NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: I am looking either for friends of my character, classmates of my character, or creatures to be in her "dreams" and these creatures can be anything from vampires to ghouls to humans. Thank you.

The night was getting late and Roxy was getting tired. She looked down at her Calculus book; the numbers were hazy and were shifting before her eyes. She stretched her arms and yawned. "Time to go to bed. I can study more in the morning." Roxy slowly walked to her dresser; an old, beat-up, wooden dresser that had belonged to her great-grandmother. The dresser was unique in its designs that there were engraved symbols in the wood. It always reminded her of ancient Egypt or something of that nature. She traced one design with her fingernail and yelped as she got a sliver stuck in her skin. She drew her hand back quickly and saw that she was bleeding, but just a bit. She pulled out the wooden sliver and threw it in the nearby, overcompacted garbage. She looked at the symbol she had cut her finger on and noticed that there was some bood on it. Just freakin' great. She wiped it with her fingers and it appeared gone. At the moment she wiped the wood she remembered what her mother would always mutter when she looked at the dresser. "Runes...need to burn that old thing." How odd for her to remember that now. Oh well. I need to go to bed before I get even more delirious.

She opened the top drawer and pulled out a skimpy tank top that was barely anything at all. She dropped it to the floor. She rummaged through more clothes and picked out some undies that were formed like little boy underwear, but covered less of her body. She slipped off her jeans and lifted her t-shirt over her head. She unclasped her bra and reached over and placed the thin top over her head. It was loose and silky smooth. The colour of the top was a pale pink. She walked over to the bathroom and put some deodorant on. Then she came back into her room and slide off her underwear. She flung them into her heaping laundry basket. She grabbed the new bottoms and put them on.

In her bathroom she looked in the mirrow. Her face was pale and under her eyes were shadows. I definitely need some beauty rest. She smiled and her pale red lips exposed her "perfect" white smile. She had been in a commercial for toothpaste. She pulled her light brown hair back behind her head in low ponytail. She brushed her teeth with her abdunace supply of toothpaste and walked over to her large queen bed. She sank into her thick, comfy blankets and quickly drifted off. A beeping rang in her head and she jumped awake.

Roxy opened her eyes and noticed she wasn't in Kansas anymore, or her bedroom. She began to laugh. This is a weird dream, it feels so real. Well, she had learned that many dreams were vivid, but this was insane.

She looked about her and noticed she was standing next to a campfire, but this one was different. It seemed more primitive. She realized she was cold, goose bumps ran up and down her body. She stepped closer to the fire and felt it warm her up. Did this really happen in dreams? She heard footsteps and became frantic. She ran away from the sound and into the distant forest. She ran so fast and didn't pay attention to where she was going that she tripped on a tree branch and hit her nose on the ground. She put her hand up to her nose and brought it to her eye view. There was blood on her hands and she could taste it in her mouth. Pain could not be blown off; she felt it. Did she break her nose? How could she feel pain in a dream? She looked up and saw a figure. The figure was dark. Just as she was about to call out she heard another beeping sound. She was awake in her bed.

Perspiration covered her body. She was breathing heavy and she touched her nose, which didn't hurt anymore, but she felt crust. She looked under her nail beds and found dried blood. She must have scratched herself or got a nosebleed when she was asleep. She forgot about the dream and went on her way to get ready for school.

She walked into her first class, Calculus, and sat next to her best friend. She smiled and said, "Hey, Tom." She plopped down next to him and pulled out her book. She sighed. This was going to be a very long day; she did not felt rested.

:tag:

:oops: oops :oops:

:tag:

Tom was busy trying to finish off his homework for Calculus minutes before the bell would ring. He heard Roxy sit down next to him and looked up, flashing a greeting smile which turned into a grin,

"Hey Foxy. You look like shit, sleep bad again?"

Tom and Roxy had been best friends for as long as he could remember. It was like they were brother and sister, sharing everything that bothered them, thrilled them, their hurts, their joys.

How they had met had been kind of amusing. One day, Tom had been late to school and had been riding his bike furiously, pedaling as fast as he could. As he had sped into the school yard and over to the bike rack, he had looked behind him to look at a car honking its horn. When he turned his attention back to in front of him, she was walking to class herself. In a desperate maneuver to avoid hitting Roxy, he had accidently slammed the front brakes on his bike, causing his bike to suddenly fling him forward and over the bars, crashing into round metal lightpole. To make things short, he ended up in the hospital for a broken bone he suffered from his impact with the pole.

And once again, he had been late... At least he had gained the attention and eventually the close friendship of Roxy.

Now, the two took several classes together, studied together and hung out together almost all the time. Lately though, Tom had been noticing Roxy being on edge and tired frequently. Still, she managed to keep from exerting her frustrations on Tom, even though she knew it would take much more to drive him away.

Roxy automatically grinned. "Thanks. I can always count on a compliment from you." She frowned. He had noticed she was tired, I wonder how many others would notice. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Ya know same old shit, just a new day. I mean how can anyone sleep well when they have an upcoming exam in Calc. This freakin' numbers and formulas keep running through my head. I see you are well prepared." She motioned to Tom frantically copying her answers down. She laughed. Same old Tom, always late at everything.

She hushed Tom to quiet down. The professor came into the room. She mouthed "I will tell you later, at lunch." The class drug on with a lecture and finally the teacher dismissed them. She hurried with putting her stuff away and waved goodbye to Tom. She was off to Anatomy and Physiology. After that class she meet up with Tom. When he finally arrived huffing and puffing. They walked to her car, a 2004 Altima, she called it her mouse, for it was a grayish tan colour. Her liscense plates read Foxy because of her nickname from Tom and other males. She tried to brush off Tom's looks of concerns and smiled. She asked, "So, whatcha hungry for? Pizza or subs?"

Tom opened the door of Roxy's car and slipped into the front passenger seat. He looked over as he watched Roxy settle into her seat, throwing her stuff into the backseat.

"Subs sound good. In fact, let's go check out that new sub shop off Gladiola Avenue. I think it's called Rob's Dig or somethin' like that."

Tom grinned at her as she eyed him out of the side of her eyes, before turning the engine over and peeling out of the lot.

"Damn woman...sometimes I wonder why I'm still alive with you driving this way." Tom teased her, poking her in the side, "Anyways, tell me what's up. You had more than the regular shit going through your eyes if I ever saw it..."

Tag: When should a dream character come in? :twisted:

OOC: Obviously, when she is dreaming. Silly goose.

IC: "Dammit, I thought maybe you wouldn't notice. How stupid of me to see that it is written across my face. Ya know same old dreams that leave me feeling more exhausted and they keep getting more vivid." She slowed down at a stop sign and then squealed her tires to make a right turn. She laughed. "Come on, I am the best defensive, well, aggressive, driver in this town. I haven't been in an accident yet." She said matter of factly.

After they had lunch she took her way back to her place. It was a nice sized apartment, located about three miles from their college. It was a two-bedroom place, but she didn't have a roommate. Her parents, some would say spoil her, had bought her the place. "We can always go back and grab your bike later. I just wanna watch a movie. You are more than welcome to. Or maybe you should do some of your homework. We have a huge test coming up soon."

She walked over to her big screen TV and popped in the DVD Underworld and she stretched herself out of her leather couch. She rested her head on Tom's lap. She always felt comfortable with him. Just as soon as the movie came on, she fell fast asleep. She heard a train past by and she was jartled awake. She opened her eyes and noticed she was lying in the forest again, with her same clothes on from the previous dream. It was like a continuation or something. The figure was there and approaching and all she could do was whimpered and is still.

A Grey Elf hooded appears out of the shadow. He was wearing a grey cloak and dark green pants. He had two swords and a quivvel with lots of arrows for his bow. He looked down and the female and started towards her.
"What are one of your kind doing in this holy place? Answer quick before my patience wears thin."

Roxy's eyes widened and her mouth dropped a bit. Her heart beated in her throat and she searched for her voice. "I, I...I am sleeping?"

Tom looked down at Roxy and wasn't all that surprised to see her sleeping. His hand softly stroked her hair, smooth to the touch, almost like silk.

Had a hell of a rough day and all, going on little sleep and all...poor girl...

Tom looked up to continue watching the movie. He adjusted himself to recline slightly, and did so gently, so as to not wake Roxy up. Time slipped by, and Tom slowly drooped his eyelids closed, finally slipping into sleep himself.

The surroundings were strange. He was in some sort of jungle or something. Tom swatted some flies away and began to push into the foliage. A strange thought passed through his mind.

"Oh great, I'm freakin' Tarzan now..."

Suddenly, Tom heard a voice, and moved slowly toward the voice. After careful movements he parted some leaves aside to find himself staring at some ...elf?? The elf character was looking down at some figure lying upon the ground, but Tom couldn't see who it was.

What in the hell is this place? To have elves?? he thought silently to himself while continuing to watch the scene before him.

The Elf looked around, he had heard footsteps.
"How can one be sleeping when one is talking in front of me? Tell me , are you the only one here?"

Tom saw the Elf turning about, apparently having heard him somehow.

Shit!

He ducked down and remained completely still. At least until he saw her lying on the ground. His eyes went from her to the elf repeatedly.

What the...

He didn't wait to see what would happen, and immediately exploded out of the bushes and leapt upon the Elf, knocking him to the ground.

"Don't you f*ckin' hurt her freak!" he cried out as he slammed the elf to the ground. Tom was a strong guy, and was well built. He drew back his hand, curling it into a fist as he prepared to pound the living crap out of the Elf under him.

She cocked her head to the side. A confused look was drawn across her face. "Um...I am sleeping. This is a dream. Of course I am the only one here, for it is my dream."

With lightning fast reflexes , the elf drew both swords and held them at an x-shape on Tom's neck.
"Now I think it would be wise for you to get off of me scum. There is alot of explaining to do. This is a sacred grove for elves only by B-Distric Law of Hwan the Fourth. And you female, stand up and don't be afraid of me, for I am merely a hunter and keeper of the peace. Now before you do anything rash, explain to me how you got here unnoticed or captured."

Double post....sorry

Her heart skipped a beat and she was on her feet. What the hell was Tom doing here. "Why are you in my dream, Tom? Get out. Please." She shook her head and her hair came out of her ponytail and she crossed her arms to cover her breasts. The air was chilling and she had barely any clothes on. Elves. Hmm...she was in holy land for elves. This is the craziest dream yet. She began to laugh, almost to hysterics. She touched the elf, who seemed so real and warm to touch. "My mind has such a good imagination. I suppose it needs to use the right side because in class I use my left side mostly. But this is getting out of hand. I have no idea about any freakin' sacred land. I don't know how I got here, besides falling asleep and being in my dream. If I knew where I was I wouldn't be here. Now, please let my friend go. He is just trying to protect me, from what I do not know. I do not think you can harm me because this is my dream and you are not real." A smile filled her face and she tossed her hair back out of her eyes.

The Elf now used a lound angry commanding voice after the female's touch and speech.
"A dream bah. If it is a dream , then why are your feet raw(sp?) and your friends arm bleeding? No this is not a dream, this is your new reality. You two are now my catives and I'm taking you back to Gladrieon City."
He tied thier hands and feet together and proceeded to take them westwards towards a giant forest city.

Puron Brightfire walked carefully and quietly through the strange, foreboding forest. He had never been in the place before, and... something... felt out of place. Perhaps it is the simply the Madness, he thought to himself. The affliction had a tendency to influence even his most sane moods, one of which he thought he was in now.

His carefully listening ears caught the sound of footsteps to the east. Slowly, he advanced towards the sound, drawing his ever-present dagger. It was useful, even with his strange talents.

Very interesting. This is going to be a good rp I can tell. ^_^

Theoden Rastus watched as the elves drew closer to the city, watching from his window on the top floor of the Marble Ruins.

The human grunted. Theo was no elf, yet he served them becuase... he had no choice.

They must have entered the sacred grove for elves only by B-Distric Law of Hwan the Fourth. Fools... fools such as he.

Theo grunted again. The Grey Elf did not realize. HE did not truly rid his so-called land of the Dream King. He would return, for he, for the Elf, the humans...

[i]For he was... Morpheus, the Sandman...

OOC: Hope you don't mind where I'm taking this elves :D

Puron walked closer, and finally saw three humanoid figures walking. Two of them, a young woman and a young man, were tied up. The third, a gray elf with two swords and a bow, stood beside them.

This does not look good, he thought. He was not stupid enough to get involved; running into things he shouldn't have run in to had resulted in many unfortunate incidents before. Almost always, it had ended in violence, killing, destruction... As he was so skilled at, he blocked the memories, refusing to let them manifest for the knowledge that they would shatter whatever remnants of sanity remained in him. The past did not, could not, exist, for if it did, his continued existence was not justified.

Tom looked over at Roxy being shuffled along beside him.

"Your dream? This is mine! So, if you don't mind, get out!"

Tom turned his head back to the direction they were heading, staring at the forest around them.

"Well...this is the most real dream I've ever been in. It's even got the frickin' flies!"

At that, Tom shook his head, trying to shoo the flies away.

