Dreams

[water_wine_wizard]

Somethings never quite change.

It's a busy city street. A mixture of the urbanized City and then something a bit more fantastical and older. Electric lights mixing with globes hanging from lamps. Carriages are being drawn by horned horses. Not unicorns, even though they could be called unicorns, but horses. They've got Appaloosa spots on their sides and a few more spiky bits than should be comfortable on a horse. Dream logic says so.

To the left, it's always to the left no matter what way a person turns, is a tall black building - a temple - taking up almost a city block in the shape of a stepped pyramid. The black stone is almost like obsidian except despite the sunlight it doesn't shine. Two black stone griffins guard the entrance making people walk past them and feel judged.

"You can't go anywhere." This is from a curly red haired young man, the same age as Laruna. He wears a scowl and is shuffling cards.

He flicks one out at her. The seven of bones.

"I can go if I want to," Laruna says, crossing her arms.

"Where would you go?" the boy asks her, flicking another card. The Fool.

"Anywhere. Elsewhere." She spins in a tattered multicolored dress, motley.

"They'll kill you."

"They won't."

"You'll be an experiment."

"I won't," she assures him. "I'll fly."

A gateway opens up in the square. Are we in a square of the City now? I guess so. It opens up in front of the temple, Laruna and the young man.

Fog rolls through it. It's just this black scratching hole that smells of damp forests and candy, of dark ice and frozen sunshine. She laughs. "Don't worry."

She reaches out a hand to someone. Anyone. "Come with me?"


[[OOC: Go with her?]]

Comments

[unflagging]

[And guess who's there to take that offered hand: this handsome stranger, who just happens to be standing nearby.]

Where are we going?

[water_wine_wizard]

Nowhere good.

[That's from the red haired boy. He flicks through some cards but doesn't show them. Instead his hazel eyes narrow suspiciously.]

[Laruna laughs.] I don't know. Don't listen to him. He's a prat.

[unflagging]

[How he does hope The Magician, Death, and The Tower turn up in those shuffling cards. Mayhap The Chariot, but not for him. In the same way that Death was not for another. Nor will it be for him now or ever. Wither wander thou?

He smiles at her.]

Never. I wouldn't listen to him at all.

[water_wine_wizard]

[It's not quite the same deck as the one Flagg's used to. It has five suits and not four for starters. The Fae shows up in Jono's (for that's his name) hands next and he turns it around curiously, looking at him.]

Good. He's trying to be sensible. I'm tried of sensible.

[She takes Flagg's hand.]

[unflagging]

[As one who has wandered in many times and places and made modifications to a deck all of his own, that there would be unexpected cards is not wholly unexpected.

He smiles and squeezes her hand. And does his hand seem too warm? Too cold? It might seem both or either or neither.]

Lead on, my lady.

[water_wine_wizard]

Don't make me follow you. [Jono dislikes the guy a lot.]

You don't have to follow me at all.

[If she senses anything wrong with the hand, it doesn't show. Instead she runs for the gateway, tugging him along.

It burns going through, like getting scratched with fine fingers of fire. The other side is a land of ice. In the distance is a tall crooked tower - perhaps one like on a card - but this one is intact. In the sky two moons gleam down like mismatched eyes. One silver, one gold. ]

[unflagging]

[Ah, doors. Such splendid things for going and coming. Such marvelous things. So delightful to find them. Even better to go through them.

He stands close to her, grinning.]

It's pretty.

[water_wine_wizard]

It is.

I wonder where we are.

Well. We're still at home. The moons are the same.

[She points up.]

[unflagging]

Well, that settles that much of the "where" question, right? So then we just have to get more specific on "where" and maybe answer "when." How's that sound?

[water_wine_wizard]

You shouldn't go up there. At least if you value not being a small squishy object.

[Oh. Hell. He's back. Jono's standing up there.]

And what do you know about it?

[She huffs at him.]

Everything. Which is why I'm saying you shouldn't go.

[In response, she lobs a snowball at him.]

[unflagging]

Now, now, children. No need to argue. No need to fight.

Why should we not go see that tower there in yonder distance?

[water_wine_wizard]

I'm assuming [Jono says with the dryness of a desert] That you enjoy your present forms and lives. If you don't then by all means, visit the tower.

[unflagging]

[He only grins.]

[water_wine_wizard]

[Jono rolls his eyes before picking up a card and looking at it.]

Come on. Let's go.

[She starts walking towards the tower.]

[unflagging]

Are we taking him [he jabs his thumb over his shoulder at their hanger-on] with us?

[water_wine_wizard]

I'm not taking him. I can't stop him from following though.

[unflagging]

Well, then. He's on his own, if he's following us. It matters precious little to me.

But if he's going to follow us, then we're going to have to go. Otherwise, we'll all just stand here, won't we?

[And he starts walking.]

Aren't you coming?