Act 3, Scene 47 - Those awkward dreams

[speeding]

[OPEN TO ALL]

The dream started like a lot of them did, in a city. Skyscrapers rose around them, busy traffic and rushing taxis, colorful billboards advertising everything from fashion to products to the latest shows. They were above it all though. Seated on the back of a gigantic green frog machine. Arrow was on his left, with Fullmetal on his right. Only Fullmetal was wearing the armor that was sometimes also him.

"Hey pizza, what's up?" Fullmetal smiled at him as the frog bounced through the streets.

"It's dude." Dash corrected, looking up at the top of a building where someone who looked just like FM was setting off a rocket and waving down at them.

"This is so much fun!" Arrow whooped as the frog bounced particularly high.

"Not arguing." Dash laughed. "Have fun guys, I gotta go." The two waved and he slid off the frog as it made a brief stop. The first shop he walked into, it was a bookstore when he entered, but in that way of dreams it became something like a bookstore/library/beach. Ran was reading under a garish rainbow umbrella, while next to her Drake Sasuke Kirin napped. Or presumably he napped. He had his eyes closed anyway.

"You're late, Green Eyes." Ran didn't look up. "Minus five points."

"I was on time!" Dash protested, walking across the sand. For some reason he had shoes on, but he could still feel it squish between his toes.

"Whining. Minus ten points."

Chase appeared next to Dash, giving him a dirty look and carrying several copies of Alice in Wonderland. "Harsh. So what's the game plan?"

"That's up to you." Ran closed her book. "But you might want to put something on, first."

It was than that Dash realized simultaneously that the beach/library was incredibly crowded, and that he was incredibly naked.

"You can't get to the ball looking like that, kid." Wolverine commented. Sniper was too busy trying not to laugh while Aurora glared. They were in somewhat matching outfits though Aurora's was a bit unique.

"...You guys can't be serious."

"As the grave." Sniper promised.

"This is ridiculous." Aurora and Dash both protested together.

"At least put this on." Sniper handed Dash a yellow sarong, which the teen looped around his waist a bit reluctantly.

It was about then that the dream ended.

[Reaction posts and offline threads with Dash the next day are welcome! If you want to approach him later about his dream, feel free.]

Comments

[spandexisyouth]

Tonight was getting weird. As if having Bell's dream wasn't enough, and then Sniper's, now Gai was dreaming of Dash naked. He really hoped this wasn't Dash's dream. There was no way Gai was going to ever, ever talk aout this with Dash. Even if it was jarring and interesting to see Phoenix again. And Fullmetal. He stared at the ceiling wanting to get rid of that mental image, but apparently it was stuck. Great.

Well, maybe he could focus on the young Crow that had been in Dash's dream. Okay, maybe there was actually a reason that Gai would ask later about it. It could be helpful to know more. But maybe Gai can avoid conversation of anything else. He hopes. He'll try his best. ...At least, if Bell didn't get this dream, Gai never would have to explain anything about seeing Dash naked, or if Gai was up for a threesome or something.

Gai rolled over, wondering if he was going to get any dreamless sleep tonight. Or even... normal dream sleep. That would be nice.

[Quicklog]

[spandexisyouth]

[Gai was wandering in the market when he saw Dash the next day. There was a rare hesitation from him. He really didn't want to confess to seeing that. But on the other hand, he wanted to know about the boy. They could be important. Pushing aside his embarrassment, Gai approached Dash, smiling.]

Hello, Dash! It is a good day today.

[Quicklog]

[speeding]

[Dash was tired. Last night had not been restful by any stretch of the imagination, but at Gai's greeting he raised a hand and waved.]

Yo Gai. S'up?

[Quicklog]

[spandexisyouth]

...Sup?

[It wasn't time to eat. Gai rubbed the back of his neck.]

You are... hungry?

[Quicklog]

[speeding]

You know, like... What's up?

[Quicklog]

[spandexisyouth]

Oh!

[Gai looked up.]

Leaves! And branches! And glass. I am not seeing many birds. How are you? Did you... ah... Did you sleep well?

[Quicklog]

[speeding]

We need to teach you slang--

[He just trails off and stares at Gai a moment.] Way to be subtle. You too?

Re: [Quicklog]

[spandexisyouth]

Oh. That was slang. I am sorry. I am working on learning it.

[Gai tries for an innocent look.]

It was a very long night! I did not sleep well either.

[Did he bring up the question now? Or hold off a bit longer? Gai wasn't great at holding off when there wasn't a solid reason to.]

But I had a question.

[Quicklog]

[speeding]

You'll get it.

[Right. Dash nods, sticking his hands in his pockets and giving a slouching shrug.]

Okay. Shoot. [A momentary pause.] I mean, ask away.

[Quicklog]

[spandexisyouth]

I shall! I work on learning!

[And shoot was actually one he knew, for once. Gai hesitates for a moment, but there was no point in pretending he hadn't seen the dream.]

The boy who was napping under the umbrella, or maybe napping. The one with the spiky hair. What was his name?

