A Dream of Christmas (IC)

[Kaede Kimura]

The Dreamer

 

The white rabbit that had led the pair to safety checks his pocket watch as Blackstaff spots him. Oddly enough it looks to be ticking backwards, and quite quickly at that. Looking harried, their small escort ducks his way through a door only just large enough for his body, leaving the pair alone in the small, wooden floored room they have entered. The only decoration is a small round table, upon which sits a key and a small bottle with a note saying 'drink me'. Across the room is a larger door, one sized for humans. Atop it's frame is somehow perched a cat, who grins down at the pair.

 

The Dreamer looks concerned and confused as she takes in the details of the room, having briefly spotted the white rabbit before it fled, before clapping eyes upon the cat. She pales before speaking, "Christopher, something is very wrong here. I think it sounds be best if we depart, with haste."

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

Blackstaff blew out a breath and nodded at Dreamer’s assessment.

“An excellent idea.”

He looked down at her.

“Is is okay if I put you down?”

He asked, giving her time to conjure one of her constructs before turning his attention to the rest of the room.

He glanced at the door the rabbit exited out of, then at the larger one.approaching the larger door his eyes flickered to the table as he passed it. He made no move to pick up any of its contents yet.

 

He looked up at the cat before cautiously reaching out to rest the handle.

[Kaede Kimura]

GM

 

The Dreamer was glad that Christopher was in agreement, watching in every direction with suspicion as she conjured a wheelchair before Blackstaff placed her into it.

 

From some unseen hollow in the walls Blackstaff can hear a small high pitched voice and the voice of the rabbit. They seem to be trying to be quiet, but failing. 

"She is not Alice! You brought her too early you dolt!"

"She was in danger! The Jabberwocky had to protect her. If she dies she will never be Alice!"

"And now she knows that Wonderland is here! It was bad enough that The Carnifex was trying to stop us but- "

"But now she can try to stop Wonderland? No one is stronger than Alice. Even if she wanted-"

 

The sound of the argument is drowned out as the grinning Cat speaks. "Oh dear, going so soon? It's nearly Tea Time."

 

The Dreamer stiffened in her chair as the cat spoke, her mouth working soundlessly before clicking shut as she wheeled up to the wizard's side, eyes bright with worry. 

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

Blackstaff wasn’t sure what exactly to make of the snippet of argument he heard. But he did hesitate a moment at the door as the Cat spoke.

 

“If it's all the same to you, I think we’ll pass on the tea.”

He replied and glanced back to see Dreamer beside him. Then, readying his magic just in case he needed it, he tried to open the large door.

[Kaede Kimura]

GM

 

The grinning Cat offers no rebuke or resistance as Blackstaff opens the door, stepping out into a busy street, far too busy for the time of night that they had entered from. People take little notice of the pair as they walk past, the crowd simply flowing around them while from the doorway the cat speaks once more. "Be safe Christopher, and you Adrianna. I do hope you know where you're going." The Cat then faded away until naught but a grin remained in the air for several long moments.

 

The Dreamer slowly let out a cloudy breath, face paler than normal. She turned to face Blackstaff, a weak smile on her lips. "Thank you for your help Christopher. I think if you had not been there that man would have gotten the better of me. To say nothing of... the later occurances."

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

The wizard glanced around for a moment. Something wasn’t sitting right with him, but he could put a finger on it just yet.

He spared the fading cat a look before it vanished completely. Obviously it knew his name, since it had to be one of Dreamer’s constructs…right.

 

He looked at Andrianna and tried to give her a reassuring smile.

“No need to thank me, damsels in distress are a weakness of mine.”

He chuckled wryly.

“Besides, I wouldn’t say we’re completely in the clear just yet. We should keep moving.”

Blackstaff didn’t want to know if the thing attacked them would appear in the middle of a busy street.

 

He glanced around again, looking for something he recognized, something to use as a landmark, before starting off in what he hoped was the direction back to his car. Then, he could get her back to his office and its wards.

