01<@Ardweden> [Day: Sunday, September 5 - you think? Time: Night, probably.] 01<@Ardweden> [The five of you wake up in Haven. No, not your dream forms. Just you.] 01<@Ardweden> [It's still an ornate throne room, though!] 01<@Ardweden> [Session Start.] 06* Tyler blinks looking around. "What?" 06* Hank looks around. "This can't be right." Why am I me and not Hien? 06* Javy blinks a couple of times and crosses his arms defensively. Aren't you, you, as you? Why are we even here? I didn't put the thingie under my pillow tonight. At least, I don't remember doing it. I guess I could've sleepwalked or something, but... Hell, I ain't even sure I'm asleep. 06* Tiffany looks around for a moment and scans everyone, then looks at the atmosphere, rubbing her forehead. "Well that's weird..." 06* Javy nods at Hank. "I don't. Um." Maybe this is just a dream itself. So okay, what do we do? 06* Sydney pinches herself to see if she wakes up. 01<@Ardweden> [Sydney pinches herself, and it hurts a little, but she remains where she is. 06* Javy looks around the group. "Who are we... um. Does, does this still work?" He tries to imagine the walls to turn green. Why would we all get sucked into the same dream though? I mean...you're conscious, right?" Well, the traditional pinch yourself to wake up isn't working. 01<@Ardweden> [The walls shift their shade, slightly, turning a very pale greenish hue.] 01<@Ardweden> [For the record, the clothes you guys are wearing is whatever you normally think of yourself as wearing.] 06* Javy looks at the walls, and looks slightly confused. He tries to darken it more. 06* Tyler frowns looking around more. 01<@Ardweden> [They turn a touch greener, but just a touch, and Javy's starting to get a headache.] 06* Tiffany frowns slightly and looks about, crossing her arms over herself. "If I am asleep, I don't remember going to bed wearing this either..." She's wearing her standard cutoffs and fishnets, short cut black baby tee, arm warmers and necklace chain around her neck. She watches the walls change. 06* Javy frowns, and stops. "It's. The walls... they're not changing right." He looks at Tiffany, and then past her, and nods. "Yeah." Okay, so this probably isn't just a dream thingie 06* Tiffany clutches her necklace chain and manages to crouch a bit smaller, playing with her hair nervously. "What does 'changing right' even mean...?" 06* Hank is wearing jeans and a T-shirt. How boring. Atl east he's got a leather jacket too, though. He looks around for the Walruscathat. 01<@Ardweden> [No Walruscathat here!] 06* Javy is in a grey shirt and simple khakis. "Before, it, it changed. Now, I can't do it right. It's not just me. Right?" 06* Tyler is in goth punk gear like normal. "So what are we doing" 06* Sydney is wearing a blue button-down shirt and jeans. "I'll try something." She attempts to make a bench appear on the other side of the room. 06* Hank frowns. "Almost like we're halfway." 01<@Ardweden> [A bench fades halfway into existence and then stops, so it's really... just a translucent park bench. Probably not safe to sit on.] 06* Sydney eyes her bench. "Halfway seems right." 06* Javy nods, and gets up, heading hesitantly towards the door. 01<@Ardweden> [It's a door.] 06* Hank heads that way too. "Open it." We're going out? Sure. Reckon there's no point in waiting for something to happen. 06* Tiffany looks around and frowns at the bench. "Looks like we're only half here." At least we should... should. Um. See what's there. 06* Javy opens the door, and peeks out. 06* Hank nods to Javy. "Yup." 01<@Ardweden> [Gray mist, far as his eye can see!] This is... odd You think? 06* Hank peers into it. 06* Tiffany sighs. "I don't wanna be here..." 01<@Ardweden> [Hank gets a faceful of gray mist, too. At least it's not difficult to breathe.] 06* Sydney looks over Javy's head and out the door. "Just the mist?" 01<@Ardweden> [Mist for Syndey! Mist for everyone!] 06* Javy looks back into the room at Syd, and nods. "So, um. Did anyone do anything different?" No. They need to cut back on the dry ice. Not that I remember doing. 06* Hank tests the ground outside with one foot. What do you mean? 01<@Ardweden> [Hank falls through! Not really. It feels like solid ground outside.] Maybe I shouldn't be nice. 06* Javy looks over at her, unsure. "I don't know. If it's..." he trails off, and then steadies. "If it's like this, then, um, then why? It's all different." It doesn't necessarily have to be anything we did. Maybe something happened over here... 06* Tiffany looks at Hank and peers over his shoulder. Ground seems solid enough. I say we go find answers. 06* Javy nods, and sounds slightly defensive. "I know. But, it's, it's..." He crosses his arms again, and looks at Hank, as well. It's, it's fine. But...yeah, we should probably go out there. It'd be better than staying in here with nothing to do. 06* Hank grins. "'Xactly." 06* Javy nods, and steps aside to clear the way for Hank. 06* Hank goes out! 06* Tiffany makes her way out as well, but cautiously. 06* Tyler follows the group. 06* Javy heads along, as well, looking to see if Syd is following. 