Come Dreamwalk With Me 7 (Open to anyone on the Loki)

[curious_copycat]

Who: Polly (curious_copycat) and anyone on the Loki
What: Nocturnal Telepathic Shenanigans, Random CR, Drama, Exposition, Crack, Surreal Shite, Whatever You Want.
Where: In Your Head... or Polly's
When: ANY TIME during the plot!
Warnings: They're dreams. Anything--absolutely anything--can happen. Not even the laws of physics apply.

Comments

tldr what is this even

[dr_kiriko]

...The truth of things was that Dr. Kiriko had never been a peaceful dreamer. Lucid, perhaps sometimes. But a real night's rest and nonviolent dreams had been a rarity before Thor. It was only when he had opened up his mind to Polly as a sanctuary from the Chronovores had he begun to really care about sleep. He fretted in secret that if he did not gain control of his unconscious, his mind would be a more dangerous place for her than Calabi Yau.

And since then he had tried every small thing he thought would help. From investing in a more comfortable mattress to eating a light meal shortly before bed, he used to do whatever it took to get a decent sleep the nights that he expected Polly in his dreams. But things changed, and she had stayed out of his mind lately. He had no real need to continue those little rituals. But after learning she would be aboard Loki after all, he felt slightly obligated to maintain her shelter. It was doubtful to him that she would enter into his dream purposefully, but even if it was accidental she still

Re: tldr what is this even

[curious_copycat]

Despite having many new memories in her mind to visit, Polly only rarely set foot out of the silent streets of her city, when she slept. She was afraid that the monsters who dwelt there would infect the memories, like a disease. As such, when she realized where she was, she almost mistook it for a memory of her own, rather than a wish shared with another dreamer, and turned to leave.

... And then she noticed small changes, the little, indefinable differences that took her memory of her home and elevated it to the cozy perfection of a fantasy. For a moment it froze her, realizing whose mind she was in, and then the full meaning of this dream dawned on her, and she made herself relax.

Quietly, she walked up to him, then, gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Kiriko..."

[dr_kiriko]

As if unaware he was dreaming, and that if this Polly were just a creation of his mind whatever he imagined would be safe within his head, he was as hesitant to touch her as he was in waking. But slowly he moved in the direction of her voice, placing his book on his lap and sighing contentedly to himself. Though he did not turn to look at her directly, he laid his hand on hers, leaning slightly into her touch. It was good enough for him. "Polly..."

[curious_copycat]

Her heart gave a bittersweet twist, and she moved to sit next to him on the couch, creating a cup of tea for herself as well. Her too-sharp eyes regard him solemnly.

"... I miss it, too... Nights like this."

The Dream!Alice hopped up on the couch, curling up between them, and Polly reached down to pet her as a matter of course.

"Do you dream about here often?"

[dr_kiriko]

"Dre..."

For a moment Kiriko's eyes were blank, uncomprehending. And then it was with a slight shudder he shut his eye, turning away from her shamefully. A dream, of course.

"...More often that I'd like, yes."

The suite's ambience ceased. The room and the projection of Alice grew suddenly sharper, more lifelike, and Kiriko too went to scratch the pet on the ear. He gave a small, self-aware smirk. At least it had been something simple. Wouldn't it have been funny if Polly had walked in on a projection of her own self...

[curious_copycat]

Polly gazed down into her tea with a small frown, having caught that smirk, that shame.

"We could go someplace else, if you want..."

She glanced up at him, a little furtively, feeling a bit as though she was intruding, whether the place was a projection of her own home or not.

"But I don't mind if you dream of here... Like I said, I miss it, too..."

[dr_kiriko]

Sensing her discomfort, he met her eyes with a real smile, reassuring her. It was alright, it wasn't her fault...

"...I'm glad I'm not the only one."

He looked back down at fake Alice, giving her a slight push off of the couch, and she moved. Kiriko stood as well, placing his book on the table, turning to offer his hand to help Polly up.

"...Where would you like to go...?"

Sorry it took so long, LJ's been horrible the past couple of nights! -_-;

[curious_copycat]

She only hesitated a moment, then, with a tentative smile of her own, she reached out and accepted his hand. There was another small hesitation when she let go again, rather than leaving it there in his, as she once would have.

“Someplace on Earth…” she said, contemplatively, “Someplace you never dreamed for me, before.”

She looked around the suite again. Even if she was enjoying having roommates again, here on the Loki, she could not deny that she also felt just the smallest bit homesick for the place. It was both sweet and sad that Kiriko had dreamed of it. She wasn’t sure when she would feel at ease with inviting him back there in the waking world.

“Someplace you liked.”

*punts flu in the face*

[dr_kiriko]

He was only slightly hurt when she pulled her hand away, quick to accept that it was how things had to be if she was going to share his dream with him tonight.