[Kaede Kimura]

GM

 

The Dreamer lets out an amused huff at being referred to as a damsel in distress, but does not disagree with the statement. "Perhaps I should dream a suit of armour and lance for my chivalrous protector. Sir Daye has a nice sound to it." Her smile fades a little at the reminder that they might still be pursued, and she follows him quickly. 

 

It does not take Blackstaff long to orient himself, being accustomed to the streets of the city. The small room had let out several streets over from where their flight had led them, and it takes nearly ten minutes to reach the car, but the pair are unaccosted during their travel, although many pairs of eyes follow them, many seeming to recognize the 'Christmas Spirit'.

 

Upon arriving at his vehicle, Blackstaff would notice an oddity, his dashboard claiming the time to be nearly two hours earlier than when they had been confronted.

 

 

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

Blackstaff chuckled at Dreamer’s comment.

“A kind offer, but I’ll decline.”

He gave her a kind smile.

“I’ve had a few close calls with kights of the courts, recently. The fae can be rather touchy sometimes.”

He joked as the two arrived at his car, an old 4-door from the 90’s.

While mostly blue, the front hood was white and one rear door was primer gray. Both hubcaps on one side were missing and the two on the other side didn’t match.

 

He opened the door for Dreamer, offer help if she wanted it. His eyes though, kept scanning for their attacker.

Climbing into the driver’s seat he dug out the keys, but then hesitated. His eyes fell on the little clock set into the dashboard.

“That, can’t be right.”

He half mumbled.

 

Had his magic messed with the clock? Or had…

He glanced at Dreamer unsurely, then shook his head. There was no possible way they had really gone back two hours without him noticing that much magical influence… right.

 

He ignored the doubt as he started the car, intent on getting Dreamer to safety.

Edited May 23 by Spacefurry

[Kaede Kimura]

GM

 

The Dreamer accepts Christopher's help getting into the car, while a handful of her Dreams work to fold down the wheelchair so that it will fit into the car. The car starts with a familiar rumble, the engine taking less time to heat up than Blackstaff had expected, as if it had only been parked recently. Driving away, the car is full of a tense silence, The Dreamer seemingly lost in thought. Occasionally small dreams tussle in the backseat over the best seat or view, but even they remain quiet. Once or twice Christopher could swear he saw the grin of the Cat in the rear view mirror, but it is gone as soon as his eyes focus.

 

Lark would experience her own confusion, having only recently watched her employer drive away when all of a sudden he returns. Given the traffic at this hour he could scarcely have parked for a quarter of an hour on the streets before coming back.

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

Blackstaff dismissed the small details for the moment but filed them away for later as he pulled off and down the road.

 

He focused on traffic, but found himself glancing into the mirrors more frequently than needed. Resisting the urge to look back every time he spotted that grin. He did his best to look calm for his passenger.

 

The duo (plus dreams) arrived back at his office without any problems and the wizard was glad for it. He helped Dreamer out of the car and into the office.

 

“Sorry, the office is closed, you are welcome to wait or leave a mes-“

Lark looked up from a textbook and stopped mid-sentence. It was obvious from her tone and cadence that it was a practiced announcement. She’s obviously surprised by her boss’s return as she started to stand.

“What happened? Is something wrong?”

She looked at Alice and cocked an eyebrow at her boss.

 

Christopher gave a small shrug.

“Found a damsel.”

Said as he locked the door behind them, then place an open palm on it.

“Potestas in domum suam.”

He whispered and fade blue-green light outlined the door and windows. If she looked closer, Alice could probably make out the glow coming from tiny ribbons of arcane script.

 

[Kaede Kimura]

The Dreamer

 

The Dreamer took slow breaths as Blackstaff drove, trying to settle her nerves and organize her thoughts. She could not deny the evidence of her eyes, those were Alice's dreams- The Entrance to Wonderland, the Cheshire Cat and they had been close enough to the Mad Hatter's tea party to traverse back towards Tea Time. But that was impossible, you cannot have someone else's Dream. Alice had been dead for decades, and her whole world had been consumed by Omega. This did not make sense. There had to be another explanation.

