Dreams/Unreality

Asher sighed as he walked through a long forgotten area. It's not like he doesn't want to be active day and night, but it's extremely wierd how he is still awake. Normally, he would be going back to the Grey Boundary, but something wasn't right. Asher wasn't able to get into the Boundary. Instead, he was forced to turn back. What is the meaning of this? Asher thought. He kept walking, and walking until he found civilization at last. "Finally..." Asher muttered as he traveled to the city. "Now I can ask some questions on what the hell is going on." This is one of the rare moments that Asher was willing to approach another person or thing and socialize with them... Actually, this would be his first time. Of course, Asher felt nervous, but he managed to keep his emotions in and not let them show. Finally, he entered one of the entrances and walked around, observing his surroundings. There were gears, metals, wires, and all kinds of machines and devices everywhere around him. Asher didn't know where he was, nor did he care. He just wanted to know what was going on. Unbeknowest to him, he just ran straight into a wall.

Quinera sat on the top of a crooked building, eyes taking in the skyline. This was her playground. She knew some people had spotted her hopping from roof to roof but no one cared. So what if a crazy teenager decided to play hopscotch on skyscrapers! The city of inventors and engineers didn't care. They would care more of her trajectory more than her safety. Quinn didn't mind. She didn't care too much about her safety either.

She was leaning against one of the less pointy cogs as she viewed the city from her perch. She was bored and played with her pulse. She created ribbons of light that danced in the wind. She watched as a flying winged horse flew past before making it disappear with a flick of her fingers.

Nah, the horse was getting a bit old. Some of the people didn't even react to it anymore. But she couldn't think of anything better. A flicker of frustration at herself flew through her and her pretty face screwed up into a snarl.

"Stupid! I'm so stupid!" She slapped her left hand in anger as if it had offended her just as a trail of impulse and mischief shot into focus. Her face calmed down back into a look of wonder. She pulled herself up and ran. And leapt. And then she flew. She loved this, this jumping from the rooftops. As she ran, she created a band of phoenixes to fly with her. Her hysterical laughter echoed around the almost silent district. The inhabinants of the area called her a demented spirit, a lost soul gone mad. She ignored them and just kept looking for fun. She didn't mind them thinking she was mad. She thought they were mad. They never showed emotion or anything. They didn't even get angry half the time. It was weird. And roof jumping gave Quinn the most wonderous feeling. Like a bird soaring through the sky. Then she stopped to a halt in the middle of her run and started to pace. She wondered what to do. She couldn't stay up here forever. As nice as it sounded. But she didn't want to go down to ground level either. The people down there made fun of her and called her mean names.

Freak.
Crazy.
Psycho.

But she couldn't stay up here forever. Quinera looked down at her ballet pumped feet. An overwhelming feeling of depression and a deep sadness overtook her. She fell to the ground and curled herself up into a little ball. She felt so lonely sometimes, so lonely. No one wanted to talk to the lost demented soul. She shut out the surrounding world with the illusion of a warm cozy blanket. She reached out to grab hold of the warmth and despaired as her ribboned hand passed through the blanket. Just as she knew it would. She sighed a little. It wasn't fun at all being lonely. Not at all. A sudden rush of anger had Quinera up on her feet again with ire glimmering in her face. She let out a primal scream of rage. How dare everyone push her away? It wasn't her. It was them, they were the ones that treated her wrong, they were the mean ones. The jester felt her hand fly to her side and before she could blink, the dagger was embedded in the nearby wall. The anger drained quickly. Quinn sighed and tugged the knife out of the wall. She had to look after this one. This was a special knife. It kept the secrets safe. She kept throwing it without thinking. She would have to go find some more knives for throwing later. The teenager looked down on the street below her and spotted someone. It was a person. A little person. Quinera watched the person with some wonder. She has a teddy and peachy hair. She looked a bit lost and Quinn could understand. She was lost most of the time too. The girl looked a little funny too. She wasn't walking normal like, she was walking wrong ways, backwards. The jester let out a little giggle and decided to play a game. She liked to play games. They were fun.

She decided to follow this person. Just for a game. She played this game lots. Quinera had followed people before to see if they would spot her. Most of the time they didn't. The ones that did just shouted at her.

Stupid people. She wondered if this person would spot her. She would play nice. She wouldn't even be sneaky and make her skin colour look the buildings around her. Nope, she'd just jump and follow this time. With a mischievious smirk, Quinera the jester flew through the air like a bird, landed on the building opposite, crept down, keeping the person in sight and began her game. Because she just wanted to have some fun.
She decided she would folow this person

The Silver Witch had walked a decent distance from the Marketplace where she overheard no useful snippets of conversation concerning the Letter Man (as Flue had decidedly dubbed him) in the crowded street. Maybe the secret in the letter is too important for common travelers and merchants to know about, Flue had thought. If it's as complicated as I think it is, surely my friends, the engineers, would know a thing or two about it. She giggled at this. Of all the people she had encountered during her hunts, it was the engineers who most willingly gave information on valuable items. Give them a beer or two and they'll happily talk about a rich lady's crown and the measures protecting it.

