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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The miniature village just outside the castle was occupied by a few beings after all. A common gray chicken wandered out from one of the paths, making annoyed sounds to itself, and was shortly followed out by a small humanoid creature. A little under two feet high, not particularly attractive by human standards -- rather on the ugly side, in fact, but not in a wholly repulsive way, something like a primate version of a pug or mole -- and dressed in primitive rags of some sort, but clearly dressed, all the same, it paused in chasing after the chicken with an outstretched hand, trying to pet it, and looked between the domestic fowl and the two new little creatures it'd found.

Oh no, now it had a decision to make! Does it continue to try petting the unimpressed gray bird, or investigate the new bird and ~~featherless bird~~ little dragon?

The goblin made a sound to itself, eyes wide for a moment as it tried to figure this out, put its hand up to its mouth to briefly play with its lower lip in a gesture not too much unlike what Mallia was in the habit of doing, not that either of these two would recognize as much... and then after a brief pause, it turned its attention to the little hawk and dragon, stepping slowly toward them before crouching down and extending its hand slowly toward them. It made a few quiet little kissing sounds, as one sometimes did, when dealing with animals....

This wasn't a hostile creature, at least. Something more like a toddler, perhaps, though it looked like whatever it was, it was a fully-grown specimen of its kind.

In looking for ways to avoid all this, though, Kaylin would probably do well to not look too hard into the environment: the tingle of natural magic was everywhere, though it was hard to pinpoint one source for it. Several ley lines ran through the castle, in addition to some sort of wellspring of it that ran deeper below them.... And a note of it being used was coming from the garden, off to one side of the castle. Someone was off that way, though it wasn't obvious who just yet.

"Okay, you're right," Kaylin muttered to the dragon. "It is demeaning. And painful. What the actual happinesses?"

The dragon creature made a hissing noise that seemed... almost... amused. And it looked smug.

The little goblin hesitated, tilting its head a little as the bird spoke up, but was apparently unable to follow whatever it was they were saying. It made another little kissy-sound to them, and waddled, still crouched, to get closer, trying again to reach out a hand and gently pet whichever of them was closest.

On the plus side: still not being hostile, just acting a little childish, a little less than perfectly well-coordinated. Just looking to give a few gentle strokes on the back of their head and neck, still making little sounds to them.

Either someone's errant and definitely not human child had wandered off to play with what animals it could find, or this was someone's half-intelligent pet. Given that the little village of mud huts nearby looked like it actually fit the creature, and that the far, far bigger dark castle nearby definitely did not, one could guess that it was something like the latter, one of a population of small upright probably-tame beasts, that belonged to whoever's castle that was....

"Look, whatever the actual happinesses you are," the Hawk snapped, falling on the adult but not bright edge of the coin. Of course if she learned later this was some sort of child, she was going to hate herself for, oh, forever. But if she allowed the precedent that size decided it, the Norinaar would all consider her a child. If it was intelligence...

She cut that thought off sharply. It did not lead flattering places. And if she had more or less come to terms with how the immortals in her short grubby mortal life saw her, she sure as happiness did not need it inside her own ocean walled head. Unless those immortals came with it. Might almost be worth it in one or two cases.

The small glass dragon whacked the Hawk in the face with a wing, bringing her attention back to present. She snarled what should have been a swear word, but wasn't. But it did sound oddly... feline... to be coming out of a bird.

She focused on the goblin again after a moment. "Is there anyone here who speaks Elantran?" she asked. And hoped the answer to that was yes... And Leontine was a no. Getting caught out swearing in Leontine wasn't embarrassing. Usually. Failing at cursing, however...

The little creature tilted its head, making a curious sound at the two, eyeing the hawk again for the continued sounds she was making. Words, yes? Yes. It could make words too, see? "Ah? ....Num num?"

It reached into a sort of crude bag hanging discreetly at its hip, blending in with the raggedy cloth it wore, and came back with a handful of berries. They looked... edible, at least? They weren't especially squished, either. It held them out to the two. Maybe these new littler friends were hungry?

Okay, yeah, this creature wasn't exactly the brightest. Or was perhaps just ignorant, clearly not understanding what sorts of things a hawk and a small dragon might potentially want to eat... but it was trying!