Oh my freakin gosh, this elf thinks he owns the freakin' world. She laughed at Tom. "No, I was here first. You leave." She pinched his tricep and laughed. At least he was here. She looked at him and smiled and then she returned her sight to infront of her...

And then everything was black...

Roxy groaned and looked at the TV it was on the beginning menu screen. Damn what a dream. She stretched and noticed it was dark outside. She looked over at Tom and smiled. He looked like a five-year-old boy when he sleeped. She placed her head back on his lap and closed her eyes once more, trying to make sense of the dream. It didn't and it just gave her headache as she worried about it. She drifted off again and bright light shined on her face.

She turned her neck from side to side and looked about the room. It was all white and there were fluorescent lights on the ceiling. She was in the center, on a flat table, she was shackled down. The metal cold against her skin, held both hands and both feet. Remind me never to wear these clothes to bed anymore. A warm red flushed across her face, as she felt eyes on her body. She was normally used to this because she had a fit body with the curves any woman wanted, but these eyes made her stomach turn. She pulled at the shackles, but no luck. She searched the room, it was bare, except they had Tom shackled against the wall. His head hanging and his chest heaving for air.

She yelled out, "What the fuck do you want? You can't do anything to me...just fucking try."

"Hi, Im Ande im here to set you free! These elves arent peaceful!"

Ande then took out an arm cannon that was attached to his arm. he then fired at the metal of the shackles. they instantly melted and he set Roxy free. He then did the same to Tom.

OOC: When the dream ends, what happens to the manifestations of the sleeping characters within the dream?

Tom's head lolled about as he slowly came back to consciousness. The first thing he noticed was the floor below him. Then his arms and legs shackled to the wall behind him. He looked up and nearly screamed in horror as he saw Roxy on the table across the room.

"Oh why do you follow me in all my dreams???"

Tom looked about the room again.

"And pray tell why I'm shackled to this frickin' wall, and you to that table??"

#TAGGED!!! Don’t worry Amanda, I’ll join... Ur... Eventually...

OOC: Forget my 1st post. This one matters:(It is the same though)

"Hi, Im Ande im here to set you free! These elves arent peaceful!"

Ande then took out an arm cannon that was attached to his arm. he then fired at the metal of the shackles. they instantly melted and he set Roxy free. He then did the same to Tom.

The Grey elf had left them in his house as he went to his lord to find out what punishment would be given to these humans. He returned to find a soldier in his house and half the shackles undone.
"You stop in the name of the Hwan Law. These are captives of the Great House of RedFeather, and have invaded the sacred grove. Thier punishment is transformation to left-handed dwarfs. Havwah Canarsa tuda Fwy.Now explain yourself before you suffer the same."
OCC: The elves have a feudalism kingdom like those of Medeival Europe. The human captives are now left-handed dwarves and prisoners of the RedFeather House.

Ande then said"The sacred grove? Ha! Im here as a messanger from the great Lord Elrond to set the beings free! he has told me that they must be set free. Now if you can catch me but if you even try you shall suffer the fate of my Plasma beam, and my cloak! Now i make this an end and..."
he hesitated as a Hunter Metroid attached one of its tentacles to his back."Energy... help please, sorry...for this...please help...me...and i will leave you in peace!"

Intruiged and needing more information, Hwan the Sixth pulled out his swords and did what he did best. Within seconds the droid was bits and pieces of wire.
"Now care to explain further? Elrond does not usualy emberse himself in trespassing laws. What makes this scum and this female different? Please hasten, time is of the essence."

As the two argued with one another, Tom managed to finish slipping out of his other restraints, and quietly slipped away, helping Roxy as he left. Together the two began to run for the edge of the dream world, wherever it may be...

"I don't know if you're here or not, but one thing seems to be agreed upon between us. This is a dream! And as a dream, we've got the power to control it, yes? Therefore, I have the power to bring this dream to an end!"

Tom waved his hand out in front of him, and a strange tearing in the fabric of subconscious reality occurred.

"In here!" he said to Roxy, as he jumped through it. She followed moments later.
****************************************

Tom woke up, gasping as he stared at the ceiling while sweating greatly. That dream had been too real. He felt the weight of Roxy's head upon his legs and looked down, just in time to see her awaken as well. She too was sweating, and a look of panic was in her eyes.

"Roxy...tell me you didn't have a dream about some freak-ass elf and some other psycho with some blaster gun did you?"

http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0TgANA*oYG*pn2ZKVZIAyN5oSMl3QBvS3SZ382NsXTRfrTNjSQN9H719Hg0!YpMp1ZlaqP7V2R4IImVySaSyMY*lHEmwltMwU*6i mgxzW*B2emp534tivvQ/sandman.jpg

Morpheus stared at the hole of his world. It was a small tearing, that much he could see, but small tearings could lead to bigger troubles.

If what happened with the furies were to happen again, the Dreaming could be torn apart, strewn to the collective winds of a thousand worlds...

His black robe flowed around him as if on an unseen string. His eyes glowed dark as he peered through the hole.

"Roxy...tell me you didn't have a dream about some freak-ass elf and some other psycho with some blaster gun did you?"

Morpheus's eyes narrowed. The Grey Elf... again. For too long his kind had been a nusience in his realm. There was even a time when the ELf had imprisoned him in the circle of runes... But the gun-wielding person he did not recognize

With a simple wave of his hand, the Sandman stepped through the hole already torn in his reality, and appeared before Tom and Roxy. Before he spoke, he waved his hand once more, placing a temporary mold over the hole.The Grey Elf, and anyone else in the Dreaming, would not be able to leave without his behest.

A more permanant closure would have to be made at a later date...

"What have you two done to my Dreaming... "

In the elven realm it was as if time was frozen but Hwan the Sixth could still move. Wierd he thought. Time and space must be fractured again by The Sandman. Must inform the higher lords of this before its to late.

Ande saw the elf move and tried as hard as he could to move, but couldnt. he then tried again and was freed.
"You elf wait up. Thanks for helping me back there. I think Elrond might have had his mind poisoned. Sorry for wait i have done. I pledge my loyalty to you. Sorry for the disturbance i have brought to The Sacred Grove. Forgive me, please." Ande begged for forgiveness.

Hwan accepted his loyality and wondered who and how Elrond got his mind poisened from?
"Lets go. Much work is to be done if we are to survive the following days. "

Everything suddenly went out of sync and Puron was shaken greatly, fearing a bout of the Madness. After a few moments, he steadied himself, but... something... was still... wrong. The strangeness he had felt in the forest earlier had mutliplied tenfold - no, hundredfold. He had never encountered anything like it before, except... one or more of the old memories beckoned to him, and again he shut them out, refusing to acknowledge their existence.

He was still in the forest, wandering aimlessly and hoping not to encounter another group of intelligent creatures. He walked at a slow pace, in order to avoid making loud noises. He felt like he was searching for... something, but had no idea what it was. This, like the strange feeling, he also dismissed as simply a symptom of the Madness. It is bothering me more than usual these days, he thought to himself.

Again, the old memories tried to push forward, perhaps to answer, perhaps to explain, but yet again he denied them. Perhaps his past held answers, but he knew for sure that it held pain.

OOC: This is just for your information with this story. Anyperson in "The Dreaming" cannot transform us, the mortals. They can, however, use magic or tools to harm us, or even bind us to them. Please, do try to be realistic with tools. No arm blasters, please. You can use whips, chains, swords, etc. "The Dreaming" is a type of environment that is magical, fantasically, and yet more of medievel time. Thank you for that consideration.

IC: "What the hell are you? What the hell are you doing in my house? Get the fuck out of here, I am going to call the cops." Roxy couldn't stop herself from hyperventilating and she passed out. All was black and she couldn't see anything or even hear anything.

God help me.

Tom jumped up from his seat excitedly as he approached the Sandman.

"Dude! You're that Sandman guy that disrupts the dreamworld and stuff right?"

The Sandman was taken aback, "Um...yes..."

Tom gaped his mouth open at the confirmation of the indentification.

"That's so frickin' awesome! Imagine that, the Sandman standing only several feet away! Dude man, you're so frickin' famous in real life! Even bands like Metallica have songs like "Enter Sandman"!! Roxy here........ROXY!"

Tom went back to her, and began to cradle her in his arms. His hand checked her pulse, then began to lightly tap her on the cheek.

"Roxy! Wake up!"

OCC: I agree that we should be more realistic. When you have an elf, sandman, and human hunter with all medival tech, don't bring the future tech into the picture. It just ruins the quality of the rp.

It was approaching evening when, once more, the Madness approached Puron.

It had been a while since the last time his consciousness had fallen into the deep depths of the Madness, and he knew that eventually it was inevitable - sanity, for him, was temporary. Eventually, he understood, the Madness would win forever, and he would be trapped in its endless depths for all eternity. The natures of his supernatural powers were such.

When fools learned of his ability to create heat and fire with his mind, they foolishly thought of it a gift, a gateway to great power - when used by them, of course, and not by the incompetent old fool they saw him to be. More than once, he had wished that they acquired the ability. Let them endure what was the Madness constantly. Let them destroy their lives, their friends, their famil-... The thought was cut off, cut off by the instinctive necessity of shutting out the memories, the memories that could not exist.

Aside from the drawbacks, the talent itself was limited. It was impossible for him to project his ability beyond his range of clear sight, or to create more fire or heat than a certain quantity in a certain period of time. The ability was very difficult to control; more than once, he had nearly burned himself to death while trying to use it. Not to mention the fact that it worked most effectively on objects; living creatures, or objects touching living creatures, were for some reason more resistant, especially athletes, warriors, and others with much physical ability.

But all that did not matter at all now. What mattered was the Madness, rapidly approaching his consiousness, now battling his sanity for control of his soul. He was destined to lose, he knew, now and forever, but he fought nevertheless, desperately trying to turn it away, to escape submersion within. As always before, the Madness triumphed.

The Savage Hunter, that which once had been the mage Puron, searched for prey.

OOC:Alright, I agree. He will use a sword that has the magic "fire" on it.
Is that fine?

Ok I guess. But the sandman needs to show for Hwan to do anymore.

Ashes followed the Savage Hunter's footsteps, the ashes of living creatures that had strayed in its path. No creature larger than an insect, neither bird nor mammal, survived that. Onward the Savage Hunter trekked, neither recognizing its building exhaustion nor its hunger for sustenance.

Eventually, it sighted an elven forest city in the distance, and a wholly maddened Puron prepared to feast on violence.

OCC: Ok I will take into consideration your not coming from the Sacred Grove right? And can you be killed?
IC: The Sentries outside of Galdrieion City had saw smoke rising from the forest but merely thought of it as travelers making a camp. Soon they noticed a human mage coming out of the forest and decided to stop him.
"You mage, down there, halt. What business do you have in our city? If you do not answer quickly don't think we won't relase our arrows."

OOC: No, Puron never went to the Sacred Grove. He probably did end up pretty close to it, though, in his wanderings.

Yes, he can be killed like any other human - assuming the weapon used to kill him isn't burned by his powers before it can strike him. The Savage Hunter's use of Puron's magic expended much of his power, though, and it shouldn't be too difficult for the elven archers to kill him if they want to.

How do the elves know that he's a mage? He looks no different than a human wanderer, though someone with the ability to examine minds could probably detect his madness, and probably its source, too (his use of magic).

IC: Sanity found its way to the surface of the Madness. The primal urges to murder, originating from the particular insane mood Puron had just been through, remained strong, but the threat of arrows possibly killing him gave Puron's sane side enough edge to push back the Madness - for the moment. The bouts of Madness had so far been temporary, and this one was beginning to wear off.

Despite his former insanity, Puron still remembered what had brought him there, and the vivid images and emotions he had experienced on the trip. Telling the truth to these elves would be tantamount to asking for them to shoot arrows through him, so he quickly fabricated a story.

"Kindly elves," he exclaimed, bowing, "I am - or perhaps I should say was - a merchant traveling this area. I was attacked by bandits, however, and just managed to get away, though I lost my wagon and most of my posessions. Not being much of a hunter, it is quite difficult for me to provide sustenance for myself in these woods, so I searched for this city, having heard rumors about the gracious hospitality of the elves here - and everywhere, I might add. If you wish me to leave, I shall do so immediately, without the slightest hesitation."

The elf on the left shrugged. He knew he was no merchant, but a mage and an insane one at that. His telepathy came in handy at the sentry spot.
"We know your a mage but I guess you can seek accomadations at the city. At the walls tell them that Godant said it was ok for you to pass.

Perhaps flattery does work, thought Puron. He knew it was foolish to enter a city - some many times before, it had ended in disaster - but it had been a long time since he had been near people of any race, and even though the urge to kill was essentially gone by then, tinges of the Madness still eroded his reason - as they almost always did.

With approval from the sentries, he entered the city. For some reason, the strangeness from the forest did not end in it, but rather multiplied even further. He sensed its point of origin vaguely, and decided to stay away from that particular area. (OOC: If it isn't already clear by now, this "strangeness" is Puron's sense of the nature of the dream-world itself, which Puron doesn't realize he's in because of his unwillingness to acknowledge his highly troubled past. It grows when dreaming creatures or other objects not relatively indigenous to the place (as I'm assuming the elves are) - like the humans dreaming from Earth - are nearby. The creation of the gateway increased this sense, and Puron's current proximity to that gateway increases it even further.)

