buttrinthum | TDM #9

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TDM #9

Arrival / Enchanted Garden

Whether it be sleep or death, you feel your eyes close, and as your body begins to let go, you see a barn owl that is flying through the darkness, soon sweeping you across the clouded sky. You feel yourself mouth the words, “I wish, I wish..” and utter your deepest and darkest desire.

When you regain consciousness, you’ll find you are in an unfamiliar place with no recognition of how you arrived here. You have the clothes on your back, but nothing else. No weapons and if you had a particular superpower, you’ll notice it is missing. All you have is a satchel with a piece of bread, a vial of water, and a potion. The potion could be red, blue or golden. There are no instructions about these potions other than two words: Drink Me.

Will you drink it or not?

There is a parchment, handwritten in scrawling, jagged lettering that seems a bit... ominous:

“Welcome to my LABYRINTH where your wish, you wish you wish youwishyouwish– Your CONTRACT is SEALED.”

You’re in a garden, surrounded by flowers and plants– most of which you cannot identify. However, there are a few that you can make out: Larkspur and Anemone You’ll soon find out that being around the Larkspur makes you almost overwhelmingly tired, to the point you might even feel sluggish and in desperate need of a comfy place to rest. Why not lie down right in the garden? Or better yet, find someone to snuggle up with and sleep your worries away. The only truly strange part? You don’t seem to dream. At all. Straying too close to the Anemones, meanwhile, grants an entirely different effect. One second you’ll be walking through the garden and then suddenly you’re twenty feet away and facing the wrong direction. Even worse, whatever those flowers have done to you will sometimes make it so you “glitch” through solid objects – your leg might suddenly be lodged in the ground despite it being perfectly solid a moment before, or your arm could be shoved halfway into a wall that… actually, was that wall even there before? Nevermind that. The effects only last for a few minutes at worst, so at least you’re not stuck there forever, right?

Liminal Spaces and Worn Out Faces

Thanks to the combined efforts of dreamers and dragons, Vaeros is asleep. No one knows for how long. The locals aren’t particularly pleased with this turn of events and the village is a mess, but at least the moon is high in the sky again and everything is back to normal… relatively speaking. Things start to change... morph into something more dreamy, more surreal. It's subtle at first but after a few days…

The aftermath of the overgrowth, animal attacks, and the overall chaos of Vaeros' tantrum has left the village a little worse for wear. While most of the damages are cosmetic and could be fixed by the local's efforts alone, maybe a little help would be appreciated? If nothing else, it might help alleviate a little bit of the tension still lingering in the air after the events at the castle.

That, and the locals seem to be acting kind of strange. Leaving them to their own devices might not be the best idea. The Gelfling you are aiding in repairing a half-broken wall has been hammering for what seems like hours and when you look to see what they're doing, they haven't actually made any progress - they're just hitting the same spot over and over again, potentially making the hole even bigger. Did the goblin you just passed have a completely blank face for a moment? Others might walk into things, off of things (Starlight Cliff might be a hazard zone), or suddenly and inexplicably become aggressive toward dreamers, grabbing anything they can get their hands on (kitchenware, vegetables, a goose??) to use as a weapon. It's a very bizarre scene and the villagers don't seem to notice there is anything wrong with the people around them.

It’s not just the locals either. The animals have been acting equally strange. There's a wolf inside the clothing shop trying on suits, a goat standing (or trying to stand) on its hind legs, bleating out random words like a town crier while jingling a bell around its neck to get everyone's attention. Where you should find the local baker, suddenly they're replaced with a deer holding a paddle in its mouth to stir up a batch of brownies.

To top it all off, there's an eerie sense of deja vu no matter where you go or what you do. Didn't you just help that goblin with the wheelbarrow an hour ago? So why is it halfway across town again? You could have sworn you had to go and grab groceries, but your pantry is full like someone already had.

