tushanshu_logs | dream a little dream of me

Characters: Penny and OPEN
Date: End of April to early May
Location: In your dreams~ (but actually)
Situation: Penny can appear in peoples' dreams and is trying to find some baby turtles. In the interim, he'll be stumbling into other peoples' dreams.
Warnings/Rating: Language, violence, possible trauma

Penny was sitting cross-legged on the floor of his bedroom as usual. The magical symbol drawn beneath him anchored him to his room, such that, in wherever he wandered, he could find his way easily home if needed. Dream walking wasn't his main specialty, though he'd done it across worlds before, and he'd already spent weeks working to track down the minds of some turtles, yet here he was again, reaching out, dipping in and out of the dreams of friends and strangers alike, trying not to intrude more than he was welcome.

Zatanna sat not far from him, as usual, ready to awaken him from his astral projecting state if something should go wrong. Or, worst case, to use her own magic as a beacon to help him find his way if the anchor wasn't enough. It was their usual activity. Another night, another series of dreams.

[OOC: If you're interested in your characters' dreams being invaded, feel free to hit up the OOC post here or just post a new thread!]

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They'd been at this for weeks and Penny almost felt bad that the teenage girl spent so many of her nights with him for reasons that were entirely innocent and free from compensation. Which was why it meant all the more when he finally found what they were seeking, finally contacted one of the turtles on some other part of the world.

He awoke with a start, muscles tensing and an arm flying out as he returned to his own body in his room. His attention immediately turned to Zatanna, first to see if he'd hit her and then to give her a smile through his near panting. He took the moment to catch his breath and calm his heart rate.

She'd been sitting nearby in a chair, close enough to keep an eye on him but far enough that the spontaneous flailing missed her with several feet to spare. However, the moment he calmed down, she was up and kneeling beside him. Giving him a good once-over to check for any possible injuries before meeting his gaze.

"You alright? What happened? What did you see?"

Excited as she was, she tried to keep her voice calm and question slow so he would better register them.

He waved her off as she tried to check on him, standing with excitement and half pulling her up to do the same. Penny grabbed both her hands in his and stared straight at her with a big grin on his face. "I fucking did it. That's what happened."

He released her hands and straightened, pacing the small area of the floor near her. "I found one of the turtles. Not the big one, but one of those babies you told me about? Quintet or whatever. I talked to him. Not as dumb as I thought he'd be."

The name didn't ring any immediate bells--for the life of her, she couldn't remember most of their names, and if she had, which Parent would have been associated with them--but the rest of it was enough to leave her eyes shining with excitement.

"That's amazing, Penny!" Considering how far away they had to be at a minimum, it was even more amazing. A bit awe-inspiring in terms of power level. "What did he say?"

"He's near something called Sinibree? No. Sin-.. Does that mean anything to you?" He paused, hoping she could fill in the correct information and that it might strike a chord of familiarity.

"Her grave. There's some kinda fucked up magic there. I felt it. I don't know if it's the dying turtle or an artifact or what. He didn't know either. But it's powerful, and it's like the best trip you've ever had in your life combined with the feeling of being paralyzed while a moth man beast rips out your dean's eyes."

It was one of the most genuinely frightening moments in his life that Penny could think of. The magic had been nostalgic, terrifying, yearning, and cold. Even now, a part of him felt like it wanted more, like something was missing. He knew it was the magic and ignored it as best he could while he focused on Zatanna.

It had been so long since she'd heard or thought about that name, it took Zatanna moment to realize what he was referring to:

"...Sinbrilee?"

That had been...so long ago. She'd been in Keelai for maybe a year, if that, at the time. Although, as the memories of Death and Dreaming came flooding back to her, she wondered how she could have ever let them slip her mind. Her body tensed, eyes simultaneously glossing over and hardening all in one.

"It's a city on the ocean floor. I was there when I was about fifteen. We can only get there if Asti dives. There's a lot of magic down there. Portals to parallel words. And...you said something about her grave? Do you mean his sister?"

Zatanna didn't know much (or couldn't remember) about Asti's fallen sister turtle, but she very strongly recalled that he'd first dove to Sinbrilee for some sort of memorial in her honor.

"Yeah, maybe." Penny wasn't great with remembering what he believed to be extraneous details. He was also more concerned with Zatanna's reaction to the word and the explanation that followed.

"The turtles' mom? I thought that's what Sinbrilee was, the way he talked about it." Penny took a seat on the edge of his bed not far from her, his manic energy leveling out as the increasing difficulties of the situation set in. "You said there are portals there. Why the hell aren't we going back there? If I could get us to the Neitherlands, I might be able to get us home. Or even find a way to travel back and forth."

...was she their mom? In the moment, Zatanna couldn't exactly remember what Asti's relationship to the baby turtles had been. Being their uncle sounded right, though, so she didn't see any reason to immediately correct him on that end.

"It's a bit more complicated than that." (Because isn't it always?) She sat back a little, arms folding across her chest as she gave a heavy sigh. Lips pressed together in a thin line. "We know where the Portals go. When I said they took us to parallel worlds, I didn't mean like other worlds where Foreigners come from...I meant they're worlds parallel to this world, specifically. More like...dimensions, I guess. There are three of them. Life, Death, and Dreaming. We currently live in Life."

Which meant two guesses what the others Portals led to.

"I've been there." Her voice softened, tone lowering nearly half an octave. A slight shiver wracked her, even though it was currently impossible for her to be too cold, thanks to her magic choker. "They're both pretty awful. Even Dreaming. It seems so wonderful at first, but...you can get lost in your dreams. Forget what's real. Forget to want to come back."

dream a little dream of me

for Zatanna

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