Dreams of Doors and Roads [Gardens of Oneiromancy]

[Hyrune]

To West


Clíona tilts her head to the side, staring at you in what can only be called an owlish manner. "You're a...psychologist?"

 

[Ly North]

West


"Not as such?" He thinks for a moment. Did she have to believe him? Shit, I can't remember how these things work. "Yeah close enough. Either way, I want ta protect your dreams. Stupid as it sounds it's what I does."


He finishes his plate. "More pizza? Soda maybe?"

 

[Hyrune]

To West


"...oh, I get it; some sort of study-group, or something? Are you just taking a randomised sample? Looking into sleep-patterns, maybe? That could be cool... My dreams aren't all that interesting, I'm afraid, but if you're really looking for people... I guess that could be ok...

 

[Ly North]

West


Eh, a win's a win. "Yeah, sure." He takes her hand to cement the whole thing. "Thanks, I still have some work t' do but I'll let you know when. Enough talk about work, tell me about that urban development stuff?"


With that out of the way maybe he could even get her to loosen up. He scratches his furry ear for a moment. I wonder what she'd do if she saw me how I really look.

 

[Hyrune]

To West


"We-ell, Ivyvale's been undergoing a lot of expansion lately, and I know there's always room for improvement... no p-pun intended. There's going to be plenty of work here over the next few years and...I dunno, I guess it's interesting. Like, for a small town like this, traffic control isn't a problem now, but in five years...and there's amenities to think of...aesthetically I think we can improve here, and not have to sacrifice efficiency while we're at it...with the government's approval of course..."


She'll rattle along like this for a brief yet informative period of time. The subject is dry, sure, but it animates her, she's obviously passionate about it.

 

[Ly North]

West


He sits and listens more interested in the person than the subject. "Back home there was always a project goin' on. If nothin' else it seems it's important to keep things 'small'. Course nothin's small in New York. Ever see a sewer rat? Put a shirt on one and you'd have a tourist... Atlanta did it right if you've ever been... not that I know much about it but there are places there with several thousand high school kids but still has a small town feel. Yano?"

 

[Hyrune]

To West


"Oh I'm all about preserving the original sense of community in a settlement! You don't dump a high-rise parking lot on Main St. just because it's convenient, you don't just level cultural development for the sake of a few sterile, cubicle-swamped offices. It's supposed to be more than just a huddle of buildings, a town like this, it's supposed to evoke home, history!" Her eyes are shining; we have a dreamer, in more ways than one.

 

[Ly North]

West


He grins. There it is, he found the person in her. Seems she had enough emotion to feed him for a while or at least keep things interesting. "Too bad money talks. Keep big business away too much and you get a low rent college town. Too much allowed in and you get a low rent concrete jungle."


"I knew ya were in there somehwere, why don't you come out more often? Do this again some time?" He'd scribble his number down and enjoy several more pieces of pizza.

 

[Hyrune]

To West


She'll blush deeply yet again but she squirrels the scrap of paper away in a flash, as if afraid you'll change your mind. She thanks you for the brunch (or meal-equivalent of your choice) and excuse herself ("another lecture, but we should meet...uhhh, soon!"), smiling shyly and waving bashfully at you through the window as she walks away (and nearly stumbling into a skateboarder).

 

[Ly North]

West


He watches her go before paying out. Days still young, plenty of time to get into trouble. He takes off freerunning towards the shop he works at jumping from windowsills to balconies and down the streets. The cool weather pulled at his clothing as he moved rushing past him. He stops in front of the gym with an idea. Inside the run down basement convert boxing arena West decides to get some practice in.

 

[Yu Jie]

Nalani Appleblossom


With Gareth occupied, Nalani decided to walk to the bar, early though it may be. People trickled in throughout the day anyway to set up. Soon after that, the patrons would show up one by one. Maybe she could get a bit of practice in while the place was still mostly empty. Her mind made up, she took up a leisurely pace, popping in the earbuds to her iPod and ambling off down the street.

 

[Hyrune]

To West


You're lucky that normal people don't usually look up, but it might be wise to consider that this is not a wholly normal town before taking to the rooftops like that.


The boxing ring (which, as per usual, isn't ring-shaped) is dusty with disuse, the advertisements on the bulletin board yellowing with age. There's no one else here today, or much of any day for that matter. A lot of people don't know about it, with many people paying heed to the exercise-craze instead driving to Knoxhart View to use gym facilities there. As such, you are alone. Probably.

 

[Hyrune]

To Nalani


It's a fair walk, but a nice walk all the same. The Mayor and local law enforcement frowns on litter and vandalism, and public areas are kept green and clean 'round the clock. Too clean for some.

 

[Ly North]

West


Perfect, as usual this place reeks of quality. He'll pound the bag until he feels better or his arms turn to jello, whichever comes first. He'll zone out after a bit letting his body do its thing while he thinks of other things... most importantly how he's going to get to his hollow with minimal trouble.

 

[Hyrune]

To West


You'll be interrupted by...not a sound, but the sudden "noise" of someone being very quiet.

 

[Ly North]

West


Immediately becoming paranoid he grabs the bag and looks around. Why would anyone sneak in here? Must be trying to hide something.

