tushanshu_logs | Event | Landfall

Event | Landfall | Dreaming

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Well, that one locks the seat in place, and that one over there drops the roll bars down over the empty crew seats behind them, and that one ejects all the port exhaust and makes the shuttle do a barrel roll in space. Jim just laughs it off. As if he's even worried.]

Okay, shuttles are officially the Avatar's other natural enemy. Quit that.

[And he reaches over with one free hand to remove her hand from the dashboard.]

I don't think you can get us to crash in a dream, but I meant it when I said you need training.

[That barrel roll had been way too fun due to the mischievous laugh she gave while it happened. She did stick her tongue out though when Jim asked her to stop, and grabbed her hand right when she was ready to repeat the button sliding pattern.]

Who’s worse than Spock now? [How she managed to speak clearly while sticking out her tongue was likely not in the Starfleet database.]

This is really cool, I’d like to learn all this stuff. [Feeling the need to fiddle with something, she rubbed her thumb over the cross on her badge. Medic.]

Okay, okay! Show me how to drive later. [A purple and gold nebulae came into view and Korra stared at it.] Is it really just a coincidence that everything that’s cool in your world just so happens to kill everyone?

Pretty sure that's still you.

[Besides, there's no real 'up' or 'down' in space, so it's not like she can harm anything. He sets the shuttle to autopilot and undoes his harness. He grins a little at her comment about things happening to kill people, but doesn't answer outright.]

Time for you to find out why we're wearing space suits, cadet. Come on.

[Autopilot wasn’t anything Korra had encountered in her limited automobile experience. When Jim undoes his harness and stands up her eyes widen and she opens her mouth to protest. His grin, however, makes her shut her mouth and she glances over to see that nothing’s spiraling out of control.]

These suits will keep us from falling, right? [She undid her harness and followed him to the back of the shuttle trying to sound as unconcerned as possible. A dead giveaway would be from the excess fog on her helmet. The elements didn’t exist out in space and not being able to save them in case something went wrong was a major issue for her.]

You don't have to worry about falling in space. Not-- that way. Look, it's hard to explain. Let me do the decompression, we'll put our ears on.

[He taps the side of his helmet in answer, and then reaches up to the top control panel to begin the decompression equalization process, and switches to the comms. He can tell she's uneasy, (he reads people, after all) and he reaches out to grip her shoulder.]

It's letting the atmosphere out of the shuttle. Remember, Korra, we're in a dream. Nothing's going to happen, I've got you no matter what. All right? Trust me. I won't let anything happen to you.

[Just the thought of not being able to breathe in space was disconcerting to her. When his voice was suddenly there in her helmet with her, Korra looked over to him. She was worried, but he was right. This was a dream, not reality as she first thought it might have been. She took a deep, steadying breath and put her hand on his and gave a firm nod.]

All right.

[Once the decompression was complete, Korra watched as the door slid open to the endless view of space. As she did with many challenges set before her, Korra rolled her shoulder and readied herself. As ready as she could be, never had she been in zero gravity before.]

Let's do this.

Don't make any sudden movements. No jumping, that sort of thing. Anything in space that starts in motion, stays in motion. We've got thrusters in our suits to compensate, but we're not going on a moonwalk. Just a sightseeing tour, okay? Hold onto my hand, don't let go.

[He steps towards the open door, and out into space. It never gets old, doing this, and in the distance there's a cluster of green/blue nebulae. They're not far from the Enterprise, in all her majesty, but she seems so small and insignificant next to all the things you can find in deep space.

It's a dream - more importantly, his dream, and he doesn't mind embellishing a little bit. He adds little sights and wonders, things that you'd never find this close together out in reality, but that make for one hell of a view here. Vivid clouds of dust and a trailing asteroid, a planet with sharp slashes of colour as rings around it. And the stars-- every one that's ever been wished on, they're there in his mind and so bright.

Space always does take his breath away.]

Okay. But, you've walked on the moon? [Somehow that was just as impressive to her as what they're doing right now. Grabbing his hand she followed him and felt her stomach try to find it's up her throat when her foot was out the door.

But gravity wasn't there to pull her down. Floating, floating in something lighter than water, left Korra with a sensation she couldn't describe. And there, among the darkness littered with white specks of light, was the Enterprise. The small schematic he showed her in the past didn't do it justice.]