She was about to exit a narrow alleyway which leads directly to the maze-like neighborhood of the engineers when an incredulous scene played half a block away from where she was. A burly engineer was taunting a little girl who was definitely out of place in the greasy environment with her ribbons and frills. Normally, she would ignore the whole thing and proceed to her merry way, but something wasn't quite right.

First of all, the man couldn't be an engineer; he was missing his tool belt. An engineer would never be caught dead without his tools. Although the screws and oil on his skin made him look convincing, he couldn't fool Flue. So what was an engineer-wannabe doing in this part of the city?

Second of all---and probably the most important---the little girl's teddy bear had talked for her! Flue blinked at this. A vague memory flashed before her eyes: a little redheaded girl in pigtails and emerald green jumpers looked fixedly at a limited edition talking teddy bear as she always did while walking home from school. And then, the shop owner took the display and wrapped it for a mother who had bought the bear for a daughter who didn't have to clean or cook or wash dishes.

The memory faded as suddenly as it came, leaving the Silver Witch a little dazed. It was the first memory of her waking self she had recalled in months. Her time in the Dream Realm was longer compared to the others, since she was one of the firsts who welcomed sleep, and the fantasy that came with it, more willingly. Days, months, and years have passed since her stay in the Dream Realm, and soon, her waking memories have simmered into nothing but blurry visions. She couldn't care less about forgetting, and allowed the passage of time take away the memories that pained her for eight years. There was only one thing she refused to let go and that was her waking name, her real name: Alison Bailey.

It seemed the Midsummer Night's apple was stronger than Flue thought.

She was pulled back to the present time when a woman fell from the sky and somehow froze the engineer-wannabe into place. Insanity danced in the woman's eyes while swirls of darkness whirled around her, and Flue could only imagine the fear in the man's own for his back was the only thing she could see. Moments later, the engineer ran away.

The Silver Witch couldn't help but lean closer to the wall hoping the shadows would render her invisible. She had heard of this woman before. A crazed woman who enjoyed leaping on rooftops and talked to no one but herself. Rumors say she eats the souls of her victims, turning them into mindless puppets. The Jester, Flue recalled the name and as she did, fear crept up on her spine.

"Stop it, Flue!" she told herself. "You're the Silver Witch, for crying out loud!"

Almost immediately, Flue calmed down and managed to think. If anything, this woman has the same power I have---except she controls the shadows rather than silver. I can take her on anytime. Her mind's eye darted back to the image of the little girl with ribbons and frills, and how she clutched her precious teddy bear so protectively. The bear is valuable to the girl, Flue grinned at the thought. Definitely worth taking.

With the thrill of new treasure sedating her fear of the Jester, the Silver Witch looked back at the scene half a block away while she calculated a plan to steal the bear her waking self always wanted to have.

The boy screamed, his throat tearing to burning shreds from the sheer force behind the pained cry. He writhed, twisting and twisting, but was held down somehow. They had to get him under control. He was too loud, too crazy. He was disturbing the other patients, and would probably hurt himself. They had to inject him with the sedative, with their gleaming needles and gloved hands. He was sick, but not physically. The rest would help him, they said. But as that boy’s screams slowly died out, and his body became limp, he knew that he wouldn’t wake up again. He was right.

Walking, walking, walking, walking.

Some would say that such a lack of purpose was strange for any sort of being. For Siran, however, that was all he knew. There was nothing for him, just a constant, restless part of him that urged him to continue, to move forward. He had no interests, and although the world of dreams was brimming with many, many strange things, none of them appealed to him.

He drifted, a ghostly background figure. Silent, always silent, and with him he carried nothing. Not even a presence. His mind was still, but his body was always moving, always moving.

Soon, though, Siran began to seek something. He knew not what he looked for, but it was precious. Predictably, he did not find it, as he couldn’t find what he didn’t know, but that changed quickly.

Life.

He had found it in a city, in two, no, three figures. The others were lifeless. These were different, these pulsed. There was a boy, with green hair. And a man, a clever man. And then there was another being, Siran didn’t know what it was. This made him curious. Curiosity had always been a strong driving factor.

As he drifted closer, Siran hesitated. Would he, a lifeless creature, be permitted to speak these bright beings? Was he even allowed to do something like that? To talk, to communicate, was that even within the realm of his abilities? Was he even capable of interacting with another life form? Exchanging thoughts and feelings in such a way as to further each other’s understanding?

