birds singing in the sycamore tree

[baedalites]

As night falls on Baedal, the city is almost quiet. The streets have a few last minute workers returning home, but by now, most citizens have already gone by the temples and picked up their vurt, ready to lay down and dream.

After placing a not-feather in one's mouth, there's a moment where it fizzes against the tongue before sliding coolly down the back of the throat and pulling the user down into sleep. A series of impressions, more sensation than anything concrete, appears before the user and this is how one chooses which Dreamer to enter.

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BASSAROS

[baedalites]

This dream is held in the center, grassy square of a castle that is somehow both small enough to remain unintimidating, yet large enough to hold an obstacle course and racks of stadium seating. Vendors walk among the crowd offering snacks and drinks, while those who wish to participate in the steeplechase event are encouraged to make their way down to the field for pre-game body painting.

[bodilesswarrior]

It's an odd place for a throne, really, but it somehow doesn't seem out of place; it fades into the field as if it's always been there.

Barbara sits with a scroll in her hands. She's clothed in pale blue robes, and a horned diadem crowns her head.

Her expression is one of perplexed amusement. "So this was my first thought, huh? I'm kind of full of myself, aren't I."

[hehaseatenthepancake]

"It could be worse."

Hellboy had initially chosen to avoid anything built-up or overly populated, but his curiosity finally got the better of him. Given the half of his heritage that he's more recently learned about, the castle seemed like an obvious choice, especially as it's still not quite a city locale. He's starting to regret it now.

Depending on how much she's been creeping on the Network, it's possible she's seen Hellboy around. (He is rather distinctive.) If so, she'd know that the majestic horns that fade into and out of view on his head over his stumps aren't usually there. Also generally absent is his crown, also intermittently visible and wreathed in fire. Over his shorts, he has a golden-handled sword sheathed on a belt at his side -- as opposed to his preferred style of wearing it on his back -- and a fine robe trimmed in fur.

He passes hand through the phantom horns and crown, trying without success to dispel them, then sighs. "Should've known to stay in the forest dream," he says ruefully.

[bodilesswarrior]

She recognises Hellboy from the network, so she isn't stunned by his appearance; a bit perplexed by the changes, for a moment, but a smile is soon to follow.

"I think you look dashing."

[hehaseatenthepancake]

He looks down at himself, and finally chuffs out a laugh. "I suppose I might at that. Gonna at least take care of this, though."

With a quiet grumble about "how did this even get here," he takes off the sword belt, somehow rearranges how the scabbard attaches to it in a way that turns it into a proper baldric like the one he has in the waking world, and settles it on his back.

"There, that's better." And because he doesn't assume his rep has traveled so far or that people are creepers, he extends his left hand to shake. "I'm Hellboy, by the way."

[bodilesswarrior]

Barbara doesn't like to advertise her creepiness, so she simply accepts his hand, her grip casually firm. "Barbara Gordon. Nice to meet you." Her gaze roams round the square for a moment. "Well. Sort of." It's a meeting of the minds, anyway.

[hehaseatenthepancake]

"Likewise." He shrugs. "Close enough, anyway."

As they shake, he takes a moment to more closely look over Barbara's presentation.

"Some interesting symbolism there, now that I think of it," he says. "Not that I really do much with the cards myself, but in my line it pays to be familiar."

[bodilesswarrior]

"I'm no expert," Barbara admits, "but I know some basics." Mostly because she knows some basics about most things. She traces her fingers along the cool stone arm of the throne.

"Your line is supernatural, I'm guessing?"

[hehaseatenthepancake]

He shrugs. "A bit predictable, I know, but yeah. I'm a senior field agent with Hellsing. Been in the game most of my life, for probably obvious reasons." Being a supernatural being himself, he means.

"How 'bout you? What do you do, if you don't mind my asking?"

(for Ki)

[captainredwhiteblue]

It's... kind of like his armor.

Except for the part where it's painted on.

And that's all he's got.

"...Ki? Uh. What's going on? Where are my pants and stuff?"

[aldabeyoun]

"Kiddo, you ever have one of those dreams where you show up for work naked?" Ki's arrived in this dream in a t-shirt, jeans, and barefoot, and she suspects that if she loaned him anything of hers, not only would it fail to fit but he'd be even more embarrassed.

[captainredwhiteblue]

"No, it was always school. I'd show up naked and not prepared to give a presentation."

He says this in all seriousness as he looks out over the crowd. "It was a classroom, not a stadium fulla people. The paint's new, too."

[aldabeyoun]

"There's a steeplechase here and everyone is going to be naked. If you don't wanna run, you don't have to," she says putting a hand on his shoulder and trying to reassure him. "If you need to wake up, you can do that too. If you think you can fit into my pants through crazy-dream logic, I'll shift and they're all yours."

"And, if you want to run, I know you'll leave 'em all in the dust."

[captainredwhiteblue]

He gives this some serious thought. (It's clear this is happening from the way his brow scrunches up a little and how his lips press together.)

"Ah, why not?" he says, shrugging, breaking into a grin. "It's all a dream, right? Might as well have fun with it, while I'm here. Where's the starting line?"