What was most troubling was that the elves knew of his magical capabilities. The sentry had called him a mage twice, while he looked nothing more than a simple stranger. Puron had always known that he was not alone in his supernatural abilties, but the various "gifts" of magic were rather rare, at least among humans. He had never battled anyone but magic-lacking creatures before, and if trouble arose through the Madness, he could well experience a first.

OCC: All the Elves except the House of Angelotics are indeginous to The Dream. The house of Angelotics are angels that came and assumed the shape of elves to further elven evolvement into mental poweress and physical strenth. The Hwans are the male angels, and the Fwan's are the females.

OCC: All the Elves except the House of Angelotics are indeginous to The Dream. The house of Angelotics are angels that came and assumed the shape of elves to further elven evolvement into mental poweress and physical strenth. The Hwans are the male angels, and the Fwan's are the females.

OOC: Okay.

Since I assume they've been there for a while, though, they aren't as foreign as the humans, and therefore they are not sensed acutely by Puron.

Not that it should have any real effect on the storyline, but Puron is most certainly not native. In one of the many bloody incidents that Puron has provoked through the Madness, he was somehow sent there physically - not through a dream. However, as he is prone to do after such incidents because of his refusal to face them, he subconciously blocked the memory from his consciousness and therefore believes that this world is simply one of the less densely populated regions of his world of origin.

"Sir, would you like me to follow the mage?
And if he gets out of hand would u like me to kill him?" Ande asked Hwan The Sixth.

"Follow the mage, but don't attack unless he does something eratic. We don't want the elves to be in an uproar."

"Follow the mage, but don't attack unless he does something eratic. We don't want the elves to be in an uproar."

OOC: Just to make things more interesting, everyone PLEASE follow my lead :D

OOC 2: WIth apologies to Neil Gaiman

IC:

Morpheus did not speak until Tom had finished with his attempt to awake Roxy, which of course failed.

Tom turned back toward him, more serious now than before.

"Sandman... what is wrong with her... and who... are you?"

Sandman closed his eyes, and breathed in and out once. There was so much that he could divulge, and yet he knew none of it would make sense to the teen. With that in mind, he chose his words carefully.

"My name is Morpheus, though I am known as the King of Dreams, and the Sandman. I am brother to Death, Delirium, Destiny, Despair and Desire."

"When you dream, it is I who controls what you dream. I can feel the sweat on the lover you dream of every night for the past six months. I can feel the air rush past when you dream of falling from your 14th floor office. I rule... the Dreaming."

Tom swallowed, and stroked Roxy's cheek. Morpheus continued.

"The Dreaming... is comprised of not only dreams. Do not mistake that. What it is is a world upon worlds of lives unlived, fates unmet, destiny's intertwined and undone... it is a world of myth, magic and morals gone awry. Though I may rule the dreaming, I do nothing really but serve it."

Morpheus closed his eyes again, and let some of his memories rush over him. His time at the hands of the Corinthian and the Furies... his showdown with Lucifer and the seeming closure of Hell. The seven dieties.

It all never seemed to end.

"So what does this have to do with Roxy?"

Morpheus looked up again.

"Once in every era, there is a vortex. Even I do not know why... A mortal who, briefly becomes... the centre... of the dreaming. Your friend Roxy, is that vortex."

"The vortex, by its nature, destroys the barrier between dreaming minds...

Tom interrupted. "So that's why I was able to be in Roxy's dream..."

"Yes. I don't believe you can comprehend the magnitude of this, but the vortex, your Roxy, destroys the ordered chaos of the Dreaming, until all the myriad dreamers are caught in on huge dream.

"Until all the dreams are one. Then the vortex closes in itself.

"And then it is gone.

"And takes the minds of the dreamers. With it, it damages the Dreaming beyond repair. It leaves nothing like darkness. It is one of my duties to prevent this from happening again."

"Again..." Whispered Tom.

Morpheus turned his head slightly away. "It happened once. Nearly happened once more. A world was lost, Thomas Walker, Aeons ago and half a universe away. I... failed un my duty. A whole world perished.

"It will never happen again."

Tom nodded. "So what do we do. What can we do for Roxy?"

Sandman pulled out his small black bag of sleep-dust.

"Unfortunately, you have already encountered the Grey Elf. I have had... encounters with the elfen before, and their powers, though miniscule compared to mine, are significant to damage my reality. They have often sought after these vortexes, as if to harness them and use them as a tool...

"Against me."

"What about the others we saw?"

Morpheus reached out with his mind to the dreaming. He could see Fiddler's Green. See Cain and Able. See the Grey Elf and the one named Ande.

And then he saw HIM.(Puron)

Though he was not sure what form he had taken, he could see that he was some sort of Mage. But the Madness, it still was pungent, He could taste it on his lips.

"The Madness... the Corinthian..."

Tom stood up, letting Roxy gently down onto the pillow. "Are you okay?"

"Thomas Walker, whether you want it or not, you are now inextricably linked to the Dreaming, and to the vortex which can destroy my Dreaming and your existance. There is not much time. If the Elf and the Corinthian...

"Tell me, will you return with me to the dreaming?"

OOC 3: Amanda. If you don't mind, Rp yourself back in the dreaming. Somewhere. Anywhere. As well, can we PLEASE close this RP now. Too many characters will spoil the story.

Karian. Just continue what you're doing with Puron. If you don't shift too out of character, you'll be an awesome part of this story.

Elf, Ande. Just RP with my lead I guess.

OOC 4: I hope noone minds what I'm doing... :oops:

OOC: I don't mind at all, Valient. If Puron is going "too far off", just tell me here or TG me, and I'll bring him back to the path you want.

IC: Puron wandered the city, buying stocks of food and other goods, still pretending to be a merchant. Some elves looked at him strangely, as if they knew he was lying, but none had said anything yet.

The strange feeling remained, though still not growing, but another feeling slowly began to grow, intertwined with it. It was a desire to go to the point where the strangeness was strongest. Somehow he knew that there, the thing he felt he had been looking for would be found... Still, though, he had no idea what it was that he was looking for, so he continued his path of avoidance. Meddling in things he should not have meddled in, even if they affected him, had brought him trouble in the past, too.

He felt a certain irony in that thought, but refused to acknowledge its source - something that had occured in the nonexistent memories.

Puron had wandered for much of his life, and the instincts of wilderness survival remained strong within him, even in a city. Somehow, he knew that someone was following him - and by the weight of its footsteps, not an elf, but rather a human-shaped creature. What would a human be doing in an elven city? he thought. And why would he or she be following me?

Perhaps it was but a symptom of the Madness, and no one was following him. Yet, somehow, he was sure that it was not. In a rash action that he knew was rash, he pivoted, his right hand shooting towards the dagger stuck on his belt. He did not draw it, but he knew he could in a matter of moments.

A male human stood behind him, a strange sight in a city of elves, especially a male human with a sword that looked like it had been made of fire. The elves were vigilant - though they had never taken his dagger when he entered the city, a fiery sword was much more noteworthy, and more dangerous, too.

"Why have you been following me?" Puron asked.

Hwan the Sixth was going from city to city informing the lords that the wicked human mage name SandMan was loose again and probably trying to recruit an army to fight the elves once more. Hwan's angel side though felt that something more was at hand, that the Angelotics were here for some greater purpose rather than improve the great Grey Elves.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Gladieron, the elves were watching the mage carefully and only talked to him when he wanted to buy something. Thier instincts informed them of something magical in his blood but of what, they were unsure. Hoping to learn more, the sentry , Godant , was now assigned to follow him in the tress. Godant's telepathy was what the elves needed to find our the mage's true dealings here.
OCC: I will try to follow your lead. Telegram me if I stray and how to get back.

Tom looked down at Roxy, suddenly feeling as if he needed to protect her. In his mind, he was trying to figure out how he had become physically intertwined with this 'vortex effect'. He looked back up at the Sandman with a careful look in his eyes.

"What do you expect me to be able to do? I want to help, for the sake of Roxy, especially when considering that what you have told me might very well endanger Roxy's own life, right? And...is there any way that Roxy is needed to stop this as well, or as herself being the 'vortex', as you called her, will her presence cause more trouble?"

Tom wasn't going anywhere without answers. He returned his attention back to Roxy, who had begun stirring once again.

"Roxy...wake up, we've got one hell of a bitchin' problem..."

It was raining again. But not in a bad way, it was a pleasant, refreshing rain, which liberated the soul from it's burdens. At least, it was Cat. He looked up at the sky, and where humans and other two legged creatures saw an irriateion which dampened thier clothes and spirits, Cat found that any weather, any condition was good. two legged people did not really appreciate the world really.


Things were so different from a cat's perspective.

He was running around the market-place, just wondering. Trying to find an apple, rather innocently and light-heartedly.

Two leggeds are far too busy, the cat thought to himself, as he stalked around the busy market. He was currently under a stall, where the rain could be heard all around, like the drumming of a great god upon his drum, a dance to which the universe danced to in celebration.

Now, the important thing to remember about cats, or at least, this kind of cat, which indeed in itself unusual for the Dreamworld, perceive the world differently. The world is always appreciated, and they are the eternal optimists. Cats, are in many ways, like care free children, as are most animals, without the burdans or the restrictions of human or elven society. So to, this cat was.

With his large green emerald eyes, which were intensely clear, they seemed to suck in attention, and Cat liked attention. Many people petted him, his great autumn explosion of warm colours matched his warm personality, and vibrant childhood innocence.

Not that any two leggeds had heard him speak, or had the common decency to talk to him. Cat found that two leggeds were awfully rude.

Cat was never given a name as such, but rather, he learned that he was in fact, referred as "cat" in most cases by two leggeds. Most of the time, it was the angry shouts of "Shoo you darn cat" "Damn cat, spreading disease.". Most of these very brief conversations occoured, when Cat had needed to eat. One thing which Cat never understood, why humans and elves shouted at him for eating an apple. It was food, and they had plenty of it. He certainly asked politely, but the two leggeds never listened. Or maybe, they could not hear. He once speculated that humans and eves where indeed, very stupid, as they are constantly in trouble or stress. Why could they not just be happy and appreciate the sky and the rain?

"Ah ha!" Cat thought to himself, his tail playfully swishing around, seeing his prey. The prey, was in this case, a pear which had just fallen upon the floor.

Slowly, and with the utmost stealth that would do a lion proud, Cat brought himself within striking distance of the pear. He moved his legs about, ready to pounce.

With a childlike innocence, and utter riduculousness of play-time, Cat launched himself upon the pear, his small claws inpaling the helpless pear. Cat smiled and cheered, and nibbled upon the pear.

While he did so, under the stall of the busy market, he saw a human and an elf. He sensed trouble, and Cat's nibbles grew less. It was like a child which was slient because the grown ups were arguing.

"Why have you been following me?" one of them asked.

Cat shrugged, or at least it would if a cat could as a human would, and continued to nibble upon the delicous pear. He was listening to the music of nature, as the rain pattered around him, with the tapping of feet and songs of selling and buying.

OCC: A cat character, hrmm very intersting. But your wrong about elves not caring for nature. They have a very deep bond with it and build thier cities amongst the trees as to show it.

OCC: A cat character, hrmm very intersting. But your wrong about elves not caring for nature. They have a very deep bond with it and build thier cities amongst the trees as to show it.

OOC: To a cat, I think all humanoids would seem unappreciative of nature.

OCC: A cat character, hrmm very intersting. But your wrong about elves not caring for nature. They have a very deep bond with it and build thier cities amongst the trees as to show it.

OOC: To a cat, I think all humanoids would seem unappreciative of nature.
Agreed, now where is everyone? I want to keep this thing moving.

OOC Wait for people to come online and reply. Patience is a virtue.

OCC: I am usually patient unless it concerns my rps, then I like things fast and furious.

OCC: I am usually patient unless it concerns my rps, then I like things fast and furious.

Yes, me too.

Now that the server seems to be doing a little better, this thing may go a little faster.

bump

OOC: I would wait for ATG to post, but I can post again one last thing.

OOC2: Please let this be closed. The Elf, just realize that the Sandman isn't raising an army. Everyone, I will tg with my basic storyline ideas :D

IC:

Morpheus put his hand into his mab of sleepdust and let the sand trickle through his fingers.

"I need you... to guide me to the Vortex, your Roxy. She is, in a basic sense, outside of the Dreaming and yet all about it. When you, another mortal from this plain, joined her dream in her dream existance, you became tethered to her, and will be able to pick up her whereever she goes."

"And her presence... it will cause trouble. Already I sense other dream machinations arise once more to take what they believe was theirs from my Dreaming. One who is simply the Cat... I will have to deal with him shortly.

"But what will happen to Roxy?"

The Sandman hesitated, and looked down.

"There is only one way to destroy the vortex..."

"Whats that?"

"Stop the Vortex at its source: I have to kill Roxy..."

Tom stood mouth agape, then looked back dwon at the motionless Roxy. Morpeus spoke once more

"So will you assist me? If so, we must leave soon..."