Ah. The pale boy stopped in his tracks. He wanted to understand, he wanted it where he had never wanted anything otherwise. But he knew it wasn’t possible; he would have nothing to contribute, to give to these blessed people. Siran’s face became carefully blank, moreso than usual, as he turned around, away from the life he had sought.

Walking, walking, walking, walking.

“Hmmm… You say that, but from what I remember, this area doesn’t really have a ruler, or a king…”

Nozihar’s heart was beating in his chest loud as thunder. So loud that he felt it might just jump straight out and take a hike. Nozihar couldn’t even remember the last time his heart drowned out all other sound. In fact, he was sure it had never happened to him in this world. This man wasn’t buying it. He wasn’t going to believe what he said. Nozihar looked to Rahizon for support, only to find the apparition was focused on something in the distance.

“I see, I see. Well of course, it is only fitting that this place would have found its sovereign, isn’t it? My name is Zoen Leed. Feel free to call me Zoen and I hope you will accept my apologies for trespassing.”

He bought it. Of course he did. Nozihar’s regal appearance could only elicit a response like this. He nodded to as much to himself as to Zoen in recognition of his introduction. With a slightly more confident smirk than before he continued to listen, as any good king would, to the man as he explained his current predicament while Razihon seemed more focused on something in the far distance.

“Of course if it is bothersome I can go and find my own way to Tinker Tocker.”

Nozihar nearly jumped at this suggestion. He liked this man. He wasn’t just going to let him walk off. With his confidence now at maximum Nozihar stuck out his chest and said in his most regal voice: ”N-no! It’s not bothersome at all, in fact, it just so happens that we were heading towards Tinker Tocker ourselves.” ”Before you got lost, that is.” Rahizon added, whatever had demanded his attention in the distance seemed to have moved off. ”I know what way to go… though I suggest we move fast, we may not be alone here anymore.” He added, his static filled voice sounding more startled and lower in pitch than usual. ”Y-yeah! So, if you’d like, you can come along with us.” Nozihar added, his royal lineage as quickly forgotten as it was adopted as he prepared to set off in the direction of Tinker Tocker.

Zoen’s smile grew a bit as he realized that things were going smoothly with this newly encountered monarch, who was somewhat likely to actually be a boy looking for some company. Incidentially Zoen’s own thoughts on the matter went along with the principle of “the more – the merrier”, a fact that he didn’t hesitate to voice without losing a respectful tone. “I thank you sincerely, King Nohizar. I shall gladly accompany you and make myself as useful as I can be.” Such was his response. “I imagine your valiant knight knows the way?” He began walking towards the two of them, though at a slow enough pace to let one of them take point and lead ahead. Despite the Dreamworld’s tendency to guide travellers where they intended to go, someone knowing the way was no less acceptable under the circumstances.

“I know what way to go… though I suggest we move fast, we may not be alone here anymore.” The green-haired boy’s companion had warned in a somewhat wary tone. Zoen turned his head a bit, as if trying to sight whatever had caused Rahizon to sound so alarmed. Was there another non-dormant lucid dreamer around here? Was he or she hostile? The snake that had gone through him earlier was a mercifully peaceful reminder of the need to pay more attention and Zoen wasn’t about to prove unable to learn from his mistakes. Following a mere minute of looking around he shrugged his shoulders as it seemed nothing was going to prevent them from moving along. “Well, unless there’s malevolent intent behind it, I doubt we should be overly troubled. Even though the more of us there are the more fun the company. A king should have many subjects after all, isn’t that right?” The way his smile looked it was almost as though he had winked at Nohizar when he said it, but of course due to his bangs it was left unseen.

He put a hand in his pocket, his fingertips brushing against an object with the familiar texture of a paper envelope. It was an object that had formed unexpectedly upon his awakening in the world. Though he could clearly remember having written it prior to falling asleep and leaving it on the desk in his study over in the world of the waking, the fact that a direct copy of it had emerged in the Dreamworld came as a surprise. But then again, with the way his lucid dream started it was probably to be expected that any number of anomalies would be encountered here. The presence of this unexpected symbol of his commitment and his goal was a somewhat reassuring thing and it caused him to laugh to himself softly, even though if one was to see his eyes they would realize the laugh was in fact at least slightly bittersweet.

He would continue walking by Nohizar’s and Rahizon’s side, taking in his surroundings and going far less deep into his thoughts this time around. In fact with his hand conveniently hidden in his pocket he would make slight movements with his fingertips, causing a barely visible golden string to stretch itself between some of the buildings across the street behind their backs, forming a tripwire of sorts around the height of a person’s ankles. Such use of his Soul Sphere was used without an announcement, though he expected that anyone tripping over the string would alert their party well enough. If anything, it would serve as an early warning as Zoen wasn’t truly planning to dismiss the warnings of Nohizar’s mysterious companion. Not bothering to maintain those subtle traps for long however he would simply allow them to vanish as soon as they distanced from them and would form another one somewhat nearer.

