2019-09-05 - Sleep-Painting is Not Your Friend

Jens has called a house meeting. Runa has informed him she is auditioning and can't make it and to let her know what's up via text, so he just threw his hands up. That's just how Runas do. But now he's sitting on the couch waiting for the others. He sends a final text and then pockets his phone. They can tell it's serious because he's wearing a shirt.

Not pants, mind you. He's in his boxers. But there's a t-shirt.

Marius is back from work just in time for the house meeting, his motorcycle idling into the driveway and cutting out. A moment later, he comes in through the front door, wearing dirty jeans, workboots, and a sleeveless t-shirt that was once white and is now somewhere approaching beige. Look, it gets dusty on jobsites. His carpenter's belt is slung over one shoulder, and he wipes at his brow with the back of one forearm as he pushes the door closed behind him, "This better come with a drink. I'm parched." And tired, if the fact that the comment has less than his usual exuberance behind it.

Unlike Marius, one part of Ashtrid was here long enough to shower and change, and Ash is bounding down the stairs just in time to see messy-Marius, "You need a bath...or to go outside, strip down and hose off. We'll wait." Or watch. Both are potentially alright with her. Either way she moves towards the couch, flinging herself down next to Jens, legs crossing, "You can go hose off, too."

Serious, what serious? Ash is not serious.

Astrid comes bouncing down the stairs after Ash in short-shorts and an oversized t-shirt that has seen the scissors taken to it with knots at the hem and a dipping collar. She's got her sunglasses perched on her head like she's reading to head outside, but is instead diverted to the called meeting. She plops down on a couch with a bright smile to the boys. "Aww, I don't know -- he has the cute Dirty Jobs look going on. Jens though -- " She squints at him playfully.

"Har har. You guys are hilare," Jens says with a snort when Ash knocks into him. He points at the fridge. "Beer in the fridge," for Marius before shifting away from Ash and standing up. "So anyway, get your drinks and then sit down, he says, motioning for the couch, which he no longer occupies. "I'll talk to Runes later, but this is, uh, important." He frowns. "I think."

Jens smacks his forehead. "Oh, right. Be right back." And then he dashes upstairs. Weirdo.

Marius upnods to Jens at the mention of the beer, starting that way and then slowing down two steps. He receives Ash's teasing and Astrid's benediction with a frown, "Damn. This is serious, he's wearing a shirt." And then Jens is gone upstairs past the girls, and so he shrugs at them, heading for the kitchen. He does, however, stop partway there to make grabby-hands at Ash and Astrid in turn with his dirty hands, then promises, "Just for you ladies, I'll wash my hands before I drink." What a promise. And he follows through, too, or at least the water runs, and he comes back out with a beer that he pops open with one hand while he holds out two more with his other hands to Ashtrid. And look, his hands are clean, significantly cleaner than his arms.

"Bye.." Ash replies when Jens moves, her nose wrinkling before she throws her arms around Astrid, mock-sobbing, "He doesn't like me any more." But then there is beer, and seriousness. And she's doing her best to at least handle one of those things, which is the beer since Jens has already run off, "Wonder what it is...you don't think he's going to tell us he's got the Clap, right? Or crabs..."

Astrid looks bemused between Ash and Marius. "Uhh. What was that about?" She then smiles warmly at Ash and shakes her head. "Impossible. And if he did, that just means there's more 'Like Ash' in the universe for me to gobble up so I like you even more!" That makes sense, guys. Really. She bounces out of her seat to get her own beer, and Ash one, too, and then she's plopping back on the couch again. "Alright, Ree is clean, we have beer and now we're waiting for Weird Jens to come back." Sip.

Jens comes back down the stairs, but this time, he comes with a covered canvas. It's about five feet wide and three feet tall and he sets it down in front of him, looking at them. "Okay so. You ready? Because this shit gets real." He claps his hands. "I had a dream the other night. It was super weird. Like I had a day, too, like weird weird, like, black cat crossing my path, salt in my nose, mirror breaking near me fucking weird, okay? Like, all in one afternoon. That shit is creepy as fuck, okay? And then I went to sleep." He says it like that's when shit gets worse. "And I dreamed. I dreamed some fucked up shit that I don't entirely remember? But." He puts his hands on the top edge of the painting. "I think I painted the pertinent parts in my sleep. I sleep-painted."