06* Sydney follows everyone else and smiles appreciatively at Javy. 01<@Ardweden> [You step into Ashgate Square, twisted in its familiar, unfamiliar way. No streams or puddles this time, though mist hangs heavily in the air, and some of it clings to you, making you a little damp and cold.] 06* Javy smiles back shyly, and tucks his chin down, heading out. 06* Hank looks about. "Huh. Everything seems ok." 06* Sydney exhales. "Whew." 06* Tiffany shivers a bit and rubs her shoulders. "It's not usually this cold out here, is it?" 06* Javy looks around, and crosses his arms again, to help stay warm. "No. Um. I don't think so." Not when you're in platemail. I don't really notice it through the dragon scales, either. I'm usually warm. So... 06* Tyler starts looking around 06* Tiffany looks around for some place warm 01<@Ardweden> [Tyler doesn't find anything *particularly* out of the ordinary... oh, except for the fact that the back of a gray cloak, and presumably someone human-shaped and sized under the gray cloak, is turning the corner away from them.] 06* Javy rubs at his arms more, and glances around as well. Hey! Some one! 06* Hank starts jogging that way. Huh? 06* Tiffany looks at Tyler go. "Hey wait..." She goes quickly after him. 01<@Ardweden> [Once Tyler points the cloaked figure out, everyone can see it. You turn the corner and find yourselves in an entirely different place: this one in the center of a massive ring of stones much like Stonehenge, only made out of polished marble, with three larger than life statues of naked, winged men in the center.] Uh... That ain't supposed to be here. Is it? 06* Tyler blinks looking around. "Oh. This place. The statues are gods or something...." 06* Javy blinks a couple of times, and holds up looking around at that, coloring across his cheeks. Gods? 06* Tiffany looks over the statues very carefully, glancing at them up and down. Or something. People come here to pray I think. 01<@Ardweden> [Each is different in his beauty, yet somehow similar. One grins madly, with his arms outstretched, looking up to the sky. One has a calm smile, his hand stretched downwards as if to offer a blessing. And the third's arms are folded, and he has a stern, but not cruel, gaze leveled at you.] 01<@Ardweden> [Over the lot of you, a dark shadow ghosts, but then it disappears by the time you try to catch what's creating it.] 06* Hank eyes the grinning one. "This fella looks happy." So they're the gods of this place? 06* Javy looks over the calm one, and feels too terribly embarrassed to say anything. Of the circle? 01<@Ardweden> [Javy blushes! He totally blushes.] 06* Javy blushes SO MUCH. Look kind of Grecian actually. 01<@Ardweden> ["You," an echoing, female voice says, "are not supposed to be here." And before you is what's probably the cloaked figure you followed around the corner, given... well, the gray cloak she's wearing, with a hood that covers her face very well. She also has a white robe, and sandals on her feet.] 06* Sydney seems to not be bothered by the pantslessness of the statues. 06* Tiffany goes up to the statues calmly and sees if she can place her hand on one of the statues. 06* Tiffany eeps and withdraws her hand as she hears the voice. "I'm sorry! We just...we didn't come here on purpose." 06* Javy gratefully looks at her instead. "We, um. We don't even know where here is." 06* Sydney nods. "We're not really sure how we got here." I was here before. 01<@Ardweden> ["No." You can't see if she's frowning or smiling or what, and the voice is not a giveaway. "You didn't." Her head turns, so she's looking at Tyler (probably), but she doesn't say anything.] 06* Sydney looks at Tyler. "When?" When I was looking for info for you. So is this when you passed me the message that we're fucked? 06* Javy widens his eyes, and briefly glances at Tiffany, before looking back at the figure. 06* Hank looks totally lost. 01<@Ardweden> [The figure is almost a statue herself, as she stares unmovingly at Tyler.] I was here. I know I was. So now what? 01<@Ardweden> ["You were here," the woman says, finally. "I know you." She moves now, sweeping her gaze over the others. "Not the rest."] Well, uh.... Nice to meet you. 06* Javy pales, which conveniently helps counteract the blush. "Is that... it's okay, right?" I doubt you were here as you though. 06* Tiffany glances at the woman. "Which means you can see us for who we really are, right? Why are we here?" They are with me. They wanted to see this place. 06* Tyler lies easily! 01<@Ardweden> ["Yes," she says, and she *might* be amused. "It's 'okay'." She shakes her head at Tiffany. "I cannot see..." At Tyler's words, she falls silent again, maybe thinking.] 01<@Ardweden> ["You." And the turns to Tyler, and something about the woman is suddenly menacing. "You broke the gate?"] Gate? 06* Tiffany glances at Tyler. What gate? 06* Javy blinks, and looks at Tyler, as well. I break lots of things, but I don't think I broke a gate. Uh... Someone explain what she's talking about? 01<@Ardweden> ["The gate, between the dream and waking worlds." The air begins to turn dark, and she continues, her voice more menacing. "Did you break it? To show your friends?"] 06* Hank scowls. "Did you?" No. They came to this world themeselves without me the first time No, we're all dreamwalkers! He could have shown it to us anyway! 