"Someplace... I liked." It didn't take him long to think of such a place. The words hadn't left his mouth before the air around them cooled and changed as the Suite shifted away and disappeared. He was a little sad to see it go, not knowing if he would ever come there again.

And then the comfortable Thor home was gone, replaced with a mountainside trail at dusk. Both ahead of them and behind them were long paths of tens of thousands of vermillion torii. Kiriko stared quietly into the gates leading down the mountain before looking to their side - they were standing in a high-up clearing on the mountainside, the city of Kyoto stretched out below them. A breathtaking sight... At once, Kiriko felt profoundly depressed that such a beauty had been lost to the universe.

"...How about here.He sighed. This was a different sadness than being removed from Polly's home. This place was

SCORE!!! \o/

[curious_copycat]

Polly looked up at the torii, and then out over the city with eyes wide. Her voice was hushed as she spoke.

"It's beautiful...!"

She had seen a great many places, both in his own dreams, and in the dreams of her friends, but none quite like this. It seemed particularly suited to a dream, somehow, the way some places were, simply by their nature.

Fascinated, she stepped up to one of the arches, letting her hand rest on the bright surface of it, and she felt an echo of Kiriko's sorrow. This was the only way she could ever walk in this place--it was gone. But, as she always did when she walked in memories, she felt an odd sense of honor. Now that Kiriko had shown it to her, she had become a caretaker of its memory. It would be preserved in her mind, forever, perfect as a fly in amber, and just as precious.

"Where are we?" she asked softly.

[dr_kiriko]

He is thankful she agrees, happy to have found someone who shares his love of travel, of new places and experiences. And after all that had happened, reliving these memories with her still made them all the more special.

"...We are in Kyoto, a city in my old homeland. A very historic and beautiful place..." He says this with a fondness he's hardly expressed before. He joins her under the gates, running his hand against one of the torii as well. Kanji marked each one, names of the donators etched for what should have been forever on their sides, another loss. But he smiles. It pleases him to be here again.

"...Polly, these gates mark the transition from the unclean to holy ground. Fushimi Inari shrine is just up ahead. Come..." Instead of offering her his hand, he offers her his arm.

[curious_copycat]

She listened fascinatedly, though she didn't altogether understand the concepts of holy ground and unclean ground. She turned back to the arches, studying them and then squinting to see if there was any sign of this transition on a molecular level.

She was so engrossed in her search, it took her a moment to notice his gesture. When she did, it froze her a moment, and then, tentatively, she accepted it, sliding her arm through his.

"Fushimi Inari... Is that a god?" she asked, as they began their trek up the path.

[dr_kiriko]

Kiriko watched her appraise the arches, at first confused and wary to see her concentrating on atoms at such a time - but then realized what he had said to her, and began to laugh. He didn't know why he found it funny. Perhaps it was more out of relief to see Polly acting as her old self again.

Walking at an easy pace with her at his side, cheerful now, he continued his explanation with a smile. "Fushimi is one of the eleven wards of Kyoto... Inari is a God, yes." He looked up through the torii, though the trees, to the blue sky. Though he was hardly a religious man, the shrine was one of the few places he truly felt was removed from the rest of the world - spiritual, even sacred. "The God of prosperity and success."

The bushes around them rustled. Of course, he had almost forgotten. "You might find it interesting to know that foxes are his messengers. It is said they bring good luck to the worthy, but trick and bewitch the wicked..."

[curious_copycat]

The lift in Kiriko's mood helps her to relax, settling into a mindframe she hadn't enjoyed around him in months. It was almost a relief--she had missed walking with him in his dreams.

"Oh! Alice would like him, then!"

She followed his gaze upward, still half looking for signs of the god's sanctifying influence. The rustle in the bushes drew her attention quickly, watching for the little vulpines.

"Will we meet him in the shrine? He sounds like he would be nice..."

[dr_kiriko]

Kiriko smiled. "I am sure she would." For some reason, he appreciated Polly speaking about the Gods as if they could arrive as another resident on Thor.

"...No, we will not meet him. You would not have met a God on my Earth. But perhaps he will still be there, in some other form. I cannot know."

Time and distance have little meaning in a dream. Though the walk down the mountain might have taken hours, the torii soon came to an end, giving way to one single larger torii, and the trees cleared - before them was a Shinto shrine flanked by two fox statues - one male, one female. Passing through the large gate, Kiriko approached the steps slowly and mindfully. Nearby, a fox hurried from the shrine, likely baited there by the tofu offerings inside - or another reason. Besides him, they were alone.

"...Here we are, Polly. Fushimi Inari."

[curious_copycat]

She tilted her head to the side, glancing at him curiously, but before she can ask what other form the god might take, they arrive at the shrine.

The girl's eyes widened, taking in the colorful symmetry of building with it's stylized statues.

"It's beautiful!"

At the sight of the fox, Polly gasped, pointing after it delightedly, and she tugged Kiriko further forward.

"They really do come here! I wonder what message it's carrying."