"I hope it's not crabs. I heard those things can..." Marius trails off as he considers multi-Ash, then nods, "That's not a problem." He takes a sip of his beer, balancing on the arm of the couch to minimize his dirt-spreading. As Jens comes down with the covered canvas, Marius pushes off one boot and then the other, groaning with pleasure as he does. The good feelings do not last, however, as Jens starts talking. He listens, and when Jens gets to the end, Marius upends the can of beer, draining off about half of it, pausing, burping quietly, and then noting with extreme understatement, "That doesn't sound good." His eyes flicker over to Ashtrid, then back to Jens, "And you wanna show it to us?" There's a wariness to the question. He's been there before, even if it's been a while.

"I love you, too." Ash points out, giving Astrid's cheek a kiss and beaming at her, in a happiness that lasts about as long as it takes Jens to start talking. Then she loses that smile, and focuses on things, "Oh..." She glances at her beer, then she drains it much like Marius, setting the empty can on the table, "I'm ready..."

When Jens mentions that shit is getting real, Astrid casts a glance toward Ash before she tucks up her feet, and sets her elbows on her knees. When Jens starts to share, her mouth sets into a harder frown, and her eyes shift toward Marius first and then to Ash. "You... sleep-painted?" Like the other two, she looks uncomfortable at first before she offers up a simple nod. "Okay. Let's see what you got, Jens."

"You guys know I wouldn't if I didn't think it was important, okay? I have been wracking my fucking brain over this for a while, right? But I think you need to see this, so. Just. Like. Sorry." And then he just drops the covering so they can see.

Ash standing on the edge of a cliff; Marius being chased through a city by dogs; Astrid lying in a pool of her own blood; Runa on the precipice of a building that stretches into the sky; Jens staring at a loaded gun with his hands in the air. Over all of it: a gathering storm.

"So," Jens says, "Yeah."

"Sleep-painting is bad," Marius summarizes entirely inadequately for Astrid. "Dreams aren't always nice." The two are connected, clearly. He nods his agreement at Ash and Astrid's claim of being ready. When the painting is unveiled, he flinches ever-so-slightly. His last experience was Not Good. But it's uncovered, and there's nothing to do but look. He looks from one scene of devastation, disaster, and death to another, then drains off the rest of the beer. There's no burp this time. Narrative causality -- that would take away from the solemn 'we're fucked' feel he's got going on. "That sounds like a shit dream, Jens." He's serious, scootching forward on the arm of the sofa to give Jens's shoulder a cuff and a squeeze. "Dogs. And heights. And a gun, and... whatever happened to Astrid," he casts her a worried look, "This some sort of omen-y thing, man? Or what?"

"Sleep painting is super bad." And Ash really didn't even know it was honestly possible. But there it is. Doesn't much matter, because that fabric is pulled aside and the painting is shown. She stares at it for a little while before she, rubs her hands over her face, "That doesn't look like a good dream at all." Which is putting it mildly. Then she drops her hands, staring, "So are we all going to die now?"

Astrid is the last person to say anything as she stares at the painting. Then, slowly, her head starts to shake. "Nope." It's an easy syllable that starts to repeat itself. "Nope, nope, nope. I don't know what that is, but no way is that me, and no way am I dying like that." Whatever that is. "Your paintings don't do that, do they?" She has no idea what is the degree of Jens's abilities with paintings. She glances toward Ash and then back to Jens. "Omens aren't things."

"Man," Jens says, hands going up and running through his hair. "Do I look like I fuckin' know?" Jens asks Marius with a shrug. He shrugs and spreads his arms at Ash. "Hell if I know! Jeez." Astrid gets a shrug. "I mean, they don't come true as such, but usually they lead to some fucked up dreams. This just felt..." He sighs. "It felt different, guys. I don't know. I thought you should know. I've never painted... more than one person. And never this violent shit, it's usually like creepier implied bullshit."

"Well I don't know," Marius snaps back at Jens, fear lending an atypical edge to his voice. He looks around the little group, Astrid to Ash to Jens and back to Astrid, setting down the empty beer can and rubbing his hands over his thighs -- which promptly gets them all dirty again. "Okay. So. Okay. None of that says dying. Right? Maybe these are just, you know, things we have to face head on?" His brow gets a good rubbing next, which leaves a smear of dirt on his forehead, "Had to be dogs, didn't it?" He's had a thing about dogs, or at least big dogs, ever since that thing when he was ten. He looks back to Jens, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably, "Yeah. So like, we might just all get dreams about that? Together? Which would suck, but, better than different."

