2019-11-18 - Of Escher and Insects

At approximately midnight on the evening of November 19th, five complete strangers in completely different locations are going about their business. Dahlia and Hyacinth find themselves sprawled out on their respective couches, while Tyler does pushups along to a John Denver tune. Beth is in the middle of taking a cadaver from the hearse, and Rusty is typing away at his keyboard.

As Beth turns back to close the back of the hearse, she hears it close with a resounding bang and when she turns back, she is no longer in the garage but in a large, empty warehouse of a very bizarre design. Stairways seem to lead to platforms halfway up a wall and simply stop. Others seem to jut out of the walls, with floors sitting at odd angles sideways. Still more on the ceiling are almost reflections of the ones above, all steel girders and platforms that, as she watches, begin to slide and move into different positions like some sort of M.C. Escher painting.

Dahlia and Hyacinth nod off on the couch, only to wake finding themselves sharing a large leather sofa on a strange metal platform. Around them, they see the same thing that Beth does, except when they look up toward the ceiling, they see Beth as though she were hanging upside-down from the ceiling above them.

Rusty nods off at his keyboard, and when he wakes, he finds himself in a small metal office with a large window in front of him. Looking out the window he has a view of the same warehouse, except that he seems to be situated about midway up the wall, with Hyacinth and Dahlia on one side, and Beth on the other, all of them seeming to be perpendicular to him and defying grafity.

Tyler continues to do his pushups, though eventually John Denver fades into the background, and he finds that the floor beneath him has become concrete instead of the familiar floor of his home. When he stands, you guessed it. He is in the same warehouse, and is standing on the wall opposite Rusty's office.

Dahlia had woken up around 10 and then moved to lay on the couch and flip on the TV with the noise down low so she could try and fall asleep again. And success! Except that she woke up again. And she might have started complaining and mumbling to herself. Except that she wasn't alone on the couch. This wasn't her couch. And Hyacinth - a woman she's only met once - is on the other side of the couch.

Dahlia slowly pushes herself up to look around, then up, then down. "...What the fuck??" She whispered. She's been in enough Dreams by now to understand what is probably happening but...why are all these other people here? Who ARE these other people?

Tyler was in for the night, not long after his shift at the firehouse had ended. He was winding down, doing his evening pushups, wearing just a pair of sweats. When the floor gets cold beneath his fingers, his pushup slows, and then he looks around. With a cautious, slow move, he straightens up, standing, his bare feet cold on the concrete. He sniffs, taking a moment to nervously scratch his sweaty chest with his hand as he looks around the warehouse space. It's not familiar, and he doesn't recognize anyone here. Wait. Maybe the goth girl he met once? His brow creases just slightly as he drops his arms back to his side. "Hello?" he calls.

Dreams and Rusty are familiar but he never figures it out right away. He just wakes with a start, his hand checking for drool by rote. He looks out the window ahead, blinking in confusion. A beat or two pass as he tries to process this and is left wanting. "I'm going out there." And he moves to leave the office.

Hyacinth was feeling rather resplendent and comfy when she fell asleep watching her television. Now? Well not so much! The What the Fuck? is answered flappy hand with a manicure, "Hmmm 5 more minutes Jen and I'll make it up to you." Wait... This... this is not a Jen sound and the draft better not be in her-

Hyacinth cracks one emerald eye open and sighs. "Well, shit." It's still elegant when she swears. Her pinky's out! She pushes herself to a sit and fixes her leg so it's seated proper. Shorts, tanktop, and one very ighty fluffy grey bathrobe getting assembled on her person again. ahem Second... there we go. Her fingers lift to Tyler, "Evening and... Dahlia. Apologies." But no this is a warehouse and she looks at it critically. That's not up. She looks behind her and across as well. "Up is gone and these stairs are not OSHA approved." Her nose wrinkles slightly admitting, "That might be my fault. Is everyone alright?"

Beth pulls the metal bed that she uses for transport out of the back of the hearse and the legs fold out so the corpse of the poor unfortunate dead person doesn't go spilling to the ground. She pulls it entirely out and rolls it out of the way of the back hatch door. She turns to push it shut. When she turns around she lets out an astonished gasp. "Hello?!" She calls out, mostly for lack of what to say. Tentatively she takes a step forward, her head tipping upwards as she stares at the illogical display in front of her.

"I really need to get out of this city." Dahlia sighed, moving to stand up and give Hya a wry smile. "Long time no see." She surveys the others, then looks up when she hears Beth. "Hey there!" She waves. "You're upside down. I don't know why." Just...roll with it. That's what you have to do right? She looks back to Hyacinth. "...Why is it your fault?"

