01<@Ardweden> [Day: Saturday/Sunday, September 25/26. Time: Midnight.] 01<@Ardweden> [After an action packed Saturday, which involved Tyler hitting on Hank's sister and Hank responding with fists, then Javy running out after Hank only to be told he's apparently got to lead this team and Sydney insisting that she and Tyler are going on a date as Just Friends Honest, you all decided to jump into the dream world to save Natalie. The Haven is just as you left it! Hat with a feather and everything.] 01<@Ardweden> [Start!] 03* Tiffany is now known as Kali 06* Imp is frowning at the hat. Frowning as hard as can. 06* Teemo isn't there yet. OR IS HE? 01<@Ardweden> [Imp frowns the hat into submission. It is so cowed it says nothing.] 06* Susano-o looks around, checking over his armor as he looks about to see who's there and who's not. 06* Hien looks around the room, taking account of the hat and the others... and the distinct lack of Joan. "Oh no. Oh no he *didn't*. Like *hell* he didn't! That... that fucking asshole coward!" She stamps the floor. It may crack. 06* Imp looks over at Hien, the frown remains for a few seconds and then he looks torn. "Hank?" That's all he can squeak out right now. 06* Kali unfolds slowly from behind the pillar and steps out, eyes shifting for the door for a moment and then glances around at all the others. Her arms all fold in front of her, wrapping around as she eyes somewhat suspiciously. "Right. Of course." 01<@Ardweden> [The floor does, actually, crack.] 06* Hien looks at Kali. "At least you came this time." She growls. "I wouldn't abandon any of you guys, you know. Not when the people you care about are in trouble." 06* Kali blinks and finally notices the situation as she looks about. "Wait. Where's Joan?" 06* Susano-o looks uneasy. "She should be here. Right?" 06* Imp gulps and opens his mouth before closing it. Then opens it again. "Hanks sister likes me. I'm sorry Syd..." He does sound sorry or perhaps scared. Who knwos? 06* Hien snarls and looks at Susano-o. "*Should*, yes. What'd Hank say to you, again?" 06* Kali reaches up with two right hands and rubs her whole face. Convenient that. One hand for her upper half. One hand for her lower half. "Right. We don't have time for this, you know? Hank is where Hank is. Forget it. What's the plan?" That's. That he would still work here. But, on his own. Like. Not with us. Just, I didn't think he'd meant it. Well, when Susanna needs rescuing from dreams, I'll still help *him*. I'm so glad he cares so much about *my* sister! 06* Kali hnnghs, clenching her temples tighter. "We'll help whoever the fuck we need to help. *Now can we fucking focus already?*" 06* Hien snarls at Kali. "First step, we get back to Hogwarts." 06* Susano-o looks at Kali, and nods. "We should. I mean. She's not here. And we need to get back there. Right." 06* Imp moves behind the hat, trying to get away from the angry dragon. 06* Kali nods to Hien and then looks evenly at her, braving the flame. "And then? We make nice with the fancy prancy wizards again? Is that the plan?" Well, what do *you* think we should do? 06* Imp snaps his head up and looks at Kali. "You know something we don't." He seems more confident about this. 06* Kali looks at Hien evenly. "That's easy. Kill the head master. Kill the witch." 06* Hien looks at Susano-O, then at Imp. "Do Nate and Tony seem okay? Like, are they scarred for life or anything from us ruining their dreams?" 06* Imp frowns and looks away. "Tony won't talk to me" 06* Susano-o shakes his head. "You've seen Nate. He doesn't seem scarred." 06* Kali scowls and hunches forward, pointing at Hien with at least *three* separate fingers. "Look. We're *nightmare bringers*. We're not *there* to play nice. Am I the only one who remembers that?" I don't remember signing the contract for *that*. 06* Imp starts to look more crestfallen. 06* Kali crouches down on the floor, folding up her huge body and starting to pick at her garments. She seems to be making herself as small as possible. Which isn't easy when you're 7 feet. Her voice is almost a whisper as she grabs her knees and pulls them to her chest. "...they're fake," she croaks out. 06* Imp blinks. "Explain? please?" 06* Susano-o looks rather confused, as well. 06* Kali waves her hand, not looking up. "The dreams. They're all *fake*. Why are you wanting to protect a lie...?" 06* Hien stops. "What are you doing?" I'm not trying to protect the *dreams*. I'm trying to protect my sister's *sanity*. And what the hell are you *doing*? 