broken down by the sound of your prelude

[iudex]

Who: Dreamin' (iudex) & Accidentally Dreamwalkin' (psychopath).
When: Late night on the 31st.
Where: Phancyhive, but in a dreamfield.
Summary: In which Oswald takes the risk of making a part of Lake Meridian in a dreamfield and accidentally tugs the closest sleeper (Jack) in. oops??
Warnings: Thankfully no pie gallows!  Check yourself before you wreck yourself, Jack.

[oswald slips up when he starts - the key tonight is to make sure the setting is the last thing in your head before you sleep. he thinks and thinks, and slips because while he's thinking of lake meridian golden lights come to his distant mind.

the abyss taints this field that's mostly forest, but when he opens his eyes and sees the lake - shallow waters just in case someone wandered in and right into the lake - and nessie basking in the sunlight near the shore, maybe it's not so much of a mistake. the lights aren't present where he can see, so maybe they're further in. he tends to tuck the more personal aspects of his fields away in boxes, in spheres, under tight lock and key -

he pushes himself away from the tree he's sitting against, atmosphere as calm and quiet as he can make it, and slips over to the lake shore, blinking when nessie doesn't move. sleeping? weird thing. looking up warrants the sight of the bottom of the floating mountain - strong enough to make that in its entirety he sees. as long as it doesn't drift he should be fine; it'll stay immobile and he won't have to waste any dream energy on it. lake meridian is beautiful as it is, all stones, crystal clear lake, strong lake monster, the forest, and...

that temporary house that had a purpose. he'd rather sleep near the lake than go there and look. at least- for this visit. oswald thinks he can get away with it once.

with luck, he won't end up pulling anyone in; jack's first in his mind, and ciel, gilbert, and ahiru are all next. there are other occupants, but oswald far from cares (about anyone who isn't jack). - still, he didn't make this field to stress over things. he made it to escape from his nightmares for a night - maybe two if he can manage to not pull anyone in. if he does pull anyone in, it's likely that they'll show up close so it's not as if he'll miss them at any time tonight.

forcing them out would just hurt them.

it's a long shot, but it's worth it to save himself from the sight of another noctaere.]

Comments

[psychopath]

Sometimes remembering isn't always a good thing.

[he says, lightly, following Oswald as he looks around. He sways a little to the side, disoriented for a moment, before falling into step beside the other man.]

Do you really want to?

[iudex]

I want to remember.

[he's always wanted to remember - good or bad, oswald doesn't care. he's never wished to forget - just to stop existing - and this is something he can't let go of.]

There's nothing that I'd ever want to forget.

[and certainly not about hypnosia (not even the noctaere). this forest was originally expansive, but he shrunk it for the sake of finding the cottage easier. granted, the cottage is probably hidden by raven - but the black feathers should be the telltale sign.

it'll be some time until then, though.

—that swaying...] Don't overexert yourself here. If it feels like too much, then leave.

[psychopath]

Sometimes you don't have a choice.

[he elbows Oswald in the side, running and walking backwards in front of him. So was this the landscape of Oswald's head? He expected it to be a lot more...dreary. And with a lot more of those cute bluebirds that liked to perch on his head.]

Oh, I can leave? [not that he'd want to leave Oswald ever :T] How do I do that?

[iudex]

[oswald doesn't tell jack that he's never been given a choice. glen baskerville's shackles are not so easily cut, and now that it's working in reverse—

it's all very, very strange.]

I could force you out. [but it would hurt jack - and that's the only reason he hasn't already thrown jack out, really.] —but, the easiest way is for you to think of where your body is. You should just wake up.

[there's also getting really hurt, or oswald himself waking up, or jack running out of the energy neeeded to sustain himself, but. the easiest way is the best way. the preferred way.]

[psychopath]

[Jack stops, abruptly, right in front of Oswald, leaning in right into his personal space (as usual). All signs point to:]

Mm, do you not want me here?

[he smiles, faintly dangerous.] Would I be seeing something that I should not be able to? This is your dream, after all.

[iudex]

[suddenly his very own personal space invader has activated! his expression is blank, though.]

If there's anything that I don't want you to see, I could easily hide it. [truth. wax on, wax off!] I knew what the risks were before I made this dreamfield.

[casually going to try and walk around jack now, excuse you very much.]

[psychopath]

[nooope. Jack leans in and peers at him before turning around and settling into a walk beside him. He's tempted to tie his braid around Oswald's wrist again.]

Where are we [yes, the plural we, he'll just roll with it and throw up on Oswald when he wakes up] going anyway?

[iudex]

[w o w right we'll just settle into walking through the forestry, then. he has plans to hide things if they come up, but at the present he has nothing. (he'll make that braid vanish, jack.)

well. if jack thinks he can handle being plagued with headaches, nausea, and exhaustion for about two days, then that's on him. oswald and oswald's guilt will take care of him.]

We're going to the cottage that I stayed in with someone before the attack. [he says someone because he doesn't... remember their face or their name aaa--]

[psychopath]

[good. oswald pls. bring him chicken soup and slaves.]

Someone...?

[jack gives him a curious look, but there's a flicker of something murderous in his eyes. someone else- someone else had stayed with oswald, had managed to make him more affectionate than jack had ever managed to. jack finds that the old feelings of obsession are so easy to shore up-]

[iudex]

[no slaves. do you fancy having short hair like oz, jack?]

Someone. I can't recall their name or their face— but they were close to me in the time that I spent here, so I have to know.