Tyler inhales and exhales a few times, his chest rising and falling as he tries to figure out what's happening. He looks for a few moments at each of the people here, but then shakes his head a little as he decides he doesn't know any of them. "Are you all sharing this, or are you products of this?" he asks, trying to determine if they're dream people or real people who have been sucked into this same dream.

Hyacinth murmurs to Dalia, "Call it a hunch." She looks around and blinks under neatly hewn bangs, "You ever get piss drunk and binge HGTV?" One bare foot and one acrylic foot hit the floor as she swings her feet down. Her smile warm slightly with amusement, "Everyone's always real to themselves. Who are we to judge that?" She looks back to Beth and then over to Rusty curiously. "I can't tell if there's a lot of 'up' or a lot of 'down' but there is...definiately a lot".

Rusty has taken flight just as he walks in view of others. He panics first, flailing wildly and probably making it all worse. But a few beats later, an understanding comes over him. "I'm Dreaming. Fuck!"

Beth takes a slow step forward after she stares down the M.C. Escher painting that has become her reality for a few good minutes. This step seems to be okay so she takes another. Then another and...well, that's how one ends up floating, apparently. Her feet leave the ground and because that's definitely not supposed to happen she lets out a shriek. Her legs kick a little in the air and one of the conservative dark colored pumps she wears while performing her duties as a mortician slips off of her foot and floats away.

That was a good question Tyler! Dahlia pinched herself lightly. "I'm real!" She may have had more to add, but then people start floating. Well that can't be good. Then she laughed at Hyacinth's words. She couldn't help it. "No....and now I never want to." She murmured back. "Do we, uh...try to float too?" She asked - though stays firmly rooted in her spot.

There's a loud creaking sound, and a grinding, and suddenly the platforms begin to move, the girders seeming to shift, grow, and bend in a way that steel just shouldn't be able to do, as the warehouse begins to reconfigure itself. Somewhere, in the far corner, what appears to be a door swings open, slowly, with a rusty creak and there in the darkness, something moves just beyond their vision.

When the room begins to move, Tyler takes a knee for stability. He watches where everyone is moving to, doing his best to not go floating off as well. His fireman training kicks in just a bit, and he offers to everyone, "Let's just stay calm and we'll figure this out, folks." Then there's that door creaking. He looks at it, and his head tilts a little. Is it one of the shadow people? His finger twitches, and he waits.

Hyacinth keeps a hold of the couch. She can't help but grin as Dahlia laughs. well, to be fair, it is funny as it is serious. She looks up to Beth and Rusty, and then Tyler, and then the door. "Okay. Ummmm, well..." Dahl and Tyler both had a good question, "I'm thinking first we find out how people are safety wise. And then? Maybe see if we're stuck and if we are about to be attacked or eaten because it's just an excellent thing to be aware of early and often, and generally before it's a concern. I'm seconding the vote for calm here." Looking up to Rusty and Beth she asks, "Hello? On the ceiling or maybe the floor there, Are you alright?"

"I am NOT alright. Not at all." The middle aged man says, trying not to flail. Flailing might me more floating away. As panicked as his words are, his tone is fairly even. Mostly calm "I agree though. Stay cool.

Beth's eyes widen and a look of perplexed horror crosses her face as the steel rearranges itself. Her head jerks towards the door when it creaks open. "What is that?!" She shouts to the others, and her breath picks up a little as she begins to understandably freak out. "Eaten?!" She calls down to Hyacinth when she suggests this. Or maybe Hyacinth is up and she's down? "What does that mean? What is going on? Stay cool?!" . This last suggestion seems quite outrageous.

roll composure

From behind the door there extends one long spindly limb, almost translucent, a strange almost glass-like pale blue, and then another, and another, six limbs in total extending outward before the rest of it comes into view. The body is a carapace of spikes, though it moves with the fluidity of molten glass, and crystalline eyes atop tall stalks peer out above what appears to be a set of jaws filled with enormous mandibles. And then there are the wings, large venous things not unlike a dragonfly's wings that sprout from its back, an iridescent green. They flutter and buzz behind it, as it tilts its head and for the moment, stares at all of those within the warehouse. Its mandibles click. Unfortunately for Rusty, this thing seems to be staring straight at him in all his flailing as it continues to cause him to spin a bit out of control in the middle of the air.

