Event | Landfall | Dreaming

[ironwood]

Characters: Any and every!
Date: August 10th - 31, 2013
Location: The realm of Dreaming as accessed via Sinbrilee
Situation: Dreaming is but one of the three realms and here characters are subject to their fanciful thoughts.
Warnings/Rating: Please place content warnings in subject headers!

Sinbrilee | Dreaming | Death

Life. Dreaming. Death. Three realms overlaid upon one another and yet each distinctly their own. They dwell in Life and do so live upon the back of the great turtle as those of Sinbrilee did upon the shell of his sister. However, there stand numerous arches of marble throughout the ruined city that are inlaid with runes beyond understanding. Those that live and breathe which step through those whose runes glow with faint, iridescent light tread instead into the realm of Dreaming.

Here, there exists no single defining characteristic beyond the visitor's imagination. The landscape sculpts to their individual thoughts, the events to their dreams. From a drab gray nothing to the most brilliant of displays, the senses perceive all that they wish to perceive for all that nothing here truly exists. This far from Tu Vishan, the ability to shape their surroundings is all they have, for Sinbrilee's Dreaming does not have the energy to sustain powers, only the bodies of those that dwell here.

Should two parties near, then the Mesh begins. Dreams, you see, not only can be shared, but they strive to be. These visions sculpted into reality reach out for one another and blend. They begin an exchange akin to a linking of the minds, within which one visitor can learn the other's deepest thoughts. Their limitation is but compatibility, for two minds that cannot flow upon the same current cannot hold the Mesh.

Happiness or loss, the landscape and events play out memories and fancies with a most convincing air. The mood rises and falls with the tide of the visitor's mind, detached as they are from the soothing influence of a great turtle's mind. Nothing here, however, is real; 'constructs' simply fade if taken through the archways and even the greatest scientific minds or tools will reveal nothing of its source. This is an ancient magic of an ancient realm, long practised in concealing itself from any prying.

Note: Due to the fluid and highly individual nature of Dreaming, no official subheaders will be provided in the comments of this post. Feel free to post and thread however you like, so long as the rules of Dreaming are adhered to.

Comments

Mako | cw: should be none for this particular thread...!

[browbeater]

Option 1

They've got a nice place in the city, just a small apartment. There's a woman and her two children. She looks as though she wants nothing more than to finish her list of errands for the day, but instead her children are fighting. Again. And she's focusing her sharp look at the oldest of the two. The younger, chubbier one is crying and pointing his finger at his brother, who looks absolutely aghast.

"Mom, Mako won't let me play with him a-and then he pushed me!" the younger cries between sobs.

"I did not!"

The woman's face instantly drops, and she speaks to the older one. "Mako, stop bullying your brother." Her tone is strict, and obviously exasperated.

"I didn't touch him! I just told him to go away, he can't even do anything cool." He folds his arms, and his face has the most serious of pouts on it.

"Play with him, that's what you're supposed to do as the older brother: provide your little brother a good example."

"Well, I don't wanna."

It's at this point that the younger one, who had shifted to hiding behind his mother's legs, pokes his head out, and then sticks his tongue out at his older brother. Which he notices, and proceeds to whine about loudly.

"Mom! Tell Bolin to stop sticking his tongue out at me!"

"Mako, your brother is four. You need to learn some patience with him, or I need to have a chat with your father..."

"Moooooom!"

Oh, the trials of being the older brother.

Option 2:

There is a young kid with a bright red scarf skulking about this alleyway. He's watching people pass, judging them for what they might have hidden in their pockets. He's gotten some skill at this. There were subtle signs to tell if someone was worth targeting. He looked at accessories before clothing. And then, if they had any sort of groceries, that was an automatic plus.

But just what is he waiting on...

[alphatar]

Since the dreams she had visited seem to center around one of the foreigners, Korra was unable to recognize the woman at all. She peered over her shoulder to see the list when she heard-

“Bolin?” Korra turned and watched the interaction until her eyes fell on Mako. A very young, cute version of the fabulous bending brothers was not what she had been expecting at all.

And then it clicked and Korra practically snapped her neck to look at the woman’s face.

