OPT-OUT EVENT LOG: DREAM A LITTLE DREAM

[asgardmods]

Who: EVERYONE that stayed in Asgard
What: the Dream a Little Dream mingle log
When: Day 515 ( Sept. 25/26 )
Where: all across the city!
Rating: PG-13. Anything higher than that should be taken to a private log, please!

Day 515 ( Sept. 25/26 )

Progress through the ice blockade will be slow and narrow, as they can't possibly hope to clear the entirety of the forest that has been buried under Thiazi's black ice. Now that they know the source of her magic's corruption, it might not come as a great surprise when cracking open the ice unleashes a strange burst of magic.

At the halfway point between Utgard and Asgard, a pulse of energy will move through the entire city, immediately putting every mortal it touches to sleep. This part of the curse is mandatory and your character must fall asleep; the dream effects of it are not mandatory, and can be played with at your discretion. During this first wave, Travellers will be granted a brief dream - that does not belong to them. They will see, from the dreamer's point of view, every hope and goal and aspiration that the dreamer wishes to complete before the end of days. Whether it's simply confessing their love to an old friend or saving their home planet or perfecting an Asgardian pie, your character will see someone else's ideal resolution before Ragnarok. More on plotting this below!

Upon waking, the Travellers will be plagued with the indistinct whispering of several voices overlapping one another and a slight headache. Both symptoms will gradually increase over time until it reaches incapacitating pain and nausea. The only way to assuage the symptoms is to find the owner of the dream and either maintain physical contact for an hour or discuss the subject of the dream until a full confession has been made. After that, the symptoms will fade and the Travellers will be free to carry on with their day.

There will be other pulses of magic at random throughout the day; these are not mandatory and you can feel free to have your character experience as many or as few dreams as you wish. All dream-sharing will cease by the end of the day, as the blockade progresses past that centre-point of magic.

[ OOC NOTES: This is the mingle log for the Dream a Little Dream opt-out event! Random pairings have already been sent out, but you guys can still feel free to plot with each and pair up anywhere you like. Please remember that these dreams are meant to be positive; details can be found here. Please put [OPEN/CLOSED] along with the time and location in the title of your comment. Let us know if you have any questions! ]

Comments

[robosnack]

She might be right, judging by the way his stomach suddenly, violently protests. Killua's jaw goes tense, and he's starting to look a little green on top of everything else. He feels awful, and he hates being lectures, hates how Ellie's such a nosy know-it-all and he has to be stuck with her of all people.

"What the hell am I supposed to talk about?"

[tonsofpun]

"Focus on the dream," she suggests, half-snapping at him. It might be the pain, or it might be worry. Who the hell knows.

"Talking about that seemed to help."

[robosnack]

"I already told you what I saw," he snaps right back, curling up a little, almost involuntarily.

"Why is this happening? What kind of magic is this anyway?"

[tonsofpun]

"Why are you asking me? Do I look like a library of useful Asgardian facts to you? Sheesh, get a grip."

She doesn't push him more. But Jackson chooses that moment to push his head into Killu's lap and whine softly. He doesn't understand why they're so upset, but he doesn't like it.

[robosnack]

The dog is a welcome distraction. Killua makes a soft tch sound between his teeth and looks away, but his free hand goes to Jackson's head, petting slowly despite his agitation.

His stomach keeps clenching, twisting uncomfortably. Killua takes a deep breath.

"Gon was the first friend I ever had."

[tonsofpun]

Was that so hard? She thinks, borderly angrily, but tries not to remember that that was exactly the way she was with Riley. She'd never had a friend, a real friend.

Fuck. They're in deep, aren't they?

She listens quietly, while Jackson licks Killua's fingers.

[robosnack]

He stares at the dog, not looking at her, sticking his fingers gently in Jackson's mouth to play with him a little bit, ruffling his ears.

"I wasn't allowed to have friends."

It's slow going. He still feels sick, but the headache lessens slightly, the sharp digging ache behind his eyes fading into a dull pressure instead.

"I wasn't allowed to want anything like that. Or anything at all, really. Just do what my family told me to do. Keep up the family business and all that..."

[tonsofpun]

He nips, stinging, but he's been taught well and doesn't break the skin. He might have a few red marks, though. And slobber.

Ellie slowly tucks her feet under her on the couch, listening and putting things together.

"Assassins, right?"

[robosnack]

Killua doesn't seem to mind. He nudges at Jackson until the dog starts wagging his tail a bit, as if to make sure he's really okay.

"Hm?" Finally, he looks up at Ellie, nodding.

"Yeah."