Dahlia's attention shifts to the door. She grips the couch too for now, deciding that she is totally not going to fly today. No sir. No thank you. "Maybe there's a room that doesn't have the floating and stuff through that door?" Though, did something just move?! She hopes not. "Just...don't pan...." Dahlia voice trails off as this giant creature comes from the other side of the room. "...ic..." She squeaks out the remainder of the word. Her eyes are wide and her grip on the couch tightens but at least she's keeping her cool. Hopefully it isn't a carnivore...

Okay. Now is flailing panic, so much for staying cool. Rusty is fulling freaking out, trying to right himself, whichever way is up, and flee.

Tyler's eyes narrow at the giant insecty thingamabob. He lifts his chin just a little, and he calmly says, "You're gonna want to stop drawing attention to yourself, old man. Quit your flailing or that thing's going to get you." He purses his lips, glancing around once more to see where everyone else is. Then he just waits.

Hyacinth just watches looking at Rusty and Beth trying to assess any dam- oh. my. She murmurs quietly, "Some days, there are not enough shoes." Deep breath looking at the giant spidery creature. Nimble fingers slide the belt off her bathrobe and puts a slip knot in either end. One end is handed to Dahlia. "In case, so we don't float apart." It's at least sort of a plan. And the man is flailing. She looks back to Tyler. Okay so far. "Christ on a cracker it's looking at him." Tyler pointing out that factoid of drawing attention to himself inspires. "Good idea." Right! New plan... in case. Now's the time for addressing a room? Maybe a distraction? "Hello! You there! Who does your logs they're lovely." Says the woman with the acrylic appendage. It's folly to assume enemies because that's how one makes enemies, but also how one gets eate? Whoo boy.

A strange transition passes over Beth as the illogical creature that really makes no sense in a perplexingly frightening way appears and goes after Rusty. She stops her little freak out, takes in several deep breaths through her nose before releasing them through her mouth, and any sign of panic vanishes. She is as cool as a cucumber. She watches as Rusty attempts to get away but just can't before she calls out to Rusty, "You're calm. You're so chill, my man! You are ice cold!" And the more she speaks it the more she tries to will it to be. However, one can try to will something as much as they'd like, and it doesn't mean much of anything.

Dahlia looks over at the makeshift tether and carefully accepts it. "Good plan." She agreed. Her heart is hammering as she watches poor Rusty flailing and this bug thing watching him. She is opting to remain still and quiet. Good job Beth! Hopefully it works.

That critter? It starts to advance on Rusty, lifting up off the "floor", its wings buzzing. It's not moving very /fast/, but it is on a direct trajectory with Rusty up until Hyacinth addresses it directly, drawing its attention. Did it understand her? It cocks its head to one side, and starts moving in her direction instead, eyeing her leg. Maybe it did. Maybe it's curious. If only eyestalks were particularly expressive. But they're not.

Tyler smirks just a little at the attempt to calm Rusty down. Aside from that, he just continues to watch the insect monster, not moving. There's no reason everyone has to die here, and he just assumes he'd like to be the one who makes it out alive.

Rusty rolls up into a little ball. He's shivering. Cool. Chill. Maybe a little too literal. But the effect is the same. No flailing. Just a tight knot of Rusty in space.

Hyacinth looks at teh large glassy creature. "Yes you. Evening." She makes certain it can see teh fabrication and truthfully, she might be looking for a lead. She smile and says without moving her lips, "We may want to get that guy to a hand rail" Fingers wave and she continues to watch the insectoid creature. "I don't mean to be rude but they're genuinly lovely. Did you get a carapace polished to match that? You have some steller options to work that look with. Litle jealous. Won't lie."

"No. Not cold. Calm." Beth says in as gentle a tone as she can manage to Rusty considering the fraught circumstances. She doesn't even look at the strange glass eye-stalk having monster. Instead she focuses on Rusty with about the same amount of success as previously.

Oh shit! It was coming closer to Hyacinth! Which meant it was coming closer to Dahlia! Ohmygodthiswasnotgood! Hya can probably feel a little tug from the tether as Dahlia grips it tighter. But, uh, it's not trying to eat Hyacinth so that's a good thing right? Dahlia instinctively takes a tiny step backward though. She starts looking around a bit to see if there's something that she could maybe discreetly toss to Rusty? Poor guy.

The thing continues to fly toward Hyacinth, coming to stop directly in front of her, mandibles chittering and wings fluttering. It then lands, neatly, in front of her. Whatever issues they are having with gravity, the creature does not seem to possess these problems. It reaches out with one leg and pokes her acrylic one. Taptap.

