In Nomine: the Pacific War (IC)

[tHEhERETIC]

They are a long way off, themselves dismounted and noshing on something or other on the far side of the meadow. Your initial guide is either gone or hiding well--you don't see her.

In the distance in a different direction you hear people chatting and laughing among themselves, though if they're here they're behind the herd of oryx happily munching on the grass. As with all oryx, their spiral horns do a nice impression of a unicorn if their head is turned in just the right direction.

Ryuki nudges Glen in the ribs and squints in concentration. It isn't an urban central park by any means, but at least now your meadow/savannah has streetlights. Pointless, really, as the dream is still in daylight.

[ladyarcana55]

Sunae looks around taking things in and seeing what she can see. Despite her reservations, she is curious.

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by tHEhERETIC

Ryuki nudges Glen in the ribs and squints in concentration. It isn't an urban central park by any means, but at least now your meadow/savannah has streetlights. Pointless, really, as the dream is still in daylight.

Glen looks at the lights. "Probably not Arcadia in fact; they go for a more Classical look I should think. Shall we go ask the neighbours?"

[tHEhERETIC]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

Glen looks at the lights. "Probably not Arcadia in fact; they go for a more Classical look I should think. Shall we go ask the neighbours?"

"Yes, let's. If we can find any." Corat tries to guide the group through the meadow/park but he's as lost as any of you. Tracking in dreams is not like tracking in the real world, even if he weren't out of practice.

A lady faun crosses your path, winks, and bounds out of sight. Corat instinctively puts a hand up to hold Ryuki back, even though she is headed in the general direction of the locals, judging by their voices.

[ladyarcana55]

Originally Posted by tHEhERETIC

A lady faun crosses your path, winks, and bounds out of sight. Corat instinctively puts a hand up to hold Ryuki back, even though she is headed in the general direction of the locals, judging by their voices.

"Oh, let him go. It's not like we can stop him anyway and besides, if he is going to wander off I'd rather know what direction to look."

The look on her face says she's only half joking

[tHEhERETIC]

(Glen) "First sign of anyone at home. I say we let Ryuki follow her, and we follow him at a safe distance."

Ryuki snorts derision. "Not my type. Too hairy." He grabs Corat's hand and pulls it backward, aikido style. "Put on human legs and you track her. She doesn't know you're not interested either, and you have a better chance at seeing a trap before she leads you into one than I do."

Corat's not off-balance physically or mentally, so he shifts his legs back to something more bipedal and takes off.

Ryuki shrugs. "Sometimes flattery works," and then takes off after him.

"You have a type? Not just female and moving?"
Sunae laughs as she follows.

"Yeah. Human." (Ryuki shouts back)

[tHEhERETIC]

Sunae looks at Ryuki with an eyebrow raised. She obviously does not fully believe that statement. But, she knows he probably does not see it, so that will most likely go unchallenged.

If the faun was trying to evade them, she wasn't very good at it. Corat found it easy both to track her and to keep the party in his sights. She leads him to a clearing, a place where the trees and grass and streetlights were a little thinner than elsewhere. She bounds over a table to the far side of the clearing, into the arms of a fellow faun and a friendly centaur.

There is a gathering of people looking like a cross between a Greek elysium, the Mad Tea Party, and a night school class afterparty. Humans and humanoids of various descriptions sit around talking, munching, and occasionally flirting. They spare only a moment's look when Corat enters. One man welcomes him loudly, and a pretty young woman focuses her attention on him. He does a poor attempt at showing interest in such affections.

Ryuki hangs back, though if there's anyone wandering around they'll have no trouble seeing him.

[tHEhERETIC]

Sunae is not used to seeing Ryuki hang back at a social situation, so to see that worries her. She stays hear him and looks around to see if there is anything wrong.

There is nothing visibly wrong, though Sunae can hear the sounds of swordplay somewhere off in the distance. Ryuki puts out an elbow, inviting Sunae to hook hers with his. "Let's see if they try to split us up."

As soon as she heard the swordplay, Sunae's head automatically turned to follow the familiar sound. Without looking at him she nods and reaches out and places her hand on his arm. She will let him hook her arm if he wishes.

He hooks his arm around hers, stands up straight and proud, and walks into the clearing. Unsurprisingly you are both promptly approached by people and creatures, all looking idealized as folks in dreams tend to do. While there's no overt attempt to separate you, each of you is receiving attention separately.

As Sunae moves forward with Ryuki, her mind keeps wandering back to the swordplay she is missing out on. The sound brings back memories, both good and bad. Memories of harsh lessons, of stinging defeats, of great losses. But they also bring her memories of pride, of victory, of duty. She shakes her head free of those memories and forces herself to return to the moment.

Glen hangs back, letting the others take the lead

Corat is bored enough with his comely companions that he sees things going south with Ryuki, and notes which of the party is in the clearing and who is hanging back. Still he waits a moment, trusting his team.

Ryuki's tense, head held high but a bit too stiff, Adam's apple rising and falling as though his words were caught behind it. Finally he speaks to a creature who has gotten a little too close. "Do not touch me." His arm tightens around Sunae.

A man across the clearing approaches them. "You heard him," he addresses the she-creature. "Everybody be good to each other."
Quietly, so the man doesn't hear, Ryuki labels him "leader".

Sunae looks at Ryuki surprised. She is not used to seeing him so tense in such a social setting. She leans over to him and says in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

He could think of a dozen ways to explain it, all of which would sound hostile to the people around him. The guy he tagged 'leader' he wasn't sure he wanted to antagonize. "Island of the Lotus Eaters," he said cryptically to Sunae. He sincerely hoped she'd gone to an American high school, to any high school that included The Odyssey or the reference was going to go right over her head.

[tHEhERETIC]

Sunae looks at him for a moment, then nods her acceptance without a word.

The creatures attending Ryuki let him go, and the ones pawing Sunae pause for a signal from her. Corat gives his the signal--back off--and they do. "Where's our hostess?" Corat asks to no one in particular.

"Hey," Ryuki addresses the man he tagged as leader, "what day did you fall asleep on? It's the 24th as far as I know."

This concerns the man. "No, it's the 22nd."

Ryuki shakes his head sadly. "The 24th, in the afternoon. You should wake up."

"No, this is my dream, and you're not real."

Poor Mitch. It is in fact the 22nd and Ryuki's bald-faced lying.

[Puck]

Originally Posted by tHEhERETIC

Sunae looks at him for a moment, then nods her acceptance without a word.

The creatures attending Ryuki let him go, and the ones pawing Sunae pause for a signal from her. Corat gives his the signal--back off--and they do. "Where's our hostess?" Corat asks to no one in particular.

"Hey," Ryuki addresses the man he tagged as leader, "what day did you fall asleep on? It's the 24th as far as I know."

This concerns the man. "No, it's the 22nd."

Ryuki shakes his head sadly. "The 24th, in the afternoon. You should wake up."

"No, this is my dream, and you're not real."

Poor Mitch. It is in fact the 22nd and Ryuki's bald-faced lying.

Mitch simply can't help himself, "No, it is not the 24th, it's the 22nd according to the local calendar. Don't tease the poor man." He turns to the hapless looking fellow "Did you say this is your dream?" He looks around, "You seem to have a fine imagination."