This is amazing. [She breathed the words into her comm as she held tightly on his hand. Her attention continues changing from the colored nebulae, the asteroid leaving smatters of space dust as it silently moved along, the large planet that had been more alive than anything she had ever laid eyes on. There had never been a more perfect than amongst the endless space before her.] I can't believe you get to see this whenever you want.

[Looking back at Jim she laughed.]

Do something crazy for me? [It was something she had noticed in the past, but it was hard to ask for. Incredibly childish and awkward, and her biting both her lips showed it. But this was a dream, so what could it hurt?]

[Jim raised both brows, the gesture essentially meaningless behind his faceplate.]

Sure, what?

[There was sigh of resignation. Half of her was hoping he didn't hear her, but the comms really eliminated that possibility.]

Don't laugh. [Because giving the preface always worked. But at least she gave him a heads up that it was going to be something out there.]

Can you say "I love you Korra"? [Just saying it out loud made her head rear back, but of course there was no room in her helmet for that. After realizing she didn't give anything else, Korra quickly followed up.] It's not from you, it's kind of like, from someone else. [Her tone was exasperated, she had no idea how to explain why Jim was the only person able to pull this off for her.]

[There weren't a lot of people that could inspire Jim's brain to just completely blank out on conscious thought, but Korra definitely just wormed her way onto that short list.]

Wh--

[He stopped. Tried again.]

Why the--

[Nope. It was like trying to turn over an engine with a blown alternator. It made all the right preliminary noises, but the charge just wasn't there. Jim held up a hand, intending to pinch the bridge of his nose, and promptly punched himself in the faceplate of his helmet. It didn't hurt, obviously, but he was willing to bet it looked damn dumb.]

Okay, I don't--

[WHY DID SHE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THEY WERE OUTSIDE TO SAY THIS WHEN HE CAN'T JUST RUN AWAY FROM HER OR SOMETHING. Except wait. Wait, they're in his dream. He concentrates for a moment, and suddenly they're back on the Enterprise, on the observation deck which is dark and empty, and he's out of his suit. The swiftness of the change is a little disorienting, but it gives him the freedom to rub a hand over his face and give her an incredulous look.]

Aren't you a little... young? For that kind of thing?

[THIS RECOVERY IS THE BEST RECOVERY.]

Edited 2013-08-25 00:25 (UTC)

[Korra winced twice when he tried to complete a sentence. Even though this awkwardness was pretty standard for them, this may have been too sensitive a thing to ask for. But, she did warn him. The change from space back into the observation deck was startling and Korra felt like she was falling even though her feet were firmly planted. The shuttle they had just used was docked, as if it never left.]

I'm seventeen! [It wasn't anger, just frustration. Here she was, five years older than Aang had been when he had his romantic life put together with who would soon be her waterbending master, and she was just floundering.

She, successfully, pinched the bridge of her nose.]

I warned you it was crazy, and you agreed.

[She was incredibly grateful that he excluded anyone else from the observation deck.]

Edited 2013-08-25 12:29 (UTC)

[HE WAS JUST GIVING HER THE MOST LONG SUFFERING LOOK RIGHT NOW.]

Fine. Fine. But-- turn around or something, I don't think I could-- you know.

[Say it to her face. Because this was what his life had turned into.]

Edited 2013-08-29 21:54 (UTC)

[THAT LOOK'S TOTALLY MET WITH HER INFAMOUS LOWER LIP WIBBLING. It's even in the keywords.]

...okay. [She couldn't tell if he was embarrassed, or that was just her own embarrassment that was making everything just feel awkward. Both was all she could settle on. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning around.]

And put some "umph" in it if you can. [She did her best to say that without smiling, and failed rather horribly. Though she did manage to keep her eyes closed.]

[JIM HATED THE WORDS 'I LOVE YOU' THO. He took a deep breath. Held it. Let it out.

Somewhere, some cosmic deity of karma and hatred was mocking the unholy hell out of him and Jim damned well knew it. Mentally, he flipped said deity off. The last time he even thought about love was-- standing at the memorial for all the members of his graduating class that were wiped out, and remembering the way Gaila had said it. And his response, that's so weird. He didn't love her, but he'd wondered since if it would have made a difference to her if she'd heard it before she died.

Jim closed his eyes as well. It was just words. It shouldn't bother him so much, but it did. Still, this was Korra and he adored Korra, wouldn't know how to say no to her if he tried. He licked his lips, opened his mouth. Snapped it shut again.

Then he lifted a hand, rubbed at his jawline. Oomph? She wanted oomph? Seriously.