Fortunately, the fruit offering wasn't the only thing the two could turn their attention to; there was a cry from a ways away, from... just inside the castle's doors? It sounded like another of these goblins. And another chicken, because of course there was another chicken involved. The bird hurried out the doors and took off into the little footroads between the huts, making sounds to itself, and then another voice came from inside the castle, one that definitely wasn't one of these creatures, but perhaps a more intelligent person. A lady, if one had to guess. She sounded to be asking the other goblin, the one still inside around the corner, if it was all right, and getting rather ineloquent replies: Owwie and uh huh being among the most comprehensible tidbits. But though the sound didn't carry well at that low volume, it was at least clear enough that whoever the newcomer to the scene was, they were using a lot more developed a language than the goblin here was. Tone said they were trying to get the goblin to calm down, which... explained the softness, too, really....

So, time to ignore the generous offer of small fruits, and go the last couple of yards to the still-somewhat-open front doors?

"Oh happinesses, they're kids aren't they?" she grumbled, but her tone softened. She glanced at the small glass dragon. "Think those are safe to eat?"

His squawk didn't need words to convey you are a moron.

The Hawk glared but inched forward and very carefully took one berry. Look, this was apparently a child and at the moment she lacked the hands and arms needed to lift him - she was going with him until she had reason to think otherwise because a child was never an it to Kaylin - and throw him in the air till he tired of the game. But ocean wall it, she wished she...

Nope. No more wishing. For all she knew that was how the actually happinesses she had gotten into this mess.

The small dragon batted her upside the hawky head with a wing.

"HOPE!" she snapped. "Quit it!"

The little goblin was slowly reaching again to try giving the little hawk's head a gentle pet when she came near, only to pull back again, eyes wide, when the dragon smacked her. "Noooo, jenno! Jenno!" Apparently, gentle was a little beyond this one's pronunciation abilities at current. One little hand was put forward again to go right between the two, now that they were close enough to feed them. Still no sudden movements, but not quite forcibly separating the two to keep them from getting physical with one another was apparently next on the list.

Meanwhile, the lady's voice got clearer as she stepped out the doors with the other goblin that'd been heard. She was following them out, amused as they paused to look around and then headed for the trio, whatever their upset had been now forgotten with this new distraction. "Oh, what's this?"

"Jenno!" The goblin currently crouched down to interact with them looked back up at her, as if saying that cleared anything up.

"Yes, I can see that you're being gentle. Thank you, that's very good of you." Mallia stepped over, watching with some amusement as the second goblin crouched down near Hope, slowing down in how it moved as it did, and stuck a hand out, making little kissy-sounds. "Looks like you've found some new friends...?" And then she crouched down as well, not even hesitating to join them, though it would logically mean that her skirt's lower front would be covered in dirt by the time she got back up. Or at least, it would if everything were as it seemed....

Well, she was here now, and she was clearly not the same species as these two smaller creatures. But she was speaking perfectly intelligibly... maybe it was worth questioning her?

Hope hissed at the goblin who scolded him, and hissed again at the kissy sounds.

Kaylin, however went from trying to figure out how to save the child from Hope to being so glad there was an adult present. Even if the adult did look vaguely Barranian. To be safe, Kaylin slid into High Barrani. "I am thankful that you are here. My companion is..." Of ocean wall it. She slid back into Elantran. "Look it would be bad if Hope bit or breathed on the children and I can't ocean walled stop him at this ocean walled size. Ocean wall it all!"

Mallia blinked at her a few times and then after a second, closed her mouth. She looked back to the little goblins, and then pointed over to that first chicken that'd come wandering back over on its hunt for bugs to eat. "Look, it's a chicken," she told them. "Go see if it wants pets? Pet the chicken?"

Well, it worked. The two, attention now diverted to the bigger bird and encouraged, got up to go do exactly as urged, leaving the other three alone. The chicken, for its part, didn't look to actually mind, so long as it could continue going after the grasshopper it had discovered.

The goblins removed from the situation, she looked back to the two still on the ground near her. "I suppose I ought not be so surprised that you can speak," she said, more to herself than to either of them. If they were listening past the translations that seemed to happen on their own... it was definitely not any sort of Barranian or Elantran language she was speaking. "But the fact that I am says something, I think." She settled down more to sit there, looking them over more carefully. A little more hesitant, "The little beastie wasn't too rough, I hope...?"

Look, just because she'd come in on the one insisting on gentleness didn't mean that clumsiness wasn't also on the table. And with their size differences, sometimes that accounted for a fair bit....