 

She had seen a lot of strange things since coming to this Earth, the powers of the heroes and villains were beyond counting. Yes, that must have been the case, someone else had saved them. They had created illusions or something that looked like something familiar to the people they were helping, or drew upon their memories to create the effects of the power. Yes, that was it. She smothered the quiet doubt at her conclusion, the small part that wondered why, if she was right they didn't take the form of her Father's dreams.

 

She nodded to herself as Christopher pulled to a stop, gratefully accepting his help out of the car. She looked around curiously at Blackstaff's office as she wheeled in, noting her surroundings with interest. After Lark and Christopher had their brief exchange she offered her own greeting, "Good evening, I am a friend of Christopher's. We were waylaid by a villain of some kind and then..." She hesitates for a moment, as if by acknowledging it she might make it true, before continuing, "I think we were sent back in time."

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

Larked nodded as Dreamer spoke.

“Wait, back in-“

She looked at Blackstaff with concern.

 

“Wasn’t my doing.”

He responded without looking back as he checked the wards.

 

Lark seemed to wait for a moment, but when the wizard didn’t explain further she frowned and crossed her arms. She glanced back at Dreamer curiously, her eyes flicking over the ‘dreams’ that hung nearby.

Christopher seemed to relax a little and joined the two women.

“Lark, this is Adrianna. Adrianna, this is Lark. Lark is my office assistant.”

 

“In other words, I’m the only reason this office has any order to it and the bills get paid.”

She smirked at Christopher then gave Dreamer a friendly smile. Lark’s brow furrowed in thought as she looked the smaller hero,  then rose in recognition.

“Oh! You’re the one Christopher told me about. The one from the river a couple years ago.”

[Kaede Kimura]

The Dreamer

 

The Dreamer smiled briefly at the pair's exchange in regards to their traversal backwards in time, before it slowly fades as the silence begins to drag on as Christopher checks his wards. Her dreams cavorting around her, exploring the space.

 

She smiled up at Lark as Blackstaff introduced them, bobbing her head and shifting her skirt in as close a facsimile of a curtsy as she can manage in her chair. Her smile turned rueful at the comment about keeping the office in order. "I am afraid my own presence is not likely to assist you in that endeavor." She admitted, looking pointedly at a horned rabbit trying to dig into the corner until it stops it's escape attempt.

 

Her eyebrows rose at Lark's recognition, a slight warmth coming to her face. "I am flattered that I made enough of an impression that Christopher described me well enough for you to recognize me. It is a pleasure to meet you Lark." She turned her head to look at Blackstaff, "May I ask what the plan is? Are we waiting until the morning?"

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

Lark hand waved Dreamer’s apology for her ‘dreams’.

“No worse than some things he’s accidentally let loose in the offices.”

“Can we not ruin my reputation in front of the client.”

Blackstaff sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as Lark smirked.

“Oh, is she actually paying?”

She asked, obviously already knowing the answer.

“Well, no.”

He admitted sheepishly and she grinned knowingly.

 

Lark smiled at Dreamer again.

“The boss man always mentions people he meets that he thinks has potential, especially if they’re pretty.I just have a mind like a mind like a steel trap.”

Lark tapped her temple and grinned.

“And a mouth like a running facet.”

Blackstaff grumbled as he cleared his throat and stepped away.

 

The coffee was dark and smelled rich as he poured a cup for himself.

“Morning would be my first choice. Some creatures have to return to where they’re from by then, others just lose some of their power.”

He mentions as he adds a little creamer to his cup and stirs it thoughtfully.

“We don’t know the exact nature of our attacker, so it still guess work for now.”

“Morrowind?”

Lark asked.

“If we’d gotten a name I could ask her to start looking for information on it, but-“

He shook his head.

 

He paused, the cup lifted midway.

