[Game 18] The Waking World

[arsgoetia]

After successfully talking Zan into waking up—the world around you starts to dissolve and break apart. There's a lurch, like the sensation of abruptly falling into sleep, but backwards; and all around you, the glass begins to crack apart, splintering and sending ocean water splashing everywhere, gushing forward, a cascade of blue and black, alternating between starfish and actual stars, suspended in liquid sky.

. . . reality seems to bleed in overtop of it and, sluggishly, you find yourselves waking up all over a suburban basement in New Jersey. There is a lamp on near the bed, where someone is still asleep, though fitfully beginning to wake up.

More noticeably, there is a woman sitting up in bed with him, arms wrapped around her bare knees as she watches them with amusement, extremely beautiful and . . . extremely familiar.

"Wow." One hand drops to Zan's hair. "I don't even know where to start with you guys."

Comments

[troublebrewing]

... oh, wow.

[arsgoetia]

Tristan wiggles his fingers. "Happy New Year. I can break into the liquor cabinet for you, if you'd like."

[gavehimhead]

Don't encourage him.

[liarliarliar]

How about Sorry I Was Using Brain Magic?

[arsgoetia]

"I'm not sorry, though."

[stillyourpeacock]

..................................................

[arsgoetia]

". . . we can talk about this later?"

[fraternalorders]

[gently facepalming]

I'm not meant to be a pony.

[arsgoetia]

Tristan's shoulders start shaking. "That was hilarious."

[adropintheocean]

[throws a . . . a cushion or something . . . at the woman . . .]

[arsgoetia]

'She' catches it. "Not a morning person?"

[playfair]

[UGH WOOZY. but still sitting up]

A-Aaaare we all okay now?

[arsgoetia]

". . . Shuri, what are you doing?" Tristan peers down at him.

[wildnight]

[...really]

[arsgoetia]

"I'd offer to make room for you here, but I don't think the others would approve."

[rootless]

[....LOOKS AT THE WOMAN FOR A FEW MOMENTS]

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

[savethedatasaveyourworld]

Go for it, tree! Hit her before she attacks!

[mayflowered]

[ARE YOU FUCKING WITH no of course. of course.]

[arsgoetia]

Tristan's eyes actually widen. "Huh."

[star_and_stone]

At the beginning is a usually a good place.

*stands up and adjusts his suit jacket, glyphs still shimmering faintly*

[arsgoetia]

"Ahh, you're the one that was poking around . . ." Tristan pushes up his glasses, peering over at him.

[rollwillpowercheck]

[picks himself up off the floor into a sitting position.

looks at the woman.

lies back down.]

I'm not sure if I'm relieved or... what...

[arsgoetia]

"I'm not sure yet, either," Tristan says agreeably.

[gavehimhead]

...I'm disappointed, this was anticlimactic.

[arsgoetia]

"I'm so sorry to disappoint," Tristan says, not sounding very sorry at all. "Don't you think it was a twist?"

[telepathetically]

[FLIPS TRISTAN OFF from whatever corner of the basement floor he woke up on]

[arsgoetia]

"Yes, yes," Tristan sighs.

[arsgoetia]

[A hellhound bursts into the basement, flinging herself at Lucia, and is shortly followed by Kieran and Mika (bearing Elluka's phone)]

[playfair]

—Oh! It is you!

[loveinvein]

[ Following an energetic greyhound inside with an expensive bottle of wine and looking ~so cool~ even if he did approximately nothing except spend Tristan's money ]

... nice to see you're all alive and energetic. Anyone want to explain who this is?

[arsgoetia]

"Oh, I feel great. And none of them got killed by Pyramid Head, so all in all, a fantastic night."

[the_straight_man]

[Kieran's got holy water at the ready but just...stops short]

AH.

[arsgoetia]

"Hey, babe," Tristan sighs and rests his chin on one hand.

[savethedatasaveyourworld]

[okay why are we not killing her though

except Tree. Tree my main man.]

Anyone want to explain what the hell is going on?

[rollwillpowercheck]

... it's kind of complicated, but he's mostly on our side.

[STILL JUST LYING ON THE FLOOR.]

[arsgoetia]

Una takes a step forward, and another. "So I see they all know you," she says, a bit too-evenly, to Tristan. "But friendly acquaintances aside, get away from that boy."

[liarliarliar]

I don't like either of you right now. How about you both just go?

[delivoreance]

[you know, I kind of wondered this when the woman was blonde, but discounted it because does every stupid trap have to have Tristan involved in it?

I guess the answer is yes.]

[troublebrewing]

We really need to stop meeting him like this... what happened on your end?

[arsgoetia]

The situation as it stands (and descended into chaos)—

Tristan is holding onto Tsuyukusa and Verity to stop them from attacking Una. Una herself is standing calmly in the middle of all the chaos, stopping anybody that tries to lunge at her with a flick of a hand or a look; Lucia is in the corner yelling at Asmodeus on the phone; Mika just booked it out the door with Zan in his arms, Sariel hot in pursuit.

. . . Sariel comes back very shortly after, walking straight up to Una and bowing down onto one knee and looking pointedly at the floor.

"They got away," he snaps, flushed.

[arsgoetia]

Una sighs, seeming to withdraw into herself a little, crossing her arms. "Ah. Well, we did what we could. Is there anything you can think that we might need from these people to trouble them any further, Sariel?"