(Untitled)

[marrymarajade]

Characters: Ben (marrymarajade) and OPEN to dreamers
Date/Time: Night of the 16th
Location: Dreamscape
Rating: G?
Summary: Ben dreams of the desert.

Comments

[esoteric_rose]

She had never seen so much sand in her life, not in person, at least. Heard stories, seen pictures, but never felt it like this at all. It is near overwhelming, and the urge to sit down in it sprung up.

It was abandoned when she saw the figure of another a distance off, her curiosity getting the better of her, and she began to move towards them. Running didn't feel like it would do anything, moving through the sand was akin to moving through water.

Two suns. It must be a cold place, to need two sources of fire.

Of course it was Ben. It made sense as soon as she questioned it, so she would not ask why he was here. Rather:

"What is this place?"

[marrymarajade]

The wind spoke before she did, and so Ben was not surprised. Maybe he wouldn't have been anyway. There was a feeling to this dream, of... fullness? Completion? Not quite... but despite the task, he was content.

"This is the desert where I grew up," he said. His voice had a different quality to it, as if he was older than he usually looked. "Or a version of it. My desert was hotter, and sand got into everything." A smile spread across Ben's face. "I hated it back then."

He took another step, but courtesy kept him from going farther. "I'm looking for someone, Juliet. Or trying to come to a decision. Maybe both."

[esoteric_rose]

"A desert." That was the word that had eluded her to describe the place. A childhood here must have been harsh if this was the everyday.

And yet there was a beauty to it she saw in the softer lines of the landscape, the warm colours of the sand. Perhaps it was only because it was different than her everyday, but it was something she wanted to stare at for hours, watching every shift and shade. "It's beautiful, though."

Looking for someone? "Two sets of eyes can work better than one, if you'd allow me to look with you."

[marrymarajade]

"I couldn't see it then, but I've changed a lot." Patiently, he shifted a burden from the crook of his right arm to his left, letting the sand that had collected against it fall away. "The real one can be dangerous. This one might be, but in different ways."

Ben tilted his head slightly. "I'll find myself there in the end. You're welcome to come with me for a time, though."

[desertshadows]

Eagle didn't notice much difference between the desert he'd been dreaming of and this one. It wasn't quite as hot in this one, but he'd assumed that was because it was moving on into evening- at least until glancing up at the sky and seeing the two suns. He didn't look for long, turning away in a hurry and blinking spots out of his eyes, and he picked up his pace. Enough to bring him within hailing distance of Ben, and he called out when he was close enough to make out details. "Hey! Going somewhere?"

[marrymarajade]

Ben turned to look over his shoulder. At first he couldn't see this newcomer as anything but a vague mass, maybe not even humanoid. Maybe this was because he'd never seen this stranger. As the wind whispered to him, details started to resolve themselves, a little at a time.

"I am." He smiled faintly. "I'm afraid I can't stop for long, but I wouldn't mind if you walked with me for a while."

[desertshadows]

"That'd be good! Always good to have company, especially in an unfamiliar place." He tucked his hands into his sash, and considered Ben for a moment, head tilted. "Or a familiar one! May I ask where you're headed?"

[marrymarajade]

"Somewhere out this way," he said, gesturing with his chin. There was only more desert ahead - the horizon was distant and didn't so much as have a promising shadow on it. "Eventually I'll end up in a jungle that grew up around ruined temples."