“Your parents…”

[browbeater]

The woman jumps a bit when she realizes Korra is watching them. She gives one final look to Mako, who sullenly stops whining. But with the two of them together, it was easy to tell that Mako very obviously took after his mother-- and her clothes had a redder hue, though nothing you could easily point to as Fire Nation, though it was still fairly obvious. She looked back at Korra now that her kids had stopped fighting for the time being. "Hello, I'm sorry if they were being loud."

The list she'd had read out for various stops for groceries, and for clothing, too. She hadn't even been able to get started yet, with anything except paying her electricity bill. "They're usually better behaved than this..." Though Bolin waved at her from his mother's side, hello pretty lady...

[alphatar]

“Oh no, that’s okay. They’re kids, it’s what they do.” Doing her best not to stare at her, Korra smiled and waggled her fingers at Bolin. Never had she imagined what they looked like when they were younger. In her mind they had always looked like when she first met them.

“And no hello from you?” Korra asked with a smirk when she gave Mako a little wave. Fighting the urge to just pick him up wasn’t easy.

[browbeater]

He stares at her for a moment, before finally muttering, "Hi..." It was hard to be super enthusiastic, when his little brother had gotten him in trouble. Again. But he was at least willing to step towards her, at least one little baby step. His mother seems to have relaxed somewhat, now that they weren't actively fighting.

"They're usually better behaved, but they both woke up on the wrong side of the bed today," she says with a smile. "But it'll be better when my husband meets us." Then he can deal with the fighting.

[alphatar]

"Hi Mako." she said with a smile as she bent over to look at him. Pinching his cheeks was hard to resist, but she managed. She wanted to partially because he was cute, and the other part was because it would be a private joke of her own.

"Oh. Right. Husband, their dad." Korra said as perfectly normal as possible, which came out clumsy anyway.

"Um, if you need a baby sitter, I can do it." Stepping into things she probably shouldn't have meant Korra really was acting the way the Avatar should.

[browbeater]

If this were reality, their mother probably would have regarded the offer with a bit of skepticism-- she'd at least need to get to know the girl before she left her two children to her! But there was something slightly different about this. It was not reality, and more fluid.

Their mother looks a bit taken aback by the offer. "Are you sure?" She places a hand to her chin, thoughtful. Bolin tugged at Korra's pants.

"Excuse me, lady, but I gotta potty."

[alphatar]

“Oh yeah, it’s fine. I have three kids I’m almost always baby sitting, so just having two would be a relief.” Not that Korra had known Tenzin’s kids when they were older teenagers, but it wasn’t a total lie.

When she felt Bolin tug her pants, Korra looked over at Mako. “Mind giving me a hand with your brother? I may not be allowed to go into the bathroom with him.”

And that would just be incredibly awkward for her. She was quite sure she wasn’t ready to handle anything like that of her friends, no matter their age.

[browbeater]

There was some hesitation in Mako, before he looked back at what should have been his mother, but looking back was more of a life sized picture of her. He paused, seeming disappointed, before grabbing his brother's hand. "Quit asking strangers for help, mom'll be mad." He was matter of fact about his criticism, as he pulled him away.

He glanced back at Korra, though his brother looked unwilling to leave. Neither of them seemed to be quite tracking on the change in their mother, who seemed almost frozen in time, if not for an occasional movement, or twitch of her lips.

2!

[dustonmyfeet]

What he's waiting for is a good question -- and one that Toph has in mind as she arrives near his elbow.

"You know, there's probably a lot better ways to be a stalker. Just saying."

[browbeater]

He looks surprised to see her, and the tone of his voice shows all his exasperation.

"I'm not stalking anyone. I'm just looking." He raises an eyebrow, though what he was waiting for catches his eye-- the perfect target. Unaware, and carrying lots of food, as well as a big purse. And he didn't have time to waste. "Find your own alley, this place's claimed."

Meanwhile he was signaling-- someone? But who it is wasn't readily apparent.

[dustonmyfeet]

"Nah, I'm good." Toph leans against the wall on the opposite side, arms slipping into a cross. She's silent for a moment . . . but only a moment. "Question is, if you're 'just looking,' why do you have to claim an alley for it?"

[browbeater]

He rolls his eyes.

He definitely didn't have time to wait, this was a good opportunity, and she probably wouldn't understand. Most kids didn't, and she didn't look like the sort who did. "Because none of your business. Go back to your family."