This was one of those mornings where Jim woke up and felt like his life'd been tie-dyed and set on fire. And somehow an ostrich was involved, but he was still trying to work out how.

Welp. Time to roll up the metaphorical sleeves. Anything worth doing was worth doing well. He dropped his voice and it was low and intense and he put rather a lot of his inherent force of personality behind it,]

I love you, Korra.

[THERE HE WAS DONE HE FELT RIDICULOUS and he immediately took a step back and away and folded his arms self-consciously which was basically a Christmas Miracle in and of itself because Jim was never self-conscious about anything ever. What had ~~science~~ Korra wrought?]

[That same cosmic, karmic deity was offering the opposite to the Avatar. Or at least, that's how she would have felt about it. Readying herself to hear the words her heart wanted in Jack's voice, Korra did her best to be patient and that was no small task. Her fingers kept twitching in anticipation, so she just closed her hands and brought them together. Which only made her knees move rhythmically.

She had no idea there had been this much anticipation in her since she thought about it earlier, it was almost unbearable.

When she was starting to wonder if Jim had maybe just left her standing there like an idiot, she suddenly stood stock still.

The words broke through the daunting silence and made her open her mouth, but nothing came. Even though it felt her stomach had threatened to find its way to her throat and leap out.

She desperately wanted to reciprocate the words, but for some stupid, foolish, idiotic, asinine reason she had expected Jack to be there when she turned around. Not Jim, wound up around himself.

It hurt that this wasn't how she was expecting herself to feel, but even more so now that she was aware that she might have crossed a line somewhere.]

...Sorry.

[Her tone quavered and she rubbed her arm while tapping the observation deck with the tip of her boot. Fighting back the urge to just punch her forehead was proving to be very difficult.]

I didn't mean to ruin your dream.

It's fine.

[His reaction was automatic, without even the barest hesitation. But he did grimace, a little.]

So I take it I remind you of this guy, huh?

[That grimace only made her grimace. They were practically a mirror of uncomfortableness.]

You sound just like him. [She admitted and she stopped rubbing her arm, instead wrapping them around herself. Like a child that didn't know what to do when put on the spot.]

Actually, I though I had contacted you on accident when he answered his console.

[She sighed with a groan.]

Sorry, I just got carried away. Space was beautiful, floating in it was incredible, and-

I just got carried away. Don't do crazy things for me is what I'm trying to say.

Korra. It's fine. I'll do crazy things for you if I want to. Trust me when I say no one's ever been able to get me to do something I didn't want to do.

[THE STERNEST FINGERPOINT.]

[Reassured, Korra nodded.]

Okay, but it was still wrong for me to assume you couldn't back out of it.

[That was a kind of arm twist she normally didn't do, but, it was like hearing Jack say-]

But hey, you did put some oomph into it. [She gave a wry grin.]

Time to wake up?

You sure? Nothing else you want to see?

[He folded his arms over his chest, giving her a skeptical look. Korra have you really properly appreciated the majesty of his ship yet? Really?]

I only want to look at everything, have you seen this place?? [Asked incredulously. She straightened out her blue uniform.]

I just didn't there was time for, you know, all of it. Doors that move on their own, food out of thin air, and whatever kind of engine you have that makes it go.

[She blinked a few times as the question that just struck her found it's way into words.]

Do you have a key to start it?

[... Jim stares at her for a moment, and then. Nope. Nope, he can't do it. He just bursts out laughing.

Keys.

It's a good thing Sulu isn't here, even dream!Sulu, because she would be getting the sternest glare of her entire life.]

No-- no. We don't use keys. It's. Not that kind of engine.

[Don't laugh Jim- He did the thing. And now she can't help but be infected by it and Korra began laughing too.

What? We use keys, and you kind of have to turn them away from you, not towards you. [That was a grueling four minute grudge match between her and the steering column.]

All right, so then do you have to fill it up with fuel every certain number of stars, or what?

[She couldn't help but snort.]

See what I mean by not having enough time? I have no idea how any of this works or what else is on the Enterprise.

We also don't have the sort of fuel you'd... probably expect. We use deu-- [... no there is no way she'll understand that word so he tries again,] something called 'heavy hydrogen'. We mix that with its opposite number, and the resultant combustion lets us-- you know, go faster than light. Warp speeds.

[... That probably doesn't help her confusion at all, does it?]

Event | Landfall | Dreaming

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