Up is Down, In is Out

Days pass and the oddities continue to make themselves more and more apparent. The sidewalks seem uneven and wobbly at times, threatening to toss people walking across them to the ground or even fling them into the air with a sudden violent ripple. Walking through the forest sees the leaves of the trees melting into green goo that sticks to your clothes, your hair, and your skin - potentially staining them green and leaving you in dire need of a bath. You can always wash off in the lake, of course, but even that is not free of the strangeness occurring in Visium. The water of Lake Omen has turned to lava, at least in color; although there is no heat radiating from it when one approaches. That, and the locals are still fishing in it without issue, save the fact that they keep pulling up fish with tophats on.

Speaking of fish - they're raining from the sky now (tophats or not) in all sorts of different colors, shapes, and sizes. Good news! They're still edible. Bad news, they're probably trying to sell you something.

If you do decide to try the fish or any other meal in town, especially those served by the locals, you'll find that it doesn't taste like much of anything and most certainly doesn't fill you up, at least not at first. Everything is bland and unappealing until left in the presence of dreamers - and the more you share the meal with, the faster the taste returns.

Dream Within a Dream Within a Dream Within a Dream Within

Even with Vaeros asleep, only a small portion of the labyrinth is still accessible. Those that attempt to explore will find sections made up of pillows and cushions, and no matter what time of day it is elsewhere, this portion of the labyrinth seems to be stuck in perpetual twilight. Explorers will also immediately feel drowsy, then lulled to sleep by the quiet singing whispered through the air like a lullaby. Anyone brave enough to try and rescue those poor souls from their impromptu naps would be wise to plug their noses and cover their ears with earmuffs to block out the sound.

At night, dreamers dream. They will be visited by the same melody heard in the labyrinth, though it is distant. They will also hear a woman telling them to spend more time together, to bond and create things together in order to soothe the effects of Vaeros' magic growing wild in his dreams. Dreamers will also have the ability to visit other's dreams, meeting in a dreamy light liminal space that will not feel so real when they awaken.

OOC

Welcome to the labyrinthum TDM! Characters will arrive depowered and with only their clothing, and will be given a satchel with a crystal pendant, a communication device, some water and bread and a magic potion. If they drink the potion, they will manifest an elemental, healing or animal transformation ability.

With the exception of Castle Vaeros, characters are free to go as they please, so feel free to place them in any of the locations available on the map. Yes, this includes the Labyrinth - though characters will not be able to clear the maze.

You can find more information about the game here. Any questions regarding the TDM can go under the comment below.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Perhaps someday, Loki could show Puck Asgard in a dream since the real one had been destroyed. The best part (besides showing Puck) would be that no one WOULD show up from Asgard in the dream unless they were a dream-version created by Loki. Keeping his hand in the fae's, Loki went willingly and was not surprised by the background somewhat filling in.

"I'm looking forward to seeing your favorites."

Puck would have enjoyed seeing the dream version of Asgard as much as Loki would have enjoyed showing it. It was always fun to learn more about lovers and that often included trips to familiar places. As they headed onto a city street, Puck looked around as he took a breath. It was probably as close to home as he'd see for a while.

"Hungry?" he asked suddenly with a look back to Loki. "Or should we sightsee first?"

Loki simply took it in, as he'd not really gotten much chance to ever play 'tourist' in New York. Too focused on other goals both times. So he was quiet while he observed. Gleaning what he could from this dream version, before turning to Puck with a soft smile. "Sight see, I think. As you may've guessed--I've not just been a tourist here before."

"Then allow me to show you around." Puck straightened up a little and cleared his throat as he gestured to the Eyrie building. "Xanatos Tower-- officially called the Eyrie building, which.. is fitting, I guess, but I wouldn't count Xanatos as any sort of bird building a nest. His combination home and business headquarters, the nerve center. When I'm not traveling or staying by his side, I have my own penthouse on one of the lower levels." Puck shrugged.

"I know this is a dream, but can we go in the building?" Loki asked, then reached up to cup Puck's cheek. "As much as I treat Owen as a different person, he's part of you and I'd like to know his life too. And not just so I could play him if needed, but because it is part of your life."

Edited 2024-05-08 19:08 (UTC)

Puck's cheeks grew a bit warm as the emotion behind Loki's words spoke louder. "Sure, it should be open. The lights are on, so.." He rested against Loki's hand for a moment and smiled. "Well there's nothing scandalous, but you'll get to see more than what he usually wears to the office."