Far from being a silent operator however the man also didn’t avoid making conversation. “Have you been here long? And, if I may ask, what might you be looking for in Tinker Tocker?” Came the “conversation-starter” from him some five minutes into their trek through the deserted streets of Eludrest. It was worth noting that he was addressing both Nohizar and Razihon equally, seemingly making no distinction between the dreamer and the dreamer's construct, whether due to not knowing of their position or due to having an even interest in them both.

Nohizar smiled brightly when Zoen agreed to accompany them to Tinker Tocker. This meant he finally had someone to talk to! Razihon made a terrible conversationalist after all. "Razihon does know the way! Of course, I do too, but it’s fine for him to take the lead here, so we can talk!” Nohizar kept smiling as he walked, looking at Zoen with more than a little wonder and adoration in his eyes. He noticed quickly how Zoen walked, hands in his pockets. That was so cool! Nohizar lowered his hat in an incredibly unsubtle attempt to mimic Zoen’s hair as he put his own hands in his pockets as he walked. He already had a thousand questions coursing in his mind, all of which he would be sure to try and ask during their journey to Tinker Tocker… but which one to ask first? So many options, so many things to learn.

But before Nohizar could get to his own questions, Zoen asked one of his own. “Have you been here long? And, if I may ask, what might you be looking for in Tinker Tocker?” Nohizar was caught a little off guard when Zoen showed interest in him, but the feeling only lasted a moment before he smiled once more, relishing the opportunity to talk about himself. ”Oh, I’ve been here for such a long time you wouldn’t believe it!” In his excitement Nohizar forgot about emulating Zoen and moved his hands from his pockets to run a little ahead and spread his arms. ”I’ve been here so long I’ve seen almost everything and know almost every rock personally!” He was laying it on a little thick, but Zoen didn’t know that did he? ”And we’re headed to Tinker Tocker because Razihon says he some business there, but he says its private, so I can’t say much.” He looked a little apologetically, hoping Zoen wouldn’t get angry at him for keeping a secret.

Having answered Zoen’s questions, it was finally time for Nohizar to ask some of his own. As he launched his barrage of questions (which he would keep up until they reached Tinker Tocker) he barely gave Zoen time to respond to each one. ”So where are you from?”, ”How old are you?”, ”Can you make cool things with your powers too?” He asked, even as he created a little bird that flew off and disappeared but a few moments later. As they moved closer and closer to Tinker Tocker his line of questioning changed. "Have you ever seen the engineers of Tinker Tocker? They're so creepy!", "What about those moving gear things? I heard they all move together to move something even bigger! Have you ever seen what they move?"

Meanwhile, Razihon remained quiet, silently thankful for Nohizar’s sudden onset of motor mouth and kept his distance from the other two, making sure Nohizar was between himself and Zoen at all times, while still remaining in sight and capable of leading the pair. Only when they arrived at Tinker Tocker did the strange being approach them once again, his static voice somewhat impatient as he spoke. ”We have arrived. I’m sorry for the suddenness of our departure, but we have other, private, business to take care off here… so we will take our leave.”

Razihon’s voice startled Nohizar a little, and he looked more than a little sad that they had to leave their new friend already. ”I’m sorry too… but if you’re staying here for a while we should hang out again! It’s been really fun!” An innocent smile spread across his features as he and Razihon walked into the city and then one of the side streets and quickly disappeared from view.

The towering spires and mechanisms of Tinker Tocker were a majestic sight. Or at least He had always thought so, but how another would view it could be quite different. Being different had once been something he had treasured but there was always the possibilities he had never been different, yet these days standing out from the crowd was rare since the Dreamscape had become a lifeless purgatory for the sleepers.

He stood in the shadows of one of these towers, having taken to hiding in the shade of a slightly declining structure with a fine view of the surrounding area in case of approach. He had become increasingly paranoid that the darker creatures sought him since his encounter with them beyond the city walls. But he liked it here, it was a secure place where he could rest when needed and it helped keep him out of the sun. The ball of flame was little more than a creative bi-product of the shared conciousness of the waking world, but knowing that didn't chance the fact that he hated the touch of its rays against his skin, or armour for that matter. It felt somehow against the natural order of things, whereas the touch of moonlight seemed to cleanse him and renew his sense of self.

I love the creativity of this town but why they can't do so in eternal moonlight is beyond me he thought to himself, flexing his fingers and feeling the metal writhe as he toyed with the substance; carefully shaping it into the liquid form of a hawk, perched upon his wrist for a moment before he let it melt back into the suit.