“I’m sorry, coffee?”

He asked Dreamer.

“We also have tea or water.”

Lark added, obviously embarrassed she hadn’t remembered to ask first.

[Kaede Kimura]

The Dreamer

 

The Dreamer chuckled at the comment about Blackstaff letting creatures loose in the office, although her mouth pursed at the comment about paying. "If finances are a concern I would be happy to pay, money is no issue."

 

She then had to fight down a fierce blush when Lark said that Christopher thought she was pretty, but managed to retain her composure well enough enough to chuckle at their interaction. 

 

At their discussion of the one who attacked them and the trouble identifying him The Dreamer speaks up, "While I imagine his name would be helpful he was fairly recognizable, no? How many people are seven feet tall with an evil red eye?"

 

At the sudden shift to asking if she wanted a drink she hesitates, surprised at the sudden shift before nodding, "Tea would be lovely thank you."

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

“Don’t worry about it.”

Blackstaff quickly replied with a smile.

“You’re getting the Damsel in distress, pro bono discount.”

 

Lark rolled her eyes and smirked.

“Let me get you that tea.”

She smiled and stepped away towards a short hall towards the back of the building.

 

Blackstaff looked thoughtful.

“Size and appearance aren’t always a constant in magic, but when you find a look that works…”

He trailed off for a moment, then nodded. 

“You might be onto something.”

 

The wizard walked over to the hall Lark had disappeared down. But, at the entrance to it he leaned around the corner and looked upwards.

“Morrowind!”

He shouted up the stairs that were set back a bit in the hall.

“Your presence is kindly requested.”

He spoke it like some kind of formality, then walked back towards the desk Lark had been sitting at. He leaned against it and seemed to wait.

 

He took a sip of his coffee as Lark returned carrying a small tray. She set the tray beside Dreamer on an end table, the cup of tea was steaming and a selection of sugar and cream was there if she wanted them.

Lark stepped back and leaned on a chair back.

 

The two seemed patient and after a moment Lark wordlessly held up three fingers. She dropped them one at a time in a silent countdown. And when the last one fell, as if on cue, a slim figure drifted down through the ceiling.

 

She was slender and ethereal. Pale blue-white and translucent. Her features were delicate but stern and pointed ear tips were noticeable through the long hair that rustled in a nonexistent breeze.

“You know I dislike leaving the library.”

Her voice sounded distant, but clear. Everything about her cried out: ghost.

 

“I know.”

Blakstaff said.

 

The ghost took notice of the various ‘dreams’ roaming the office and tilted her head.

“Fascinating.”

She said, seeming to have lost interest in the wizard. She drifted over to one to examine it. The ghost turned and looked directly at Dreamer curiously.

“What manner of magic are you?”

[Kaede Kimura]

The Dreamer

 

The Dreamer smiled gratefully as Lark brought her a cup of tea, as she watched Blackstaff with an air of bemused curiosity. The suspense was quite something as Lark counted down to the Ghost's arrival. Normally she would immediately discount such a thing as a dream, but with Blackstaff involved she was much less certain.

 

The small fairy that Morrowind had gone to investigate poked his tongue out at the ghost, before zooming around the people in the office like an obstacle course, including a particularly daring pass through the spokes of The Dreamer's wheelchair. 

 

The Dreamer herself did as elegant a curtsy as one could manage in a wheelchair at the ghost's questioning, "I am Adrianna Liddel, the last Hyperlucid Dreamer. It is a pleasure to meet you."

[Spacefurry]

The ghostly elf returned Dreamer’s bow with an inclination of her own head.

 

Dreamer saw Morrowind’s eyes widen in recognition for only a moment before returning to stoic curiosity.

“A dreamer, I see. And possibly a namesake. Many years it’s been, perhaps too many.”

She said softly and turned back to Blackstaff.

“You hold secrets from me.”

She accused, with amusement.

 

“Time for that later.”

