6379/River Of Dreams

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River Of Dreams
Date of Scene: 29 May 2021
Location: ArcTerra Biodome Cafe
Synopsis: Terry and Amanda meet together to discuss the strange case of Cliff Steele and the Dreamtime Brazier.
Cast of Characters: Terry O'Neil, Amanda Sefton




Terry O'Neil has posed:
The Biome was a place that was close to Terry's heart. It wasn't exactly a go-to for anyone else in the Titans, but he felt the atmosphere was unique and it facilitated conversation.

Not that he needed any help in facilitating anything with Amanda- he liked her, and he found her to be a great ally in mystical matters. But he felt that he should keep up the practice of meeting in unusual places or circumstances... the first time they had met in a regular place but an unusual doppelganger circumstance, and then they had met at the Themysciran embassy not too long before Harley had him chased by her Hyenahs in an attempt to train him.

A very extreme rainforest cafe was mild by comparison.

Nursing his smoothie, the human redhead leans forward and checks the notes in his little notebook. He had arrived a good fifteen minutes prior to their agreed time ,just so that he could get a refresher on all of the notes he had taken. Memories from the dream world were already unreliable, and he had to make sure everything he had written down upon waking was fresh in his mind, instead of the impression.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda isn't a nature witch. She excels with steel and concrete surrounding her. That's not to say she can't get on well with nature, but, well, it's not really a New York vibe -- all that greenery. Then again, she's not in New York, now, either. And that's as much a change as anything.

Dressed casually -- khaki trousers, a soft blue blouse, and a light, brown leather jacket, she wanders into the cafe and looks around. Her blue eyes pause on the menu, but then skim the room until she sees that familiar toussle of red hair. A small smile touches her lips and she moves to order herself a green tea before joining him.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Amanda!" Terry greets, looking up from his notes and giving her a wide, bright grin. "The stuff here is great. This smoothie tastes heavenly, I've had three and the brain freeze of a lifetime."

He waves at the environment, "A bit out of the way, but it's so pretty I couldn't resist it. I hope the commute wasn't too bad! How's everything going with you? We haven't had a chance to catch up!"

By the rather energetic demeanor, one might have to wonder about the sugar content of those smmoothies.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Indeed, Amanda suspects either the sugar content of the frozen confections is sky high, or the redhead is. She merely chuckles, sliding into a seat opposite him. "Oh, the commute was fine." Portal FTW. "Getting home will be a greater strain, I expect." But still well within her range of capabilities.

"So... what was so important that you need to bring me all the way to Gotham in the middle of Spring Event Season?" She's a party planner. Her seasons are always busy. And the glint her eyes suggests she's really not bothered by the invitation.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"I can give you portal back home if you need one!" Terry says, taking a long sip of his smoothie before answering. "The reason is a good one- I think, at least. A bona fide magical curiosity. A veritable cabinet of oddities. A mystic's mystery- that sort of thing."

He flips his notebook to the first page that has some writing scrawled across it. "So, I have to ask- have you ever heard of someone being trapped inside the world of dreams... corporeally? We're talking the full thing here, like an Apotheosis. Except it's with dreams, so.. Aponeirosis? I should have asked Troia about what the correct word would be..."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
fLess the showman than Terry is -- ironically at that -- Amanda chuckles at his flourish of words. "I can manage a portal," she tells him amicably. "But thank you."

She arches a brow at his question. "Corporeally?" she echoes. "No. Well... I've heard of people crossing into the astral plane physically. It takes a great toll on their bodies, but it *can* be done. Given the dream plane abuts that... it's possible, I suppose. But it seems to me it would take a great deal of energy to accomplish." Her head cants curiously. "What are you involved in now, Cat?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Well, over several nights my teammates- and moi for one night- have been getting pulled into the dream realm due to the effects of some magical..." he quickly consults his notes, "Brazier. Even though I clearly had just woken up and wrote 'brassiere' instead. But anyways, we were stuck in some thing called the Sane Asylum. It had one inpatient who was in there... Robotman. Of the Doom Patrol."

He lets that sink in while he sips his smoothie. "Apparently, he's been there for months. Or years. Dream time is different. But he is there, bodily and trapped. And it wasn't by his doing, as far as I understand."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Always the underwear with the cat. Amanda simply smirks and overlooks that particular quality in the lad. Again, the curious cant of her head. "Robotman." she repeats. "Is he actually a robot? Or is he a cyborg? An inventor?" Any of these things are possible. The first, however, makes his existence in the dreamscape highly unusual. Unless...

"If there's an artefact involved," she says slowly, considering the possibilities, "then it's *possible*, yes. It depends entirely on what this brazier is capable of -- who made, what type of magic is associated with it." She frowns faintly. "It would help if I knew what it looked like. I'd need to do research on it to truly understand it."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"He is... well, it's complicated. He was one of Gar's buddies from the Doom Patrol. His entire body was decimated but his brain survived and was put in a robot body. So... he's sort of a robot, but he's..." he shrugs, "A lot of things in our line of work tend to fall in the liminal area between being one thing and another, don't they?"

