[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

[savethedatasaveyourworld]

[okay. but I've faced down a giant sadistic mass-murdering robot who was threatening to rip me apart violently and had actually done so to hundreds of other giant robots.

including my friends.

so the reply is tense, but:]

Not. Going. To happen.

[and she yanks.]

[arsgoetia]

Una lightly pushes Verity back. It's a little flick of one hand, but the result is equal to tossing her halfway across the room.

[savethedatasaveyourworld]

[also not unfamiliar.

but what if climbing shakily to her feet and charging back at Una.]

[rootless]

[he apparently just got mindfucked because he looks fucking terrified as he DIVES TO GET BETWEEN THEM]

No!

[savethedatasaveyourworld]

Move. It's fine. We don't have the rose anymore.

[rootless]

IF WE ALL TEAMED UP AGAINST HER WE COULDN'T FUCKING SCRATCH HER.

[savethedatasaveyourworld]

You think that matters? I know how this goes. Get him out of here!

[rootless]

[...yeah you know what i don't like abject terror anyway]

Don't die.

[not sure if he's saying that to her or himself because he's trying to jump una again]

[savethedatasaveyourworld]

[grabbing that shovel and following him.]

Same to you!

[arsgoetia]

Tristan actually grabs them both this time, hauling them back by the backs of their shirts. "Let's not."

[savethedatasaveyourworld]

[WHIRLS INTO THAT AND ATTEMPTS TO SMACK HIM WITH THE SHOVEL

without hesitation

i mean seriously what did you expect.]

[arsgoetia]

Tristan ducks in under it and kisses her, holding her firmly in one arm.

While having Tree scruffed like a kitten in the other.

[savethedatasaveyourworld]

[her eyes widen, then narrow, and she swings it right back around

though with less force due to sudden application of magic drugs.]

[arsgoetia]

He ducks again, nudging it out of her hands. "Oh, come on."

[savethedatasaveyourworld]

Fuck you! Get the fuck away from me!

[STRUGGLING AS HARD AS POSSIBLE WHILE DRUGGED FUCK YOUR DEMON ROOFIES]

[rootless]

[goes slack like a kitten scruffed by its mother]

Fair.