"The higher places are so pleasantly deserted." He mumbled to himself as he stood at the very edge of the old tower, though as the building was just a little above the second roof level of the town it could only just be called that.

Nohizar

Nohizar chased his strange companion through the alleys of Tinker Tocker until he ran out of breath and couldn’t run anymore. Razihon either didn’t notice, or didn’t care enough to wait for him. Nohizar frowned, he had been yelling at the apparition for a while now, but it simply kept moving and disappeared. Nohizar stood up straight, trying to catch his breath. Maybe Razihon’s hearing was simply bad. He had no ears after all. Yeah! That had to be it, there was no way he would just leave him alone in the back alleys like this… right? No, Razihon was his friend. He wouldn’t abandon him like this. As soon as he realizes he had left Nohizar behind he’d come back and apologize, you’ll see! Nohizar fought away his fear of being left alone with a confident smile and a walk that bordered on a strut as he headed into a random alleyway.

As he walked through the alleyways he slowly reached a different part of town, with more towers and less dilapidated buildings. As Nohizar looked at his new surroundings a childlike smile of joy spread across his features. He did enjoy exploring new places and this would give him something to do until Razihon returned. With renewed energy he began looking into little shops, peering quizzically through shuttered windows and climbing steps to see what the view would look like from up top. During his curiosity driven exploration of this particular district he came upon something one might call a tower, if that person were feeling generous. But that was not what drew Nohizar’s attention. Instead, his attention was drawn to a strange figure in an even stranger style of fashion. Since when was closing oneself into a suit of metal considered fashionable? Nohizar rubbed his head as he pondered about this strange person. When no answer came to him he did the next best thing. He waved at the strange figure and yelled at him. ”Hello! Why do you wear a metal suit?” He asked with childlike curiosity and innocence.

Razihon

Razihon had finally shaken Nohizar off his trail. Persistence was a good quality in any person, but stubbornness was simply unbecoming. Razihon shook his head even as he reached the shopping district. There was still one last engineer to take care off. The one that had him started on this idiotic rumour of powerful items created by the engineers. It was baseless, Razihon knew that. But the mind of the creative was a strange thing. What was once insanity in the eyes of others could become reality in another. Especially in this world where insanity becoming real was so commonplace. No reason to have some creature putting ideas into the heads of those who could make these things become real. No, better to get them out of the way quickly and leave Nohizar running around Tinker Tocker blind to his activities. The last thing he needed was some judgemental child getting suspicious. His grin grew slightly wider as he reached the house of the Engineer he was looking for. Better to find out who he told this rumour to and eliminate them as well.

”It is going to be a long day.”

”Hello! Why do you wear a metal suit?” The childlike voice seemed to rattle against his armour for a moment while he pondered the words. He turned and looked down into the alleyway below, noting with a peculiar interest that the figure was flailing its arms about in some desperation. The slits of his eyes flared bright blue and a thin wave of energy swept across his armoured surface, blowing fragments of dust and rubble from the tower away as he slowly moved towards the edge of the structure.

His gauntleted hands reached out to the old masonry either side of him and he tested its substance with hist fingers, sadly discovering it was weaker than it had been the night before, and it was brushing away at his touch. Sighing to himself he used them to pull himself forward, smiling softly as it held his momentum for just long enough before it crumbled completely. He enjoyed a fraction of a heart's thrumming beat as he fell to the ground by the quizitive boy, his body resting with one foot flat and the other with the knee for support and his hand palm down. He slowly lifted his head staring directly into the boys face, their eyes almost level.

"Perhaps, A better question would be; why is it you do not?" Martellus said softly, his words edged with a faint tang of static "The Dreaming is not the safe haven some have said it once was, but truth be told even the perceived guise he held then was much better than what it is now."

Nohizar

As the large armoured man jumped down from the ledge upon which he had been standing before, and landed on the ground, Nohizar nearly stumbled back. He was a lot bigger than he had expected. Even as the figure kneeled, he eyes were level with Nohizar’s. He bit his lower lip slightly as he tried to still his beating heart. For a moment there he was sure the man was going to jump on him, not in front of him.

“ Perhaps, A better question would be; why is it you do not? The Dreaming is not the safe haven some have said it once was, but truth be told even the perceived guise he held then was much better than what it is now."