06* Kali glances at Hien's feet for a moment. "What do you mean?" You're on the floor trying to hide. From *what*? Do you think I'm going to attack you or something? 06* Kali looks up and glares at Hien, suddenly raising up. "Is *that* what this is about? Is that what you think this is about? You know. We almost *failed* Tony. By not acting. Or did you forget that?" I don't understand you at all! But you know what? You're right. We don't have time for this. And since I don't have a better plan, we'll use yours. Let's go. 06* Hien stalks for the door. 06* Imp nods and follows Hien. On the ground. Not bamfing up to Hien's head. 06* Kali scowls at Hien and then breathes off to the side, muttering under her breath. "No one understands. That's the problem..." She glances at the hat for a moment before stalking towards the door. 06* Susano-o takes up the rear, looking around once more on the way out. 06* Imp looks back at Kali. "I want to understand." It's said quietly. 01<@Ardweden> [The hat offers nothing.] 06* Hien opens the doors, unless there's a reason for her not to! 01<@Ardweden> [The GM cannot say, but she can say that there's gray mist on the other side!] 06* Hien concentrates. "To Hogwarts!" She steps into the mist. 06* Imp hop scurries after Hien. 06* Susano-o waits for Kali to go through before he'll go in. 06* Kali goes. To Slytherin. I mean Hogwarts. There's a nod to Susano-o, but it's curt. 06* Susano-o nods back, and heads in after her! 01<@Ardweden> [TO HOGWARTS! By which I mean to the castle that's not Hogwarts on the outside but is more or less Hogwarts on the inside, assuming Natalie's dream is the same! It is just as you left it, with the moat, drawbridge, and cliff up one side. The heavy doors are closed.] 06* Kali frowns at the door now, giving it the once-over. "Well there goes *that* plan." Figures they wouldn't just show up inside. 06* Susano-o looks up at it. "We were just here. Maybe the guy can let us in again." 06* Kali folds her arms. She *never* gets to storm the castle! 01<@Ardweden> [While you're all debating how to storm the castle, Susano-O spots a figure step out of the shadows that cover the lower part of the cliff face. It's a woman who's a little shorter than Kali but still very tall, and wrapped in an inky blackness that seems both insubstantial and pools around her like cloth. Her eyes are a deep, dark black, and a wide brimmed hat and scarf, made out of the same material as her cloak, covers the rest of her features. The sunlight glints off what little he can be seen under her cloak and hints at armor or maybe weaponry.] 06* Susano-o squints in her direction. "Do you think she'd help?" Who? 06* Hien looks. "Oh. That's not suspicious at all." I can telepo... hrm? 06* Kali looks at Susano-o for a second. "Eh?" Then she follows his gaze and narrows her eyes a little, voice hissing a little. "Scathach." Now he looks at Kali instead. "You know her? 06* Kali frowns as she looks forward. "Kind of. I notice the form..." She then looks confused at Susano-o, tilting her head. "You didn't see her?" No, I did. But I haven't seen her before. That's what I meant. 06* Susano-o shakes his head again, looking confused. "Should I have? Was she there already?" Who is she? 01<@Ardweden> [The woman - Scathach? - obviously noticed *you*. She starts walking towards you.] 06* Kali gestures with her head. "Another Walker. I think. You really didn't see her? I..." She blinks. "I wrote her down in my notebook, didn't I? She was....Tony? Tony's dream?" 06* Susano-o looks warily at the approaching woman. "You mentioned it. But I didn't see it." 06* Imp sighs and takes a big breath. "HEY THERE SCARY WOMAN!" 06* Kali facepalms. "And then there's Imp. Subtlety of a mac truck with a fucking napalm bomb." 01<@Ardweden> [With which hand? Kali has so many options!] [ALL OF THEM] 06* Imp shrugs. "Look, You weren't doing anything." 06* Teemo isn't Teemo at all! Turns out it was Scathach all this time. She speaks in a harsh, rasping whisper that reverberates. "Hello, Tyler." 06* Imp blinks. "Umm...Hi?" 06* Susano-o looks more wary now. 06* Hien growls slightly. 