mallowhallow | 1st Flame | Video / Action for Astralfield

[Ah, a newcomer. Victor supposes he should help her get adjusted -- especially since, given her surroundings, she lives in his district. He activates his own video feed.]

Hello. I'm Victor Van Dort.

[And since he's polite, he'll return her bow.]

Unfortunately, I'm afraid it's going to be quite a while before you see your mansion again. This world -- well, it takes people from their homes and -- we haven't figured out how to send anyone back yet.

[She bows once more and smiles at her chalkboard.]

It is a pleasure to meet you Mister Victor Van Dort.

[Kurenai couldn't hide her frown when she heard what he said.]

That is very unfortunate. People won't be happy with my absence. I'm scared.

It's very nice to meet you too, Miss Kurenai.

[He sighs a little.]

I'm sorry that I can't bring you better news. I can think of a few people who are sure to be missing me by now. . . I can at least assure you that you'll have a roof over your head, and food to eat. Has anyone told you anything about this place yet? Beyond the standard "here's your communicator, this is where you'll be living, have fun" speech the Queen gives.

That is very unfortunate. [She looks at Victor with a genuine expression of sadness] I'm sure your loved ones are very worried about you.

Thank you, that's comforting to know.

[Kurenai shakes her head gently without messing her light brown hair] No I do not know anything about this place, all I know was that I was given this chalkboard.

Yes. . . [He fidgets, playing with his tie. Dr. Wilson's surely frantic, if only because Victor's still technically his patient, and Alice. . .he doesn't even want to think about how Alice might be taking this.] It's h-hard all around.

[He nods.] Ah -- and I see you've figured out how to use it to talk to others. It took me a while to understand the video function myself. Judging by your surroundings, you live in the same district I do. Allow me to say: Welcome to Astralfield. I should warn you straight away this place is -- unusual.

I'm sure it must be difficult for you as well to be far away from the warmth of your loved ones. [She does not know what's worse, Mister Mori's raging worrying lectures, or Kurei's....]

It took a little time, but I'm always fascinated by new and unique things.

Yes, I think that's the term they used. I'm not a hundred percent certain. I highly appreciate the warm welcome, but why do you say that this place is unusual?

It is. [And even worse worrying about them. He knows Alice's mental state is often a bit fragile, and him just vanishing one day. . .] We're still working on ways to get home, though.

Heh -- there's certain no lack of those around here. [He nods a little, then frowns as he thinks of the best way to explain.] Well -- there's a magic here that affects one's dreams. Everyone in Astralfield automatically goes to sleep at ten at night, and when you wake up -- well, your dreams have come to life. Everyone's have, in fact. And not all of them are friendly, I'm afraid. Nightmares appear as readily as happy dreams.

Also, the first time you go to sleep, the world assigns you a room in the local hotel, and that becomes where you live. You end up there every morning, regardless of where you went to sleep. [This is a bit of trivia he wishes someone would have told him first thing, because he nearly had a panic attack when it happened. He'll spare you that pain, Kurenai.]

I can only imagine. [Oh poor Victor, or perhaps she should say poor Alice?] Please do tell me when you've sorted it out. I'll be most grateful. [She bows once more.]

Oh? Ten in the evening is certainly late enough.[She listens intently to Victor's explanation, her eyes widen with both fear and delight.]

Are you telling me, that if I dream about my beloved Kurei, he shall appear here? [Good for her, bad for everybody else] And if I am haunted by a nightmare with Mister Mori in it, he shall arrive as well? [Not good for anybody]

So you are telling me Mister Van Dort, this place selects a home for me for as long as I sleep? That's magical isn't it? [How nice of Victor. If that happened to Kurenai, she would have cried on the spot.]

[Poor both of them, really. They tend to rely on each other to keep themselves fully sane. He gives Kurenai a smile.] Oh, I'm sure it'll be a post that goes all over the network to everyone. No chance of missing it.

It is -- and there's no set wake-up time, so you can sleep as much or as little as you like.

[He grimaces and plays with his tie again as she talks about people she knows arriving from her dreams. Sorry, this is just a -- weird point with him.] Y-yes, they will. It won't really b-be them, though -- just a strange copy b-born from the dream. They might not act j-just right. And even if they do, you'll p-probably be able to tell anyway. [He'd certainly been able to tell with Alice, and she was completely harmless and herself. He's dreading the night his nightmares come back and he dreams of Bumby.]

