galambs: (Apple Plate)
Recursion Helpers ([personal profile] galambs) wrote in [community profile] tornheart2017-10-02 09:11 pm

Dream A Dream [OPEN]

Who: Open Log (All)
Where: Dreams
Summary: The Awakening takes a strange turn
Warnings: N/A

"Are you ready, my black lambs? Let's get to work..."

Dream a Dream

In the morning of October 1st, a message will flash across Applenet:

Uhh... shit. Forget the countdown! Something's wrong. Well... let's mix things up a little differently this time! Nothing bad will happen!... probably...

That sure explains absolutely nothing. Thanks, Luci.

However, as day turns to afternoon, and afternoon turns to evening, a familiar feeling will start to fall over everyone. Both those who are Awakened and those who are not will recognize it as the same kind of exhaustion that has fallen over them in the past when they first got the Applenet app. The Awakened will feel this urge particularly strongly, perhaps as a point, and they'll inevitably end up turning in for the night much sooner. Sleep will come easy to them...

... And so will their dream.

All of the Awakened will show up in the same place: an apple orchard where all the trees are heaving with their fruits. Unlike the bright cheerful sunshine of where they met Luci, this place is overcast, and the trees' branches threaten to brush against each other. Instead of seeing their mysterious benefactor in person, everyone's phones will go off again, and a message from Luci will be waiting for them. All of it can be summed up thusly:

Instead of the previous Awakenings, which were clearly a little risky, Luci has decided to use the dreams of those who used to be Awakened but have since fallen asleep again. Not only will it not set off those who are sleeping again- weird shit happens in dreams all the time right?- but it's guaranteed to draw less attention from their enemies. Probably.

Of course the whole thing is still going to be dangerous! Dreams always have Shadows, and Luci seems pretty cheerfully matter of fact that is particular dreamer has ones that are pretty dangerous... but that just means a reason to Awaken!

It's at the last minute that Luci adds something else. Within the Sleeper's dream will be something called a Dreamer's Heart. It'll be guarded by a particularly noteworthy Shadow, and while it's not necessary to Awakening... maybe it will help speed things up?

Luci isn't really interested in answering questions right now; he seems a bit preoccupied. Still, with that message given... as the Awakened look up from their screens, they'll notice a single door standing within the orchard. They can stick around to organize for as long as they want, but, when they're all decided on moving forward, the door will be available to be opened. And as they walk through...

Goodbye Teamwork
They all find themselves in the midst of an enormous white hallway.

Awakened and unawakened both are together, with no indication of how any of them got there. The walls are eerily smooth, and the lights are almost offensive in their brightness as they buzz from high above. Should regular hallways be this big? It's enough to make everyone, no matter how tall or big they are, to feel as if they're children again...

Doors line up along the walls, also far too big than seems should be right. People should be careful going through them, however. Some don't seem to open for certain people at all. Other doors will put them in another hallway, or a strange room that looks like a hospital-phobic person's worst nightmare. The worst part? Sometimes the doors never seem to lead to the same place as they went before... or they'll outright disappear once you've gone through them. Beyond the hallways, it's a place full of deceit and trickery. The Awakened will have to be careful where they go, or it becomes all too easy to get turned around...

... And separated.

We've got Company
The halls and rooms aren't left empty for long.

People will notice them just for a moment, lurking in the corners of rooms or far down at the hallway. They're figures that, in contrast to the intruders of this dream, seem to fit in perfectly with the enormous dimensions of the place. At a glance, from the corner of an eye, they don't seem all that strange. On the peripheral, from a distance, they're just... people. Men, if one had to guess. For a split second, they always seem perfectly still.

Then they lunge.

It's upon a closer look, or as the creatures are moving, that it becomes obvious that the proportions are all wrong. The shoulders are too broad, the arms too long, and, somehow, it's impossible to see their faces. It always seems as if the light is shining from behind them, covering their faces in shadow. And, of course... they're incredibly tall.

With their reach being what it is, it's no surprise that their preferred method of attack is to try to grab whoever they can. Those who look particularly young are their preferred targets, but they go whoever seems most vulnerable. The good news is that their size is all talk. For those who have Awakened, they're perhaps a little tough, but nothing that can't be brought down, especially with teamwork. These creatures always seem to work solo for the most part. It should be noted, however, that they come in two varieties: in pitch black suit-and-tie or shockingly white lab coats.

These tall creatures aren't the only dangers in this dream. The more that it's explored, the more that much smaller shapes can be found scurrying around. They're the size of children, beings that seem all the tinier in the face of the taller enemies, and their heads seem to be covered in a perpetual haze of fog. What's dangerous about them isn't that they're a source of violence. In fact, the dream children shy away from any outright battles. It's before such things happen, in the face of the tall enemies lurking around, that they're a problem. The dream children will shove and trip other people, effectively throwing them under the bus, before they try to run away on their own. An environmental hazard, almost, more than enemies.

The Inner Heart
As it turns out, Luci was wrong. There's not a Shadow guarding a Dreamer's Heart.

