Open Dream a little Dream for Me.

[Firenze]

Mist. A white dense fog. Blackness swirling, it's creeping finger tips dancing around at the edges of her vision. Figures started to come into view, but she couldn't see their faces. Looking down she noticed that she wasn't wearing anything clothing, it didn't seem unusual considering she was quite comfortable being naked. Her focus back on the figures that were now moving past her, she squinted trying to determine who they were.

Past lives? Friends? Family? The thought of her seeing her family sent her heart fluttering, but yet she was still aggravated because she couldn't see who they were! Walking forward, the figures continued to brush by her, never fully coming into contact. Colors started to come into view, first green, then blue, reds and pinks. The ground began to take shape and grass started sprouting rapidly. It didn't startle her for some reason, it faintly even crossed her mind.

She was focused on a point in the distance, she wanted to see what it was. As she walked the object became larger, and larger still. Blue wiped it's way across the sky as if an artist were brushing it with his paint brush, streaks of white fluffy clouds, pink tinged from the sun. With a faint pop the sun jumped from the ground, casting it's glow on the object. She realized then that the object was a very large tree. Leaves sprang forth from mangled branches as she came closer. It were as if the land were awakening in her footsteps.

Flowers shot up, fun little noises accompanying them as if to say, "Hello Firenze."

Pop!... Zwing!... Ting!

Reaching her hand out she plucked a particularly vibrant rose, it's pink petals shining as if someone has thrown glitter on it's bud. As she continued walking she noticed that the pink started creeping up her arm, becoming fluid and liquid as it wove it's way around her body. She felt the warmth of the color as it wrapped around the top of her, concealing her breasts.

Plucking another flower, this one a brilliant purple, she carried it with her. Again, the colors flowed from the flower weaving it's way around her body until her lower half was covered. It held on to her hips gently and dripped slowly as it formed itself into almost a fluid skirt of sorts.

Keeping the flowers she'd picked with her, she turned her eyes back toward the growing tree. Blossoms of white and pink bloomed all over it. It was a sight to behold. Some grew so rapidly they burst forth off the tree and scattered the silky petals to the ground.

As she came upon the tree, she glanced up, the leaves, branches and flowers towering above her. A breeze came forth, tousling her hair and dancing in the tree, shaking the flowers until they rained down on her from every direction. A mass of white, pink and pale cream floating around her as softly as calm snow.

Twirling slowly, she reached her arms out letting the petals float onto her skin, and then drift back and forth until they landed on the ground, blanketing the floor around her. She bent down and picked up a particularly large blossom, a small twig holding it's delicate petals together, she tucked in behind her ear, pushing her golden hair to the side.

Stopping in mid-turn, she made her way to sit down. One of the gnarled roots sprang forth from the bottom of the tree, wrapping in on itself slowly until it stopped, forming a small mangled chair. She sat on the rough, dark bark and glanced around. Waiting to see what other surprises were in store.

Just as she had the thought, bright blue fat little birds swooped around. Then red, black, white and every other color that Fire could imaged. They came from all directions, dancing in the air, swooping and bobbing this way and that. A few landing in front of her, they hopped around on their little feet.

Laughing she bent and scooped a chubby little white bird up, upon inspecting it she noticed that it had fluffy little downy feathers poking from it's cheeks and off the top of it's head. While turning the bird, it swished it's stubby tail feathers and then jumped excitedly from her hand. It swooshed and dipped near her, putting on a little show, as if to say that it was the best little bird out of all the other birds.

As she watched the bird her mind turned back to the dark figures that she had walked by. She glanced back toward the way that she thought she had come from but all she could see now were towering mountains, climbing up into the sky so far that you couldn't even see the tops, clouds swirled around them and snow appeared to cascaded down the ridges.

Just as quickly as she had glanced toward the mountains, she turned back to where the birds had been flying, only to see they had gone. She felt vastly alone for a moment, a sadness tinging her heart. But even as soon as it had come to her, it left again as she became distracted, the flowers that had followed her started popping up around her feet. Springing through the heavy layer of blossoms that had fallen from the tree. Again, every color that Fire could image showed up. She watched as they popped and zinged, their thin stems swaying, the heads wobbling to and fro. Watching the flowers, she felt a sense of warming comfort wash over her,
I want to stay here forever...