OCC: He is assuming your recruiting an army because in the past that is how you tried to conquer the Elves, BUt then again I guess that he could be just going from town to town looking for more information on the mage and the sandman.

OCC: He is assuming your recruiting an army because in the past that is how you tried to conquer the Elves, BUt then again I guess that he could be just going from town to town looking for more information on the mage and the sandman.

OCC: He is assuming your recruiting an army because in the past that is how you tried to conquer the Elves, BUt then again I guess that he could be just going from town to town looking for more information on the mage and the sandman.

Tom snapped out of his surprised state and grew angry. In two steps he approached the Sandman and pummeled him. Hard.

The Sandman fell to the ground, rubbing his jaw, "Why did you do that?"

Tom didn't answer him, but instead leapt upon the Sandman, and began to level poweful punches into the man, all while screaming at him angrily.

"There is no f*cking way you're going to be killing Roxy! I'll kill you first!"

bump

bump

Let's not let this die just as it gets interesting...

I don't know bout everyone else but I'm waiting on Amanda to post.

OOC: Yes, just waiting for Amanda, seeing as how she is central to the plotline... Amanda, don't worry, we're patient! :D

Oh, okay.

I've been waiting for Arizonaria to reply to my post.

OOC: Okay, I do apologize that I was gone, but I do have an outside life to this. I have two jobs and I worked the weekend. Second thing I want to address is the idea of the story. Don't get me wrong, Valient, it is a good story, but it is yours now. It is not mine anymore. Although, I might not have had a real idea where it was going, but I knew that it was dependent on my character. I am not greedy or anything, but it still was my story and it just upset me to find a TG and see all the posts on my return back to this "game". I probably would have gone with it, had you asked. I am going to go with it because I like to RP, but I warn you that not all will be as forgiving as I. I was pretty pissed when I saw this, but it will subside. Next time you want to change something as important as the author's storyline please consult with them first. Thank you.

IC: Roxy head thumped and beat with her heart. Ouch. She rubbed her eyes and opened them. "Get the fuck back you freak. I heard every freakin thing you said and well I just decided you are freakin clinical insane and I can say that." She paused and then fell to her knees. She started to cry. It all sank it and she couldn't deal with it. She rocked back and forth. She felt Tom's arms around her and she relaxed her body next to his.

She repeated several times, "I am so sorry, Tom. I am so sorry." She began to fall asleep and let his gentleness take her in.

Moments later she back in The Dreaming. She found herself in a large dining room. The table was dark smooth black and crossed almost the entire room, which appeared about a good 100 feet long. The chairs lined neatly and parallel to the table ran down the room. There was nothing on the table, but a nearby smaller table had about fifty candles on it. The room was dim and she couldn't make out the pictures on the wall. She looked down at herself and nearly laughed out loud. She was wearing a "French Maid" outfit. Looked just like the picture on the maid on the "Who done it" game. In her hand was a feather duster. She glared. So, the sandman has a sense of humor, or is he just a plain sick pervert who likes to see my ass.

I am not just going to wait for something to happen. He wants to kill me he can just try. He doesn't know the real me and that is my advantage. She opened the door at her right and a new room was before her eyes. It was the master bedroom, well, that is what she thought it was anyway. She still had the same attire on, minus the duster. She sat down on the oversized bed and waited. The room had an eerie feeling and hoped she wouldn't wait much longer in a doorless room. She busied herself with assessing her environment. It was a pretty boring room for the being the master bedroom. Whoever's room it is, they must not be in here often. There was a small bedside table with a glass of water, halfway full and a magazine on it. She grabbed the magazine, taking her mind off of the room and looked at the article. Fifty ways to please your woman. Weird. She flipped through the rest, but it was empty white pages. She began to hearing clinking and she looked up. The clock on the wall said it was midnight, but it was not moving. The second hand was stuck. It just clicked away, but time did not.

OCC: If I may I would also state I didn't like it that I was told what role my character was having to take. If it was a suggestion I would of prolly been "Sure , Why not?" but being told to play that role is just rude you know? Anyways back to the rp.
IC: The Grey Elf (also know as Hwan the Sixth) had found a great deal about a person from the past named Corinthian who had in the past turned against the sandman. His powers where strangely familar somehow, but Hwan couldn't put his finger on it. He decided that he must meet this mage that had entered the Elven Kingdom. Mayb he would prove to be a powerful ally against Sandman.

OOC: I apologize to ATG and to Elves, and to everyone. However, I distinctly wrote that if anyone had a problem, to tg me and we'll work it out. Its an rp, and thats how that is supposed to work. people are supposed to work together. I never said you had to rp that role. It was only a suggestion.

I'm not going to say, RP this way or you're out of the thread. It's not even my thread. But don't say that I'm rude. I wrote that if any prob, talk to me, not at me. Rp what you want. I don't care.

The reason why I did what I did was because so many threads die because people have no idea where the story is going, or where the other people want to take it. Thats why if people knew what role they would play, rather then change it up in the fly, that would make things smoother. It's a creative license that I took, and it ws wrong. However, i'm not going to apoligize for having an idea and trying to see where it would go. :evil:

Again, ATG, really sorry. :oops:

You know what? Forget what I wrote. Everyone do what you want. I've learned my lesson.

OOC: Atg, the sandman would not know where you would be. that's where Tom comes in. Just fyi. I still need to rp with that :D

I will post tomorrow on this. Too tired now :(

Cat soon found the rest of the day rather pleasing. He had hunted down a few more fruit during the day, and eaten them under the stalls, or upon the roofs of the homes. The sun was coming down warmly, which Cat liked a lot.

He was currently full from a very large red apple which he had found rolling down a hill. That was very fun Cat thought, chasing that apple down that hill as it bounced away. He giggled at the thought of it, thinking of what had happened.

The hill was very steep, and people always had trouble walking up or down it. The apple had rolled over the side and Cat leapt for it. Cat sprinted down the hill, and soon found himself rolling down it too! When it finally stopped, Cat looked at the red apple and laughed and laughed and laughed and the moment.

All other people saw was a cat rolling around.

Cat smiled to himself, as he looked at the burning sun slowly hiding behind the earth. It was funny how the sun did that. Maybe he had to see some other planet. He had once seen a planet. It was all green, with rings around it. He had once been on one! That was a very funny adventure Cat thought. Wondering where he would turn up next, Cat put his head down, and stared at the dimming sun. And slowly....he began to fade away as he fell asleep, his tail swishing in happiness all the time, with a contented grin upon his face.

OCC: Aplogy accepted. I just like to go with my flow of ideas.

Tom rested Roxy down upon the couch once again, suddenly feeling worried about her being in the Dreaming. And for some odd reason, he felt as if he should be there as well. Turning to the Sandman, he was surprised to see him gone already.

Dammit...

He looked back down at Roxy, noticing how peaceful she seemed. Unsure of how he should fall asleep, he finally decided that slipping next to her on the couch was probably his best chance at joining her quickly wherever she was in the Dreaming...

I'm going to find out some way to help the Sandman, but not in the way he wants it done...

Tom gently lifted Roxy's body and laid down next to her, settling her body into his, allowing both of them to remain on the couch. Some may have seen this as a sly method, but it wasn't the intention. He merely wanted to protect Roxy, and this was his best wild guess he could figure out for now. He closed his eyes, wrapping his arm around Roxy's waist and soon was fast asleep...

The feeling of free fall lurched at Tom's stomach as he fell downward rapidly. The building below him grew in size alarmingly, yet Tom seemed to have no way of halting his fall. He began screaming, expecting himself to be killed upon impact.

Loud impact noises could be heard as Tom's body crashed through the roof, went through the second level of the building and finally shattered through the floor, plowing heavily into the large bed.

Roxy turned around in shock and fear as she looked at the still form that now lay upon the bed behind her. What she saw made her shocked even more.

Tom had appeared this time in the Dreaming as an angel, complete with full, and expansive white wings that lay gently about his now still body...

"Oof!"

The quiet complaint came from Cat, which was currently looking around rather bemused about what had just occoured. He knew he felt funny, not a good kind of funny, but interesting none the less. Still, Cat for all that he liked new and interesting experiances, felt that the world should remain still, for all the amusement that could be gained from a spinning world, his stomach tended not to join in the fun. He looked around, seeing all the dust which was filling the area.

Cat shook himself off, his autumn coat, most remarkable and striking becoming clean of the dust which had flown about the place. The world seemed to spin a little bit more, and then decided that it had enough of this game, and settled down sensibly.

With blurred vision, Cat rubbed his eyes with his paws. He did not quite understand what had happened. Usually, when he went to sleep he would go somewhere else, but in all rememberance, he had never woken up like this before.

And then, Cat saw something which beat that huge balloon he had saw one day on the wow factor. He was staring at an angel!

"WOW!" Cat proclaimed, as he stept closer to this new angel which had seemingly crashed through.

The soft voice of a feline nearby brought Tom back to consciousness. Using his muscular arms he pushed himself up with some difficulty as he opened his eyes. His eyes had changed from being brown to being sapphire blue. He looked through the haze of housing debris to find the cat that had spoken. As he pushed himself up, he suddenly stopped.

What...is...that on my back??!!...

Tom looked over his shoulder carefully, and screamed in shock. Large, beautiful and soft wings had somehow sprouted from his backside! Tom looked back at the Cat once again, before his eyes caught the next shock in the mirror.

Getting up slowly he walked over to the mirror and stared at himself.

My eyes...they have changed...and these wings...

His eyes widened as he flexed his back muscles, causing the wings to spread out in all their span, and then flap several times, creating some gusts of wind. Finally, he turned yet again to Cat and knelt down to him.

"Did I hear you say something little one?"

Hwan stopped in a dead sprint. He felt something had changed. Something that should not be here. Something that had been altered from a greater power. An angel not covering thier idenity. This was a serious crime because the elves were not supposed to know they were being developed by angels.
"What should I do great spirit? Find this raw since of power , or look for the mage? My angel sences tell me to find the raw power but my elven secnes tell me find the mage. I will ... go find this power. If this mage is as powerful as I think he is, he should be able to sence this power also."
So Hwan turns and heads East to where he felt the disturbance of angel powers.

His eyes widened as he flexed his back muscles, causing the wings to spread out in all their span, and then flap several times, creating some gusts of wind. Finally, he turned yet again to Cat and knelt down to him.

"Did I hear you say something little one?"

Cat was rather stunned at the entire thing. It reminded him of the sun in some way, yet he could not quite place the feeling. He felt all warm and fuzzy. A few gusts of dust flapped towards Cat making him cough slightly as his rubbed his eyes again.

When addressed, Cat said nothing at first. He was still astonished about the whole man-with-glowing-wings thing. Then, embarressed, he rubbed his paw into the floor sheepishly, and said rather quielty looking at the floor.

"N...No...urm....nice...winged...person...."

Through the plaster and dust the fell on her, she saw the thing on the bed. TOM as an angel! How ironic, if her dream really knew him, he would be a devil...she remembered all the times he convinced her into doing things she normally wouldn't do...piercing her navel...he said it would look hot on her tight bod...getting a tatoo...he had one, now she needed one...moving out...well, that was probably the best...dumping her ex...another good thing. She almost busted out laughing and crying at the same time. He was asleep on this bed. Hmmm. She smiled. She bent closer to get a better look at him. She was inches away from his face, when she heard a cat speak. Her eyes widened and she noticed that Tom was waking up to the sound of the cat. She backed away into a nearby corner. Obviously, the cat had not noticed her yet.

Tom awoke and he and the cat conversed. She saw the plaster hanging off of his wings and remembered what she was wearing. Her eyebrows raised with humor and she walked out into the centre of the room and began to dust Tom off. Tom just stood still, why wouldn't he say anything or laugh, it was just a joke. She stopped infront of him and said, "Hey."

Tom nodded to Cat, noticing that he was nervous around Tom. It was understandable, Tom would have done the same thing. Suddenly, he felt soft hand brushing his wings, but he didn't move. He stood once again, and momentarily found Roxy in front of him.

"Hey." she said with a devilish look on her face.

Tom looked at her, then burst out laughing as he saw her in the French maid dress. He shook his head in laughter. Finally he was able to speak,

"Tell me this isn't some bad porno dream you've come up with now!" he asked her with a large grin on his face. His hand moved to finger the cloth on her shoulder, confirming that what he was seeing was real.

"Looks like Sandman might have had a little fancy with you."

Sandman...

Tom had forgotten about him. His face lost the laughing look as he remembered what Sandman had told them in the real world. How he wanted the vortex, aka Roxy, dead.

Tom looked about the room again, and noticed how the room seemed to glow from a light that seemed to emanate from himself. With a raised eyebrow, he wasn't sure if that was a good thing, for he could feel his angelic energy emanating from him. And if he could feel it, who's to say that no one else could? Tom concentrated his mind, and watched as the glow subsided and finally cease. He looked back at Roxy, snickered once more at her outfit then muttered,

"Well, maid...we've better figure out why we're here now...and I must say, that outfit is quite...appreciative..."

