleep on my feet." Oh waking up was going to hurt later.

A kind guy taking care of rescued wildlife? Geez, why was she always getting caught up with these goody-goodies? Must have been his bad luck to be paired with her, she thought.

However... what he was saying made little sense - enough so that, despite the floor now forcing them to walk up stairs, her eyes were solely on him. "Hang on. Asleep on your feet? I know what it's like to work for hours on end, but that kind of thing rarely happens. Something way more serious is going on."

He didn't mention feeling itchy or drowsy, so maybe there was no sleep sand involved, which meant no Nodoff... and something much more powerful than him was behind this. Ughhh. What did she do to deserve this?

... Probably best not to think about that answer.

"Either we're here on purpose, or the mistake behind this is WAY bigger than either of us could imagine."

He snorted in a laugh, oh he hadn't meant to. He really hadn't. "I can imagine pretty big," he said, shaking his head. So why did he sounds more resigned to this nonsense than worried? Oh right. Because he was.

"One day I just kind of... ended up where I am now due to a spell gone wrong on this end." He chewed at his lip as he considered. "I don't know what else we can do but keep looking around. If there are others from the place I am now, one of them may have answers. If it's just me... well uh... no idea." Honestly, would even that surprise him?

Now came the question, did the stairs heading upwards mean they were headed to a more dangerous spot from Morgana's memories? If so, should he try to intervene? Or in so doing would he risk pulling one of the dangerous spots from his own memories? Last thing he wanted was to change these rather questionable stairs to a Tal Shiar cell, thank you very much.

Now that got an interested eyebrow raise. So he was familiar with the ways of magic? That could bode well for the both of them. If only she could get her wrists free and have access to her guitar, her magic could flow more freely... but until she knew what to DO with her magic, maybe she was better chained up.

Speaking of things that were meant to be locked away, apparently her memories weren't. They had reached a door with no way to walk around it - no other hallways, and the stairs vanishing behind them. Morgana let out a long groan of annoyance. "Fiiine. But if I see my old man, I'm running right back around and I don't care what happens."

Fortunately, the chains around her ankles were at least long enough for her to be overly dramatic when she wanted to be - which was why she kicked the door open instead of tuning the golden knob.

Inside was the bedroom of a pampered, spoiled princess... that had been ripped to shreds. Fluffy pink pillows were torn apart, a pink rug was now upside down and covered in tears and cobwebs, tattered books were falling off a fallen over bookcase... The walls were adorned with faded posters of Rock Stars - not that her guest would know who any of them were. A pile of scribbled journals full of song lyrics lay in one corner, a broken cage for her familiars in another. All the while, rock music was absolutely blasting from a radio that had seen better days with buttons falling off.

"If we're following the rules of memories, then the only way to leave this place is to leave the way I did in the real world... out the window."

From a room which was several stories up.

Æn'kae was about to comment, to express that there were people he'd bolt from too. But the moment she kicked open the door, the music hit his sensitive ears like a a hammer and he covered them, letting out a hiss. "Sorry, sorry" he mumbled, not even sure she could hear him or if she replied as he tried to get used to the sheer level of sound.

When he recovered enough to lower his hands he took in the tattered affair that was her bedroom. Once again, he was curious, but not enough to ask. It wasn't like she'd wanted a stranger getting glimpses into her personal life.

He went over to look out the window, visibly tense, though more from the music than the drop. "Well uh, I think I'll be okay, but will you with those chains?" He'd help however he could. But he suspected this came down to whether or not she felt she'd be okay.

The reaction to the music got an amused chuckle out of her - she liked her music loud and held no shame about it. In fact, his reaction was much the same as her family whenever they heard rock even at normal listening levels. And the fact that he still refused to ask any questions made him a winner in her book.

"I'll live." She replied without giving a real answer. "And who knows? Maybe the force will wake me up."

In a funny way, this was also reminiscent of the past - when she had desperately jimmied the window open in a desperate attempt to run away, she hadn't cared how she landed either, as long as she got out of there.

She headed for the window, beginning to slide it open. "Just like back then... I've got my guitar on my back, a need to get out, and I'm not doing it alone." Although she had her familiars instead of... whatever this guy was. "So this is right in line with my memories."

"If you had chains in those memories, I have concerns," he mumbled, shaking his head and looking out the window once again.