"He's a child," Kaylin said, shrugging her wings awkwardly.

Hope squawked loudly, but Mallia would get what he was saying a long winded request for her to accept their presence, a long offer of what he would restrain about himself to not harm her space, an apology for their presence without permission. And a warning that Kaylin was his and he would not allow her to come to harm. Nothing that she could repeat word for word, but the intents were there and clear. And suggested that he was so much more than the small form he now presented.

"I see, I see," she said, solemnly enough, eyeing Hope. A little pause, and she looked between the two. "I don't suppose either of you would prefer to ride, rather than walk, given the size discrepancies here?" She leaned forward a little more, resting on her elbows, on her knees. Apparently, this was nothing like any sort of very formal meeting, as far as she was concerned. She was relaxed, smiling to them....

"I could show you about my home, if you'd like... or would you prefer refreshments? A spot to rest? I rather get the impression you're not from near here...."

"Don't tell me you understood him," she grumbled.

Hope squawked. There didn't seem to be words this time.

"Food would be good, if I can even eat in this ocean walled form."

"Well... what would you like? If I'm familiar with it...."

If Kaylin was sensitive to magic within the dream, she'd probably pick up on its use then, as Mallia turned her hand over and opened it, letting out the little black cloth she hadn't just been holding... except it looked almost as though she had? She took it, opened it up, set it down... and as she did, it looked as though it had been closed around an assortment of foods. Fresh berries like the little goblin had offered, a small bread roll that'd been sliced in half to reveal the soft, vaguely steaming pale goodness within... a couple different cookies, some sliced bits of cheeses, some little coin-sized things that had to be tiny pies, with fruits inside, or something vaguely resembling yellow meringue - a whipped quiche? -- and even some smaller bread rolls, turned into bowls for some sort of stew or soup or whatever those were... a miniature feast with far more of a spread than the cloth should've been able to wrap around, to say nothing of fitting in her palm a moment before. There was simply no way.

But, magic or not, it certainly smelled real enough....

The marks on her wings started to glow and she grumbled something that sounded like cursing in tone, though the words didn't match. They sounded random at best. But she did lean closer to the food.

Hope squawked. It sounded amused.

That reaction got a bit of a frown.

"...Are you all right?"

"I... have a bit of an allergy to magic," she muttered. "Though your sort of magic doesn't usually trigg..."

Hope squawked, sounding half mocking, half smug.

The hawk blinked several times, then looked at Mallia. "Are you sure...?" she sounded so doubtful.

Hope Squawked again, absolutely smug this time.

"...Pardon?" She looked between the two, confused. What was this about? An allergy to magic? How would that even be possible?

"Which part?" Kaylin asked. She could never tell when people could or could not understand Hope.

She looked to eye Hope. "...All of it, this time." How very, very odd, how this place worked... or didn't, as the case may have been.

She took a deep breath. "Living building magic usually doesn't bother me. Except portals."

"'Living building magic'? How would you define that?"

As phrased, she wasn't certain at all.

"Like how living buildings are basically gods in their own domain and can do things like creating food and stuff..." Someone was conveniently forgetting that a year or so ago she'd never met one either. Living with Helen, visiting Tara... made it hard to remember.

"I... can see how that description could possibly fit," she admitted, tilting her head a little, "But I can assure you, my castle is made of very real stone, all the same. It's just me that has magic, in my home. Well, and the ents. ...And usually also my visitors...."

Hmm, maybe that was a bit of a list, come to think of it?

"But it bothers you here? ...What... other kinds of magic do you suppose there are, that would bother you, if conjuration often doesn't?"

"Well... Portals always do. And most inimical magic. And... wait. The power to conjure food from nothing is part of you and you're not a building..." She switched to a growling language that a human throat probably shouldn't be able to replicate without pain. She had a human throat. But it was worth the pain to speak Leontine most of the time, it had the best swear words. Of course what she actually said was "kittens!" which... was not what she was trying to say.

The look of disgust on her face made that plain. Ugh, Graylin wouldn't stop laughing for a week if she heard this pathetic attempt at Leontine.

"Look, just how the actual happinesses does that happen? Happinesses! OCEAN WALL IT ALL TO HAPPINESS!"

She simply watched for a moment, confused, as Kaylin carried on.

"....I'm afraid I don't follow...."

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

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