unpopping Delirium from The Sandman

[wineandleather]

The girl who appeared in the popcorn room is unusual, even by Hogwarts standards. It's hard to describe her, as her appearance shifts and changes - no two people are likely to see her the same way, although they might all agree afterwards on a few things. Her hair might float about her head, many-coloured, or be cropped short. Her clothes are

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[endlessgoth]

The tickle of power that danced across her skin was unmistakable. Family had arrived at Hogwarts. This could either be very good, or it could be a disaster. Concerned, Death abandoned her latest cooking project, much to the relief of some aggrieved looking house elves, and tried to focus on the nature of the power.

She smiled broadly and a moment later, appeared in the same corridor as the bedraggled young woman. Death pratically bounced over to Delirium and hugged her. "Hey sweetie. Did you lose Barnabas?"

[wineandleather]

"Big sister! " Delirium grinned, hugging back tightly and getting butter everywhere. "I, um, I think he lost me, " she went on, her expression growing solemn again. "We were going to the walking place together and I was going to talk to a lady who lives in the bushes and then I was here. "

[endlessgoth]

"That's okay, kiddo. We'll find him, or he'll find his way here. A lot of people seem to do that. I was on my way to talk to Daniel and found myself in the same hallway covered in butter awhile back. It's weird. You're all the way in Scotland now, at a magic school."

[wineandleather]

She nodded. "Lots and lots of people. I can feel them. It's an inbetween place. Um." She pulled back a little, tilting her head curiously. "Is Desire here too? I mean here-here. Like us. "

[i_am_an_hero]

A couldn't recall meeting the newly-unpopped arrival, but something about her seemed familiar, and he gave her a gentle smile. "Do you know where you are?"

[wineandleather]

Delirium smiled back, and nodded. So many people passed through her realm every day that she couldn't keep track of them all (keeping track of anything was hard, even things like where all her fingers went) but she could tell he'd been hers, and still was a little. "It's a meeting place. Where all the lines get all twisted up together."

[i_am_an_hero]

He thought about that, then nodded. "That, it, it's not usually how they describe it," he said. "But it fits. There are people here from all sorts of strange and different places."

[wineandleather]

"Lots and lots of them. I can tell. It's nice. I like inbetweeny places. Have you seen a big doggie who's brown and black and knows many things? "

[redunderwearman]

Freakazoid was doing his usual 'patrol' around Hogwarts. And by 'patrol' I mean 'running around with his hands over his head making whooshing noises'. Until he came across Delirium.

"Oh, hey! Didn't I see you in Venice Beach?" She certainly looked familiar.

[wineandleather]

She giggled a little at the whooshing. Definitely another of her people. "Maybe? I have been to there sometimes. I think. Have you seen a doggie? " It was slowly becoming obvious that Barnabas really wasn't here.

[redunderwearman]

"A doggy? A cute little doggie? No, I haven't! Have you lost him?"

Cause he could go around the world real quick and find the doggie.

Not that that'd help Delirium, I think, but still.

[wineandleather]

"He's about this big." She stretched her hands out to demonstrate the size of a fairly large dog, rather like a fisherman describing a lost catch. "I think I left him in my own realm. We were going to somewhere else but then I was here."

[calligraphywolf]

A large white wolf had been sniffing around outside the Popcorn Room prior to Delirium's return, having likely been drawn there by the smell of delicious butter. Though the wolf bore unusual crimson markings, a flaming shield of sorts, and flora sprouted right from the stone floor wherever her paws touched, she was probably about the closest thing to a "doggie" at Hogwarts besides Wishbone - and she was, in truth, the sun goddess Amaterasu in an earthly incarnation.

But this hardly mattered when someone was calling for a doggie and smelling like butter. Maybe she had treats?

Amaterasu raised her head and padded closer to sniff at the colourful girl, making a chuffing sound both in greeting and as a way to ask permission to lick. She did have manners, after all. Sometimes.

[wineandleather]

Gods and goddesses belonged to her brother Dream's domain, but Delirium knew one when she saw her. "Hello sunshine lady!" She offered her hand for Amaterasu to lick, being careful not to let too much of her essential nature leak into the butter. It might make Amaterasu feel slightly giddy, or it might not. She'd learned to be careful about that when giving treats to Barnabas. "You're very pretty."

[calligraphywolf]

And lick she did, with all the enthusiasm of a wolf with a hankering for fresh butter. It wasn't often that she could get such a treat - the house elves usually shooed her away from the kitchen whenever she came too near, as though she were a common mongrel. But she was used to it, so it was okay. Not everyone could sense her divinity.

This girl seemed to be able to, though. It was always nice to be recognized, and especially complimented. Hard to say whether it was the recognition (which literally helped amplify her strength on the earthly plane) or the hint of eau-de-Delirium that made the butter taste especially good, but soon Amaterasu couldn't resist wagging her tail as she continued the tongue bath, even leaning up to "clean" Delirium's face for her.

[wineandleather]

This was fun. Delirium started to giggle, and the laughter came out at the ends of her hair as well, in little streams of rainbow bubbles. She sat down on the floor so Amaterasu could reach her face better.

It did take her slightly too long to remember how to stop laughing again, but eventually she managed to ask a question. "Why are you being this shape now anyway?"

[unluckiest_star]

Starman was lazily flying loop-de-loops around the castle.

"Wow. Your voice is really pretty," he said to the new arrival. "Don't I know you from somewhere? Sunshine Sanitarium, maybepossiblyperhaps?"

((schizophrenia in the hiz-zay!))

[wineandleather]

She beamed at the compliment. "Thank you! And yes, probablydefinitely. I'm always places like that. "