"So uh... You want me to go first or last?" Which priority was higher to her, having someone below to cushion a fall if she had a mishap, or avoiding being alone in this room full of her memories? That was the only real question he had for her. He didn't fear her memories, he also was confident he wouldn't get hurt if he was crashed into.

At that, Morgana... hesitated. True, he was about the same height, so if things went sour, he'd make a decent landing. Plus he was offering, so he knew the risks, and no one was forcing him to follow her. By all means, she could just use him as a meat shield, and it might even be expected as a villain to do so.

... But.

Dang it.

"I'm the star of this show, so of course I go first."

She couldn't do it. For once, she was glad Darkwing wasn't around - he'd probably use this as some silly justification that she wasn't a villain and deep down she was a hero. Gag.

She began to climb out, holding her head high, ready to jump at moment's notice.

"If this works and I wake up... look me up sometime, I'll get you a VIP pass."

Æn'kae waited until she was out and sat on the window sill, legs hanging out as he leaned against the frame. He remained there for a bit, giving her some time to get ahead. Look, he didn't think he would fall, but he didn't exactly want to crash into her if he did. "If I ever end up wherever it is you're from, I'll keep that in mind. But uh... What's a 'VIP pass'?"

Man, he must have been from the far out boonies to ask that! It earned another chuckle out of her. "Very Important Person. Means you get all access to the band behind the stage. And if all the world's a stage..."

She did an overly theatric bow to the best of her abilities, what with her chained wrists. Nothing could hold back a stage ham.

"Exit, stage left."

With that, she opted for leaning backwards and letting the fall and gravity take her down.

...

...

He should probably check if she was okay before he facepalmed at that. Huh?

He gauged handholds to use to get down quickly and then dropped, gripping each just long enough to slow his momentum or push over to the next. It wasn't quite parkour, and it was certainly less calculated than he'd planned, meaning he scraped his knuckles on the way down, leaving them green and raw. He did quickly look to see what he could of her situation, but he didn't rush over to her. Mostly because if this wasn't actually a shared dream, he wouldn't be able to do much good without his medical equipment. And if it was? Well. She'd be fine.

Fine-ish.

Maybe.

Good news!

Since it was a dream, the fall didn't kill her, and the shared dream aspect merely meant they hopped to another core memory. This time it was the bustling streets of Saint Canard, a modernized city at night, one that still believed in environmental awareness - which meant it had bushes to land in.

Bad news.

Any dignity she might have had has definitely been killed, as when Æn'kae lands, he'll see a familiar pair of legs sticking out of one of those bushes.

She was also probably wishing she had been killed, if the quiet grumblings underneath the leaves was any indication.

It was only years of his life around Vuhlkansu that kept Æn'kae from straight up breaking down laughing. It was that grumbling as much as anything. But oh, he couldn't hold back from a quiet snicker. "Need a hand up?" he asked, the snickering making it into his speech.

While he waited for a response he looked around the city rather than focusing on her. He guessed this was something else from her head. Either that or the two of them had fallen into someone else's memoryscape.

"Only if you swear we never discuss this moment again." Came a grumble from the bushes. Because if he planned on talking about it, she'd rather be stuck there, thanks.

The city itself was, on the surface, nothing too distinct or unique. A bank on one corner, a school on the other, but mainly tall towers just about everywhere. While the sound of cars and police sirens could be heard, nothing actually came across the streets. The night was illuminated by street lamps, and the occasional flicker by an office window by someone working late. There were stars and a full moon, with the latter gleaming more light and the former harder to see. Nothing noteworthy, nothing spectacular - and yet apparently important enough to materialize.

"What moment? I have no idea what you're talking about." He reached down through the bushes so she could grab his hand if she chose. He didn't know her well enough to plan to hold it over her head later. But if he ever actually got to know her? All bets were off.

"This place from you?" He asked curiously. He didn't recognize all the sounds, but he definitely recognized it as a hub of life. Which made the emptiness unnerving. The normally hated most about cities cities was a pressure or... a kind of buzz that gave him a headache. The absence of it was just as strange as the lack of activity.

Morgana didn't answer until she was completely out of the bush - which took a few tugs - and on her feet. She brushed herself down, spat out a few leaves, tossed her hair, and then inhaled and exhaled deeply.

There. Cool, calm and collected again. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Everything was fine.

"Welcome to Saint Canard," She finally said. "My current home... and this is how it probably looks right now in real life, in the dead of night. That's when I like it best."

Because that's when she was comitting crimes, not that he needed to know.

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

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