Nohizar blinked. What did that even mean? Also, he didn’t answer his question! That was so rude. Nohizar frowned as he looked at the larger man, seeming quite peeved by the man’s rebuttal to his question. ”Because it looks heavy… also, what does that even me-“ Nohizar was interrupted by the sudden cracking and subsequent crumbling of multiple buildings. His eyes grew wide as he looked around, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. It took him a few moments before he noticed, amidst the falling rubble a small form falling, clearly not made of the materials the buildings were made from. It looked like a girl. Girls wore dresses right? Wait, no, Princesses wore dresses. Yeah, that's it! A sudden glint appeared in his eyes, even as he turned to the metal man, hoping he had seen her too. His voice seemed far too excited for the danger of the situation as he spoke. ”Quick, we have to help her!” He said, even as he turned and rushed off into the falling girls direction. His pulse sprang to life, it’s power slowly pouring out of him in the form of nearly ethereal black and green smoke. In his mind’s eye he fashioned a hand, big and strong, yet gentle, reaching up from the ground beneath the girl to catch her. And as he imagined, it became real and all he could hope for was that it would be enough to catch her.

Razihon

A quiet stroll through the abandoned street had taken a sudden turn as Razihon heard the sudden low grumble that was made when the buildings collapsed. He looked up, his eye scanning the environment but finding nothing of interest. Instead, he extended his senses and saw beyond his eye what his eye could see. What he saw was a boy, wearing a suit, rushing off to somewhere. Nohizar’s location was in the same directions as the sweet sounds of collapse. Couldn’t the boy be left alone for a few minutes before he went off and started destroying buildings. For a single fleeting moment, his grin disappeared. A moment so fleeting that, once it was past, it was as if it had never existed at all. Rahizon turned and walked, moving towards the sound of collapse and where he knew he would find the boy.

This ability was certainly something he could get used to. He played for some time, a somewhat idle use of his ability, but if a Dreamer couldn’t choose how to use their power, what good would it be? Changing the tune and switching between melodies, trying things from improvising with his mind alone to replicating some of the songs he’d heard in the waking world. For a bit he probably turned into something like a background figure and those who would walk past him had a chance to take him for merely another part of the dream brought forth by someone’s whimsical fantasies and placed right there at the square to entertain those around him with music. It gave some interesting opportunities to study those around him without directly calling upon them with speech. In a way he enjoyed the new perspective.

Though proceeding merely with his quiet contemplation and the indulgence of a sudden creative vibe was tempting, he wouldn’t let it go for too long. And by sheer coincidence no sooner had he considered tending to other business that the aforementioned business manifested itself quite prominently in relative vicinity. Even in the world of dreams the sudden destruction of a building produced an appropriate amount of fear from those closer to the place of the incident and bewilderment from those further away, rendering them ever eager to discover the source of the commotion. He was no different from the latter and so he let the strings vanish and walked swiftly towards one of the side streets from which the rumbling seemed to have come.

While certainly not indifferent to the plight of others, Zoen wasn’t exactly a hero and so he showed up only in time to witness the aftermath of what must’ve happened here. Stone rubble, debris and several dislodged cogs from the walls of a collapsed building, and a veil of slowly settling dust partially obscuring one’s view. There were certainly onlookers expressing various degrees of concern, curiosity and from some – even excitement. Some were asking if anyone was wounded, some were asking if anyone had seen the building collapse. Zoen peered past the gawking and murmuring residents of Tinker Tocker then finally moved forward, gently shifting some of those in his way aside. The crowd wasn’t particularly dense despite the loud collapse of the building.

And so it happened that while Zoen Leed didn’t see this event unfold from the very beginning, he did, upon closer examination, notice at least one familiar silhouette before his eyes obscurred by the blonde bangs – and that was one of the self-proclaimed King of the Realm he’d first found himself in. “King Nohizar? Are you alright?” He called out upon recognizing the young Persona, not yet able to verify his exact condition or that of those near him just from looking ahead due to all the dust, but gradually moving further along and beginning to make out more details of the “scene”. As he proceeded he would also look upwards every now and then to be sure that no more debris would rain down from any adjacent buildings. Was it him, or was there an observer on the roof of one of the buildings...? Regardless, for now he ignored this other onlooker and simply continued onwards. Nohizar and whoever else might've gotten caught up in this incident could require some aid.

He was busy attempting to process the boy's comment about the armour being heavy, which he couldn't understand as it had never occurred to him that it could be heavy, when they were disrupted by loud crumbling caused by one of the nearby towers breaking away from its structure. ”Quick, we have to help her!” he heard the boy say as he ran in the direction of the falling figure amidst the rumble. Martellus stared up at the brickwork trailing alongside the, he assumed, girl for a fraction of a heartbeat before his heavy footfalls cracked the cobbled street beneath him as he ran after the boy.

He saw green and black wisps of smoke billowing outward before the boy, and shaping themselves into a great hand that reached up towards the girl in an attempt to slow her decent. As he'd been moving towards the destruction he'd gently let his pulse build in his right hand till he broke the potential energy forming it into a flail which he struck out with as hard as he could. Its barbed end was thrown high above him with the chain rippling out as it made to shape its length to his desires, the brickwork nearest the girl becoming faint powder as the metal ripped through it like a hot knife through butter.