Blackstaff responded and the ghost gave him a disapproving look. He set his coffee down and stood up.

“Morrowind, this is Adrianna. Adrianna, this is Morrowind.”

 

“Ah, yes. Formal introductions.”

Despite the look she gave Blackstaff, the ghostly figure sounded amused and gave Dreamer a proper bow of her own. Her ghostly gown disturbed by an ethereal breeze none of the living could sense.

“How can I be of service?”

 

“Oh you’re gonna love this..”

Blackstaff said with a sigh and began to describe everything he could remember about the attacker, prompting Dreamer to add any details she remembered as well. Lark listened as they described their evening adventure so far.

 

At the end Morrowind gave an exaggerated sigh.

“Not a simple task, but not beyond my abilities. And I suppose you wish to know what I find as soon as possible.”

 

“That is how this usually works.”

He tried not to smirk.

 

“I will see what I can find in my books.”

Morrowind gave a dramatic swirl of her gown, dismissing the gathered living, and faded from sight.

[Kaede Kimura]

GM

 

The ghost retreated to her library, a collection which contained multitudes, mundane and magical. She was armed with a description, an image dreamed into reality and a small number of details pried out by the followup questions asked by Lark.

 

Still, it was no small task to dredge out details without a name when so many demons, faeries and mages prowled the darkened corners of the world, but Morrowind did so. After nearly an hour of research she has identified the pair's assailant- An ancient wizard by the name of Dougal, half-Man and half-Fomorian. Even armed with a name details were scant throughout the centuries, most texts giving the barest mentions as he would on occasion ally with other dark Sorcerers or be known to have killed a hero or rival who got too close to his plans.

 

He had almost entirely disappeared from records since the rise of Superheroes, his clear caution throughout history reacting accordingly in a changed world, but even so one thing became increasingly clear as Morrowind searched: The Sorcerer had never lost, the closest being his first recorded combat. A young witch called 'Muirne the Shadow Singer' had fought him in his own tower and nearly killed the younger Dougal before he had apparently killed her, petrifying her for all time.

 

Had Blackstaff not been there it is very clear The Dreamer would not have emerged victorious.

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

Blackstaff and Lark entertained Deamer with stories of past cases and adventures as they waited for Morrowind to return. 

 

It was well into the night before the ghost appeared again to relay her findings. She gave Blackstaff a pointed look as she emphasized how she had scoured the shelves alone, to which he gave a sheepish chuckle and said he had been entertaining the client.

Morrowind’s glare did not convey belief in his excuse, but she remained polite and professional by ignoring it and continuing.

 

Lark tried to stifle a smirk behind her hand.

 

By the time Morrowind had finished her recounting, Blackstaff was less than happy.

“Well, now. This doesn’t bode well. It doesn’t sound like this wizard is the type to give up easily.”

 

Lark nodded.

“It also sounds like he’s got plenty of patience too.”

 

Blackstaff nodded back and turned to regard Dreamer.

“It’s up to you, but for your own safety, I want to extend an invitation to stay here for a time. Just until we can sort this out and get him off your back.”

He offered.

 

“The guest room isn’t the best.”

Lark said and smiled.

“But it’s comfortable enough. I’ve used it a few times when I’ve stayed late at the office studying.”

 

Dreamer may have noticed that neither of them were using the wizard’s actual name even though Morrowind had.

[Kaede Kimura]

The Dreamer

 

The Dreamer enjoyed the stories passed along by the duo, but mellowed when Morrowind returned, listening intently as she conveyed what she had found. The Dreamer looked grim as the ghost described the wizard. She had not thought that her gift giving excursions might draw such attention.

 

She turned to face the pair as they offered her a place of residence in the guest room. When they were finished she bowed her head gratefully. "I fear I will be missed at the Atomic Tower if I hide away too long, but I do agree that perhaps discretion on my part might be needed. I shall remain here over the holiday period, hopefully by then my trail will have gone cold, and my Dreams will not make too much of a mess. Thank you all for your kindness."