OOC InfoWord Count = 938

Others | Firenze | Thoughts

[Harrier Harwood]

Black, blue, pink, yellow, bright flashing and a tree. The world developed and painted before his eyes left a blinded milliner dazed on his toes, tottering closer to the oak... Or is it a maple? I like maple trees, they're always so pretty in the fall... Or maybe... But the steps interrupt the thoughts when flowers begin to appear. First a gargantuan black rose, beginning to bloom. Opening, showing its face to the sky of blues and pinks and the blinding sun now above. The petals unfolded to reveal the true face of the rose – his own. Petals of blue and citrine and maroon unfolded nearby, all bearing faces and hats with motley and feathers unlike those seen on sea or shore. With lips pursed, the flowering faces whistled a tune visible to him. This tune became birds of every colour, wings bearing patterns not unlike those of butterflies, or beautiful script of some unseen hand, or eyes blinking in the same amazement evident on Harrier’s own face. It was the birds that finally clicked with him. Those feathers… Perfect for a hat! Or two! Or a million, if I can get enough! Sure, he knew it was unsafe to run with the drink fogging his eyes and his legs chained together, but those birds were calling and he needed the material. So, with arms outstretched and grabbing at the empty air, Harrier ran after the bird at full tilt. His legs caught more than once on his grey pants, the chains around his ankles now more real than before when he did not even notice them. He tumbled and fell, pratfalls looking so cartoonish that even he could not help but laugh as his own folly. Yet he ran, hands grasping for bunches of the illustrious feathers that would look so perfect on a fascinator, or maybe a top hat… One fall took him sprawling to his face, before the wind picked up. With a sudden gust of unimaginable power, he was weightless. His hands reached out helplessly as the birds and flowers swirled around him in the sky, high above the maple-oak so far below that the sea of grass seemed to ebb and flow. Until he was dropped. The stop of the wind, so sudden and violent, left him falling with hair flying and hands outstretched. Birds squawked and petals swirled around his limp body, but the impact of the grassy plain felt more like being welcomed into the arms of his mother, her clean scent enveloping him as he settled into a bed of feathers, birds, flowers, and tree roots. Right at the foot of a woman.

[Brandon Blackwing]

Floating.

Brandon was only vaguely aware of his body, which seemed to be supported by nothing at all. A warm breeze played with his hair, gently pulling at his grey mane, wrapping around his body. Limbs hung limp, stretching down to the surface below, if there actually was a below. Maybe there only was an up, not a down. He couldn't tell, he only felt his body slowly spinning, pushed forth by the winds, as if he was but a tiny feather. There was something familiar about this sensation though, yes, he'd experienced it before. It was as if he'd let himself float under water, sheltered from all the sounds and the world in general, like he sometimes did when he bathed.

It was quite pleasant, warm and calming. There was no need for movement, no need for opening his eyes. He could just float and be loose and limp. The thief was aware though, noticing his body tumbling and spinning, swaying, raising and falling. Though never he made contact with anything, nor did he touch the ground. There was nothing, no sound, no light. Just the feeling of his body and the waves of thoughts in his mind. A barrel roll was made, the bat's arms and legs loosely following the movements forced upon him, but he did not mind. This was pleasing, this was great.

Drifting.

Just drifting, no worries, no thoughts at all. Nothing but the recognition and awareness of his conscious and his body. It was supreme, it was bliss, utter bliss. Freedom. Peace and calm. He was alone, he was happy. No need for anything, for anyone.

“Brandon.”

The voice called out to him in a quiet whisper, a gentle caress. He knew that voice, he knew the person that voice belonged to. Yet, he did not care, he just wanted to be here. Here, where he could be at peace, where he could just float and there was no need for anything. A haven, a sanctum.

“Brandon.”

She did not cease her calls, though they remained the same as always, gentle and kind.

“Open your eyes, Brandon.”

Eyes? Did he have to? Why did he have to? There was nothing around him, there was nothing but himself here. Languidly willing his limbs and body to move, the bat curled up in a tight ball, his hair trailing behind him, still caught in the breeze, played with. I don't want to.

“Open your eyes, Brandon.”