Tom grinned wolfishly at Roxy, who merely slapped him on the arm in response. Tom looked down at Cat and nodded, before looking around with a perplexed look on his face.

"Hey Fox, wanna tell me how you got in here in the first place?"

The only way in that Tom could see was a window across the room, and the new 'skylight' he had personally "installed"...

grrr....one(post) multiplied by one(click of submit) DOES NOT EQUAL two postings!.....

Stupid NS...

"Sir the mage....hes escaped. Also I think that The Sandman was the one who posioned Lord Elrond's mind. I am sorry for letting him get away."

Having evaded his pursuer, Puron slowly advanced towards the source of a second feeling, one that echoed... power. He walked steadily towards the east, searching constantly for the source of it.

OCC: Arizona , have you been keeping track? My guy isn't anywhere around you. Therefore he can't hear you unless you use telepathy.
IC:
Hwan felt a second power coming from Gladieron City and heading towards the place the first power was.
"Ah the mage did sence it, I made the right choice it seems."
As Hwan continues to run towards the descreet scent of angel power he ends up at a building outside the power source.
"Hrmm I guess this is it. I wonder if I should go in or wait for the mage?"
Behind him , something comes forth from the bushes and shadows.

"U.....urm.....excuse me.....urm....nice person.....y...your the first...person to talk to...me." Cat said sheepishly, still looking at the floor. His fur seemed to be more eotic now, the autumn colours seemed to flare up in warmness.

All of a sudden, from behind the trio, a door appeared in the wall, displacing which was once the bassinette. Tom, Roxy and the Cat stared as the doorknob turned and inside stepped a large man, dressed in a forest-green suit. The man had thinning hair, sorrowful eyes, and carried a simple black cane.

The man stared up at the hole in the roof and then back down at the trio in front of him. He took note of the glowing wings, the French maid outift, and the diminuitive cat

*Sigh*

"All right, who are you people and what are you doing in me?"

*****************

Morpheus reappeared in the dreaming, hand still in the pouch of sleepdust.

Instantly, he knew that something was wrong. He had not recalled utilizing his own power to return to his own realm. Nor did he enable the Thomas Walker the power to return with him.

He looked about him, and found himself at the steps of his own keep, with his three guards, the Unicorn, the Gryphon and the Chimaera staring down at him.

"Master, you have returned sooner than we had expected,said the Unicorn. "Tell us, did you accomplish what you had sought.?"

"No, Unicorn. I... there is something here more than just the vortex..."

"Perhaps the Grey Elf and Hwan have done something..."interjected the Gryphon.

"No... they are not yet capable of the sort. Not yet. Tell me, are Brute and Glob still recieving their penance in the Darkness?"

"Yes, my lord."replied the Chimaera. "But who else is capable of such disobedience? This... vortex... this Roxy. Which of the Dreams can be harboring her?"

The Sandman was quiet for a moment. He could already feel the amount of dreams coalescing into this one aspect of the dream increase. And the Corinthian/Puron was on the move once more.

"Fiddler's Green. He is the only one whose mass can allow such a thing."

"But he is a loyal servent, is he not?"

"Yes Unicorn, that I do not doubt... buut he left the Dreaming once. I find it impossible to rule out the possibility that he is harbouring the vortex within the Green.

"Fetch Lucien and Matthew the Raven. I am in need of their guidance."

The gryphon flew off in search of Lucien, while the Chimaera went off the find Matthew.

Left alone were the Unicorn and Morpheus. Both did not utter a word.

Hwan was about to enter the bulding when he had a mental entrocity. He fell to the groud grabbing his head. Rolling around trying to caintain the pain, he loss focus of hiding his identity. His body started levitating, arms turned back, legs side by side , and his whole body emitting white light. Slowly he started tranforming back into his origanal form. Giant 10-foot white wings sprouted, his ears grew to a long sharp point, his skin turned a light blue , his face gained a third eye , and finnaly he grew to eight feet tall. After the transformation Hwan seemed to come to and control his body again.
"Why can't I hide my identity? I should not be in this form, I should be able shift back , but I can't and I don't know why. Whatever is controlling this will have alot to answer for. Toying with an angel is not a very smart thing to do."
He then turns back to the bulding and opens the door.
OCC: Interesting turn of events eh?

OOC: Elves, there is no door for your character to enter. The only one who created a door was the old guy Valient brought in, which leads me to believe we've all impeded on that guy's dreaming lol. I'm assuming you're trying to run into Tom, Roxy and Cat right?

IC:

Tom turned back to the Cat once again with a slight smile upon his face. He knelt down, moving his large wings to curve softly around his body. He reached out and stroked Cat's head and down his back and ending at the tip of his tail. Cat could feel a warm energy flowing from Tom's hands into his body. Tom moved to stroke Cat again.

"Well, Cat, I must admit, this is the first time I've ever heard a cat talk to me. Then again, this is the first time I've ever had wings... which I must add, I kind of like... By the way, my name's Tom. Do you have any other name besides 'Cat'?"

The hand stroked Cat a third time...

crappy ns server. 1+0=1 not 4. >_<

crappy ns server. 1 + 0 = 1 not 4 >_<.

crappy ns server. 1 + 0 = 1 not 4 >_<.

OCC: Yeah I'm trying to get to Tom. But how do you know there is no door? And if there isn't I will just rp a little punch to create a hole in the wall. :twisted:

OOC:There is no door!!! And there is no way to enter to where Tom, ROxy, and Cat are right now, because they are within a dream within a dream. Remember, the dreaming is a mystical land.Simply Punching everything won't work :P

Waiting for Tom, Roxy and Cat to respond to my gentleman :D

Edited: Just editing to save another OOC post.

Just FYI, the dreaming is again, a world where anything can happen. Physically, things can happen, but it's more about your mental capacity to control things. If you want elves, you could try to think you can punch a hole in the wall, but Fiddler's Green is a stronger Dream entity to allow someone to punch a hole in him.

But yeah, work with that. Again, do what you want, within reason.

OCC: A dream within a dream! Word! Thats f***** up mon! Now I gotta think of a new storyline for my angel. >_<
Edit:
Hey Valient feel like rping the entinty that is manipulating Hwan into his angel form? I need someone to anyways.

bump

bump

bump

bump

Roxy watched at Tom bent down and talked with Cat. She watched his movement and the grace of each stroke. She saw his muscles move and her heart beat faster. Her eyes widen and she turned alittle red. How can I be looking at him like that, for goodness sakes he is my bestfriend? She glared and then embarrassily smiled as Tom had seen the expression on her face. She looked up at the hole in the ceiling created by Tom.

She looked at the sun that beat down, with not a single cloud to ruin its light. She sighed. She turned back toward the crowd of people, not paying any attention to them.

Her back faced the bed and the back of her knees touched the bed's edge. She raised her arms to her side and closed her eyes. She let herself fall backwards. She drifted for what seemed forever and it shouldn't have. She should have already made contact with the bed. How odd. She drifted on down with her eyes closed and then she fell into a pond covered with soft rose petals.

She let the cool water run over her body. The sun beat down on her making the small beads of water vaporize. The light then was covered by a shadow. She opened her eyes and she couldn't make out the details of the figure because she was blinded by the sun. She was standing and only covered by rose petals. Thanks Mr. Sandman. She sunk under the water. She was completely vulnerable.

OOC:Ok, since no one is going to respond to my gentleman in green, her I go :D

IC:

Roxy continued to float just beneath the water, looking, waiting for whoever it was who blotted out the sun to show him or herself.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw the large gentleman in the green suit in front of her.

"Don't worry. I won't let you drown."

"How do you mean, good sir?" Roxy replied half-sarcastically.

"You are... safe here. The Sandman will not find you here, at least not yet."

Roxy again stood up, her feet surrounded by the rose petals

"Do you like it?[/i] said the gentleman."

Roxy hesitated.

"...who are you?"

The man looked up, making Roxy look up as well. In the far distance, a hole, similar to the one Tom made in the other roof could be seen. Looking down at her were Tom and the Cat.

"I am not a who, madam. I am a where."

The man bowed.

"Fiddler's Green, at your service..."

Delete

Delete II

Roxy cocked her head to the side. Not another weird man in a weird outfit. She rolled her eyes and flopped down into the pond, sending water and roses into the sky. For awhile they stood still in the air, as if they were in a painting, which made her remember a painting Tom had done for her. It was a picture of water and roses in the air. Tom, I wish you were here and not some dude in the eighties green suit.

Tom faintly heard the sound of Roxy moving.

It stopped. Silence screamed at the room.

Turning, Tom stood suddenly and looked around frantically. The bed caught his attention, seeming to ripple ever so slightly. Tom walked over cautiously and peered down, his eyes widening as he saw Roxy...but...impossibly far below!

"Roxy!"

Tom reached his hands down, hesitating briefly, before plunging his hands into the water-like surface of the bed. What happened next caught both him and Cat by surprise. He was jerked forward by an invisible force and from thence he plummeted downward. He fell...and fell...and fell...

Suddenly, he realized he still had his wings and immediately he arched his back, spreading the wings and feeling a most wondrous sensation, of flying! He swooped down and stopped as he hovered over Roxy, finally looking down at her. What he saw gave him a shock.

"Um...Roxy...this is really awkward, but um...you think you could have picked a skimpier outfit??"

Roxy gave him a raised eyebrow and a slight glare. Tom raised his hands in defense, palms outward.

"Sorry..."

Tom fluttered lower to the surface, finally noticing the Fiddler's Green character standing on the side of the pond. Instantly he moved to block Roxy's body from his view. Fiddler smiled and beckoned for Tom to ignore him. Tom glared and was about to charge at the man, when he felt Roxy's hand upon his foot from behind. Turning in place he hovered over her as she looked at him with pleading eyes.

Tom held his hand out to her, to which she took willingly and gasped as he lifted her easily upwards. Tom blushed red as he tried his best to not look at Roxy indecently, and struggled to not notice that his hands were upon her nude body, around her waist as he brought her to the side of the pond, upon the soft earth there. Landing, he wrapped one wing about Roxy, more to keep her decency against the stranger a little bit of distance away.

This is crazy...we're inside a bed realm...my best friend is nude and wrapped in my wings...which I can feel all too easily...what am I thinking?!...and that really badly dressed wacko is grinning at us too much...I'm not liking this...

OOC: Elves, there is no door for your character to enter. The only one who created a door was the old guy Valient brought in, which leads me to believe we've all impeded on that guy's dreaming lol. I'm assuming you're trying to run into Tom, Roxy and Cat right?

IC:

Tom turned back to the Cat once again with a slight smile upon his face. He knelt down, moving his large wings to curve softly around his body. He reached out and stroked Cat's head and down his back and ending at the tip of his tail. Cat could feel a warm energy flowing from Tom's hands into his body. Tom moved to stroke Cat again.

"Well, Cat, I must admit, this is the first time I've ever heard a cat talk to me. Then again, this is the first time I've ever had wings... which I must add, I kind of like... By the way, my name's Tom. Do you have any other name besides 'Cat'?"

The hand stroked Cat a third time...

Cat thought for a little while. he thought it odd that someone would ask him such a question. Well, the entire event of being asked something for Cat, was odd in itself. But he thought it was odd none the less and replied with a simply shake of the head.

"I...I don't know. I mean, I'm just called that......urm.....people just call me Cat. So I suppose....its my name, urm.....Tom."

In what seemed like mere moments, the Gryphon and the Chimaera returned with a raven and a tall, lanky bookish-looking man.

"Hello Matthew the Raven. The surveillence goes well I assume?"

The Raven spoke, though its beak did not move.

"Yeah boss. It gtes kinda dull though, peeking through the windows, And I feel kinda creepy watching all of the dreams."

"It is a neccessary evil, I assure you Matthew. Tell me, are all the dreams accounted for?"

The bookish man interjected with a harrumph.

"Mostly, lord. We have completed the census and there are currently eleven thousand and sixty-seven dreams, nightmares and various brick-a-brac within the dreaming. There are some minor nightkind missing, as well as some of the lesser dream creatures, but no major arcanic entities are missing."

The Oneiromancer lowered his head in thought.

"I thought as much. Thank you, Lucien Tell me, what of the two humans I requested you to find?"

The raven and the man exchanged glances before the raven aswered.

"Err, they are nowhere to be found in the dreaming. However, there has been some commotion in and around Fiddler's Green. There is a new source of Light Dream Energy emanating from the Green. Does that have anything to do with what you are seeking?"

"Yes."

Lucien interrupted again.

"Pure gossip amongst the nightkind of course, but perhaps under the circumstances, may be significant. There are rumours of a vortex, my lord. Perhaps you might wish to investigate..."

Morpheus nodded. "I already have done so. There is indeed a vortex, the first of this era."

"Then you must hunt for it, sire. It must be controlled."

"I know the urgency of the matter, Lucien. And for the record, the vortex is a she, not an it. A Roxy."

Matthew flew and landed on Lucien's shoulder.

"Do you know where this Roxy might be, boss?"

"I have my suspicions... I must take my leave of the castle. Lucien, Matthew, take good care. I will be back as soon as this task allows."

With that, the Sandman walked right out past his own guards, the Gryphon, Chimaera and Unicorn.