[dustonmyfeet]

Maybe it's because Toph has never seen an eye roll that she's never learned to be daunted by them.

Or maybe she just doesn't care either way.

"Not here," she replies with a shrug. "Left them behind a long time ago."

In spite of her casualness, it actually means a lot to her . . . but it's not something she's going to give to him.

Pale, sightless eyes rest in his direction. "Do I win in the club yet?"

[browbeater]

"No, not really," he couldn't find it in him to care about how she'd left her parents, not with the level of casualness that she'd displayed about it.

"I'm busy, though."

And with that, he darts off to start trailing the woman...

[dustonmyfeet]

Another smart mouth. . . . She'd give him a little respect for that. With a lift of the shoulders, she trails after him at a reasonable distance. He's not hard to track.

[browbeater]

He isn't paying attention to her, anyway. He's trailing the woman, but once he sees the person he was looking for, he rushes forward, and snags her purse.

The response is immediate. "Hey! Get back here with that!" and then, "Help, my purse! My purse was stolen!"

Just when it seems Toph might have to step in, another kid rushes past, from seemingly no where.

"I'll get your purse back, ma'am!"

#2

[oathwalk]

This particular twelve year old has a gold ring on his right hand, one set with a green gem, and while his clothes are a little English Renaissance, there is no mistaking the material.

On the other hand, he is also carrying a small, child-sized sword.

He looks a little lost, and there's a nervousness in the way he holds that sword.

Re: #2

[browbeater]

Mako had never seen an outfit like that before, and he kind of jumps to consider it-- but he's immediately wonders how much that kid knows about the sword he's carrying. That's not standard in this part of town, and if he knew anything about sword fighting, it immediately made him not a target worth going after.

Maybe he'd take overpriced directions though. It's been awhile since Mako's pulled something like that, but he hadn't seen newbies to the area in awhile.

He approaches him, "You lost, pal?"

[oathwalk]

The boy is alarmed to be approached, and it's obvious even though he gets his fear under control quickly.

Is it all right to admit he's not sure where he is? He isn't sure, and he hesitates a moment. "I just got distracted a moment," he says, quiet, before he remembers that he should always speak clearly and with purpose. "I need to get to the harbour." That's a good, neutral space, isn't it? He could find his way back from there.

[browbeater]

"The harbor?" His voice sounded reasonably unsure, and there was definite a genuine element to that.

This kid was a long, long way from the harbor. And despite his attempts to seem put together and not afraid, Mako could see through that easily. When you don't often have to worry, it's really obvious when something's worrying you. And Mako was assuming this kid was short on nothing except possibly worry. But still, he did have a sword. So perhaps being helpful was the better tack here.

"The harbor's on the other side of town... this place is actually kind of dangerous. How'd you get so lost?"

[oathwalk]

Richard hesitates again, because Richard has abundance even in worries. What if his ignorance and uncertainty reflects poorly on him? Princes shouldn't get lost. Princes shouldn't be scared or uncertain. What if this boy would pretend to be his friend but really just use him? What if the boy would hurt him if he knew who he was? It's safer if he lies. It's safer if he doesn't trust anyone.

So instead of admitting that he has no idea how he ended up here, he says, "I wanted to see more of the city and lost track of where I was going. If you could point me in the direction of the harbour, I won't trouble you any further."

[browbeater]

"Lemme show you. It's kind of convoluted to get there from here," he replies. It's true, at least. He could see a person getting lost if they were actually trying to see more of the city, but the hesitation was enough to clue him in that this story might be just a bit fabricated.

He glances around-- though there's nothing out of the ordinary about how he readjusts his scarf. He just doesn't want it to slip off, if they're going to run. And he figures this kid might want to run before the bigger bullies find him. That was just how it worked over here.

[oathwalk]

"Ah, thank you very much." Richard can't help but be a little wary, but even so, he moves to Mako's side and says, as he was taught to, "I am in your hands."

[browbeater]

He glanced back at him when he heard the comment, a bit of a confused look on his face. If Richard thought he believed his story, he could probably guess with certainty that Mako had figured it out by now. "You don't have to sound so formal, geez."

It was really obvious that he had gotten more than a little lost, he'd gotten very lost from wherever he was supposed to be, and Mako wasn't even sure that included the harbor, either.