There still was no impatience in this voice, no annoyance or frustration, just love and kindness. The bat felt almost bad ignoring her, turning away. He sighed, hugging his knees in his own personal space, his spot isolated from the world. The place without anything, no up and no down, just a human-shaped Kelvic curled up in a ball. However, doubt had started corroding his peace and quiet. If there was a voice calling out to him, didn't that mean he was not alone? That there was someone else nearby? Lethia of all people? He couldn't just ignore her, or pretend he hadn't heard. He was not alone, there was no isolation. Indeed, there existed something around him, it wasn't nothingness he was drifting in, it was something else.

Black onyx orbs slowly opened, feeling as if this was the first time in years he'd done that.

However, they saw nothing. Only darkness. He opened his mouth to call for his mother, but he could hear no sound escaping his moving lips. A frown rippled on his forehead, eyes darted to and fro, but there was no use in that action, for there was nothing around him.

And then, it came. Bright and white, blindingly beautiful in the literal meaning. A hand came up to protect the nocturnal eyes which had been pinched to a near closed state. What is that? the bat inquired while turning his face away, preferring the darkness he'd spent his time in.

“It is the sun, Brandon.”

The sun?

“Yes. Don't you feel her warmth radiating all over you, cloaking you with gentle rays?”

I do.

“Well then, don't be afraid, open your eyes and see the world, Brandon.”

The bat complied, doing as his mother told him. He found himself staring at a scene he remembered all too well. The Kelvic named Brandon Blackwing sat on his knees, a bloodied dagger in his hands and the lifeless body of a certain conman lying in front of him. The Brandon in the scene displayed a sad expression, bewildered and confused, though underneath those superficial layers Brandon knew there existed a tiny smile. Not the smile of one content they had taken the life of a man, but that of one who knew he'd freed a man from their shackles, from their burden. The Kelvic in the scene studied the blade in his hands for a moment, and then spoke solemnly. Brandon's mind echoed the words automatically. From this moment forth this dagger will be known as Abaserozt, for I hope it will not have to live up to its name.

The scene changed as fast as it had appeared, shifting in something else entirely. While the bat floated above, he had a clear overview of what was going on. He could see everything clearly, he remembered everything, but still he felt as if it were not memories of his own. That they belonged to someone else. Beneath him, a cloaked figure sneaked through the darkened midnight streets of a city. Nearly all buildings sported a dome and some of them were even constructed from a crystalline material that glowed in the dark. It spread a stead blue-green glow all around. Lhavit.

Yet, that was not the point of interest. What was, was the thief prowling through the streets. His steps were purposeful, and his attire concealing. From his vantage point, Brandon could not see the thief's face, only the top of his hood. He wanted to know, he wanted to get a look. His will drove him closer, drifting down. The thief entered a house, and the bat followed suit, through the ceiling as if he were a ghost.

Inside there was no sight of him though. It was dark, yes, but not quite dark enough to make him fail to notice what was around him. It was some sort of living room or so. Furniture decorated with carvings stood lined up against the walls, a huge mirror in the middle. Curious Brandon approached the looking glass, staring intensely at its reflective surface. Was that-? Yes, no mistake, that was the thief, staring back at him from the other side, a featureless white mask with a tear-shaped black decoration adorning his face. Incognito. Slowly, the bat started to realize Incognito wasn't the only one in the mirror, behind him stood a fat man, clothed in a merchant's robes. One hand held a puppeteer's operating cross, threads running from it to various parts of Incognito's body. Hesitantly, the bat reached out for the mirror, placing his hand on its cold surface. Incognito mimicked the movements and Kriegsfelt's arms and operating cross moved as well.

Brandon's eyes grew wide, his mouth an animalistic snarl of rage. Slowly he retracted his hand, dismayed to find that Incognito did the exact same thing, forced by Kriegsfelt's puppetry. “No,” the Kelvic spoke, shocked and trembling, “NO!” His fist came crashing into the looking glass, creating spiderwebs in its gleaming, reflective side. Another blow was delivered to the mirror, cracking the surface even more, but it did not stop there. Constructive hits followed, until the mirror shattered to tiny bits, the shards falling down and transforming in bats who flew away, shrieking and flapping their digits. His knuckles were bleeding, but the bat did not care, he did not feel the pain, only satisfaction. “I refuse to be your marionette,” he spat, his hatred pouring over the words. He stared intensely at the place he expected Kriegsfelt to stand, but there was only an empty frame there, enclosing an idyllic scene. It was appealingly peaceful, waves of relaxation washed out from the portal.