*************

Fiddler's Green watched as Tom wrapped one wing about Roxy, mostly to keep his eyes off of her semi-nude body.

"Ahh, Thomas Walker I presume. Welcome to the green."

The large gentleman folded his hands behind his back and sighed. HE studied the young woman behind the folded wing and thought that she looked quite similar to a woman he knew in a past time.

"Unfortunately, your time here is at an end. The Sandman is coming to address me, and I simply cannot allow him to catch you here. Take your lady friend and leave at once for the fringe of the dreaming."

"What can I do? I don't know what is happening..."

"Don't worry. She will be in good hands when she is with you." Green bowed. "You are her Guardian Dream..."

"Now I am really confuddled!" Cat said quietly as he tired to work out what had just happened. He did not like being confused at all.

OCC: Hwan in angel form is still outside and something is behind him + there is an entity that has transformed him. Valient check your tgs.

Roxy smiled at Filder's Green. Maybe this dude wasn't so bad after all. She looked at Tom, "Hey, we need to custom make some of these wings and sell them, they are so comfortable. We would make a killin'." She rubbed against his wing and then she stopped as a red blush covered Tom's face and spread to his neck. She let out a nervous laugh.

She bent down by the bed of roses. She strategically placed the petals on her body to cover herself. She knew that Tom wouldn't be able to cover her with his wing much longer and she would need to find some clothes real soon. She finished up and then reached down and picked up Cat. "So, cute." She petted the cat. Running her fingers from his head down his back in rythmatic movements. She cuddled the cat next to her chest for warmth.

She looked at Tom, "Well, let's go. Give us time to get there and think up a plan so I don't have to die. I mean come on how are you going to get your calculus done if I am not there to copy from." She smiled weakly and their was fear in her eyes, but she played it off with her bright smile. "Well, do I get a ride?" One eyebrow raised.

Tom grinned lightly.

"Yeah...after all, who would I hang with? Even in a place like this..." Tom muttered as he looked about the place again.

"As for that ride, all you had to do was ask..." he said as he turned his eyes back to her once again.

Roxy held onto Cat; who had somehow appeared near them; as she reached out with a slight smile and held onto Tom. Tom wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, and nodded to Fiddler's Green briefly, before turning he gaze upwards again.

"Seems like the only way out..." he commented, as he beat his powerful wings. Moments later, the three were cruising smoothly upwards, higher and higher. Finally, they broke through the surface of the bed and continued upwards.

Cat muttered, "Oh...I'm not liking this, I'm really not liking this..."

Roxy simply petted him and held him closer, watching as Tom gently lowered her to the ground once again, this time outside of the strange building. Cat was set down once again, by Roxy's feet. Tom turned back to her, after briefly glimpsing about the clearing carefully, searching for signs of trouble. He could sense some other angelic power nearby, something he wasn't sure if he could trust.

He turned back to Roxy and with a smile said, "Let's get you something more decent then roses for you..."

Roxy smiled in response, then was stunned as a silky white dress seemed to materialize out of thin air, perfectly fitting her body, and draping softly to her ankles.

"Well...it seems that was taken care of..." Tom commented, wondering how that had been possible. Suddenly the Fiddler's words ran through his mind,

She will be in good hands when she is with you...You are her Guardian Dream...

Tom whispered to himself, "I guess I have more capabilities than I realized..."

Hwan senced the angel power to start moving. He looked up to see a blur of wings holding a human. Hwan hoping to find out more about this sudden appearnce of another angel not covering thier identity. Hwan started flying at his fastest speed to catch up with the other angel.

Tom watched as the other angelic figure raced headlong at him, beating his own wings in ferocity as he came closer. With a growl, Tom pushed Roxy away a bit, then stepped into the path of the low flying angel. Just as the angel came closer, Tom sidestepped the being and caught the creature by his throat, whipping the angel's body about as it was halted by the strong grip of Tom's hand.

"Who are you?! What is your business here?!" Tom demanded, a fiery look in his eyes as he glared into the eyes of the angel.

Tom's other hand suddenly felt the formation of a sword in his hand. Tom briefly looked down at it in surprise, at least until he recognized what it was. It was an elegant, pure blade of heaven, with a golden hilt, and seem to reflect the light in many directions, matching Tom's own increasingly brighter glow. Tom brought it up to press into the stomach of the angel.

"Speak, lest I run you through..."

Hwan's eyes went from a grey color to blue flames (literaly flames) . He was not going to be beaten or bossed around by this half-way decent angel.
"I am Hwan the Sixth of the Angelotic government. My business is to keep the peace and to capture all demonic forms of magic in this world. Now let me go or face all of my fury."
As he was talking, his wings grew the blue fire just like his eyes. He also materalized his two twin swords into his hands. Like his eyes and wings, they were sorrounded by a blue angel fire. He was in a position to strike depending on this other angels reponce.

Tom squinted his eyes, staring deeply into Hwan's own. Hwan's eyes did not faze him, nor did they seem the least bit threatening. Tom wasn't immediately sure why he felt so...safe from this. But then, a voice sounded in his head, He is not a part of your reality. He exists separately, therefore, he is nothing more than a figment of imagination to you...

What?? Tom was now confused, but didn't show it as he quickly decided what to do. Gripping his hand tighter upon Hwan's own throat he growled into his face.

"I hope you're telling the truth..."

With that, he dropped the angel, watching as the angel crumpled to the ground, gasping for air.

"You say you work for peace and balance in this world. I do so as well, to some extent...," Tom said, remaining vague as to what he meant by the last comment, "Thus, seeing as how we both have similar goals, why not we ally together?"

Tom held his sword diagonally downward in front of him, ready to sweep upward should the other one reject his proposal.

Fiddler's Green watched as Tom, Roxy and the Cat flew out of his created domain. Soon, he could feel a slight ripple as the three left his dream...

... which was soon followed by another ripple as the Sandman appeared directly behind him. Fiddler's Green did not turn around to face his Lord. HE chose to stare straight ahead.

"I assume you know why I am here, Fiddler's Green. So let us drop all the pretenses..."

Fiddler's Green was silent, and then answered.

"I won't lie to you and tell you that they were not here, Morpheus. I am too old to be playing games with you."

"Then why... why did you harbour the vortex within yourself. Why do you insist on trying my patience, and perhaps dooming the Dreaming itself, Fiddler's Green?"

Morpheus's voice did not rise in anger. The only inflection tinged was one of dissapointment.

Fiddler's Green mind went back to his faint memories of a one Rose Walker.

http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0VQDhAr8bUt1D6bhzxt0AAQS*GfV9dYUzLF3d!aYmglqcGJM1C93CZWtehZzORAd2P4J65bMKvu4mxyAEPtAXl2sCPLjpn!l9X1z YWNneS6sq33OZ2vmdjg6MG6qDUFnV/bjmelton4thumb.jpg

The last vortex, but still only a young woman, trapped in a role she did not want to play. He had tried to save her from his lord, but in the end, only Unity Walker, Rose's grandmother, had saved her. Taken Rose's own heart of the dreaming/vortex and sacrificed her own life for her granddaughters.

All that he could truly remember was that she had a beautiful smile...

"I have my reasons, but since you are my lord, I suppose I must point you in the right direction. They went to the fringe of the Dreaming."

Fiddler's Green felt another ripple as the Sandman exited his realm. However, he heard one final message from the Oneiromancer.

"We will talk about this when I return..."

Fiddler's Green nodded, and went back to his old memories...

Hwan fell with a thud. After catching his breath he looked up at this other angel. It seemed to Hwan that he was hiding something.
"Allys you say? Yes I suppose I could do that. But my current task is stopping the Sandman and finding the girl that caused a tear in this plane. You see I'm from another plane of existance. Meaning that I can't truly die here , only simply briefly paused. But I am curious why my fire did not slow you down. It usually slows down all those wishing to attack me. You see its a cold fire that is special to those you protect this realm, giving them an advantage over those trying to distrupt it."
Tom looked abit confused and bored but merely shook his head when Hwan was talking.
Hwan looked closely and saw the girl. She was holding Cat of all things.
"Ah finnaly good news, there is the girl. And she has the infamous Cat with her."
Hwan slowly walks to them and merely says, "I think we ought to talk."

Tom squinted his eyes at the back of the angel's head. He asked him with a slightly concerned note in his voice:

"Where do you think you're going with her? You're still not leaving my sight..."

At the same time as he asked this, he thought silently to himself.

I wonder if I have any 'fire' powers...

"Of course I will not leave your site. I merely want to question the girl about a few things and find out what all Cat remembers. Oh and what your thinking, the answer is no. Telepathy usauly comes before any special powers."
Hwan slowly turns around and starts picturing Gladieron City.
"Evan though your still young in angel standerds, you might be able to use telepathy. Try on me."
OCC: Now Im going to have to wait on ATG or Redeemed Heros, whichever posts first.

"Very well then...think of something..." Tom replied.

Hwan complied and said telepathically to him,

If you're hearing this, you've got it...

Tom raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Interesting...very well then, you've got some credibility...but I suggest we get moving, I've got a bad feeling about something...and we need to get away from here. Now...

Tom was getting the feeling that the Sandman was near. To have him appear would be definitely not what he wanted, for the Sandman would try to kill Roxy.

And there was no way he'd let that happen, even if he had to kill Sandman himself...

"You must go now. The Sandman and me have unfinished business to take care of and you must protect that girl. I feel something different about here , like she is the key to something bigger. Protect at all costs. Now go before he shows up. I can't defeat him but I can delay him for a very long time."

Bump cuz this is to good to just let it die.

Tom nodded in agreement and picked up Roxy once again with a grin upon his face. She held Cat still in her arms, and looked at him with a amused look. With a slight laugh, he spoke in a soft voice:

"Thank you for flying 'Angelic Airlines', please hold on as your pilot will execute evasive manuevers of hostile forces. We currently do not have any flight attendants to show you how to prepare for the flight, so, you're on your own!"

With that, the three of them took off into the sky, and began to fly low to the treetops, keeping as stealthy as possible. Tom's muscles bulged and contracted with each flap of his wings, giving him more speed each time. He knew that Roxy could feel him working his muscles, but tried to keep his mind from going too far off track. After all, he did have a job.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you may now unfasten your seatbelts, however, your pilot strongly recommends you don't, as this flight does not include a 'catch and recovery' system...and you'll be S.O.L..."

Tom laughed once again, and suddenly began to spiral, enjoying the dizzying effect of his flight upon his mind, however, he remained in control and once again, leveled out. Soon enough, the three were far from Hwan, and more importantly...Sandman...

Roxy looked at Tom. She would never forget him. WHAT? She would not cause he would always be there, why was she talking this silly nonsense. As they flew on she focused on practically nothing. And then there was an image in front of her. An image of a young girl with a gorgeous smile that well resembled hers. She narrowed her eyes at the girl and saw the lurking Sandman behind her, Roxy called out a warning, but the girl did not hear or even notice her. She saw the image show an older woman save the girl from the Sandman and go back to where she was.

Roxy just looked confused by the whole thing. What does this girl have to do with me? And then she saw her grandmother. Impossible she is dead. Her grandmother smiled softly and tears ran down Roxy's face. "Am I dead?"

Her grandmother laughed at that. "No, child you are far from it. I know you have many questions sweet child, but many I cannot answer. Don't look at me like that, I do not know everything." The smile grew and then subsided. A melancholy tone flashed across her face and then it was gone, but Roxy saw it. "Child, I cannot hide my feelings, you are too smart for that. All I can say is that girl was your ancestor and she failed where you may succeed. I cannot tell you how, but you will know when the time comes."

May succeed? She felt a cool drop on her arm and she realized it was just a "dream" and she was back in Tom's arms. She had to do something, just what she did not know. She motioned for Tom to stop and go back down to the ground because she had to go to the bathroom. She cleared her throat to motion him to leave her in privacy. When she saw he was out of her view. She called out, not to Tom, but the Sandman.

"Come and get me." She was not going to run away any more.

Tom stood a good distance from Roxy, holding Cat as he stroked his fur. His wings had wrapped themselves around his body, providing a warmth for Cat to enjoy.

Jeez...women, always taking so long to do their business...fact is, I'm surprised she's willing to do it out here without a toilet...

Tom chuckled to himself at his own joke. He turned his gaze to they sky once again, suddenly longing to take flight and truly test his wings. Such wonderful wings they were. And powerful...

I wonder how we're going to stop this Sandman...

The Sandman reappeared 20 metres away from the Grey Elf. With his dark eyes glowing slightly, he gazed beyond his opponent and spied Tom, Roxy and the Cat in the far, far distance, stopped, and waiting.

He supposed that they were waiting for him.

He would get to them eventually. But first, he had to get past the Elf.

"Hello grey one. I assume that you will attempt to hinder me long enough to allow the vortex to escape me. Is that true?"

Hwan was starring Sandman straight in the face.
"One of us will not survive today, rest assured that alone is true. I should of killed you years ago when I had the chance, but now your mine."
Hwan with his fire burning ravigily grabbed his swords and charged the Sandman with both swords in a flury.
OCC: The showdown of Angel vs Sandman has at last happened and now the battle for the vortex has begun.

