[ Never in her life has Daisy been able to influence her own dreams to this extent. Sure, she's tried before, following the advice of the various therapists whose offices she's been in and out of since childhood, but as with so many things, their advice had turned out to be less than helpful. Her nightmares were trauma-induced and those aren't the type you can simply will away with happy thoughts of rainbows and kittens. And maybe that's all this really was — maybe she'd needed something more effective and, in this case, destructive to overcome the fear she carried with her. Or maybe this stranger had something to do with it. Either way, he is at least partially to thank for the small weight lifted off her chest, and she is grateful to him for that.
That doesn't get him carte blanche, though. ]
Hold up. [ She raises her hands as she approaches the bar, waving them slightly as if to physically halt wherever his line of thinking is going. ] I need to work this.
[ Just like any other problem, she has to think it through, analyze the situation, process the data. There are patterns in everything, and she's always been exceptionally good at recognizing them. Those are talents she'll put to use now. ]
At first, I thought you were just a manifestation of my own guilt, but I'm fairly certain that's not the case now. And since my dreams have never produced anything like [ she gestures in his direction ] you before, I can only conclude that means you're not actually from my dreams. But from what you just said, you're trying to stop something that sounds pretty bad, so maybe you're on the good guy side, or just trying to do good.
[ The sand is a puzzle piece she doesn't want to connect because it's wild even by her standards. Talk of nightmares and dreams from a guy playing with sand? That sounds like old pop music folklore. But, considering her own extremely weird origins, it might be worth considering... Still, best to get all the information she can from the source. ]
So I'm just gonna ask. Who are you? What are you? [ A pause, only for a moment, and then she adds with a swell of hope: ] Are you Inhuman too?
{ The sands keep falling, going as far as overfilling the cup and essentially sinking the bottle into itself. It is slow, festering and not what Dream is paying mind to at the moment. He takes from the sands that are now sinking the bottle, dissolving it as if it were part of a self-sufficient quicksand. It is sort of one. They have time, or at least for now. They would only have to worry if the dream itself were to crumble from the outside. He'll worry about that if it were to get there. }
You are quite fortified. { Another way of saying she trusts less, when dreams are often the place where people can let their guard down. She did mention nightmares, and he has to wonder if she has gotten an abundance of them that outweighs any actual rest. It can go in such a way. Morpheus has the decency to pause, and actually intake the questions being asked. Fair. He has never been the sort to explain what he considers to be the obvious, but he can't solo it right now. }
Inhuman? I know creatures of another dimension that once roamed the waking world, but have long decided to leave. You might know them as fae. You will have to explain it to me. Are you one? { Bold of him. He also considers how to answer. Dream has many titles, and names. He's long gone by Morpheus for a while, but it is not what he presents at first - it is a name of intimacy for later. In the Dreaming, to everyone else, he is simply: }
Dream of the Endless. My siblings and I are known as Endless, older than the oldest God. I am the king of dreams, ruler of the nightmare realm. It is how I was led to you.
{ The bottle has now disappeared within the sand, and he takes his hand to dip it into it, to pull out what it has created. Dream nearly gives a crack to his expression when he revels the gem in his hand, one that would be in the image of Daisy's birthstone. He's always been most comfortable creating. The gem gleams under the lights of the bar in its crimson color as he inspects that it is intact. }
A locator. It will be useful in finding whatever intrusion is here. { He carefully sets it down on the table, and it shines amongst the sand laid around it. } Any more questions?
[ Fortified. Against what, weirdness? There's very little in life that she takes at face value these days, always questioning everything and looking for the ways something could go wrong. She is a fairly trusting person, more so than many in her organization, but the more she finds herself out of her depth, the more that trust begins to erode. This right here is a prime example: he'd helped her face her nightmare and she genuinely feels like she should trust him, but then he goes and says something about fae and other dimensions and—
The king of dreams. Most people would probably laugh it off and assume it's all a load of bullshit, but Norse gods are aliens and she's met the monster HYDRA was founded to worship. The ruler of the nightmare realm who's older than the oldest gods? For Daisy, it's crazy enough to ring true.
She watches the creation of the ruby warily, sorting and organizing the information in her mind like she's putting together a jigsaw puzzle. By the time he asks if she has more questions, she's ready for it, posing her questions evenly and with all due seriousness. ]
Three: Why do you need my help? How long will this take? And does time move the same in here as out there?
[ Sorry, Dream King. She's not to the fangirling, being impressed by gem making and other tricks stage yet. ]
Even I am bounded by certain rules. { He says it with a hint of bitterness, and with the reminder that he can be rendered powerless. It is the not having a choice part that draws out his unforgiving nature. Considering he had been trapped in a circle for a century, since magic has a way of even keeping the Endless in their wake. Dream was weakened, and now he's anew. Any reminder is going to be absolutely bitter. He's also rather out of touch, but one has to wonder if he had ever been in sync with those he lends his Dreaming? There might be many folks forming out the line that would indicate his attempts are rusted.
