hypnagothic | [Etraya] IC Contact/Inbox

I see.

[ But even with his full power, Dream cannot break the hold this world has over them. That's concerning. Hob tries not to let the worry show on his face, but he's not always good at hiding his thoughts. ]

Have you met others here? Gotten to know anyone else?

I have spoken with several, there having been events that enforce interactions.

[ but he watches Hob's face closely, tilting his head ever so slightly. ]

... You seem to have troubling thoughts.

[ Hob finishes preparing the tea and places two mugs on the counter, one before Dream, should he choose to drink it. Hob holds his own in both hands. ]

There's a lot about this place that's troubling. You're being held here with all of your power, for one. There are others here who are also powerful, and none can do anything about our situation.

[ he doesn't take it for now, concentrating instead on Hob. ]

Indeed. More troubling still that I have been captured three times now, in close succession.

I'm sorry.

[ Hob knows it must be hard to go from one cage to another, even if this one makes it seem as though he's free. None of them are free here, especially if they get pushed into missions

As for the tea, the offer is more of a formality. Hob won't be bothered if Dream doesn't drink any of it. ]

I know I usually do the talking, but if you want to talk about something, I'm here.

I would suppose that not much has occurred for you since our last meeting at the New Inn.

[ a thin attempt at humor. but he actually reaches for the tea now, taking a shallow sip. ]

Not much to speak of, no. You were the most eventful thing to happen to me in awhile.

[ But Hob communicated how peaceful life has been when they met at the Inn, of course. ]

Until now, I suppose. Waking up here was definitely eventful.

Most especially with what came after your waking.

[ he takes another tiny sip of tea before setting the cup back down. ]

Though I was uncertain if you asked all that you wished to know of me. The arrival of lady Vanessa rather changed the dynamic of the evening.

[ Hob drinks from his cup, as well. ]

I think I did. I found out a lot.

[ He knows what happened to Dream. What happened to himself six hundred years ago. And heard he was in another place he doesn't remember. Is there anything he's missing? Other than knowing anything about Vanessa, but it's clear Dream isn't going to fill him in on any details about her life and neither is she. ]

I left a letter for her expressing my thanks.

I saw. She will appreciate the politeness, especially when hand-written. You know of the era from which she hails.

[ Dream himself appreciates it since he dislikes the devices. ]

Though I admit that I thought you would ask more of me.

[ That gets a raised brow and an amused look from Hob, along with a smile. Oh? Is Dream dying to talk about himself after six hundred years of listening to Hob do all the talking? Maybe he's just ready to be more open, at least, to an extent. ]

If I am permitted, alright. I guess I want to know what it is you do between one-hundred year visits.

[ ready to be open would be more accurate, or perhaps that he learned to enjoy the more intimate knowledge that Hob had of him? even he's not sure beyond desiring more time with him. ]

Put simply, I rule over my realm. It is called the Dreaming.

[ More time with him is something Hob has always wanted but could never dare to ask. It's a pity he doesn't remember how much time they shared in another realm. It would have been like a dream for him. ]

Tell me more about it.

It is the world where people go to dream, where they find respite from the Waking World that leaves them wanting and weary. When dreamers sleep and enter my realm, they find freedom and adventure to face their fears and fantasies in the dreams and nightmares that I create. That is my purpose and my function, and I control all within the Dreaming, lest the nightmares and dreams consume and destroy the dreamers.

Wow.

[ Hob is left at a loss for words. Dream orchastrates all of that? ]

You create all dreams? The good and the bad? Does that mean you know what everyone's dreamt about? Even me?

Any mind may create dreams of their own, as well, but they are also of my dominion. And yes, the good and the bad, though this is a false dichotomy. Each dream has a purpose for the dreamer, to inspire or to frighten, to provide a reprieve or simply a place to exist uninhibited my their waking thoughts. Some dreams hold no other meaning than to be.

[ there's a hint of a smile then, of faint amusement. ]

As for your own dreams, I admit that I did know of your dreams after our initial meeting, but I then withheld from seeking out your dreaming mind in favor of allowing you to tell of your time when we next met.

[ It's a little difficult to understand, but maybe it's because he's not supposed to understand how such things work. Dream makes them but he also does not. They serve a purpose and yet some do not. But it's also right for dreams to be mysterious things just like the one who rules them.

The smile on Dream's face makes Hob's heart beat faster, his face flushing with embarrassment. ]

Which dreams were those, exactly?

[ Dream did leave quite an impression the first time they met. He was both mysterious and beautiful. Later on, though, he became the stuff of Hob's nightmares when Hob thought he might have inadvertently lost his soul. ]

[ the amusement deepens into an actual smirk. ]

Only the ones from before the day we met. Ease your heart, Hob, for I maintained your privacy.

I.. appreciate that.

[ An amused smile follows. ]

It must be very tempting, though, to see into other's dreams. I'm not sure I'd have your will power.

[ Hob is far too curious to be the king of any realm. ]

I have seen the dreams of the first things that ever dreamed when the universe was new and everything since. There is much that I have seen, Hob.

I have no doubt of that.

[ And if that is the case, Hob's dreams are probably pretty bland by comparison. Most humans probably have the same sort of dreams, anyway. The same fears and desires run through them all. ]

Are people not predictable? Boring, even, to someone like you?

There are occasionally those who surprise. Delightfully so.

[ his head tips towards Hob. ]

[ Hob smiles a little behind his lifted cup. It's amazing to think back on how Dream was during their first meetings and how he is now. ]

I have been more surprised by things in the last week than I have in the last century.

[ Not all of them good, but surprises, despite it all. ]

Edited 2024-07-21 15:07 (UTC)

Oh? Your arrival here besides?

Well, you and Vanessa, of course.

[ Though Dream probably already surmised that much. ]

And hearing about the City.

[ He doesn't remember the city, so Vanessa was more of a surprise since he met her. ]

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