06* Javy nods a couple of times, in back-up. 01<@Ardweden> ["Walkers." The darkness suddenly disappears, as does her anger. "I see."] Wait, so does that mean we ain't the only ones here, then? 01<@Ardweden> ["There have always been Walkers," the woman says, turning her attention up to the statues.] Are they the patron dei... di... gods of this place? Yeah, but I mean if this gate thing is broken, that means non-Walkers are here too, don't it? Or don't it. Hell, I don't know. 06* Javy carefully doesn't follow the woman's gaze. 06* Tyler looks a bit nervous. "Look we aren't used to being here like this." 01<@Ardweden> [She nods to Sydney, respectfully. "Yes, Walker. These are the lords of this realm." She turns to Hank. "I cannot say. The gate is not what I'm meant to watch. I just thought, perhaps..." She shakes her head.] So you don't know that it's broke? And, um, so, these gods. What do they do? 01<@Ardweden> [She shakes her head, again, at Hank. To Javy, she says, "They control this world, and deliver dreams to mortals."] what are they? Then why are we here, like this, instead of our, erm... other selves? Hell, I ain't even sure we're asleep. I wish I knew what was going on... Me too. 06* Tiffany tentatively looks aside as she builds up a question. "Um...why *are* there Walkers?" 06* Javy glances at Tiffany, and nods approvingly. 01<@Ardweden> ["You may call them gods," she says to Tyler, amusement faint in her voice. At Tiffany's question, or maybe Hank's, she says, "I know not."] 06* Javy blurts, "Can we wake up?" 01<@Ardweden> ["I know not," she repeats. "I am sorry."] Where's the Walruscat when you need him... Do you know why I'm not an imp? 01<@Ardweden> [She shakes her head.] How do you know the gate is broken? When did it happen? Who are you then? 01<@Ardweden> [A gray mist suddenly appears, engulfing the lot of you until you no longer see the marble, then the statues. The woman is the last to fade away, as she says, "The gate, it may not be..." and she's gone as well. Now you see nothing but gray, and each other.] Wait, come back! 06* Tiffany frowns. "More questions. Great..." hrm... Uh. 06* Javy looks surprised, and confused, peering around to try to find the door back to the Haven, at least. 06* Hank cups his hands to his mouth and shouts, "Hey! What gives?" 01<@Ardweden> [And the mist clears, quite suddenly, and you are in VEGAS! Or at least in what looks like may be a Roman and Egyptian-themed hotel with plenty of Polynesia inexplicably thrown in. In front of you is an enormous, human- sized slot machine with a blinking "ONE CREDIT LEFT!" notice.] Starting' to think someone's just messing with us now. Whose dream are we in now? 06* Javy looks way more confused by this than the naked dream statues, but rather less embarrassed. 06* Tyler blinks looking around and then pulls a lever! The whole dream world's fucking with us. What else? 01<@Ardweden> [The lever is pulled, and the slots, they start spinning! They stop: pimp hat, pimp hat, pimp hat, pimp hat, and... pimp hat, and with a massive amount of trumpeting fanfare, a hat pops out from the slot, flips through the air, and a familiar purple cat falls from it to land (naturally) on his feet.] 01<@Ardweden> ["Someone rang?" he asks, quite cheerfully, popping a cane out of nowhere.] ....oh. why did I do that? Hey. Think you can give us some answers? 06* Javy yelps out a laugh. It's good to see you! 01<@Ardweden> ["It's good to see you, as well, Sydney Raynerson! Though I must wonder what you're doing here, instead of in your own dream."] Yeah, we're wondering that, too. Whose dream are we in, if we're not in our own? 06* Tiffany eyes the cat carefully. 06* Javy nods, backing up the question. 01<@Ardweden> [The Walrus grins, showing nice, sharp walruscat teeth. "Nobody's. Everybody's. Made up on the spot, I think. Fickle things, dreams."] Fickle like a cat, it seems. So why are we here? 01<@Ardweden> [He swishes his tail. "I resemble that remark, but no, this wasn't my doing. Somebody - somebody else - is bending the rules. Potentially fun, and certainly interesting, but problematic. That's how I would put it."] How can we find out who's doing this? 06* Javy swallows, and looks down at him. "Yeah. Do you know?" 06* Tiffany wraps her arms around herself slightly. "Problematic? You think?" 01<@Ardweden> ["Your sarcasm is noted and strangely refreshing." He scratches his chin with a claw. "I don't *know*," he says, with piles of emphasis on that word. "And I can't say. But finding out... that's a tricky thing. Perhaps some detective work, on your parts."] 01<@Ardweden> ["What's most important right now is getting you each where you belong. Your presence here, as you are, might be damaging those rules I mentioned."] How do we do that? Ain't like we can just knock on every door in the Dreamscape and ask. 01<@Ardweden> [He grins a another walruscat grin. "No, but you *can* go where this all began."] The Haven? Where we belong is very vague 06* Javy shakes his head. "The Fringe." Oh. Reckon that makes sense. I guess. But that's... 01<@Ardweden> [The cat simply says, "I'll help you get there." At those words, the area begins to fade, as do the people around you, and you each find yourself in a new place and scenario where you feel you belong.] 01<@Ardweden> [Session End.]