So Make A Wish On Heaven

[these_balls]

Who: Participants of the Dream Plot!
Where: In your dreams!
When: Anytime your character is asleep on April 17th!
Summary: As promised, this is a catch-all log where people can post a character's dream as a top-level comment and allow other holders of our Mysterious Feathers™ to come visit them! Remember that the content of your dream is entirely up to your discretion, but we ask that you only have one, and to please also warn for content as needed!
Rating: PG, and please warn for threads that may go higher!
Log:

[Under the light of the full moon, the Mysterious Feathers™ begin to glow.

In the hours that follow after they sprawl out to sleep, those who had the good fortune (or at least the insatiable curiosity) to pick up one of those feathers earlier in the week will come to discover that something very strange is happening across the regions of Johto and Kanto. There's a saying about what happens when you let your mind wander; this time, though, it's a little more than just one's mind that's going wandering, as dream after dream stretches out before you like a horizon just begging to be chased.

Don't worry about getting lost, dreamers; as real and vivid as they may seem, your surroundings are really only visions and illusions, and in the end the failsafe way to escape from them is to simply wake up. If and when you do, you might feel perfectly well-rested or as on-edge as if you'd just jolted awake from a nightmare; like the dreams themselves, there's really no telling how the experience will play out for you, being different and unique to everyone.

But for now, you've got the whole night ahead of you, filled with places to go and people to see. Might as well make the most of it while it lasts...]

Comments

[garbagechild]

Even as they walk away, Joker can probably feel those eyes drilling into his back... but it's still better than them staring him down face-to-face.

Wrath lifts his head warily, squinting tightly at the intrusion of the caustic white light in place of the darkness of the Gate.

He doesn't like either of them, but yes, it is better than being back in there.

"... They didn't try to take anything away from you..."

His voice is a croak, but there's mingled confusion and wonder in it.

[armoredsoul]

Al makes a quiet sound of agreement--it's a weird thing, to hear about someone so different from you and yet so similar. When Ed and Winry were still around, they'd brushed on the topic of Al's other self, but they hadn't talked about him outside of stories of events in their world.

But then he chuckles at mention of Ling. "Heh, yeah, I heard plenty about him. He was pretty okay with the whole deal from what Brother told me; apparently he'd been searching for a Stone already, and figured having another person come along with it wasn't such a bad deal." Alphonse shakes his head--the whole situation was pretty strange, from what he'd been told, and he agreed with Edward's assessment of Ling being nuts for jumping in like that. "Brother was pretty mad about it, but Ling and the other you worked out a sort of partnership after a while."

[lieutenantantichrist]

It's ridiculous, violent, and glorious. There's nothing like being able to let loose.

Soon he's standing triumphant, back to back with Heather. He's panting and his knuckles are satisfyingly sore. All around them, black-masked figures are groaning on the floor.

"Nice work, partner," he says.

[pipers_son]

"Nope."

Thank God and all his little angels for that, although Joker doesn't let on that he was a bit worried something bizarre would happen if not outright dangerous. Instead, he just smiles back to Wrath.

"That must mean yer supposed ta be out here with me, right?" Probably? He has no idea how this works.

[garbagechild]

Once inside, Wrath drops to his haunches like a dog and watches her with a baffled squint, head tilted to one side. Now that they're not in any immediate danger, it may become more apparent that Wrath really isn't human, not here in this dream world. His pupils are slitted like a cat's, and his clothing is weirdly shiny, like no fabric that actually exists. Red lines run down his sides all the way down to his legs, like streaks of bloody warpaint.

Molly is sharing her hiding space with a very small monster.

When he replies, it's also in a whisper-- mainly because she's whispering.

"I don't understand. If he comes back, I could just keep killing him. Eventually he'd run out of red stones and stay dead!"

... Right?

[garbagechild]

Is that a request, Envy?

Are you trying to make a deal?

Probably not.

Even if you were, it's doubtful the Gate would want to hear it. Homunculi are the product of deals. They don't have anything to give.

