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

[duelkatana]

Leonardo hesitates a moment. His gaze breaks away from Splinter to glance at the lit candles surrounding him, and then at the ceiling, where rays of sunlight peek through the darkness. Then, sheathing his swords, he steps out of the circle, crossing the dim room to where his double and alternate-universe father stand waiting expectantly for him.

His insides are still frozen with overwhelming astonishment at the scene before him, but the warmth in Splinter's soft amber eyes and the giddiness of his trans-dimensional twin seem to melt away his inhibitions. Leonardo reaches his double first, and without really thinking, offers his wrist towards that large, outstretched hand for it to take. When he's led closer to the Sensei in the room, his eyes widen minutely at the sheer height and presence the aging rat has. He truly seems larger than life.

Leo feels like he's a tiny kid again, staring up at his then-towering father. There's nothing but unabashed reverence in his gray eyes as he regards Hamato Yoshi with the stupefaction of an awed child.

Suddenly he seems to find himself; Leonardo straightens, hands coming together and leaning forward into a deep, ceremonious bow. He stays in position even as he finally manages to speak, the slight tremble of excitement in his voice betraying him.

"Sensei... this is... it's an honor."

[anything_it_takes]

Leo has never grown taller than his father, and he never will. The sense of childlike awe that accompanies his deep respect is unlikely to fade entirely, no matter the effects of age on either master or pupil. Yet the imposing nature of his father's stature puts no distance between them, for it's more than matched by love, an emotion that pervades the dreamscape.

Dream-Splinter nods deeply in return for the formal bow. "You are always welcome here." His muzzle broadens slightly, eyes curving in that warm humor. "My son thinks very highly of you."

"Senseiiii…" Leo practically whines in a voice that is 100% put-upon and marginally embarrassed teenager. Daaaad, not in front of big brother!

Splinter chuckles at his son's expense. Even in Leo's head, he has a wicked sense of humor.

He's also perceptive, white ears tilting to indicate the faded circle of candles lingering at the borders of the dojo. Hamato's gestures are so sparing that every one seems to communicate worlds of meaning. "Your mind is troubled."

[duelkatana]

Leonardo finally rises from the gesture, a slight smile tugging at his mouth as he listens to the exchange between father and son, teacher and student. There's a tinge of flattered humility, too; he would never have anticipated being rejected by his father's counterpart, but the easiness in which he's accepted is... nice. And, punctuated by a mention of the closeness between the Leonardos as it is, comforting. (Not that he ever doubted his connection with his soul's twin in the first place, but hearing it spoken from such a revered person's mouth only seems to reinforce what he already knows.)

His smile softens minutely when he's given the opportunity to read Splinter's body language. He may be a different person, but the nuances in his movements mirror those of Leonardo's father so closely - the crescent-moon curve of his eyes as he smiles, quiet humor twinkling behind wells of deep affection. It leaves the older turtle wondering if, perhaps, some of the unfamiliar parts are what belonged to his Hamato Yoshi.

It makes him homesick, too. He misses his father. And even though Leonardo's Splinter is smaller in stature than his counterpart, there is no one else in existence he could ever look up to more.

But even this yearning is washed away by the empathetic overflow of love from Hamato Yoshi and Leo. Little Ninja is happy to have them both here, and the feeling is simply contagious.

However, the subtle flick of Splinter's ears towards the circle of candles is not missed - and it wipes the smile completely from Leonardo's expression. The older ninja looks down, feeling hot embarrassment flush through his face. It's not the first time a Splinter has caught him brooding over something, but... when he's standing in front of them, it always feels so childish in retrospect. And in front of his cousin, too!

"No, Master, it's nothing. I just..." Leonardo glances to the halo of pinpricks burning against the darkness. "... was having some difficulty with an exercise. And I became a bit - frustrated."

The truth is, the darkness, the solitude, even his inability to properly exert his power and skill over the candles - it all seemed... ordinary. Had Splinter not called his attention to it, he never would have thought that there was something wrong with the picture at all.

[anything_it_takes]

Lil' Leo has also faced self-criticism for his inability to master one problem or another, whether a trial of leadership or their art. But it has yet to drive him into such punishing isolation. Still, his essential nature identifies that relentless pressure and scrutiny he applies to his own performance, and can do no less than his very best to ease the pain. He may have difficulty issuing sound wisdom himself, but the intuition is there.

Splinter's technique for addressing his son's problems tends to follow a pattern; Leo is intimately familiar with the approach. The old rat's head dips slightly; he closes his eyes and strokes his beard, mulling over the problem with both empathy and discipline. The eyes open, and he speaks with both loving compassion and the gentle assurance of someone who knows the destination well, directing a distressed wayward traveler to the correct path

"Why did you become frustrated?"

Everyone here knows the answer, deep down at least. But it's not Splinter's job to answer the question for his students; it's his job to show them how to find it themselves. Leonardo has the skills to overcome this demon; he merely must be shown where and how to use them.

The younger ninja listens quietly, considering this problem as much his own as it is his twin cousin's. The frustration and blame resonate deep inside, and it wounds him too, like a dark snake coiled next to his soul that ensnares him when he's vulnerable and leaves bites that fester. But he would never resent the somber melody that resonates within, never push it away, and if Leonardo Sr. ever tried to 'spare' his cousin by retreating yet more, he would seek him out. Again.

[duelkatana]

At the inquiry, Leonardo's brow knits in thoughtful consideration, his gaze trailing down from Splinter's face to rest at some invisible point far beyond the room's boundaries. Questions like these, he knows, do not demand from him timely responses - rather the opposite, in fact. His father has always allowed him ample time to withdraw into himself and consider these things at length before giving his answer. In a way, it's almost fascinating that this version of Splinter - the first person he's ever known mixed in with the person he's only ever dreamed of knowing - can ease him into this state of introspection, as well. Without thought, without practice, Leonardo knows. The bone-deep sense of rightness is nearly as strong as the one he shares with his double.

He also understands that this is a question whose answer is already known. The purpose isn't to glean the answer itself, but to understand why the answer is what it is. In understanding, there is acceptance. In acceptance, forgiveness. And in all these things combined, insight into the path ahead. He knows this. He's learned this. Sometimes he forgets - perhaps it's just that in a place such as the Dreaming, things come creeping in from the places you don't really think about anymore.

But certainly he remembers now. And even further, he recognizes that this part of him is still there, an intrinsic influence on his personality as subtle as a pinprick of candlelight against a dark room. He thinks to the day not long ago when he sat in the crumbling face of an office building, grieving his brother, and - for the first time - denied the thrumming in his center that had reached inside to offer comfort. It had been brief, reactionary, but he'd been utterly ashamed to have rejected his soul's twin so absolutely. It had caused no discord between them, nor their ability to resonate, but the question of why sat wedged at the back of his mind, picking at his brain. Now he understands why. Now he can accept that, and now... he can forgive that.

He has the feeling that the younger Leonardo will forgive that, too.

Leo's gaze darts back up to Splinter, no longer that of a chastised child's. "I tried too hard to convince myself that I could go on alone. Even when others reach out to me..." His mouth pulls into a thin smile, and his head tilts very deliberately in his counterpart's direction. "...I try to shoulder the burden by myself. And when I can't..." he shakes his head. The sentence needs no finish; it's the reason they're standing here right now.

Leonardo straightens and gives a deep, gracious bow to Splinter. Then he turns towards his counterpart, bowing his head with a slightly crooked smile.

"Otouto... I still have much to learn from you, too. Please forgive my foolishness."