Tugging gently, Puck lead him up the stairs and through the front entrance. A security guard tipped their hat to both of them with a, "Good evening." as Puck's clothing changed into Owen's usual suit. He brushed his front locks of hair behind his shoulders and grinned. "Hm. That does track with it being a mix of both places."

Loki was studying it all as they moved, and his clothing shifted as well to a business suit. He stopped and made Puck pause however, with the change of the other. Enough that Loki could study him, look his fill. "The mix is a good look on you. You'd be adorable with glasses on as well."

Edited 2024-05-08 20:27 (UTC)

Puck grinned as Loki's clothes also changed to fit the situation and showed off his own suit. At the glasses comment, Puck chuckled. "Oh, do you like glasses, then? Well." He reached into his pocket and pulled out Owen's, slipping them on. "Better?"

"Not better, just different. Equally pleasing though." Loki explained, bringing up their joined hands to kiss. "Sometime I may have to try them as well." A pause, and an impish smile. "It's less about the glasses though, and more that I find you pleasing and attractive in general, no matter who you're being."

"Likewise-- your outfits are nice, but I like you first, and whatever you're wearing second." Puck moved Owen's glasses until they were on top of his head and then kissed Loki on the cheek. "I wouldn't say no to the idea, you'd fit in with everything else." Puck leaned back and slipped the glasses back into their usual spot before he produced a key card.

Holding it to a nearby sensor which played a snippet of classical music once it was read, the elevator doors slid open with a ding.

"Xanatos was given an odd sense of humor, but it could be worse, I suppose." He gestured to the open elevator. "After you, then I'll tell it where to go."

"I don't see what's odd. Classical music is generally considered inoffensive and neutral, and fits with the atmosphere he's going for." Loki murmured, reaching out to squeeze Puck's hand before he stepped within. "Besides Asgard, I'll have to find a way to show you Stark Tower, also known as the Avengers Tower. I believe this building is taller, but it was also quite the landmark in my world."

"It's from part of the title. Debussy's 'The girl with the gold hair'. Xanatos thought it would be funny to associate Owen with it." Once they were in the elevator, Puck held onto Loki's hand as he pressed a button on the panel. The doors slid closed as the elevator began moving smoothly. "Tall buildings seem to be one of the default landmarks for humans, I've found." As the elevator climbed, Puck relaxed against one of the walls. "But seeing both would be fun!"

"Not just for humans. Valaskjalf was also very tall. There was also the Grandmaster's citadel on Sakaar." Loki moved closer and as Puck relaxed, he leaned in to nuzzle and kiss the other's hair.

Puck grinned at the sudden kissing as he listened. "Do you think there's a quota for each realm to meet for tall buildings?" he joked as he leaned into the nuzzling a little. With another ding, the doors opened to a tastefully decorated private office. The office held a desk and office chair, various lamps and a modern-- for the time period, desktop computer. One wall had been converted into a bookshelf, which held CDs and three ring binders. Puck stepped out of the elevator and let go of Loki's hand long enough to stretch. "Here we are-- there's another entrance for the front door, but it's not used as often." He took Loki's hand again and gave it a kiss. "Most people who work with Xanatos don't think about where his assistant lives."

Beyond the office was a living room, kitchen, and bedroom. There was also another room serving as a full wardrobe. Some more of Xanatos's humor, but Puck had simply gone with it.

"If Owen is doing his job correctly, most people shouldn't think about him regularly at all. It's not quite the same with good servants. There when you need them--ever present actually, but most of the time they get ignored." Loki stepped into the space and looked around. Heading for the bookshelf first and examining what he could. Not that he expected to be able to read or understand anything as it was a dream and that wasn't usually how things worked.

"It also means that the servants usually know far more than most suspect, and are the best for figuring out what's going on that no one wants to know." Which had made them excellent accomplices a few times when Loki was younger.

"Exactly. So he can come and go as needed." The text was rendered as simply scribbles. Very fancy looking ones, but still illegible. "The best work is often done in secret. Or at least without as much attention being drawn to it."