So the darkness has only one thing to say to him.


N O.


And then the hands surge forth to dig into Envy in earnest. This time they don't let go.

[garbagechild]

It takes some effort-- with one of them a double-amputee and the other so emaciated and atrophied that he can barely stand himself-- but eventually they manage to struggle upright, with Wrath leaning heavily on the other boy. Each step has to be a hop.

It's fortunate that he's a scrawny little thing himself, because otherwise there really would be no hope.

[silentscales]

Snake needs a moment to take that in. He watches as Joker makes some food, thinking more about having freedom now than wanting to eat. He hated the man who kept him locked up in that other circus. He hated being made a side-show spectacle, but somehow now, Snake didn't care anymore. If he hadn't been there much worse could have happened to him. Who would want to care for someone like him, unless to use him as a show.

But this man seemed different. Joker was giving him free reign. He still had to wonder if he was truly free though. "Can I leave? asks Oscar?" His heart was beating wondering what Joker would say. He didn't really want to leave. Joker has been nice to him, and being in a circus is all he knew how to do anyway. This time he'd be performing for himself, maybe even as an actual act and not a side show.

[ladywithnovoice]

"There'd been an incident I was recovering from, I guess." Red goes to lean against the tree, listening as another track starts up. A slow steady beat, bringing to mind isolation and dark alleyways- she knows this one.

"It's just skin and bones, nothing inside, sleeping alone..."

Her shoulders rise in a shrug. "So I wrote out lyrics to it. It's just how I always deal with things in my life. Get it out some way."

[unkinder]

Well. That kind of thing he can relate to. Not...creating to deal with things, persay. His way of dealing was more along the lines of isolating himself until the problem went away or could be masked by something more pressing. Defeating the boss in one of his games, or killing a boss of some sort in real life. It was all the same to him anymore.

"That makes sense, I suppose," he finally supplies, a bit awkwardly as he looks away again.

[pipers_son]

Joker lets him have his time. There's plenty to do, after all, and cooking has always been a nice way to keep his hands busy along with passing the time. A pleasure he's glad he can indulge more these days, honestly. As he's cutting up some vegetables, the question comes and he gives a pause.

"Well, if that's what ya really want ta do." He nods to the pot of water boiling. "But ya should get some food in ya, and proper clothes, and things like that. S'hard ta travel about with nothing on yer back or in yer stomach." As he slides the pieces of carrot and cabbage into the water, he grins over him.

"But I wouldn't mind if ya stayed, y'know."

[silentscales]

Snake is taken aback by the kindness Joker is continuing to show. Not only could he leave if he wanted, but Joker would give him clothes and food and make sure he had something before he left. It was overwhelming the even think of.

But people in his books had done kind things for others. It didn't seem impossible that Joker was just a kind person. Yet still his gut was telling him there was some sort of catch. "Is this a trick? says Oscar."

[armoredsoul]

[Al relaxes again and makes a sound like a quiet sigh (good, they're not freaking out...), then nods and holds out a hand to Snake.]

I'm Alphonse. It's nice to meet you both.

[armoredsoul]

"Mmm, yeah. Well, I came from this way, so..."

Al turns around for a moment, peering out into the distance before pointing. "How about that way?" There's something shimmering out there, but what it might be is hard to make out.

[ladywithnovoice]

That kind of response just makes her smile a bit. She's not particularly surprised. At the end of the day, she's always been a more creatively inclined person. Nagi... doesn't strike her as the same sort.

"It's alright if you don't understand it."

[crouching_sin]

"From what I've heard, I don't think people can die here anyway. Not outside of natural causes."

He shrugs and settles back a little, closing his eyes.

[pipers_son]

"No trick!" Joker calls over as he goes through a few more ingredients. They need something a bit more meaty in this stew besides carrots and cabbage. Snake's far too thin for anyone's liking. And he'll have to get something for everyone else, too...