There were no thoughts needed to decide what to do. Instinctively he took a step forwards, and another one. He refused to stay here. Yet another stride brought him closer, and eventually he passed the border, into the paradise. A deep sigh escaped him, his bare feet sensing soft grass supporting them. A huge tree came into vision as he proceeded with his forward motion, it had been there all along, right in front of him, but he hadn't noticed until he had started moving again. Was this the place he needed to go to? His body said it was, his feet already taking him there, crossing the short distance swiftly.

Credit goes to Nyxie Nadira Draer

[Itt]

Common Edentata

Music :

I had to. It just fits so well

Standing upon the edge of a grassy cliff with nothing but a sheer drop ahead, deep brown eyes watched the sun slowly set before them in the majesty of the clouds. The soft clouds were smeared across the sky, reflecting the colours of the sunset and magnifying them like a fire in the night. A slight breeze ruffled his shaggy brown hair, slowly blowing the exuberant colours of whites and pinks to the East. They beckoned him to follow, to come with them and live among the birds of the sky.

With a simple smile upon his face, the young man closed his eyes spreading his arms out as the wings picked up. It tugged at his head of hair, it pulled at his clothes, pushing him closer and closer to the edge. It yearned for him to come and he took a deep breath. The sweet air. It didn't just yearn for him

It called him.

Letting out the breath, Somnus opened his eyes and leaped forward, turning into a glorious ball of light as he did so. He shone like a star before the light dissipated and he was a small brown sloth, falling in the wind and the breeze. The smile on his face only grew as he felt the warm air against his fur. But he was missing something that he couldn't forget.

The sloth reached behind him and grabbed a string, yanking it forward. Magnificent blue and green iridescent feathers sprouted from his arms. They grew nearly to his size and he could feel the control he had over the wind. Over the air. He was able to control it all, and as he plummeted to the ground, he smiled again and closed his eyes. Feeling the wind on his face.

Tilting his arms up, Itt started to glide out, away from the cliff, hovering just above the tree tops. His eyes opened and the view took his breath away. The sun hitting the trees from behind as if it was beauty itself. He laughed out loud to himself and flapped his wings, looking up and flying to the sky. He kept flapping, reaching higher and higher until he was able to touch the clouds above. The rich, colourful clouds. He flew in them for a while, feeling the cold touch of the heavy water. But he wanted more.

Flapping his wings up more, he started to fly through and out of the clouds. He could see the light shine the closer he got until all he could do was gawk. Breaking the surface of the clouds, the sloth was in awe at the sheer beauty of the surface of the clouds and how the sun refracted off of them. How the sun just shone and mark it's territory. It was indescribable.

Somnus simple watched as the clouds rolled by, him flying about their tops and heading along with them. He was utterly content in their presence and he could feel their joy with his. He never wanted to come down. He never wanted to stop watching, never wanted to stop adoring the simple pleasure of flying. But he wan'st flying at all.

He was soaring.

Itt laughed with himself and he closed his eyes again, folding his arms against himself as he plummeted once more. He quickly opened his arm again however once he broke under the clouds. He flew upward, reaching the tops once more before diving down. He did this all day, and even night. The moon and the stars even showing their glory among the cloud tops. He just flew without a care in the world.

Day came once more and the sun rose again, claiming the world it's own. Itt couldn't help by fly towards it, soaring with the birds as the smiled at him. He looked down. He was above the ocean now. There wasn't a speck of land for miles now, but the water perfectly reflected the sun, like a mirror. He smiled at the ocean and the waves smiled back at him.

This was perfect.

He felt a something graze his leg. He looked behind him, expecting it to be one of the seagulls wanting to play. But instead he saw a blue and green iridescent feather falling down to the ocean. Itt raised an eyebrow, and as he watched the one fall, he saw two more falling with it. His eyes grew wide at this and the young man looked at his arms. He saw the feathers peeling away one by one, leaving him behind as they abandoned him and went to the ocean.

The sloth panicked, starting to glide down to the ocean to land in it. However, half way there, simply too many of his feathers can come off and he started to fall. He hit the surface of the water and skipped several dozen times until he sunk into the water completely. He was quick to rise to the surface however and swim quick to the shore.