Puck grinned as he looked around again. "Most of the paper work is handled here-- well, not here specifically, but it's close enough. I wonder how the rest of the penthouse has changed. Probably not by much. Where to next? The living room?"

Loki chuckled, and turned his attention back to Puck. Smiling with the others grin, he moved over and cupped the fae's face. Leaning down to kiss him softly; trying to say that he was enjoying just seeing this part of Puck's life. Even if only in a dream.

"Any and all of it. It's all part of your life, which makes it important to me." He finally said, not quite against the fae's mouth.

Puck returned the kiss, the message coming through before Loki spoke. "I'll try to make it sound interesting." he joked with another kiss before Puck moved to go from the office to the living room. "If the CDs and books are just scribbles, I doubt videos will work.. But everything else should be fine."

The overall air of the penthouse was that it was comfortable second only to being efficient. Not quite as cozy as Puck's cottage, but still pleasant in its own way. The living room was also decorated tastefully, mostly in dark shades with the occasional pop of white or gold accent pieces. Puck took a seat on a long sectional sofa and flopped over a little comically.

"You're very cute when you're sentimental."

It was all very nice, and spoke well of 'Owen' and what he valued. Loki made sure to take some mental notes for when and if he ever needed to play the role. He moved to settle in a comfy armchair, one long leg crossing over the other. "Considering I have never valued sentiment, that is a recent change. One you inspire in me, apparently."

Puck sat up with a soft laugh. "Oh? Well, that's.. That's actually very nice to hear." His cheeks colored a little. Puck had inspired other lovers before, but this felt more special somehow. He stood and moved to give Loki a quick kiss before he headed into the kitchen.

"There's nothing in here-" Puck gestured to the kitchen, equally well decorated with top of the line appliances and a mix of soft and natural lighting. "There's nothing in here that you need to take note of. I can cook and do so as Owen, but there's nothing specific outside of Owen having a normal diet and drinking most of his coffee black."

Thinking on it, Puck pulled a bag of coffee beans over and sighed at the text being a mashup of scribbles that made no sense. He put the bag back into place and then went to join Loki in the living room again. "With the text being different, I wonder if it'd be the same with the food?"

"Were you wanting a dinner date?" Loki asked, getting to his feet and moving over to the other. Reaching to clasps Puck's hands. "There's more to show me, isn't there? Or are you nervous, for some reason."

"Not here, but when we wake up, maybe." Puck held onto Loki's hands, took a moment and took a breath. "There's more, yes.. It's just. The cottage in Somnius is nice. You've seen it enough times, as much as I've seen your room, but this. Well, even with this just being a dream version--" Puck sighed and straightened his shoulders, pushing past the sudden rush of flustered emotions.

"This is technically the first time you're seeing my actual bedroom. That's all."

The color on his cheeks deepened very slightly. "But I do want you to see it!" he added.

Loki chuckled, and moved his hands up to cup Puck's cheek and face. "You're being adorable and it's very cute. This is why you inspire sentimentality in me." Loki murmured, before moving to kiss the other's forehead.

"We don't have to do, or not do, anything you don't want to. We're dreaming, and I'm glad simply to be here with you. We can work anything else out when we're awake again."

Puck met Loki's eyes for a moment and then laughed softly at the forehead kiss. "There are worse things than being cute, I suppose."

But joking aside, he considered things and then gave a resolute nod. "No, I think this is the closest I'll get to Manhattan or Avalon for the time being. Besides, you get to see more of my decorating sense." Puck furrowed his brow in thought. "It's.. odd, though. Usually by the time I've realized I'm dreaming, then the dream itself is ready to break down." He lifted his shoulders in a quick shrug. "But I'll take this instead, gladly."

Puck pulled away from Loki and motioned for him to follow down a hallway towards a pair of closed doors. One was unlabeled, the other had a small gold plaque next to it, engraved simply with Wardrobe.

Loki's curiosity was piqued by the room--and apparently what it contained. Unless Puck decided to stop him, he was going to attempt to open the door. It couldn't be quite what he thought it was, could it?

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