His slighted impatience is more from the fuss at not knowing what comes next. Rarely does he allow much emotion to show openly, even if by reflex he is capable of telling a million stories in one singular expression. }
One. You don't have to believe me. Two. It shouldn't take long. Three. Time is different when dreaming. But, should you have to wake, then you will find yourself back here in the room you seem to hate. An endless loop. I cannot promise I will be here next time you sleep. If you do find yourself back here alone, you might end up lost. In your world, it's called being comatose.
{ Dream takes the gem and holds it out to Daisy, all while the wall to one side of the bar begins to form a portal into another part of where they are. It showcases a widespread linear piece of land, as if they were to look into the horizon of a desert, and made to wonder if it were an illusion or not. }
I need you to throw this. { A considering pause, then — } Please. We can speak as we do.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
That doesn't get him carte blanche, though. ]
Hold up. [ She raises her hands as she approaches the bar, waving them slightly as if to physically halt wherever his line of thinking is going. ] I need to work this.
[ Just like any other problem, she has to think it through, analyze the situation, process the data. There are patterns in everything, and she's always been exceptionally good at recognizing them. Those are talents she'll put to use now. ]
At first, I thought you were just a manifestation of my own guilt, but I'm fairly certain that's not the case now. And since my dreams have never produced anything like [ she gestures in his direction ] you before, I can only conclude that means you're not actually from my dreams. But from what you just said, you're trying to stop something that sounds pretty bad, so maybe you're on the good guy side, or just trying to do good.
[ The sand is a puzzle piece she doesn't want to connect because it's wild even by her standards. Talk of nightmares and dreams from a guy playing with sand? That sounds like old pop music folklore. But, considering her own extremely weird origins, it might be worth considering... Still, best to get all the information she can from the source. ]
So I'm just gonna ask. Who are you? What are you? [ A pause, only for a moment, and then she adds with a swell of hope: ] Are you Inhuman too?
no subject
You are quite fortified. { Another way of saying she trusts less, when dreams are often the place where people can let their guard down. She did mention nightmares, and he has to wonder if she has gotten an abundance of them that outweighs any actual rest. It can go in such a way. Morpheus has the decency to pause, and actually intake the questions being asked. Fair. He has never been the sort to explain what he considers to be the obvious, but he can't solo it right now. }
Inhuman? I know creatures of another dimension that once roamed the waking world, but have long decided to leave. You might know them as fae. You will have to explain it to me. Are you one? { Bold of him. He also considers how to answer. Dream has many titles, and names. He's long gone by Morpheus for a while, but it is not what he presents at first - it is a name of intimacy for later. In the Dreaming, to everyone else, he is simply: }
Dream of the Endless. My siblings and I are known as Endless, older than the oldest God. I am the king of dreams, ruler of the nightmare realm. It is how I was led to you.
{ The bottle has now disappeared within the sand, and he takes his hand to dip it into it, to pull out what it has created. Dream nearly gives a crack to his expression when he revels the gem in his hand, one that would be in the image of Daisy's birthstone. He's always been most comfortable creating. The gem gleams under the lights of the bar in its crimson color as he inspects that it is intact. }
A locator. It will be useful in finding whatever intrusion is here. { He carefully sets it down on the table, and it shines amongst the sand laid around it. } Any more questions?
no subject
The king of dreams. Most people would probably laugh it off and assume it's all a load of bullshit, but Norse gods are aliens and she's met the monster HYDRA was founded to worship. The ruler of the nightmare realm who's older than the oldest gods? For Daisy, it's crazy enough to ring true.
She watches the creation of the ruby warily, sorting and organizing the information in her mind like she's putting together a jigsaw puzzle. By the time he asks if she has more questions, she's ready for it, posing her questions evenly and with all due seriousness. ]
Three: Why do you need my help? How long will this take? And does time move the same in here as out there?
[ Sorry, Dream King. She's not to the fangirling, being impressed by gem making and other tricks stage yet. ]
no subject
His slighted impatience is more from the fuss at not knowing what comes next. Rarely does he allow much emotion to show openly, even if by reflex he is capable of telling a million stories in one singular expression. }
One. You don't have to believe me. Two. It shouldn't take long. Three. Time is different when dreaming. But, should you have to wake, then you will find yourself back here in the room you seem to hate. An endless loop. I cannot promise I will be here next time you sleep. If you do find yourself back here alone, you might end up lost. In your world, it's called being comatose.
{ Dream takes the gem and holds it out to Daisy, all while the wall to one side of the bar begins to form a portal into another part of where they are. It showcases a widespread linear piece of land, as if they were to look into the horizon of a desert, and made to wonder if it were an illusion or not. }
I need you to throw this. { A considering pause, then — } Please. We can speak as we do.