Go ask Alice when she's ten feet tall.
The first thing that Dylan noticed was how quiet the wood was. The silence almost seemed to echo and turn in on itself, so oppressive was it. Dylan stood in a clearing -- Or, what she thought was a clearing, but she then noticed that tall stalks of grass surrounded her on all sides. Slowly, she turned until her eyes fell to rest upon a large mushroom not fifteen feet in front of her. The mushroom itself was bright purple with dark blue spots, and sitting cross-legged upon the cap smoking from a hookah was Rodney McKay. He looked smug.
"Who are YOU?" he asked, removing the hookah from his mouth.
Dylan blinked. "You know who I am, Rodney. What the hell?"
Rodney suddenly erupted into a coughing fit and shoved the hookah away with a disgusted expression, his nose wrinkled. "Well yes, alright, I know who you are, but asking is all part and partial to this whole sitting on the mushroom thing. I think I could do without the carcinogens, though," he replied. "Besides, I meant it metaphorically."
"Metaphorically?"
Rodney rolled his eyes, typically self-important. "Yes, metaphorically. Philosophically. Symbolically."
Dylan stared back at him for what felt like a very long time but which was likely only a second. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she answered.
"Oh, for the love of-" Rodney sputtered, frustrated. "Choose!"
"Choose?"
"Choose! Hello."
"Choose what?"
Rodney cast her a depricating expression, and when Dylan blinked, he was suddenly not alone on the mushroom anymore. To his left sat John, his legs swinging idly off the edge of the mushroom. He was dressed in a dirty, white t-shirt like John McClane. To Rodney's right was Leoben, lounging back on his elbows like he hadn't a care in the world.
"Choose," Rodney repeated, looking down his nose at Dylan. "You can't have your cake and eat it, too."
"I already chose," Dylan answered, petulant.
"Choose," Rodney said again between large mouthfuls of the chocolate cake which had suddenly appeared in his hand, and when Dylan looked over to Leoben again, he had turned into Natalie.
Nat waved excitedly at Dylan, her enthusiasm knocking her from the mushroom. Rodney and John peered down at the perky blonde disinterestedly as she sprung back up. "Choose!" she chirped.
Dylan faltered, looking from John to Nat and back again. "But..." she began.
"Hurry!" Nat exclaimed, grinning. "I have to go, I have tickets!"
"I love tickets," Rodney said, licking chocolate icing from his fingers.
"Me, too!" Nat enthused up at him.
"Choose," stoically said Alex, who had appeared at Dylan's side wearing a kimono.
"Choose!" Nat cheered.
"Choose," Rodney repeated.
John watched Dylan quietly for a moment and calmly added, "Choose."
Dylan awoke with a start, jerking around into a sitting position, dirt smeared across her cheek from where she'd been cast on the ground under a tree. There was no mushroom, no Rodney, no John, no Nat or Alex. Just the slumbering figures of her travelling companions curled up about her and a distantly glimmering, wicked grin shining in the dark. Dylan blinked and it was gone again, leaving her to slump back against the tree with an exhausted sigh, her heart hammering in her chest.
"Who are YOU?" he asked, removing the hookah from his mouth.
Dylan blinked. "You know who I am, Rodney. What the hell?"
Rodney suddenly erupted into a coughing fit and shoved the hookah away with a disgusted expression, his nose wrinkled. "Well yes, alright, I know who you are, but asking is all part and partial to this whole sitting on the mushroom thing. I think I could do without the carcinogens, though," he replied. "Besides, I meant it metaphorically."
"Metaphorically?"
Rodney rolled his eyes, typically self-important. "Yes, metaphorically. Philosophically. Symbolically."
Dylan stared back at him for what felt like a very long time but which was likely only a second. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she answered.
"Oh, for the love of-" Rodney sputtered, frustrated. "Choose!"
"Choose?"
"Choose! Hello."
"Choose what?"
Rodney cast her a depricating expression, and when Dylan blinked, he was suddenly not alone on the mushroom anymore. To his left sat John, his legs swinging idly off the edge of the mushroom. He was dressed in a dirty, white t-shirt like John McClane. To Rodney's right was Leoben, lounging back on his elbows like he hadn't a care in the world.
"Choose," Rodney repeated, looking down his nose at Dylan. "You can't have your cake and eat it, too."
"I already chose," Dylan answered, petulant.
"Choose," Rodney said again between large mouthfuls of the chocolate cake which had suddenly appeared in his hand, and when Dylan looked over to Leoben again, he had turned into Natalie.
Nat waved excitedly at Dylan, her enthusiasm knocking her from the mushroom. Rodney and John peered down at the perky blonde disinterestedly as she sprung back up. "Choose!" she chirped.
Dylan faltered, looking from John to Nat and back again. "But..." she began.
"Hurry!" Nat exclaimed, grinning. "I have to go, I have tickets!"
"I love tickets," Rodney said, licking chocolate icing from his fingers.
"Me, too!" Nat enthused up at him.
"Choose," stoically said Alex, who had appeared at Dylan's side wearing a kimono.
"Choose!" Nat cheered.
"Choose," Rodney repeated.
John watched Dylan quietly for a moment and calmly added, "Choose."
Dylan awoke with a start, jerking around into a sitting position, dirt smeared across her cheek from where she'd been cast on the ground under a tree. There was no mushroom, no Rodney, no John, no Nat or Alex. Just the slumbering figures of her travelling companions curled up about her and a distantly glimmering, wicked grin shining in the dark. Dylan blinked and it was gone again, leaving her to slump back against the tree with an exhausted sigh, her heart hammering in her chest.