"Or maybe all the same dream." Ash slouches in her seat, studying the painting with far more irritated and scared focus than she's probably studied anything else in her life. She shakes her head a bit, finally tearing her eyes away from it to look towards Astrid, a hand reaching over to pat her leg quietly, "We'll....figure out if it means anything. But until then, maybe avoid anything that'll put is in those situations?"

"This isn't creepy?" Astrid gestures at herself in alarm. Then she is looking at Marius with a wide-eyed expression. "I'm bleeding out, Marius. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be facing." Then she frowns at the painting once more. "Now I'm afraid to sleep." Little does Astrid know is that's not how that works. She rubs at her forehead, looking down as she thinks. "Okay, so... you dreamed this all up after having bad luck all day?"

Jens just kind of looks a little lost and spreads his arms. "I'm sorry, all right? I didn't want to keep it all... you know... locked... up. I don't fucking know." He tosses his arms up and paces, side to side. "I don't know. Yes. After having bad luck all day. Look I told you--" he tells Astrid, and Ash, really, "this town is fucking weird." Then he looks at Marius. "Nobody fuckin' listens, man!"

Marius shakes his head at Astrid's alarmed gesture, "It's creepy as fuck." At least he's not avoiding that, "And the you in the picture is really really bleeding, but we don't know anything about out." He reaches out for Astrid's arm, leaving a dusty mark there as he squeezes sharply, concern etching his features as he looks from Ash to 'trid, "It'll be okay." He looks back to Jens, "We'll figure something out. I dunno. Maybe talk to mom. Or... nobody fuckin' listens because it's scary as hell." He shakes his head, letting out a breath and looking back to Astrid.

Ash gives Astrid's knee another squeeze, "It's going to be okay." She assures her, then she starts to get to her feet, moving to try and catch the pacing and failing Jens, grabbing for his shoulders, "Thank you." She states it carefully, not that she wants to be thankful for chaos. "For telling us."

That's when Astrid does a self-check, and she sighs heavily. Her eyes flicker between Ash and Marius before she gives Jens a small, uncertain look. "Okay. Okay. We need to stop for a second here... of course this town is weird! It always has been, hasn't it?" She looks at the painting. "So, okay... maybe we need to figure out what this painting is supposed to mean." She points at it.

"Yeah. Maybe we do." Jens takes a deep breath and then he grabs the blanket and covers the painting up. "So I'm going to try to do that, before any of this shit gets real. Just..." He loks at Ash and Astrid, more than Marius, "If it feels like a dream, or impossible, or surreal... just... concentrate on getting back home and waking up. Okay? I need to go... lock this thing up. And try to figure it out." He picks it up and starts up the stairs with a somber look; it's unsuaul.

Marius nods his agreement with Ash's thanks, huffing a breath and letting it out again. "Have we all... have we all seen dreams then?" He looks over to Astrid and Ash -- okay, just Ash -- before looking back to Jens. "I mean, I'd ask if locking it up would help, but it can't hurt." He finally looks at his dirty palms, then over to Astrid's arm and shrugs his apology. "So we're still out of groceries, right? Because... that's what I'm thinking will fix all of this -- food."

"Are we?" Ash hasn't looked, to be honest. But when Jens heads back off with the painting she moves back to the couch, sitting back down, arms crossing, "The other painting...the one that gave me that fucked up dream. That's all it was, just a dream." She might be trying to reassure Astrid, honestly. Then she shakes her head at Marius, "Only weird shit I've experienced."

Astrid watches Jens retreat back up the stairs with a serious frown. Her eyes shift aside between Ash and Marius, and the brunette is quiet for a long moment. "He seems really freaked out... should we be worried? Like, what if he spirals out?" This is said as she looks to Marius, and then to Ash. "Have you had any dreams since then?"

"Yeah. I kind of used most of what we had for my lunch." Marius looks back up to the stairs and his brother beyond, grimacing broadly, "Crazy firsts are hard. First Dream?" The capital letter is clear in his voice, "Nasty. First..." he frowns slightly, gesturing slightly with his hand, "...you know, Glimmering. Feels like you're going crazy. So dreaming about your friends and family d -- " he stops, trying again, " -- getting actually hurt? I think he's definitely going to have it pretty rough for a bit. We definitely want to keep an eye on him."