He pulling the weapon back till the head of the fail was gripped tightly in his other hand before absorbing the weapon back into himself, and reforming it into a large oval tower shield. He looked at the girl slowly falling above, the boy next to him and back to the shield before growling slightly "Hopefully, this won't get us killed." He grumbled to himself as he began to charge as much of his pulse into the shield as he could, causing it to expand over him and the two others in order to deflect any stray rubble as the girl almost reached the ground.

His vision became slightly obscured as bricks and stone piled up around him, hiding the boy from his side though he was presumably still under the relative safety shield. Though he could just about make out a voice coming from beyond the wreckage he wasn't able to discern the words.

Erixianti's eyes widened as she slowly processed what was happening. The roof crumbled beneath her feet and she was barely able to catch sight of Quinn, whose face was twisted in an expression of pure horror and shock. The small girl's locks tumbled after her as her frame fell through the gap between the buildings and gravity took over. Her mind was racing, yet not one of the thoughts were coherent or made sense. Indeed, for the tiny, petite doll was overtaken with fear and the terrifying emotion made it impossible for her to think properly. Her bear gripped her arms tightly as the two of them descended at an increasingly rapid pace.

She squeezed her eyes shut, not even able to release a single scream on her way down. Yet before she felt the impact of the harsh ground, something soft wove around her body. Trembling from head to toe, she could not bring herself to open her eyes. Whatever was beneath her had cushioned her fall but the shock of what had transpired was still racking through her body. She heard a yell from up above her, the screech definitely sounded of the jester, who seemed to be readying herself to follow Erixianti down.

She felt her bear pat her cheeks and one of her eyes was forced open as a padded paw tugged at her eyelid. Her vision was a bit blurry at first, but she caught a whisper of green, a blurry figure of a young looking, green-haired youth visible out of the corner of her eye. There was also a glint of something metallic and shiny but it seemed she would not have time to look around to better observe. She was barely able to register that as her bear frantically put its paws beneath her chin and forced her face upwards so that she caught sight of Quinera leaping off the edge of the roof downwards.

Something was very wrong.

The ground beneath her form seemed to heave as her surroundings began to distort and the flying debris even became blurry around the edges. With a sickening jolt, her mind began to register what was happening and Erixianti tried to stand in an effort to stop it. But it was futile, she was still too weak from her fall, and she would not be able to say anything in time. A blinding light began to fill the area as the jester nearly reached the intended target--and then the landscape was filled with a stark whiteness. A shockwave coursed through her body, shooting up her limbs and causing an uncomfortable feeling to settle in her gut. Her body felt like lead and it was difficult to move, to even remotely take a single step forwards.

The world around her was like a blank canvas and, as if being sketched by a child, wobbly lines shot out above her. They began to carve out the hesitant shapes, all misshapen and ghastly thin. She clutched at her bear tighter, yes, she knew what was happening. The dream world was reconstructing itself, as it was prone to do when a strong pulse of energy from a mind shot out. The question was, where were they going? In the rush of all the events, Erixianti wasn't sure if the figures she had seen before had been taken with them--but she was sure, at least, that Quinn was here with her. After all, her knight had to be! A guardian never left the side of the heroine, not when the adventure came along.

Her bear was fidgeting in her grasp--clearly discontent at what was transpiring. She tried to make silent, hushing gestures to calm it but it was to no avail. The structures continued to build themselves, much like scattered pieces of debris fitting together like disfigured pieces of a puzzle. What had been Tinker Tocker had all but faded and the visage of the landscape was constructing itself. As the blank space began to disappear and the setting warped into a more firm one, she made out the large shapes of torn, ripped teddy bears. Ah, that was why her bear was ill at ease.

She frowned as a grayish tinge took over the sky and broken, rotted objects appeared one-by-one. Each object resembled a disheveled toy, as if it had been carelessly tossed around and worn down to the absolute last threads. Dread filled her as she processed where the dream world had altered to.

'Mechanoid Paranoia...' The thought stole across her quickly and immediately, Erixianti tried to adjust herself. As soon as the name of the place crossed her, everything in the appearance finalized--disjointed robots and bits lying about.l Some meters from her lay Quinn, who was unconscious and sprawled about. She immediately ran over to her guardian, not paying attention to anyone else that might've been around her. Quinera had saved her, so she would stay and watch over her until the jester woke up. It was the least she could do. And honestly, she felt kind of lonely now that her first friend wasn't coherent. So the little doll curled up right on the ground next to her companion, staring into her face until the other woke up.