06* Kali frowns at the woman, looking at her cooly. "Decided not to just spy on us this time?" 06* Scathach glances past the group and up at the castle. "Now's the time for action," she says, that raspy echoing whisper making her voice difficult to listen to. "I've come to help you." 06* Hien looks at Kali. "You trust her?" 06* Kali frowns. "I don't think we have much choice..." She does turn to Scathach though. "Why now? I thought you were on the other team..." 06* Imp looks at Scathach. "Wait, who are you, you know me..." 06* Scathach shakes her head. "Always the same team. Just not under the same person." 06* Scathach glances at Tyler again, apparently fond of making the minimal amount of movements necessary. She doesn't shift her weight or move her arms. "Your way is not wrong. But it is not the only way." 06* Imp looks very, very confused. 06* Hien eyes Scathach. "Explain." 06* Susano-o looks back at the castle, listening. 06* Scathach explains, "The dreamer is not entirely unconscious. There is a point where the unconscious and subconscious converge, and at that point, you can reveal the truth. You just need to remind them who they are." 06* Kali frowns as she listens to Scathach. "Again. Why are you helping us *now*? You didn't help with Tony..." And they knew who they were. Nate was still Nate. Natalie is losing herself, though. She still remembered a little last night. 06* Imp frowns a bit. "Wait, I could have not traumatized Tony?" 06* Kali glances at Imp. "Joan stabbed first. Remember that." She frowns though. It probably depends on the dreamer. She seems to be thinking. 06* Scathach doesn't say anything to Tyler, but gives him a pitiful look that should explain enough. 06* Kali keeps frowning, muttering, "But that didn't..." She suddenly glances at Hien. "So who is your sister?" She's going by Elaine here. It's her middle name. And she's wearing glasses instead of her contacts, and her hair is longer. 06* Scathach looks back to Hien. "Remind her. You should be able to do it, Hien, the..." She falters a bit for the first time, possibly silently suppressing a chuckle, before finishing, "Hien, the Scarlet Flame." 06* Hien breathes a tiny bit of smoke in Scathach's direction. "So I am." 06* Kali looks at Hien. Hard. "No. I meant *who* is your sister? I mean deep down. Inside. Something she can't forget." 06* Imp frowns a bit more. "Oh." He looks sad. She's super-smart. She loves books. When we were younger we were inseparable, me and her. For Christmas each year she'd make me an ornament in art class, and I'd make one for her. But... that's stopped now. I think she realizes how stupid I am. And it's embarrassing for her to have a sister who's so dumb and gets lost so easily. She... ...she's never said it to me, but I feel like that's what she's thinking. 06* Kali gives a half smile. "We might be able to use that." She turns aside. "You haven't lost her yet. But first, we have to get into the castle..." 06* Imp looks down. "I don't think you're stupid." 06* Susano-o looks at Hien sympathetically. "Me neither." 06* Kali doesn't reply. She's too focused on the castle, looking for windows. *Geez* guys! Cheerleading session later! 06* Hien attempts to look wry. "You haven't seen my grades. But thank you." 06* Scathach may or may not. She doesn't say! 06* Scathach does say something else, though. "Why not go in the way you did last time?" Last time they just let us in. But we had someone with us they liked. It could work, though. We were just here. 06* Imp sighs and bamfs, aiming for the top of the castle. 06* Kali looks at the doors. "I could try to go *through* the doors...but with the mist thing, I'm not sure what's on the other side i- -" Then she starts as Imp bamfs. *Geez* Imp! 01<@Ardweden> [Imp bamfs! to the top of the castle. He sees the Raven sitting there one tower over. It turns to look at him with those red raven eyes.] 06* Imp waves at the Raven and looks around at the castle. "HEY GUARD PEOPLE! Bored and polite hell spawn wishes to talk before he gets too bored to talk!" 01<@Ardweden> ["Ah, you again!" the guard from before pokes his head out the window of the tower that the Raven's sitting on.] Hello! Could we kindly visit again? Our last visit was cut short. 01<@Ardweden> [The guard looks down at the others. "But the knight from before is not with you."] 06* Kali looks up at the guard and says cooly. "But her *entourage* is here." See? She knows fancy words. That makes her an aristocrat. Let her in. 01<@Ardweden> [While the guard twirls his moustache and considers the validity of Kali's argument, the session ended.] 06* Scathach stands there and says nothing. 01<@Ardweden> [End!]