[tonsofpun]

"So, how'd you guys meet?" she asks him. There's none of her usual self-assured attitude. Her voice is soft. Thoughtful, almost gentle. Like she's deep in her own memories, herself.

"What made you want to be friends?"

[robosnack]

"I ran away from home so I could take the Hunter Exam. It seemed like fun..."

He shrugs, knowing none of this means anything to Ellie.

"Gon was one of the first people I met there. And he was my age. I was bored, so I stuck around."

Not that he'd realized he'd been making a friend.

[tonsofpun]

"He seems like a happy guy," she hedged. They hadn't met for long, but he was unbelievably tough, and cared a lot about his friends. He reminded her of Riley, that same weightless smile, perhaps without the cocky self-assurance.

"I guess he'd be easy to like."

[robosnack]

"Yeah." Killua laughs softly, fond but a little far away.

"He makes friends with everyone, instantly."

[tonsofpun]

"Exactly like Riley."

Ellie gives a laugh that somehow doesn't stick in the air around them, dies off quickly. "She... is like that. Makes friends everywhere she goes. People just like her. ... well, I guess I was kind of a dick to her at first, but."

[robosnack]

Killua nods again, eyes elsewhere, and doesn't mention that he was drawn to Riley for exactly that reason too-- she'd reminded him a little bit of Gon.

"What did you do when you first met her?"

[tonsofpun]

"... told her I didn't ask for her advice."

She bites her lip, hiding a smile, and ducks her head.

You've got some serious trust issues, new kid.

"I don't think she was used to that. Somebody not liking her. I think that's why she stole my Walkman, just to see what I'd do."

[robosnack]

"What's a Walkman?"

He seems to be feeling better, at least, a little achy but no longer quite so sick. And he actually seems interested in Ellie's story, listening closely, watching her.

It's funny though. He'd liked Gon immediately.

[tonsofpun]

"It's like a music player. Here."

Tugging at her backpack, she reaches down with her free hand, pulling it open. She digs around a moment, pulls it out to show him. It looks a bit dented and scuffed, impossibly old.

"Almost nobody had one of these. ... so anyway, I figured out that she lifted it, and I went and yelled at her in front of everybody. She just... smiled at me. And gave it back, and told me I had shitty taste in music."

It wasn't until later that Ellie realized that nobody ever caught Riley. At anything. Ever.

[robosnack]

He tilts his head to look at the thing, without trying to touch. It looks really old-fashioned.

"I was surprised," he admits suddenly, a little blunt.

"When she told me you were together. But she was so happy when she said it. It was- kind of nice, seeing that kind of expression, you know?" He shrugs, looks away. Embarrassed all over again.

"Like she was really proud of knowing you."

[tonsofpun]

Ellie puts away again, not offering him a closer look, but leans back against the couch. She doesn't look at him as he talks, crosses her free arm over her stomach.

The silence stretches on, as Ellie gathers her thoughts. Riley loves her. Loves her so much, so fiercely, so openly that Ellie doesn't know how to deal with it sometimes. Before she knows it, she's smiling in some faraway, thoughtful way that she doesn't realize she's doing.

That girl, she's trouble if I ever saw it.

Yeah... I like her.

"She makes me... wanna be stronger."

[robosnack]

Looking at Ellie makes him feel like he's intruding somehow, watching her smile like that, obviously thinking about Riley. It's weird. He doesn't know how to deal with situations like this, and it leaves him awkward and looking away, vigorously rubbing Jackson behind the ears.

"That sounds like a good thing."

He sounds like he knows what she means.

[tonsofpun]

"... it is."

She looks a touch closed off, clamming up and holding back. It only reminds her of how little time they have left. How every moment here and now is stolen.

Of course, she can't tell him that. It's not something Riley's open about.

[robosnack]

So why does she look sad?

Killua doesn't ask, but he notices, watching her out of the corner of his eye. Finally, he sighs. He still doesn't feel all that well, but it is easing up slowly, and he doesn't feel nearly so sick. Ellie was right: talking seems to help.

"You must be really glad she's here with you, then. It sounded like this place is better than your own world, at least."

[tonsofpun]

"Way more than you know."

Ellie rubs a hand down her face, against the back of her neck. "We... have a chance here. Way more than we ever had back there. This place is actually about a million times better, even if it sucks- in, well, weird ways."

She wiggles the hand still planted on his arm, for instance.

[robosnack]

He looks down at it, biting the inside of his lip. His throat feels itchy, like he needs to cough. Or talk.

"I was glad when Gon arrived too. Even though he really wants to go back."