When Amanda requests a description, Terry starts doodling on the notebook. "It looked... sort of like this, but I'm not the greatest draftsman. I was talking with those who were there and suggested we should consult you to see if you could help us. We /have/ to bring Gar's buddy out of there, we just have to." He pauses and looks up from his drawing. "When I suggested you, one of them- Nick Drago- mentioned he knew you."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda makes a soft noise in the back of her throat that suggests she understands the difficulty Terry is having explaining the Robotman. "If he has a human mind," she says, "he's mortal still and thus susceptible to the dream plane." Makes sense. How the body got dragged in? She still needs to research that -- and even then, it may not matter. More important is figuring out how to get him *out* of it.

She takes a look at the rough sketch, pursing her lips slightly. "Between that and a memory spell," she notes, "I might be able to pull a more accurate image from your mind." It gives her something to focus on. She glances around, however. "I don't quite think this is the place to do it, though."

Her lips twitch slightly at the mention of Drago. "We've met, yes. Usually in weird dream planes or astral planes, oddly enough." Her tone suggests she doesn't find that odd at all. Especially given what little she's gleaned about his powers.

She straightens in her chair, reaching for her tea. "If there's a way to bring your boyfriend's mate home, we'll find it," she assures him. A brow arches. "I assume we're on limited time?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"I'm not entirely sure, to be frank." Terry scratches his chin with puzzlement, "Cliff-- Robotman -- is burdened with carrying that brazier. Apparently, he needs to take it to 'The Waking World', and it is the brazier that somehow pulls us into his part of the dream world. But when it does it varies and seems to follow no logic."

He plays with straw for a second before an idea seems to hit him. "Unless we could... /force/ ourselves in?" His green eyes flit over to Amanda, "Is it possible? Between you and Nick, to do something like that? That way we're not waiting while the iron is hot, we are the ones heating it up."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda considers the question. "It's... possible," she concludes slowly. "Again, it would take considerable energy. And likely a ritual rather than a spell." She gives him a wry smile. "I'm good, cat, but I'm no miracle worker." No matter what the mundanes think.

"It would help if we had something personal from him to focus on. It can act as a talisman of sorts -- almost like a scrying thread of hair." She purses her lips slightly. "And it is easier for us to go in through the Astral Plane and in astral form, rather than to brute force our way in physically. That said... it means we'll still be on your enemy's turf on their terms. We'll just be expecting it."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Going in astrally is better than not at all... mind you, Hawkeye did mention that bringing me along was like bringing a tactical nuke." He smiles, "And apparently my illusion powers there are capable of creating real things. Well. Real dream things. So I think we might be able to have some advantages, even if we are in enemy territory. You, me, and Nick? We can do it!"

He leans back, "So should we schedule a time where we can all meet and astrally dream or something? I've never been at a sleep-over!"

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda nods. "I reckon we should," she muses, British accent winning out clearly over subtle German. "Perhaps we can start in my Library. I will need to research before I launch myself headlong into dreamspace. And the Library is more protected a space than most others I have access to." Mainly because it's not on this plane, either.

"I'm not surprised you've Lucid Dreaming abilities. You're imaginative enough. But it is a skill most anyone should be able to mimic to some degree with even rudimentary instruction."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"That makes perfect sense. So... should we finish our drinks and head to the library so you can get a mental image of the Brazier out of my head? Mind you-" he raises a finger in warning, "I am not responsible for what else you find rummaging in there. It's been a long time since I've done clean-up and I can't guarantee you won't get attached by an earworm or a bete noire."

He smiles and finishes his smoothie with satisfaction. "Although there's a Greek deli around the corner where we can get some pastries on the way. Although, if I have any more sugar, I might potentially break the dimensional barrier without the need of any magic."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Swallowing down the last of her tea, Amanda barks a brief laugh. "Yeah, I don't think you need more sugar." Not that she'll stop him from picking some up. Free will and all that. "But, yes. The Library is a good spot for our next bit of work, I think. And, if it takes too long, I know a good take out that will deliver, later."

That said, she pushes back from the table and waits expectantly for him to join her. A brief jaunt to a less well observed spot and she can open a portal to her personal pocket dimension.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry stands up and discards his plastic cup in a nearby bin. "Alright, then! Let's head! I love libraries." He stops for a second, before following Amanda, "... let me guess: Look but don't touch, the books protect themselves?"

Amanda Sefton has posed:
"Of course," Amanda replies, a small smirk on her lips. What good is a magical library that can't defend itself? "Just, watch out for the Asgardian squatter. He can be annoying."

But that's all she'll say about that... even if pressed.

In the end, she enters a narrow alley with the young man behind her. And as they cross the threshold into shadow, her portal shimmers around them... taking them out of this world.