The ground was muddy around the small pond but the sloth pulled himself out efficiently enough. His fur was soaked and only one of his feathers remained. He frowned at the small survivor, but he soon smiled at it instead, plucking it from his arm and holding it in his long, clawed hands. It was a pretty feather.

Looking back at the pond briefly to find more of his feathers, Itt slowly collected about a dozen, using cattails from around the pond to reach and pull them in. Once all of them were collecting, the sloth started walking away on his hind legs, looking at each individual feather and wiping them dry with his dry fur. They really were pretty feathers.

While Itt gawked at basked in the beauty of his own feathers, Itt started to walk into a forest with flowers around ever corner and covering the tree branches. He heard the songs of the birds but he didn't notice them playing in the air above, too focused on the items in his hand. He didn't even notice the presence of the people in front of him, both sitting and standing around a tree, or even just wondering around.

He did notice one actually, but that wasn't until he almost tripped over their leg. Itt blinked at the leg and the colours of the skirt that wrapped around it. His eyes widened and he smiled again, following the colours up to the young woman's face.

Wow. She was beautiful. But what was she? She was sitting on the tree...

"You big tree?" He asked, pointing to the tree, still basking in her presence as if it was life itself.

[Firenze]

Picking up one of the flowers that had sprung around her feet, she sniffed at it's bright little yellow center, the bud tickling her nose. Rubbing along her cheek wanting to feel the silky softness of it, her eyes closed, embracing the feeling. Just as she was drawing the velvety petals along her face a shadow played at her feet. It was small, almost unnoticeable, it was moving around slightly. She noticed that the longer that she continued to watch it, the larger that it grew. Puzzled at what the shadow might be caused from, it started to take on the shape of a man.

Just as she was about to look up to see what might be causing the shadow, indeed a man landed right in front of her, petals exploding everywhere trying to scatter away from the man who had disturbed them. Wide eyed Fire looked up to see where the man had come from. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary, the sky still just as blue, pinks swirling through it. Glancing back to the strange man in front of her she watched as he moved about. Her mind bringing back the images of the faceless people walking by her she wondered if this man would have a face as well? As he turned she could see that he did indeed have a face. Who was this man?

His blonde hair shifted back and forth in the wind, bright shining blue eyes shined back at her, he was definitely not like the others that she had seen. Fixated on his eyes, she twirled the flower she still had in between her fingers, it's yellow colors flowing from the petals and weaving their way around her body, although he didn't notice. She opened her mouth, preparing herself to speak but as she went to make sound she was startled again by something that was near her leg, she could feel it's presence.

As her eyes moved away from the man's that was standing in front of her, dropping them to the ground, she noticed an animal. It was adorable! He was upright, with a pile of feathers in his arms, the feathers bright vibrant greens and blues. Looking back and forth between the two she went to speak again. As she opened her mouth, a mewling noise came out as if she were chuffing to the little animal a 'Hello'. "You big tree?" the sloth spoke to her, gazing at her with a look of fascination. Her mouth moving back and forth trying to reply to him, still more roaring and huffing chuffs coming out. Becoming frustrated she glanced to the blonde man and then back to the sloth.

Thinking for a moment, flower still twirling in her fingers, she decided that maybe they wouldn't be able to understand her growls. Standing up, the colors that were slowly twisting their way around her body started to slide to the ground absorbing into the dirt, grass and flowers that were under her feet. Nude again she shifted, her orange light flashing brightly, black sparks flying and dancing off the tops of the petals. She shook herself to get her fur to lie comfortably and jumped back up to the root that she had just been sitting on.

Her claws digging into the rough bark, she opened her mouth to give her greeting again, "Hello! No, I am not a tree. I'm Firenze! Who are you? What are your names?" Her golden eyes flicked between the sloth and the man, waiting their response. Her tail hung off the side of the root, flipping back and forth she laid herself down along it's length, stretching herself out. Ear twitching unnoticed, she watched the people who had come to surprise her with their presence.

Then again, she felt another presence, she couldn't pinpoint where it was however. Glancing around the yellow orbs shifting around, scanning the ever-changing landscape. She noticed a black figure, she didn't know if it was a figure that were like the other black figures, but it's motion and purpose seemed different. Where the others had moved gently, almost gliding, with no destination in mind. This figure seemed as if it had a reason to be come towards where she was lying, along with the man with the vibrant blue eyes and the adorable little sloth that was just next to her, still gazing.