Time slipped out of her hands and she was getting impatient. Where was this Sandman. She wasn't going to wait an eternity for him to come to her, for cripes sake she didn't want to fight him as a old woman. She laughed picturing herself with wrinkles. Roxy looked up to the sky, she caught glimpse of Tom flying about, imagine being an angel, how come I don't get the fun positions? I am stuck being a stinky old vortex, who everyone wants to kill. Great, and I thought I was going to be a pediatrician, well there goes my money. Really how much money can I make as this thing, especially if I am going to be killed.

Her humor was trying to control her urges to scream. She wasn't that strong of a person, she would not be able to deal with this much longer. She decided she would not wait for this silly Sandman to come find her. She would search and destroy. That statement sounded like something her military father would say. She looked up again and did not see Tom, she began to run under the near by trees, he cannot find me if I am hidden.

Her pace slowed down and became rythmatic. Her breathing was strong and deep, but not hyperactive. She did this only to not put Tom's life in danger. She could not stand the fact if he would die because of her.

She stopped abruptly. She heard a male voice...

"One of us will not survive today, rest assured that alone is true. I should of killed you years ago when I had the chance, but now your mine."

She smiled that was no other than the silly elf. She popped out behind a nearby trunk.

"Oh, don't be so selfish. He is not yours. He is no one and if he belongs to someone it is the Dreaming, which belongs to me." Her eyebrows raised in deviance. The same smile covered her face, one that would spark a reminder in the Sandman's mind.

OOC: I'm terribly sorry, but I've gotta personally remove myself from rping by good deal for the next several months.

ATG, you have my full permission to rp Tom in any way you wish. I trust you'll know what I would do in any situation. We'll keep in touch by email :D .

To everyone else, It's been great rping with you all, and I'm grateful to have met many others from NS and elsewhere. I'll be back in late August!

OOC: Sorry about the long hiatus... I had issues to deal with in RL. Still do...

IC:

Morpheus watched as the Grey Elf charged at him with his swords flashing. For a moment, a brief moment, Morpheus reflected on how it was that they got to this point...

Tom...

Roxy...

Humans who never really knew, or understood what it was the young woman was, or the ramifications on what she was.

Morpheus waved his hand and nodded, eyes flashing.

Suddenly, two Valkeryes from Norse mythology appeared, and placed their cold steel in between the Grey Elves own.

"This is my realm, elf. You could have attcked me elsewher, and perhaps I would have been vulnerable, but not now..."

***********

With a final circle, Tom landed beside Roxy and grabbed her arm.

"I know you want to face the sandman now, but now is not the time. Do not let the elf's sacrifice be in vain

"We need to leave. Now..."

Hwan could tell he was in for a tough fight. These creatures were very strong yet Hwan could defeat them if he fully accepted his angel powers.
"No I can defeat without using my full powers, I will not sucumb to having to choose that fate."
He swung at each and blocked blows. He could see that the Vortex and Tom had not left yet. Using his telepathy, he urged the to leave.
~Go now before the Sandman finds you, run now~

Roxy grew angry and red. "I am sick of running." She fought back, but her attempts where in vain, why fight someone in the middle of the sky. She relaxed and let Tom take her away.

The Sandman scowled as Tom lifted Roxy effortlessly into his arms and flew away.

There was not much time, but he had to ensure that the Elf would not disturb his mission any longer.

With another wave of his hand, the valkeryes disappeared, replaced by a enormous anaconda snake which began to enwrap Hwan with speed illfit for it's bulk.

"Hwan, please. Do not make this any harder than it needs be. You know why I must destroy the vortex..."

*****************

As Tom carried Roxy along, he noticed that she did not say anything since he had taken her away from Hwan and Morpheus.

"Please understand Roxy. I... am doing this to protect you."

"Why do you protect me, Tom? Why does anyone do anything for me? I'm just a vortex that everyone wants to kill."

Tom blushed, his face turning red against the white of his wings.

"I don't want to hurt you. I lo..."

"You..."

"Forget it. We're here."

As Tom slowly lowered them to the ground, Roxy looked about at the seemingly barren plain, reddish in hue and cold. Very cold.

Roxy shivered, and Tom wrapped his wings around her, envelopping her.

"What... what is this place, Tom?"

"This is the outlands... this is where dreams come to die..."

Roxy looked around the outlands. How very sad, but how very noting. "Great, place to pick, Tom. You know how to give a girl some hope." She didn't continue, she was pissed and she didn't like to be mad, especially at Tom.

Where dreams come to die. Without dreams or hope a person dies, how could she even think to go against the Sandman, this was his domain and she had nothing.

She sat down and wrapped her arms around her knees and closed her eyes. She opened them and a smile crossed her face. Across the land little flowers bloomed from the red ground. She laughed as she looked over at Tom and saw a flower behind his ear.

"Dreams never die, they are just forgotten."

"The reason you must destroy her is the smae reason I must protect her. Now I will destroy ever you send against me till either I die, or I kill you."
With the finishing statement, he bites the giant snake and slips out of its grip. With a swift jab and slice, the snake's head falls to the ground beneath them.

Morpheus shook with an unbridled rage. He could feel the Dreaming began to fray at the edges, not unlike the feeling of having your foot fall asleep.

It was not the end of the world.

At least, not yet.

"Enough, Grey Elf. Our time here has come to an end..."

The Sandman reached into his pouch of dream-dust, and pulled out a handfull of tiny, glittering grains.

In one full motion, Morpheus threw the sand into the Elf's face.

*****************

Tom blushed, and looked at Roxy. Even though he was some sort of angel in the dreaming, he was still just a teenage boy. He knew that, understood that, recognized and was fine with that fact.

But as a boy, a teenage boy, he still had feelings. Feelings that perhaps real angels no longer had.

But he never said he was an angel.

Tom took the flower out from behind his ear and tucked in gently into Roxy's hair. From behind her, Tom could see that the skyline of the outland, the desolate mountains, the withered forests, began to shimmer, and shake.

Tom understood why.

"Roxy..."

"Yes..."

"Do you remember back in Socials when you asked me to write you a poem?"

"Yes, I think so. Why?"

"..."

"..."

"To love is to share life together
to build special plans just for two
To work side by side
and then smile with pride
As one by one, dreams all come true.

To love is to help and encourage
with smiles and sincere words of praise
To take time to share
to listen and care
In tender, affectionate ways.

To love is to have someone special
one who you can always depend
To be there through the years
sharing laughter and tears
As a partner, a lover, a friend.

To love is to make special memories
of moments you love to recall
Of all the good things
that sharing life brings
Love is the greatest of all.

I've learned the full meaning
of sharing and caring
and having my dreams all come true;
I've learned the full meaning
of being in love
by being and loving with you."

Tom blushed, and then knealt down beside Roxy.

"As I stand here today with the world as my witness,
I pledge to you my undying and everlasting love.
I will stand beside you as your partner,
I will stand before you as your protector,
And I will stand behind you as your solace.
Please spend and end your life with me."

As Hwan sneezed, the whole world around him changed. The sky was a distorted blue with purple steaks.
"What have you done to the world? It is destroyed. I now know what I must do even though it will cost me dearly."
With the uttering of these words, Hwan delved deep into a mental choatic state and starting morphing his body once again. His body turned a navy while he grew to a towering 20 feet tall. His wingspan was 30 feet and his body was literaly on fire.
"Now we end this. Tonight is your last night of survival."
Hwan started muttering ancient elven verses all the while his blades started levitating. With a brief roar, the swords struck the Sandman in the head and heart, ending the conflict forever, or so Hwan thinks.

Roxy hadn't heard the poem before and now she knew why Tom had never told her. Tears seemed to flow freely out of her eyes. Her smile never seemed brighter in a desolate place.

"Tom, what exactly are you saying?" It was quite clear, but she was so confused with everything happening she wasn't sure if she was correct or not. She knew he loved her, for she loved him, but the degree of the love needed to be explained. She wasn't stupid just overly exhausted. Plus, she wasn't going to pour out her heart if it was just a brotherly-sister love.

She asked once more as the sky began to fall around her, "What do you mean by this?"

Morpheus only watched as Hwan plunged his sword down into emptiness, already knowing that in the elf's mind, he had struck a critical blow to the sandman. He.

With a clap of his hand, the unicorn appeared, pawing at the ground and looking at his lord.

"Take the elf back to the castle back for me, loyal unicorn. Await my return."

After loading the still moving elf onto the unicorn, Morpheus clapped his hand once more, and disappeared.


*******************

Tom blinked, and shivered, and reached to hold Roxy's hand. He was glad that she did not pull back when his fingers intertwined hers.

For a moment, he remained kneeling, feeling the way her skin felt oddly smooth and warm against his hand. The way that they seemed to bond together.

Were one.

"I... I don't know a lot about love, Roxy. Love is an emotion that guys never really talk about. Like with Bill and Steve... it always had to be things like hockey, or cars, or drinking."

Roxy giggled, despite the strange environment tom was pouring his heart out into.

"I'd love to see you drunk, Tom. Maybe then you wouldn't wait so long to tell a girl you like them..."

Tom blushed and continued on.

"I don't know a lot about love, but I know that I do... I do love you."

Roxy looked across at Tom, and tilted her head to the side slightly.

"Perhaps that is all you need to know."

With unsteady hands, and an even more unsteady heart, Roxy pulled Tom gently in towards her.

Tom did not resist. He did not want to.

And they kissed.

As the winds blew through Roxy's hair and ruffled Tom's downy feathers, they kissed.

As the flowers around their knees slowly submitted to the cold, laying down their petals to the ground, they kissed.

They kissed, and then slowly released each other from their union. With her free left hand, Roxy caressed the side of Tom's face. It had a reddish tinge to it, which she attributed to the cold.

Tom wrapped his wings around her. It did not help anymore against the cold. The outlands was falling apart, and it was simply the beachhead of what was to come for the rest of the Dreaming.

"Tom... I..."

All of a sudden, a strange flash appeared in front of Roxy, to the back of Tom.

Tom, without turning around, knew who it was.

"Oneiromancer... I was wondering when you would show up..."

Roxy could not react, she felt numb. Not that it was a bad numb, she just didn't know how to feel. Was this love? Or I mean the big LOVE? She knew she loved Tom, but in what way and the kiss, her body went through the motions and her heart was overfeeled with joy, but her mind always played tricks on her. It asked her was this just because of nerves and he is a good friend and her heart ached now. She could not deal with another thing right now... and then it did happen...

"Oneiromancer... I was wondering when you would show up..."

For a moment Roxy looked at Morpheus, and then laughed. A loud booming laugh that surprised Tom.

Morpheus looked unamused, amid the dark grey skies that began to roll in, unfettered and uncaring.

"I can't believe I... you know, for a second, I was almost worried, but now I realize, this is just a dream, so what am I worried about?"

Roxy moved to stand away from Tom, uncurling herself from Tom's massive white wings.

"Sooner or later I will wake up and I will laugh, and say, what a silly dream..."

Morpheus looked about him. Little bits of white floated down from the dark sky. The ground was now black and charred. It looked not unlike the aftermath of a nuclear fallout.

"No, Roxy. I am sorry but you are mistaken. You are right, this is a dream from which you will awaken. Not now, not ever."

Tom stepped forward, as if to challenge the authority of the Sandman, but Roxy pushed him back.

"But, if you are the ruler of this place, this... dreaming, can't you just magic this vortex out of me? Just... stop this happening?"

Morpheus stared at Roxy for a moment, looking at her french maids outfit and frowned. With a slight grunt, the man in black sat on the ground, upsetting the light covering of snow.

"I am the lord of this realm, and my wishes are paramount. However, I am not omnipotent..."

Tom could stand for this sort of talk any longer, and brushed ROxy to the side.

"Enough, Oneiromancer: let us finish this one way or another."

Tom moved to run and strike out at Morpheus when a loud voice boomed out across the barren land.

"Thomas Walker, there is another way!"

Morpheus, Tom, and Roxy turned and stared as a large figure came bumbling up towards them. A figure clad all in forest green.

"Fiddler's Green, were we not supposed to finish our talk after this matter has been sorted out?"

"Actually Morpheus, this does have to do with this."

Green walked up to Roxy and Tom and grasped each by the shoulder.

"Young ones, I know that this may seem hard to understand, but both of you here - here, now - are the vortex. It is not just you, Roxy, but it is the both of you, the sum of your parts, the equal of your togetherness..."

Tom grabbed Fiddler's arm and shook him.

"So what you are saying is that if either of us dies, then the vortex dies. It doesn't matter who..."

"Yes, I am Tom Walker."

Morpheus shouted over.

"Green, my patience, and time, grows weary."

Tom turned towards Roxy and grabbed her hands.

"Roxy... give me your heart. Please..."

Roxy ran to Morpheus, hearing that Tom had asked for her heart.

She got down on her knees and sat down. She flung her head back and exposed her neck. She appeared a silver knife and held it to her neck.

Tears soaked her face, but she wore a smile.
She spoke softly to Tom, "You have always had my heart and it will always be yours."