Yes, it is. Convenient too. It means you'll always have a roof over your head. And there's a grocery nearby for food, and a clothing store -- apparently, we're allowed to just take what we like, so. . . [Which makes him feel awkward, but there's not much he can do about it. And yes, that's exactly the reason he told her. He wishes the Queen or her entourage would give people more of a warning instead of relying on the residents to do so, but there you have it.]

Edited 2013-06-18 16:39 (UTC)

[She will be sad to learn about that, but she'll be supportive because she's also left someone behind] That sounds excellent. I really hope I won't miss it.

Oh that's perfectly alright, I'm not fond of staying in bed. I'd rather meet the sunrise as it begins.

[She looks at the tie without dwelling too much. She doesn't want to be rude. As she listened to his words a short frown develops in her face.] So this place makes you long for your loved ones even more? [I wonder who's worse, Bumby or Mister Mori, the person whom Kurenai is fervently wishing never to dream off in this place]

This means that we can have anything we desire in terms of food and clothing. That's truly convenient isn't it? It would be difficult if I walked around in the same clothes. [She certainly thinks it's unpleasant that she wasn't informed about these important pieces of information. ]

[Victor's pretty sure they all have. Doesn't make his personal loss hurt any less, sadly.] I'm sure you won't. These devices are very good at passing on information.

Well then, that shouldn't really be a problem. You'll get to see everyone's dreams greeting the new day.

[Victor notices her watching his fiddling and drops his tie, not wanting to upset her. He knows his fidgeting irritates people sometimes.] Sometimes. Other times strange enough things appear to distract one. [That depends -- Bumby's an amoral psychiatrist who did some pretty horrific things to children -- and to Victor.]

It is, although I confess, it sometimes makes me feel like a bit of a mooch. . . [He shrugs.] But it's much better than going hungry. And yes, it would be. The people who run the clothing store are very nice -- you shouldn't have any problems getting new clothes. [Victor does too -- this place needs a beginner's informational pamphlet or something.]

That is very reassuring. Thank you. [bows politely once more]

I'll see everyone's dreams. I thought I'd only see mine. [This startles her a bit]

[She doesn't consider it rude, just odd. She's never seen anyone do it] Distract? In what way? [Well that's certainly frightening. Though she's still frightened of Mister Mori who planted a bomb inside her, and blew up her insides just to teach his own son a lesson]

What do you mean by mooch? I do not understand. [The queen should have provided one, she thinks]

You're welcome. [And he'll return that bow.]

Yes, everyone's dreams end up a part of the landscape. It's very -- chaotic. Most of them are harmless, but. . .well, you'll learn to avoid the ones that aren't.

[Well, it's a nervous habit of Victor's. He tends to play with his hands when he's anxious -- he's still fiddling with his fingers a bit.] Well, since everyone's dreams show up here, and dreams rarely if ever follow proper logic. . . Let's just say there's always something to see and wonder over. [Oh dear. Such pleasant people they both know!]

Oh, ah -- it means taking without giving anything in return. Being a bit like a -- leech, I suppose. [Though now he has to wonder if she knows what those are. . .] Newcomers don't have to worry about money, but sometimes I think the natives don't like that.

The hotel you mentioned, are they safe from these dreams? I mean, those that are brought to life, can they invade the safety of your hotel rooms?

[Awww, and now she thinks that mannerism is quite adorable.] Well, it must be quite interesting to see. How long do these dreams become reality~?! [People whom she can only hope never to see.]

I'm not aware that these words leech and mooch can be used in such context. But I understand better now. [Forgive her, she's not quite aware of terms common folk use, since she had a very sheltered life.] That's certainly reassuring for me, but I worry about these natives. Are they the type who run around cloth-less? [She imagines a different type of native.]

[Victor swallows.] I -- I'm afraid they can. I've experienced it myself. [Oh, has he ever. Waking up in a straitjacket was arguably one of the worst experiences of his life.] But it's not a guarantee that anything will end up in your room. Dreams appear all over the district.

[Awwwww.] It is. And dreams usually last about a day -- when everyone goes to sleep, they all disappear, to be replaced by new dreams. [Same here, same here.]