There are two.

In all the chaos of exploration and combat, it's easy to pick them out from the other childish shapes running around. Befitting of their names, they're completely black - literal walking shadows. The only color apparent on them.... would be the glow emanating from their chests, each possessing the half of a heart.

Unlike the other beings in this dream, neither of them have any interest in really interacting with the Awakened or the Unawakened. Sometimes they'll lurk, around corners or in a doorway, watching, but they're quick to run away before all else. Cornering them might be troublesome... a fact that's made all the more difficult by how the pair don't stay together, instead running away on their own or trying to disappear in the crowds of dream kids.




mirrors_wish: (Surprise)

Re: The Quiet One

[personal profile] mirrors_wish 2017-10-10 03:46 am (UTC)(link)
[This is not what Yui expected when they came looking for the shadow. The boy darts past her before she even has a chance to try to stop him, and she looks back at the others in confusion.]

Do we go after him?
hachitaro: (danger.)

Scan

[personal profile] hachitaro 2017-10-11 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
[It definitely is not, but Taro has hopped up on Dantalion so that he can see better. It's not his fault tanukis are short. Right now the Persona is a young woman with black hair and bright green eyes, but her whole image keeps rippling like water.]

I think so. Let's see...

[He focuses, ordering Dantalion to use Scan to see if he can pick up on a weakness from the Shadow.]
sociallyarcward: (Default)

[personal profile] sociallyarcward 2017-10-13 01:55 am (UTC)(link)
[There's too many of those kids and even when Jaune tries to track him, he quickly loses him in the disturbing Shadow crowd. Jaune frowns, tilting his head towards Taro. He's used to working with a team so this might be it. He recognized that Taro could probably get more information as a Navigator.

What did you get?
mirrors_wish: (Determined)

[personal profile] mirrors_wish 2017-10-14 02:56 am (UTC)(link)
[Yui didn't think to perform Scan quickly enough, so she looks to Taro anxiously.]
hachitaro: (unsure.)

Tarukaja

[personal profile] hachitaro 2017-10-14 08:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Weak against physical attacks, but don't use dark or ice!

[He thinks for a moment, and casts Tarukaja on Jaune. Let's go, fightfriend.]

So just hit it until it stops moving, I guess! I'll deal with healing if you guys want to hit it more...
sociallyarcward: (Default)

[personal profile] sociallyarcward 2017-10-17 12:53 am (UTC)(link)
[Jaune frowns. It's helpful...but the biggest problem isn't in fighting it right now.]

We're going to loose him in the crowd. Fan out by stay in range -- don't go through any doors without backup.

[Jaune unsheathes his sword and starts the pursuit...of course he's going to have to maneuver around the sea of other dream children first.]
mirrors_wish: (Desperate)

Distraction

[personal profile] mirrors_wish 2017-10-18 12:56 am (UTC)(link)
[Yui nearly does trip over several of the children, but worse, the way they keep running makes it nearly impossible to get past to the door.]

We're never going to get anywhere at this rate!

[She throws a kunai off to the side and casts Distraction to try to get the children to follow and group around that instead.]
hachitaro: (tch.)

Dash

[personal profile] hachitaro 2017-10-19 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
[Taro attempts to get his Persona to just drive around the children, but it's slow. He's slow, because... is it died to the fact that his legs are short? This is ridiculous. He casts Dash on himself so that he can at least manage to keep up with the others.]

The door's over there! Jaune, come on!

[You're the only fighter here. He sure as hell isn't going through the door first.]
sociallyarcward: (Default)

[personal profile] sociallyarcward 2017-10-22 01:47 am (UTC)(link)
[Jaune's ahead at first, but when all the children start to fall in on them it gets harder to keep his lead. Still he has eyes on the door and he isn't stopping. He's lucky, he's used to dodging obstacles and while he isn't exactly the most graceful human being, his shield helps him in pushing a few of the shadow children out of the way.

The Distraction spell probably helps a little and Jaune gets his hands on the door, he's careful not to go through though, wanting to keep it open for the rest of his team and make sure that get through okay.

Of course...he also can't risk loosing the running child either. Why had it left the door opened? And hadn't it stopped to look back? He turns to look into the door--what the room is like and to keep his eye on the child shadow. He decides to try something
]

Hey! Wait!
mirrors_wish: (Determined)

[personal profile] mirrors_wish 2017-10-23 01:34 am (UTC)(link)
[Yui manages to get over to them and stops at the door. For a moment, she's surprised about the operating room, but the sight of the Shadow curled up against the wall hits her hard.]

I'm going in.

[She cautiously makes her way forward, keeping her hands free. She doesn't know if it'll attack, but...she was much the same way once. She'll take her chances.]
hachitaro: (danger.)

[personal profile] hachitaro 2017-10-24 03:47 am (UTC)(link)
[Taro sighs, and glances at the kid. He feels bad for it, but... he really hopes it just gives up the heart without a fight.]

Be careful.

[He casts Rakukaja on Yui, just in case.]