She paused and through the dark haze speckles of light shown through.

Her voice now low, "The dreaming must live, I realize this, and the vortex must die. I will take my life to grant Tom his freedom. You must promise me Morpheus that he will be sent back to reality." Her voice choked a bit and she waited for Morpheus to respond.

Hey now that we are all back into swing of things again...why not start this up once more....

Morpheus lowered his eyes, and his eyes flashed. Around them, the snow had stopped falling, and the landscape had entirely dissappeared, leaving a flatland of white void.

No sound could be heard, save for Tom's strained voice. He tried to rush towards his friend, but was restrained by an outside force.

Fiddler's Green looked on, morosely. He looked out of sorts, out of place.

Out of time.

"Roxy... ROXY!!!"

Morpheus looked at Roxy, and nodded. He pointed at Tom, and crooked a finger.

Before Tom could say Roxy's name one more time, he found himself back in his living room, sitting upright on his couch.

He quickly turned beside him, but did not find Roxy. All he saw was an empty space.

"NOOOoooo..."

********

Morpheus looked back at Roxy and nodded.

"It is done, but Roxy, please, don't be like that."

He moved to take away the knife from Roxy, and grabbed it from her hand. She did not resist, and looked up at him.

"Roxy, Tom had the right idea. Please. Give me your heart..."

OOC: I'm so terribly sorry for having you all wait so long, but I had completely forgotten about this thread. However, I'd like to take back the role of Tom Walker once again. Great job with it y'all, you did quite good while I was gone. I'm very impressed. Perhaps we can all do a sequel to this in which Tom eventually gets back into the Dreaming.

IC:
Tom felt the couch, as if he were trying to materialize Roxy before him, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. Fingers groped the rough surface of the couch, ripping the fabric and throwing it aside.

"ROXY!!!" he cried in agony, "WHY?!"

Why did it have to be that just when he finally told the girl he loved her, he would lose her?

He collapsed to his knees, tears now flowing like rivers down his face. His heart felt torn, and torn apart by fire, his mind filled with nothing but her face, his eyes blurred by his salty tears. He gripped his hair with both hands and raised his head to the ceiling, and screamed.

He screamed as long and as loud as he could...

Roxy walking closer to Morpheus, being drawn closer without knowing. She stopped releasing Tom was gone. Her eyes moved frantically around the scenary, her legs were stiff and could not move. She was stuck when she most did not want to be.

Give me your heart? His he freakin' insane. The concept was scary and illogical to her.

Tom...

Smile crossed her face. She wiped her wet face dry and met his gaze.
"You can't have my heart when I have already given it to Tom. Now, what are you going to do?"

OOC: Oh my... ATG, my dear, how I wish you read Gaimen...

IC:

Morpheus cocked his head slightly off to the left.

"Young Thomas has your love. He does not have your heart."

With a swift move, the Oneiromancer shoved a hand through Roxy's chest bone, leaving her gasping for breath.

It left her more cold than in pain.

Morpheus pulled his hand out, and held a small, ruby colored Jewel in the shape of a heart. A valentine heart: curved edges, pointy bottom.

"I have your heart, and the key to the salvation of the Dreaming."

Before her eyes, the heart began to crumble, and sift, changed into grains of sand. A small wind had picked up, and had taken the individual grains away.

There was wind...?

OOC: What is it about?

IC: It felt as if Roxy was watching a movie in slow-motion. It was surreal to her, to see a part of her missing. She blinked. It seemed as if hours, days, centuries passed before her eyes. She could see the girl with the smile, and then Roxy remembered Tom.

Sacrifice.

They were tied together, possibly how the grandmother was tied to the girl. This is my sacrifice. Everthing seemed to be slowing down. Her breathing swallow, but not strained. Her heart beat slower and slower, but not softer. She would do this for Tom, but she just wished she could tell him she loved him, all he has was the kiss that just left her more confused til now.

She fell to her knees as she saw her "heart" crumble. She looked up at the Sandman.

"What else are you going to take of mine? Don't you have everything you ever wanted here in the Dreaming? Why take away something I just gained? You own me now. I have nothing else I need when you have taken what is so very important to me. Just leave Tom alone. You can do whatever you want to me, but leave him alone."

It wasn't an ultimatum, but merely asking a favor. She knew he controlled her now and there was nothing she could do anymore.

OOC: This thread is wrapping up soon enough ATG. Will post soon. I have an idea for Dreams II, so Ill tg you and Tarl about it. WIll post when have more energy.

OOC: If you want me to do anything else with Tom, let me know. Otherwise, I think my last post is good enough to consider that closing post for Tom's role in the thread. Thanks.

OOC: I agree. Valient you character and mine need to end this now. If she lives then I would like to do another thread with both of you. I don't think things are finished between Tom and Roxy.

OOC: Gaimen is a graphic novelist who has won major awards for his dreaming books. It deals with life, love, death, religion... everything important in life.

IC: Morpheus scowled as the human woman begged at his feet. Rose Walker did the same when she was transformed into nothing more than a dream.

He would have to talk with the librarian and see if there was any other instances of two vortices manifesting within one familial strain.

Sacrifice. He knew of the word.

Sacrifice.

"Roxy, I do not own you, at least not in the sense you seem to like to use. You are your own person, able to go whereever you wish to in the dreaming."

"But I cannot leave?"

"No. Not without my say, and at this point, it is imperative that you stay within the confines of the dream. There will be consequences for both you and I if you do leave. Ones that you would not want to experience."

Roxy stood up, and crossed her arms over her breast. a dim beam of light began to break through the gentle gray that had washed over the dismal landscape. The dreaming had began to heal.

"And what of Tom? Will you leave him alone?"

"Yes... yes I will, as long as he does not attempt to harm me in some plan of revenge. I will."

"May... may I see him once more?"

Morpheus appeared to consider the plan, and the nodded. "You will have 5 minutes. No more. Then you will be drawn back to my palace."

The next moment, Roxy appeared in the living room beside a distraught Tom.

********

Morpheus blinked, and then she was gone. He hoped that the final meeting between Roxy and Tom would suffice to keep any ideas of rescue at bay.

Because if there weren't...

He then snapped his fingers, and appeared beside the gray elf, who appeared to be still strutting around in the middle of the vast expanse of sky.

Down below, the streams began to run again, and the trees began to look up towards to stars. The dreaming was healing.

Morpheus looked at Hwan, and in a heartbeat, the elf had dissappeared.

If Hwan would ever wake from his dream of conquest, eh would find himself trapped for eons in the valley of mirrors, where every turn would lead you to another reality, similar, and yet more sinester than the others.

Morpheus then snapped his fingers once more, and found himself in his palace.

He was tired. And he would wait for Roxy's return.

OOC: OOPS it was my turn.

IC: Just as soon as Roxy opened her eyes she found herself infront of Tom. She blinked several times. She even pinched her own arm.

"Ouch." Am I really back?

She rushed forward and took in Tom in every sense she could think of. She planted soft and hard kisses on his face on his lips. She pulled her face back. I need to do something before I leave this world forever.

She whispered to Tom, "Make love to me." It wasn't a question it was a statement. A statement she hoped he would fullfill. Who knows if she could do that there in the dreaming. Goodness knows she wouldn't want to with anyone in there. Fidler's Green could be her grandpa, the elf, no way. Her eyes locked his, she hoped he could read them and the love she wanted to express to him.

OOC: *stunned* whoa...what a twist...

IC: Tom drew back sharply for a moment while looking deeply into Roxy's eyes. Any thoughts he had to ask had been immediately obliterated by the shock of Roxy's words.

"Are-Are you sure? After all, we just got finished dealing with this...Dream and--"

Roxy kissed Tom passionately, effectively silencing him. A murmur of yes was heard as Tom returned the kiss...

OOC2: Take it away ATG...

OOC: Umm...stage pressure...stage anxiety. Maybe Valient can do it from Morpheus's view and he can't stop it from happening. Tarl, no rubber okay> or should we have them use one?

OOC: I'll do it:P Be prepared to be shocked and awed, and a little hot ;)


Well, later.

OOC: No problem...Val...just remember that there are still young readers on NS that probably shouldn't be getting totally explicit stuff...

Morpheus sat in his throne and waited for the arrival of Roxy. When she returned, she would be shown the various dream forms she could take, and exist as in his realm.

But she was taking long... too long. He wondered if she was trying once more to escape.

And yet, he did allow her to have free rein in seeing Tom one last time.

...

"Matthew?"

A diminuitive, black raven alighted on Morpheus's shoulder.

"How ya doing boss? Finished with all of that nasty hole business?"

"Yes, but I have one more issue, one that I call on your help for?"

Morpheus slipped a small ruby around Matthew's neck.

"This is a Liniea Ruby. With it, you can travel between the realities to the realm of the awakened. Please go to the lady Roxy and ensure that no harm has befallen her. She is now under my protection.

Matthew smiled, at least if he could with his beak.

"Gotcha boss. Ill be right back."

With that, Matthew shimmered, and dissappeared from Morpheus's shoulder.

********

Matthew appeared in the kitchen, shimmering into view like a desert mirage that didnt seem quite in sync with the rest of his surroundings.

As he hopped up to the edge of the coffee decanter, he heard voices.

"Are-Are you sure? After all, we just got finished dealing with this...Dream and--"

Matthew peered carefully over the edge of the table, and snuck a quick glance into the living room. He saw as the lady Roxy kissed the man who must have been Tom full on the lips. Needing, longing... wanting to give and yet wanting more to recieve.

"Yes..."

Tom placed a finger under Roxy's chin and tilted her head up
to look her in the eyes. No words were said. No sound from either of
them. Roxy simply smiled, and nodded.

Tom just shivered, and then smiled too. With fumbling hands, and whispered murmers of apologies, he began to unbutton Roxy's rouge blouse. The buttons were too small and ungainly for him, and he cursed himself as his aroused feelings made him rush and make more mistakes.

Roxy suddenly grabbed Tom's hands, which felt cold in her warm touch. With a nod and slight cocking of her neck, Roxy leaned in for yet another kiss, as she began to unbutton the rest of her shirt, and for Toms sake, take off her bra too.

Tom broke off the gentle kiss, and slipped of his shirt as well.

"Tom... I..."

Tom looked up with uncertain eyes.

"I... love you..."

Tom leaned over to kiss Roxy on the soft skin of her neck, nuzzling her nape and kissing tenderly, as if to not disturb the smoothness of the flesh. Tom placed small kisses along the neckline till he whispered with a light giggle in Roxy's ear. "I love you too."

Seeing how subduded Roxy was becoming under his attentions, Tom slowly decided to move down to another area, placing several light kisses on Roxy's neck and shoulder. She was off in another land, a land of pleasant and sensual dreams.

Perhaps one where dreams didn't always end in lovers seperated.

Tom placed his hands on Roxy's hips and slowly moved them up and down the
sides of her body. His fingers carressed the the sides of her ribcage
and she jumped a bit when she felt Tom's wrist brush up on the sides
of her breasts. The feeling she had from touching herself was nothing
compared to the touch from another.

Just as quickly, the pants came off and Tom and Roxy faced each other in naked abandon. With blushing faces, and furtive glances, the two lovers fumbled towards the finish, but what awaited at the end. For her part, Roxy closed her eyes and waited, for what, she was not sure. She then felt something wonderful, though different from any sort of feeling she had ever had.

Tom, still looking into Roxy's eyes, slipped a finger, then two into Roxy. The electricity of that intimate touch ran up and down her body, making the young woman coo and whimper with each little touch Tom made on her.

Tom inhaled Roxy's musk through his nose as he held her close. She
noticed that it was different than before. It was more sweet, and yet, more harder to notice like a light sweet perfume, just barely there to be noticed. Despite it's light scent, it was all the encouragemaent Tom needed to go on.

"Tom... in... now..."

With a half-grunt, Tom replaced his fingers with his penis, which quivered as much as its owner as it slid into place.

Gently, and carefully, Tom began a slow and loving stroke that drew a loud moan from Roxy's lips. Tom only grunted in reply, but their voiced pleasures belied the truth.

This would be their last time together, and somehow, that took the shine off of being with someone for the first time.

Roxy began to kiss Tom, at first softly, and then harder around his face. As the strokes began to come shorter apart, the longer she held onto Tom, never wanting to let him go.

Tom knew it wouldn't be long. He could hear Roxy's moaning growing louder and louder as he made his way deeper into her girlhood. He made the final move as he brought his hand to Roxy's front and with the tip of his finger began circling the outer rim of her nipples. Not directly, but softly tracing the edges.

Roxy suddenly felt something rush through her body. A warm loving feeling had been flowing through her body and soul, but that was all shoved aside as she felt muscles contract and tighten in her body. Then everything released at once. She could not describe the feeling that washed though her. She
didn't know if it was pain or pleasure. All she knew was that it was an
incredible feeling. Nothing like she had ever felt before, and she let
out a small cry of pleasure.

Tom too felt something akin to a rush, though it was more like a pressure, building deep within that needed an escape, and outlet to the free world. Free love.

He too had felt nothing like it before, but deep inside, he knew that he would never feel the same way again.

And then...

Ecstasy...