Nohizar

A nervous laugh erupted from Nohizar as the hand he had created reached up and caught the falling girl. I did it! ”I did it!” A simple exclamation. It erupted from his mouth, unbidden, as if they were not his own words but put there by another. Yet they were what he felt deep down nonetheless. A sudden surge of accomplishment that found being in those three simple words. Unfortunately, this feeling was not a feeling that was meant to last. As now that the task of rescuing the girl was no longer taking up his full attention, he realised he had ran in the middle of the deluge of rocks. His eyes widened as the loud clunks of stone meeting metal reached his ears from above. He jerked his head upwards, only to find a shield there. True to its name, the shield was shielding Nohizar from the rocks.

Nohizar turned to the metal man, eyes still wide with shock and fear. ”Thank y-“ Those were the only words he could form before the sudden white light arrived, seemingly swallowing Nohizar up whole, like some hungry beast that managed to get the drop on unsuspecting prey. In this white world, Nohizar stared, with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had heard of this, oh yes he had. This was what happened when you died. You were whisked away to a tunnel, with a bright light at the end. Approaching that white light meant only one thing: death. Nohizar was dumbfounded by the cruel injustice of it all. They had skipped a step! Where was the tunnel?! Where was the fair maiden telling him not to go towards it, that he was still needed?! This was so unfair.

Razihon

Razihon was moving towards the scene of collapse, his grin wide, a skip in his step and a glint in his eye. Something was clearly going on and he was not going to miss out on it. Couldn’t miss out. With such strong feelings forming a clear trail towards his goal, the sudden ensnarement of his body in the white light came as a quite the unwanted surprise. ”Oh, bother.” Where the only words that escaped him before he was brought to that white world, where the very dreamscape itself could rearrange as it pleased, caring nothing for the wishes of those who dwelled within it.

Nohizar caught Razihon just standing there in the corner of his eye. With the youthful gusto only a young man feeling immense relief could muster, he turned towards him. He wanted to raise his hand and wave, wanted to yell out Razihon’s name, wanted to tell him he forgave him for leaving him all alone in the alleys, that he was happy to see him. But his limb was heavy, unresponsive. The mere act of turning had tired him. So all he could do was look at the faraway form of Razihon even as strange squiggly lines were forming all around him. Squiggly lines that took shape, sketching out childhood toys. Only the outlines at first, but with fearsome speed details became visible, before long even the most minute tears could be seen on the bodies of the huge stuffed bears.

Nohizar fell to his knees as the new world had formed around him. What was that?! Why did that happen?! Where are we? Many questions flung themselves at the currently low walls of the fortress that was Nohizar’s mind. The sudden excitement, followed by the sudden dread, which was then followed by a strange new location had left Nohizar exhausted, mentally and physically. To the point he didn’t even notice the strange jester girl, or the girl he had attempted to rescue just moments earlier. Razihon turned to Nohizar, approaching casually, a grin on his face and his eye as monotone and utterly detached as ever. With a what would be considered a casual voice, were it not for all the static disturbing it, he called out. ”Ah. There you are, I was looking for you.”Nohizar could only look at his companion, flabbergasted. In a few moments he got up from his knees and subsequently dropped down on his behind, a wide and happy smile on his face. ”Listen to this! I saved a princess today!” He happily said, even as Razihon cocked his head to the right, giving Nohizar something that approached a surprised stare.

Ignore please.

He watched the back and forth conversation of these other 'dreamers' with somewhat interest and confusion. He'd spent much of his time here alone without the comfort of others and being in such close proximity to them was beginning to unsettle him but he tried his best to bury such feelings. Though he half chuckled to himself, the sound lost in the depths of his armour, it was not as if any emotions would reach those around him.

The strange green creature, that the young boy was speaking too, was making some interesting points about the realm they currently found themselves in. And from what Martellus could discern this area was no more dangerous than the packed streets of Tinker Tocker, but much more peaceful. Which he greatly preferred. He shook his head slowly as the boy lean past his companion and waved, rather enthusiastically in his direction; to which he slowly raised then lowered his hand in greeting, feeling somewhat foolish in the act.

”I’m Nohizar! And my friend is called Razihon!” The boy called out in answer to the young girl's question before proceeding to ramble about their new location and purpose here. And the boys rather strange pointing towards the girl behind the jester and to himself just added to his confusion. He thought for a moment before speaking, the sight of the boy bouncing around as if he was about to explode distracting him from his train of thought.

"This land is much quieter than where we came from. I like that. It is much better for it. Though I am not sure as to why you find it creepy in all honestly" He sighed and shrugged his shoulder before continuing "But anyway, my name is Martellus and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He bowed slowly, raising his right hand up to the forehead of his helmet in an honourary salute.

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