[Quicklog]

[speeding]

[Dash wasn't prone to blushing. Honestly, he didn't have that much modesty, but dreams weren't the same--sure he'd had complete strangers see his dreams. He'd had complete strangers see him naked. But the emotion of embarrassment from the naked dream was just... different. It was a subconscious thing his usual shamelessness didn't quite cover.]

[His cheeks turned a bit red and he scratched the hair at the back of his head looking away, trying to cover for the mental stutter.]

So. Uh. You saw I guess. [On to the question.] The guy under the umbrella..?

[It took him a moment to conjure up who Gai meant, he'd been actively trying to forget that dream.]

Drake? [Sasuke. Kirin. He blinked, looking back at the man.] He was someone from a long time ago. He was [One of the first people I met. Grumpy as hell. A good friend. Really crazy.] a friend.

Why?

[Quicklog]

[spandexisyouth]

[Gai looked away, trying to give Dash a little bit of relative privacy. He knew this had to be awkward.]

I did. I am sorry. [Gai nods.] Drake. I have heard that name before. [From Kagerou, recently, even.]

He looks a great deal like someone else who was here, someone who was from my home, except much younger. [A pause before he asks] ...Were his eyes red?

[Quicklog]

[speeding]

Huh? No, black I think. [Dash shrugged, hands still in his pockets.]

Who'd he look like?

[Quicklog] lol. Yay talking to players about their other characters.

[spandexisyouth]

Black? Did they ever... swirl? [There was no good name for that motion, and swirling eyeballs sounded disturbing, but it was the best he could do.]

Crow. He was here for a while and lived in the dojo.

[Quicklog] ALWAYS AWKWARD

[speeding]

Swirl? [Weird.] Not that I ever saw. Bastet might know? She knew him longer than I did.

[Oh yeah, he knew that guy. Barely. Bookshop owner guy.] I guess they did look similar... A bit. Maybe they were related?

But everyone used to think Drake looked just like Want too. Maybe he just had that kind of face. Personally, I never saw it.

[Quicklog] Very!

[spandexisyouth]

Oh! I shall ask her, then! And I have a name to use, too.

[Gai shrugs.] It is possible. ...Were they here at the same time? [If so, that shoots apart his theory that they're the same person.]

I do not remember a Want. What was he like?

[Quicklog]

[speeding]

Lezard used to know him too I think?

[Dash nods, rocking back on his heels.] Yeah. I never really talked to Crow,he was Ran's boss, but... I dunno, quiet guy. I knew Drake pretty well before he disappeared though.

Do you think he was really from your world?

[He pursed his lips a bit at the question.] Did you ever meet Codename?

4/11

[burnt_orangesky]

[Fred opened her eyes again. Tonight was turning out to be very strange... she hadn't questioned the first dream, for whatever reason, and she barely registered having Ambassador's dream at the time, but... three is far more than coincidence. Especially when she had them right in a row.

She can feel that her cheeks are still warm from second-hand embarrassment, but as with the two dreams she's already had, she takes a moment to sort through the images from this one.

A great many people she didn't know... most probably from Dash's time in Edensphere before she had arrived. It was nice to have some kind of proof that he still retained his memories from that time; the Tree had selectively removed memories before. It could easily have left him with only some memories, and taken the rest.

Moving on from that... bookstores appeared to be popular dream-material. The beach was rather new, as was the... ah. Wardrobe malfunction.

With a quiet sigh Fred got out of bed, moving carefully so as not to wake 00. She had no idea what time it was, though it was most likely quite early in the morning, but she would probably feel more rested if she spent a few hours cleaning spoons rather than spend them dreaming other people's dreams.]

[crowsloveapples.livejournal.com]

[Apple doesn't recognize anyone in the dream and the words the dreamer speaks are unfamiliar to him. Overall it's a very confusing, but amusing dream, especially when he realizes that he's naked at the end.

Apple stirs, not quite waking, and giggles. Before long he's in another dream completely.]

[live_ringer]

[Lyle barely wakes from this one, and not for long. The initial impression is that the whole thing was weird. Strangely vivid, more than a little amusing, involving public humiliation, and full of things that would be neat in the real world, if entirely without a practical application (such as talking dinosaurs and giant mechanical frogs). In other words, nonsensically par for the course in dreamland. Save for the fact that it was the second one he had had that night where the exploits were following that of another person. That would be normal, say, once a night. Twice? It's odd.

The only real point of contention he has with the dream is that when he wakes in the morning he's stuck with the unsettling mental image of some burly guy, his brother, and Aurora all in dresses (the latter being unsettling for an entirely different reason... he actually kind of pulled it off).]

[interveningly.livejournal.com]

[Veda has only one thought: who the hell are these people? He doesn't recognize any of them until...

...Oh. Lockon. In an absolutely ridiculous outfit, but - Lockon. He tried to call out to him, but no words came out. And then.... was that him? In a pink dress? This was absurd! And most certainly not the sort of thing he'd dream about]