 

[Hyrune]

To West


"Woooah there..." Two large and stony hands raise themselves in front of you with deceptive slowness, placatingly. "Did not mean to frighten you."


Virgil the Black, a Stonebones of the Autumn Court, stands before; an Ogre rather than an Elemental, though an odd kith. Virgil's features are...well, rugged, like some tribal statue (a high forehead, sloping nose and deep-set eyes), but he's made of flesh...mostly. Thick shards of basalt protrude from his skin in unlikely places, like along his eye-ridges, but more disturbingly from his wrists and, today you note, from the left side of his neck. A new shard slides forth with a gentle bubble of very dark, red blood. He claims this doesn't hurt him but the effect is chilling to say the least, matching his Mantle of a cold October night seeping 'round your feet, a bitter and damp breeze tugging intangibly at your clothes between one breath and the next.


It also goes well with his title; Ghul, i.e. executioner for the Freehold, a title he has fortunately not had to use for many years, but needless to say some are slightly frightened by the Stonebones... "Did not mean to frighten you... are you alone? Training?"

 

[Ly North]

West


West sizes him up, this one would be a problem... great the executioner is paying me a visit. Let's not give him any reason he doesn't already have.


He unclenches his fists and wipes his brow. Trying to produce a smile he indtead sighs audibly without any reaction from his face. Traitor.


"Mah bad, guess I was in the zone a bit." He extends his hand to the Stonebones. "Seems so. Usually there's at least one othah person heah. So, what's up?"

 

[Hyrune]

To West


"Training. Not usually other people here. Usually empty." He pauses for a moment, clearly pondering whether he should leave and come back later or not, before shrugging (more blood spurting from fissured wounds with the motion) and lumbering over to a nearby rack of dumbbells.


"So," he begins without preamble as he carefully examines each pair of weights with surprising care, "looking forward to party?"

 

[Ly North]

West


"You mean that seasonal thing?" He shrugs. "Yeah I s'pose. Not much of a people person tho'. Usually. Then again, always nice tah get out fer a bit. You?" He goes back to the bag with half interest keeping his attention on the executioner.

 

[Hyrune]

To West


"Should be fun. Big party. Booze. Girls." He grins widely, and you'd really rather he didn't. Is that...lichen in his teeth? It's hard to tell through the gore. And he's waggling his eyebrows. You REALLY wish he didn't do that as the floor is soaked in blood, phantasmal or no. "Queen Demi pretty serious about desires being fulfilled. Usually. Hear the after-party is in art gallery, though."


He shakes his head in bewilderment; clearly, in Virgil's books, an art gallery is not where one goes to have a roaring good time. But it was true that Queen Demi of the Spring Court (and, more importantly, her party organisers) knew what they were about. If she was holding it at a gallery, though, it was likely she was allowing normal people to attend, maybe under the guise of a charity event. The townspeople still talked about one Revel they'd unwittingly attended six years ago; the infamous "Ragged Trout Chutney" incident was part fond community memory, urban legend, and hangover.

 

[Yu Jie]

Nalani Appleblossom


The Darkling dawdled, taking her time getting to the bar. There were shop windows that she paused at, peering in past her own reflection at what lay beyond the panes of glass, some shiny, some - not so much. She walked past the music shop where she always got the strings for her violin, the one she swung at her side. Nalani paused in front of that one too, taking her time underneath the huge green awning spanning the entire front of the shop to see if there was anything new.

 

[Hyrune]

To Nalani


This window's one of the shiny ones, free of dust and grubbiness, allowing light to fall on banjos, chimes, keyboards and one half-squeezed accordion. An older, balding man is reading a paper behind the counter, glasses slipping down his prominent nose; you can't quite recall his name, but he's nice enough. He doesn't see you, too engrossed in the sports section.


A radio plays by his side, one of those vintage models that's actually vintage rather than some modern knock-off.


"...and he never walked again. If you've just joined us, this is your DJ, Ivan, on Ivyvale's one and only radio station broadcasting 24/7 and giving you the best in music and news - regardless of many paraplegics it might contain. In all seriousness, though, this just goes to show us all how easy it is to...slip. Be careful out there, folks. And now, the weather..."


Ivan, Ivyvale's "one and only" caffeinated menace, was the town DJ, operating under a dubious licence to say the least and one of your own Court. The Waterborn was as gloomy as a series of wet Sundays and he seemed to take delight in it. Sometimes it felt like he'd found a way to let his Mantle seep into his voice; listening to some broadcasts raised goosebumps on even your skin. The freehold endorsed him, to an extent, and he passed "changeling-only" info out over the airwaves every so often, though you can't discern any hidden subtext from his prattling today.

 

[Ly North]

West


Well I've got nothing. "Do you like tah drink, big guy? Yano aside from the leakin' you ain't so bad." He throws his towel over his shoulder and moves to collect his stuff.

 

[Hyrune]

To West

Sorry for the delay in posting, for some bizarre reason I thought I posted days ago.

"Good times, good times." Virgil begins to pump his "guns", so to speak; he's already built like a brick shithouse, of course, but evidently he's interested in keeping it that way. Most Ogres, of course, are built that way regardless. "Going already?"