Well, so long as you understand. . . [It's fine -- his life was pretty sheltered too, before he moved to Whitechapel. Her next comment makes him blink rapidly for a bit, though. Uh. . .] N-no, they're just -- the people who were born here, rather than being pulled her. Clothes on, I assure you.

[Now matter how brave Kurenai is, a few tears well up in fear] This place is frightening isn't it? I feel like our stay here will be quite a nightmare.

If it were my dreams, and I fell asleep before the required time... does it mean my dram disappear as well? Or will they only disappear when everyone is asleep. [Annoying isn't she with all her questions.]

[She nods respectfully and in agreement.

This also means that they will have certain things in common, she does need a friend after all who can understand her?

She smiles a little bit and chuckles.] Well I suppose my question was a bit silly. But now I understand better. So there are people here who are natural residents, yes?

[Awww, don't cry! Victor feels bad now!] It's not all bad. There's frightening bits, yes, but there's lots of good things too. Some of the dreams are beautiful. And there's other districts you can visit where things are a bit more normal. Orlea, for example -- that's just -- well, life. No magical dreams or fairies or strange technology like they have other places.

[Not annoying at all -- although this question does give Victor pause. He frowns, puzzled.] I -- I think it's the latter. I'm not certain, though.

[Making friends is a good thing! Victor's already developing a much better social circle than he ever had a home. He smiles back at her.] It's all right. And yes, people who were born here, as opposed to being taken. I don't think many of them understand why we're here either.

[She wipes her tears] Beautiful things too? I hope everyone has beautiful dreams instead of nightmares. There are other places too?

[That's good then. She doesn't want to be too much of a bother] I'll just have to observe and see for myself, don't I?

[Yay Victor. And well, Kurenai is very friendly and like sunshine. They'll definitely be good friends] Well, since we'll be living here, we need to make things better. We have to show them that we can work together, right?

Most people do. Sometimes there's some weird things about, but mostly it's dreams that don't actively want to harm you. [He smiles a little.] I've dreamed up some very beautiful butterflies a few times myself.

I suppose you will. I don't usually nap during the day, but if I do, I'll see what happens and let you know.

[Victor isn't opposed to this at all. It's nice, having people who like you about.] Right. I certainly know I want to get along with them. Though it's as much up to them as us. [Thinking of those assholes who painted Porrim and Kurloz's house there. . .]

That's very comforting then. [She'll need to learn more defensive skills, other than slapping] Butterflies? I love butterflies!!

That sounds like a wonderful idea. Thank you!

[Kurenai will be so happy to know that she's made a friend already] Let's do our best then. Maybe I can grow some roses and give them some. Roses always make people happy. [Oh my, Kurenai will not be happy to hear that at all.]

Yes, and fortunate for all our well-beings. [Victor probably should too -- although he's discovered he's got a pretty decent punch if given the chance to use it.] You do? Oh, that's lovely! Aren't they beautiful?

You're welcome!

[Well, liking butterflies definitely means they're bonding.] Oh, that would be nice of you. I'm sure it would help bring some people around, at least. [Victor himself was extremely pissed off. Particularly because a friend was involved.]

Indeed. [For now slapping and punching should suffice for both of them.] Yes. They are the most beautiful things. I love them as much as I love roses.

Yes. Perhaps I can have a small garden party with them. You would come too, won't you? [Oh she'd understand that completely. Friends mean everything to her]

[Hopefully.] I've loved butterflies for as long as I can remember. Particularly the way they flew. . .floating from flower to flower. . .no cares or worries. . . [Happy dreamy smile time.]

Oh yes -- you'd just have to tell me when. [Victor isn't normally a party person, but -- small garden party? He thinks he could handle that. And in this case, he'd know he'd have someone to talk to. Friends make everything better.]

I think they're quite lovely. When I find my room, I'll try to grow some roses in my balcony. When butterflies come, I will tell you immediately, so you can see them~!

Perfect. When I've settled in, and my garden is lovely enough I shall send you a formal invitation. Friends would make lovely company and we can show these natives how kind we all are~! [She smiles. And hopefully, Victor takes note of her word, "Friends", as she is referring to him.]

[That gets a smile.] Thank you! I'm sure they'll all be flocking to your lovely roses.

[He does, and blushes just a little. It's funny -- back home, he had a horrible time making friends. Here, though. . .] I'll be looking forward to it. A nice garden party with flowers and butterflies might just be what we all need.

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