"No." Ash shakes her head, "Just that one time." She gets to her feet again, suddenly, picking up her empty can to go and toss it into the recycling bin before mixing herself a drink. It's really the time for something stronger than a beer. "It'll be okay...guys. It'll be fine. Just a dream." Please god just a dream.

"We need to better stock the kitchen now that you're doing crazy construction work and eating everything." It's a good distraction from the actual topic, and she's breathing out a sigh as she sinks deeper into the couch and sipping at her beer. Her eyes flicker between Ash and Marius again before she looks into the middle distance. "Okay. We watch out for Jens, and make sure we don't have weird dreams." She's quiet for a long moment. "... I really don't want this to be an omen."

"Look, it's not our fault that we eat a lot." Marius holds a hand up at his head level, then both hands out at his shoulder width. "If it's just a Dream, we'll handle it. Totally." If it's not... he shakes his head at Astrid, "I'm sure it won't be." Even if he asked if it would be. "So. I need to avoid dogs. Great." Shaking his head, he looks over to Astrid, "Okay, so I'm not getting groceries on the bike. I'm gonna take a shower, and try not to worry, and then Ast, can I borrow your car? I'll pick up some Jens-comfort-food."

The drink she makes is downed, then a second is made. Only then does she starts to head back to the couch, "I can go check on him while you two go to the store." Ash is just assuming they are going shopping together, it seems. "You two eat fine, we're just still adjusting to how to shop for it. No big deal."

"It is your fault." There's some bickering in those words that fade away as Astrid looks up to Ash. She shuffles a bit to make room for Ash on the couch, and she will twist her arms around her friend's shoulders comfortingly. She rests her head against Ash's, brown and blonde mixing together. "You want me to get you anything?" Those words are soft. Then she looks over toward Marius. "I'll drive." She doesn't debate Ash kicking them out so she can go check on Jens.

"Pretty sure he'll be fine now," Marius notes, even as he watches Astrid nestle close to Ash and shakes his head, "It'll be later that he's got problems." There's a beat pause, and he gestures between the two women, "You know, you two can pretty much just do that again and it'll make him at least a little happier. Just for the record." He looks down at his dirty shirt and jeans, then shakes his head, "I should de-dirt, Ast. I'll be down in a few?"

"We'll make out just to cheer him up." Ash assures Marius before she turns her head to give Astrid's cheek a kiss, snuggling back in against her, "Normal things, whatever you guys want to get that is fine with me." She glances at Marius, sticking her tongue out towards him.

Astrid rolls her eyes at Marius before she wraps up Ash with all four limbs, clinging to her with her head tucking against her friend's. "Okay. I'll get normal things." Which means she's going to find the weirdest shit in the store to buy. Then she glances over toward Ash with a little, tentative smile.

"Bonus, it'll cheer me up too." Marius grins, although his grin isn't so bright as usual, his eyes drifting upward toward the second floor. He might be downplaying his worry for his brother. "Might even cheer up everyone within ten miles." He collects his empty, and heads to recycle it, "Do they sell teriyaki tacos?" That's a normal thing, clearly. Right?

"They don't, but you can make them with chicken. And tortillas." Ash doesn't even question the weirdness of the food choices any more. Nope. She snuggles up with Astrid before she reaches for her face, squishing her cheeks. "One time, just for cheering up people. Any more and then they'll start to expect it." She then leans in to make like she's going to kiss Astrid. Which might all be just a show, or an excuse for something terrible. Like licking her face. Could happen.

"I guess we're having tacos." Beat. "Is it Tuesday?" It is Thursday. Then Astrid hauls herself up to her feet after smooching Ash's temple as she does. "I should go get ready to carefully monitor a hungry Viking in a grocery store." She gives Ash another little squeeze to her shoulder before she starts for the stairs so she can grab her stuff and make sure that Marius doesn't buy-out the store of its Cheetos.

Marius lingers in the doorway as Ash leans in toward Astrid, "Mmm... Taco Thursday." That's a thing, right? It is now! Marius waits, waits... and Astrid is getting up, "Goddamn it, Astrid. Fiiiiiine. I'll be right down and clean, Ash. I'll give you that smooch-tainment. Or try it on Jens." And then he's stacked up behind Astrid to go upstairs, sighing theatrically, "Now I need Cheetos."

"Bye." Ash calls, finishing off her second drink before she gets up as well, then goes about doing whatever else she was going to do.