As he turns around with some beef, he gives a thoughtful nod of his head. "But if ya stay, ya would 'ave ta do some work. Everyone has ta do somethin'! Even me."

[silentscales]

Well, he didn't expect that he could stay here for free anyway. Maybe he could do some work, see if he could get paid and maybe eventually leave the circus, though he can't imagine where'd he'd be accepted besides.

Snake ponders over the boiling pot before admitting, "I only know how to work with snakes, says Zola."

[silentscales]

[Snake is briefly hesitant, but takes Al's hand and shakes it gently. He's not sure what else to say now. At least the person wasn't pointing out his scales or making fun of them.

Just pointing them out he could understand. They're strange and he knows it. He'd be tempted to point out to Alphonse that he's hollow, but it seems silly when Al probably already knows that he's hollow. Snake would say he'd seen stranger, but he hasn't. Still, it isn't his place to judge. Alphonse seems kind enough, and that's what really matters, right?]

I am getting all the use out of this icon that I can

[exeggutorhead]

A scream of pain and fury finally tears itself out of Envy's throat, and once it starts he can't seem to make it stop. He kicks out at the hands as much as he can, not that it does much. There's too many of them.

It hurts to be unmade.

His thoughts racing frantic loops around themselves, he thinks that maybe if he could just use his arms...

He'd have to let go of Wrath. But only for a second. That's all.

And he's--they're out of options.

He tugs his arms free from around Wrath and twists, trying to beat the hands away.

"GET AWAY!"

[unkinder]

Nagi doesn't say anything to that, still looking away at some spot on the ground that's probably infinitely more interesting than looking at Red directly. Truth was, hearing her say that made him feel...strange. It wasn't often that some way he felt was validated, especially if it was something he didn't fully understand.

[walkersystem]

"No, he always comes back!"

She says it with a tone that's best described as impatient hopelessness. There's nothing you can do about the Boogeyman, especially not here, and the sooner Wrath realizes it the less likely it is that he'll get his brain eaten, and Molly doesn't want him to die.

She doesn't want to die.

She just wishes this had never happened, but here it is, replaying itself in her mind, and she can't even be sure she's dreaming because that's how dreams work. And dreams are real, anyway. Dreams can hurt you bad, until you can't move and you're stuck in a hospital bed, and you don't even know it.

Having thrown that over her shoulder, it takes her a while to slowly back away from the door ... it's only when she hears the footsteps outside that slowly go up the stairs that she does, and she hugs her knees to her chest and shoots Wrath a look, and that's when she sees how different he looks.

Not sure what to make of that, she just stares at him for a moment, and then she hugs herself tighter.

[armoredsoul]

It's a struggle, to be certain, but Al is a determined soul and he doesn't intend to let Wrath down. Their progress is slow, agonizingly so, and as they walk Al glares around at the darkness surrounding them, daring the creatures within to try and stop them.

The entrance seems so much farther than it had when he first entered. Is it a trick of the mind, or something more sinister?

here she com

[foolishwren]

The woman-- or what Envy's mind can come up with as a substitute for the actual thing-- apparently knows precisely what not to say to Heather Mason. And she went right ahead and said it.

Her fingers curl inward into fists, so hard that her nails leave indents in her palms.

She can hear Envy's voice faintly in the background, but it takes her a moment to decide if she's going to answer or not. After a beat, she calls back-- "YEAH, gimme a minute, man, I've got something to take care of back here! I'll be back soon!"

Then she cracks her knuckles.

And steps forward into the darkness.

"Lady, I don't give one single shit if you're the only one he's useful for. He can lie around on the couch like a slug watching soaps and eating chips for all I care, as long as he saves some for me. Friends don't need to be useful. And they don't need to be the best one out there, either. There is such a thing as having more than one friend, you know. Anyway, you had your chance. Now the deluded child's comin' to find you."

[lieutenantantichrist]

"Oh yeah?" A sneer settles into its favorite place on Blake's face. "I bet you're gonna tell me you've met and shaken hands with the guy."