[it's okay jack he wants to know who they are too. it's just a feeling, but a feeling is enough. he doesn't care if glen will call him an idiot for acting on a feeling again. he doesn't care. he wants to know who he put in a baskerville cloak while he stayed in somarium and ob holm.]

[psychopath]

[okay okay will behave LEAVE MY HAIR ALONE :((((]

They sound interesting.

[and that's all he says on the matter, falling quiet beside Oswald, unwilling to say anything more that he'd regret later.]

[iudex]

...I wouldn't know. What I do remember is slight.

[and extremely foggy detail-wise: cake everyday (for two, actually), obviously the tailoring of the cloak, and the rabbit plush - some other things here and there. he does stop talking though because if jack's gone quiet it's time for him to go quiet, too.

it occurs to him that he'll probably have to call raven off the house, but he hopes that he doesn't have to do that. more enery being expended, less time he'll be able to spend in here. probably. this forest goes on farther than he thought, but at least he knows the way.]

[psychopath]

[jack reaches out to hold on to oswald's sleeve, feeling slightly off-kilter. it's like one of their walks in the forest (really? he can only remember the trees and dappled sunlight and jack remembering that the man that glen was, before), but a lot more surreal. He's dried off already. ]

[iudex]

[oswald feels that hold on his sleeve and just like when he arrived, he turns up his palm and moves his arm so that he can hold jack's hand instead. because it's not that he doesn't want jack here - he hadn't been expecting it and didn't tailor this dreamfield to suit a visit. there's a calm, yes, but... hm.

the floating mountain is far behind them above the lake and there's finally a clearing with the two story cottage that was once chosen for being so far away and secluded. raven isn't guarding it and oswald is relieved for once. there's no need; who he was protecting is no longer there.

the lights are floating around inside here and there, he knows, and suddenly he really, really doesn't want to go in there despite what he said.]

[psychopath]

[oswald's hand turns cold, and jack squeezes it, looking up at the cottage. are those fireflies? it's a quaint little thing.]

Are...[he dips his head to look at oswald.] you all right?

[iudex]

[he's just quiet a moment, view clear through the windows that they're there and- maybe he won't feel that longing again. he's wanted to see them again after all of this time, but...

he'll not make that mistake twice.]

I'll be fine, Jack. [will be. not am. and then, looking at him.] You don't have to go in with me, you know.

[psychopath]

[will be. will be will be will be. the uncertainty in oswald's voice makes him want to hurt something, and he holds his hand tighter, smiling at him.]

Haven't you noticed by now that I would follow you anywhere? Oswald.

[and he even tugs oswald towards the cottage, all smiles and reassurance.]

[iudex]

[will be will be will be. if we're going on will bes, oswald will be fine all of the time.] ...I have.

[it's weird, but. he doesn't want to believe that jack would follow him anywhere. jack's tugging him and oswald folds, eventually reaching what should be a locked door. oswald does try to open it though, twisting the doorknob and it

opens

and fuels an indignant irritation that makes him open his mouth to call someone's name reflexively - ("oz, i told you to keep this door locked if you don't want anyone else coming in!") - but nothing comes out. doesn't that just sink into his skin and make his irritation flare as his mouth snaps shut.

there's longing when it's the lights that greet him in the long hall that leads to the stairs near the end. there's an open space on the left and right walls, but he's not heading for the living room or the kitchen. he's making a straight beeline for the stairs and the bedrooms on the second floor, silently hoping that jack doesn't.. ask... about the lights.

oswald didn't think it'd be so bad.]

[psychopath]

[jack nearly stumbles over his feet, oswald pls calm down, but he keeps his hold on the other man's hand and keeps on looking about as much as he can. of course, because jack exists to make oswald's life difficult:]

There's a lot of fireflies in here, goodness.

[iudex]

[fireflies.

that's... kind of cute? it makes that flare burn out quickly as he informs jack gently:] They're not fireflies.

[up the stairs slower, then...]

[psychopath]

Really? What are they, then?

[like half of a couple on a sightseeing tour, jack reaches out to bat at one of the closest lights; not a very good idea when you're going up the stairs. he'll just. keep being attached to oswald ty.]

[iudex]

[oswald catches jack batting at it out of the corner of his eye and, while endearing, not wise. those lights -

while harmless in the dreamfield, they probably aren't even fake. he never had the chance to ask aisling if the power that has saturated his body could reach his dreams.]

...the power of the Abyss.

[top of the stairs! this hall isn't clear of them and there are four doors - oswald is only opening two of them tonight.]

[psychopath]

[jack recoils, immediately, blanching white, and he does his best to avoid any and all of them. which he tries to achieve by sticking to oswald. He puts on his nonchalant face.]

How many of you lived here? Four?

[iudex]

[your own fault- too bad that they're everywhere, huh. oswald's not avoiding them though, and even reaches out with the hand that isn't in jack's to gently touch one of them -

and watch it sink right into his skin. ...alskdgvjao even if it's power that's already in his body and they're not all doing it, it still gets him to frown a little— they're definitely not staying in this cottage longer than they have to.]

Myself and one other person. [using that hand to point now to the first two rooms, leaving the back ones without identification.] My room was on the first one on left and theirs was the first on the right.

[psychopath]

[meanie :((( jack is also of the opinion of not staying here any longer than they have to!]

Come on then, I'm curious who it is. Which one was theirs?

[the hairs at the back of his neck lift upwards; the lights have enough of a similar feeling to the Abyss that it makes his skin crawl. come on come on come on.]