Tyler grits his teeth just a little, and he slowly rises to his feet. He keeps a fist balled, but bends his elbow so it's held out in front of him. He stares at the insect, ready to act should it decide to start feasting on Hyacinth. "Easy..." he says calmly to her.

Hyacinth is either going to be eaten or admired. Either way let it be said she has excellent taste. In the periphery There's a Tyler and Dahlia. Okay then. The focus is this way and her hand with the tether extends out ans asks dahlia along the paths of her neural network in her head "Hey, Dahlia, it's Hya. Can you get to that man on the ceiling and help Beth out? I didn't want to let you go like a balloon without warning."

The acrylic leg slides out. And it's the one with the flowers cast in the middle, not the light up one. *Tap tap tap*Hya extends it hoping it doesn't get torn off without warning and whip her around like a rag doll. "I have one with lights too." Sometimes she's good with an audience. "I'm Hya, pleasure to meet you. Had I known we were just going to drop in I'd have brought something to pass. You have a name, lovely?"

Rusty, as is becoming a habit in Dreams, has just shut down. He's calm, quiet and still huddled in a ball with his eyes closed. It'll be over soon. Just let it pass.

While Hyacinth continues to show off her acrylic leg Beth focuses on trying to gain control of her movement and get towards Rusty. She manages to get leverage on one of the convoluted walls with a foot, and propels herself forward.

Dahlia realized the moment she stepped backward that she made a mistake! She can feel herself lifting off the ground. Oh shit. Her heart feels like it's going to beat right out of her chest but, hey, at least she didn't start flailing. Rusty's example had been a good thing of 'what not to do' apparently!

Then Hya's voice is in her head. Which startles her again! <<Uhm, sure?>> She isn't actually sure if Hya can hear that or not. But she looks up towards Rusty. "Hey - uh Rusty right? I'm gonna try and help get you back down the ground-er-platform okay?"

She looks over to Beth as she says it and also attempts to navigate towards Rusty-ball as well. Between the two of them they should have this right?

The buglike creature shifts around so that it is sideways to Hyacinth and crouches down, like an elephant might do to accept a rider, one leg bent like a step, apparently inviting her to climb onto its back. It seems to have lost all interest in the others for the time being as they float and careen around the room.

Tyler seems to be frozen stock still, just keeping an eye on things, watching as everything unfolds. But while no one is paying attention to him, he simply vanishes, as though he were never there.

Dahlia and Beth both glide across the open space until they both reach Rusty roughly simultaneously, causing all three to kind of spin in place for a moment before eventually coming to a slow stop.

Hyacinth tries to keep a peripheral awareness like one does while operating a table-saw: Eyes in front and know what's happening around you. The gals got the scared fellow, thought he name seems to register; her eyebrow arching a titch. Her attention doesn't move from the glass creature though. Everyone's got a part and maybe everyone can have a good time here. "Aww, there we go. Really?" She reaches out with a hand, sparkly nails that are totally impractical for her craft and yet survive somehow in spite of herself to rest on the shoulder-carapace-shell-chitinous bits of the buglike creature and accepts the gesture to climb on its back. "You are too kind to help me off that couch. I do truly appreciate it." Manners, Hya read about them in a book on how to not-be-eaten and is really hoping she remembered to read all of it, you know, in case.

Dahlia glaces down to check on Hya...and sees her mounting the damned insectoid. "...The hell Hyacinth. Are you the insect whisperer now?" Then she focuses on the task at hand. "Okay. I have this." She holds up the bath robe tie that has been turned into a double ended tether. "So....maybe Rusty can hold on to this and I pull you push? Or vice versa?"

"Okay." Beth says with a nod of her head in agreement to Dahlia's suggestion. "Hey...Rusty, is it?" She says to the balled up and shut down man. "We're gonna try to get you down." She looks back to Dahlia, "What after that? How do we get out?"

It seems that Hyacinth is indeed the insect-whisperer, because the big bug thing carries her lightly around the strange warehouse, eventually passing near to Beth, Dahlia, and Rusty. With Dahlia and Beth's help, and Hyacinth's the insect-like creature gathers everyone up, and flies them over to the exit that it came in through, taking them away from the strange room with its twisting architecture and out through the door. As they pass through the door, they hear the faint humming of the insect's wings, and the tinkling chiming of its glass legs clicking together.

And soon, they wake, finding themselves asleep where they were in their homes, the sound of windchimes vaguely on the air, but that could just be a trick of the mind, a vague memory of a Dream before waking.