caughtinanetwork | 002 - Dream / Video [Interactive / Backdated]

[Perrin runs across an open field, a wolf at his side. It's Hopper, or rather the image of Hopper, grey-furred and grizzled, and his powerful bounds suggest life. But a glance at the wolf's eyes shows otherwise, that there is no spark of life to be found in them.

Their running slows as Perrin makes this realization. The wolf looks back at him with those hollow eyes and seems to slowly crumple, blood running down his back and his side and matting his fur, until the wolf's entire appearance becomes as lifeless as his eyes. The field seems small and colorless now, its edges closer and lined with dark trees and brush to provide excellent cover for enemies. Perrin can't see them or smell them, but he can feel their gazes on him and he's sure they're jeering at him, revelling in the death of his friend.

No. Perrin knows this is a dream. And it is his dream. He wills the image of the dead wolf and the encroaching darkness away, and instead thinks of Faile. Her long dark hair, her bold nose, and her familiar scent. He lays with his head in her lap in the peace of the field and scents of spring around them.]

[It's a pleasant moment, but it doesn't last long. Perrin wakes, staring at the ceiling. Still not having figured out the communication device that sits on the nightstand nearby, he doesn't realize it's recorded anything.]

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[Finally, someone who'd figured out the trick. Hideyoshi grins at the camera in approval.]

Now that's better to see.

[Perrin might be good with dreams, but technology is still a mystery to him. He sits up with a frown. He's sure he's alone in the room, so where is that voice... His eyes fall on the strange communicator, which was never really explained to him. There's a face on it now.]

...what do you mean?

The dream, pulling yourself up like that. The whole lot of them could learn a thing or two!

How do you know anything about it? Who are you?

[And why is he talking to a face on a little device? He feels silly.]

[Hideyoshi opens his mouth to reply, but then pauses, frowning instead. He knows that sort of confused look. He wore it himself hardly that long ago.]

Oh boy. You're a bit new here, aren't you?

[Perrin nods.]

I haven't been here long.

I can tell! Have they gone over the basics with you? Another world, big bad bubble, invertebrate overlord?

["Invertebrate overlord" throws him off for a moment, but he nods again.]

That was explained to me. Not this.

The magic toy, you mean. [He grins as he taps the camera.]

Well. I could try, but I haven't got the faintest idea how it works myself. Usually all it does is let you talk to other people who have one - and lots of people do! But this dream thing, that's a new feature...

["Magic toy" -- well, their understanding of it is about the same.]

So you saw the image of my dream projected here. [He taps the screen himself, frowning.]

Ah, yes. Sorry about that. [Hideyoshi shrugs slightly.] They just kept coming, you know? Call it morbid fascination.

[Perrin thinks for a moment and then lets out a sigh. It isn't the man's fault if it was made public.]

There are probably worse things you could have seen.

No kidding! If half this city knew what I dream about on a regular basis... [He wriggles his eyebrows in a way that leaves little room for guesswork on that subject.]

[...Perrin blushes, and is suddenly very glad that his moment with Faile was so... wholesome.]

Yes, that... could be embarrassing.

[Tragically, his reaction just makes Hideyoshi grin wider, though his voice is still kind.]

You might want to get used to that, hate to say.

Used to embarrassment?

Embarrassment, craziness, being munched on by a coral... all sorts of things. It isn't that bad, honestly!

It may be relatively peaceful, but I don't belong here.

Now, there's no point to dwelling on that. Don't worry about what you can't change, like they say!

That's not so easily done.

Ahh, well. It's your loss. This place can be brilliant, really it can. Have you noticed how everything's for free yet? And the things they have for free!

You mean the food and lodgings?

[Perrin's still a little wary of all that being free.]

And the clothes, and the furniture, and the - ahh, whaddayacall'em, appliances...

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