OOC InfoWord Count = 732

Others | Firenze | Thoughts

[Brandon Blackwing]

OOCSorry for the delay, I was waiting for Harrier to post, but since I don't think it matters much I skipped him.

It was supposed to be but a short distance, something he could cross by foot in a chime or two, though he had been walking for a while now, and he still hadn’t reached the tree. It wasn’t like he wasn’t moving, no, the scenery changed but the distance seemed to grow instead of shrinking. Why? Was he not supposed to reach that idyllic place? This aura of darkness around him, did it repel his luck? He did not know, but he could only try to reach it, that place of peace and quiet. He started running, as fast as he could, bare feet drumming on the soft grass.

A bear joined him, brown fur could not conceal the rippling muscles underneath. The bear’s head turned in his direction, and spoke: “Bran, you do not seem to understand.” The bat frowned, he knew that voice. “Mom?” he asked, even though he already knew the answer. “Who else?” came the rhetorical retort, Brandon knew that if she had been in human form, that remark would have been accompanied by a quizzically raised eyebrow. The Kelvic bat shrugged, keeping his mouth shut and concentrated on running.

“It is not that you can’t reach that place, it’s that you don’t believe you can.”
“What do you mean?” Brandon muttered, not quite sure if he understood what his mother was trying to say. “Exactly what I said: you don’t believe you can reach it, that you can’t arrive at paradise, that you do not deserve it or something along those lines.” She took a breath and stared to the grass in front of her. Mother and son kept running, heading for the tree, but never closing in, forever staying the same distance away from it.

“Those negative emotions, your worries and self-loathing -”
“I don’t hate myself, nor do I wail in self-pity,” Brandon interrupted her.
“Ah, right. You love every aspect of yourself, don’t you? Your powerlessness, your inability to protect that girl… Do I need to continue?” Brandon snorted and turned his head away, having his failures summed up was not something he enjoyed. “Anyways, what I was about to say was that these negative emotions cling to you and deny you access to your happy end.”
“I was once told that there was no happy end for people like me.”
Now it was Lethia’s turn to snort. “And you believe that? What kind of thief are you? If someone tells you you can’t have something, are you not one who doesn’t give a shyke about that? Won’t you just go steal it anyway? Since when do you just accept it when someone says you can’t have your happiness? Just seize it already! Open your eyes Bran! ”

She was right… since when had he become so spineless? Since when did he just accept things without questioning, without resisting? This wasn’t like him, not at all! Lethia was correct, if someone claimed he was not to obtain a certain item, he’d do so regardless of their opinion. If he wanted something, he stole it, he claimed it. Nothing could stop him, no lock, no trap, nothing. Wasn’t he Lhavit’s most wanted criminal? If he could force his way into mansions, surely he could also force his way into that paradise beyond. The problem was how to shake this rotten dark aura that prevented him from reaching it.

“ It’s simple Bran, light chases away the shadows, darkness retreats when the brightness arrives. All you have to do is shift. Return to your true form, shake off that dark shackle!” The duo reached a cliff, Lethia skidded to a stop, since she could not possibly cross it. Brandon on the other hand, kept running, launching himself forward and into the air. And then he shifted, a burst of the brightest light engulfed him for just an instant, destroying both the shape of the man and the surrounding darkness, making room for the tiny form of a bat. Syna’s light usually burned his eyes, but it did not today, allowing him to fly freely through the air, soaring and laughing On top of the cliff stood Lethia in her human form, waving and smiling, yelling something in the language of bears. The bat did not understand what she was trying to say, but he figured it was something along the lines of ‘goodbye’ or so.

Finally the bat managed to close the distance, his rhythmic wing beats obliterating it, sending him closer to the tree in just mere ticks. The trio of strangers gathered at the roots were spotted immediately: a man who was lying on the ground and did not move, some sort of ape-like creature with feathers in its arms and a tiger sitting on a root as if it was a throne. Figuring he’d join them, the bat swooped down, grabbing the bark of the three with his claws, securing himself while he hung upside down.

Credit goes to Nyxie Nadira Draer