With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

[Handlewithcare]

Uh oh.

And here we see the dangers of an incomplete DnD/RPG education. If Mr Allen here had completed his basement-studies, he would know to be on his toes right now, kids!

Remember, random story trope cliches may one day save your life!

 

[Sockmonkey]

And here we see the dangers of an incomplete DnD/RPG education. If Mr Allen here had completed his basement-studies, he would know to be on his toes right now, kids!

Click to shrink...

Yep. If anywhere is gonna conform to story tropes, it's the Dream.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

November 8th, 2012
About Half Past Nine, EST

I follow Doctor Mist into the alleyway, then hesitate to make sure that Sandy and the demon doppelgänger follow on behind me. The demon rolls his eyes while Sandy is too busy trying to take everything in to pay much attention to me. Can't say I blame him. When I was his age I wouldn't have been able to tear my eyes away from this stuff.

I frown.

Click to shrink...

And a surprise change of perspective! Alan gets a day in the spotlight, and it's one long overdue. I wonder how long it'll take each of them to notice that they've lost track of each other, though? In these shifting streets, a moment's hesitation may put you at opposite ends of the city....

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

Unless I'm supposed to count his age as his chronological age, in which case he's not all that much younger than me. Paul's had some effect on me if I'm considering that, but I don't think I'm ready to-.

I look left and right, but Paul isn't there.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, things get complicated when you have to consider the differences between apparent age and actual chronological age. Doctor Balewa's a good example. Older than most human civilisation, but he barely looks in his forties.

I stick my head out of the alleyway, but I can't see him anywhere. And-. Have the market stalls moved? I don't recognize any of them, but I can't say I was paying particular attention.

Ah, darn it.

Click to shrink...

Let's hope that after all this, OL gives him the 'Never split the party' advice he gave the Team.

"Doctor Mist?" I turn back to the rest of the group. "We've lost-."

They're not there. There's no one else here, and the alley isn't that big. I take a moment to look up, and, yeah, there's more city up there, but I can't see Doctor Mist or the others.

Click to shrink...

Like I said, pause for one second...

Great.

I take a moment to focus on my faith in the fact that we'll pull through and meet up again, and… And I can't fly.

Click to shrink...

To be fair, would you want to be airborne in a place that could easily see buildings moving about?

Ah, next best thing. I jog to the other end of the alley and I come out on a promenade, with a canal of some kind running through and well-dressed locals walking along the pavements on either side. There's patches of earth with palm trees growing out of 'em, and patches of other hot weather plants growing out around their bases. I guess this is a park, then.

"Blue Lantern!"

Click to shrink...

Ah, good, some manner of landmark. A pity it's useless for navigation, given the labyrinthine nature of this place.

I look up and to my left, and see Wesley Sandy standing in the middle of a path running along what from my point of view is a wall. It doesn't look like there's any way down, whatever 'down' means someplace like this.

I raise my right arm to wave at him. "Carry on with the mission! We'll meet up later!"

Click to shrink...

At least he's dealing with the alien geometries of the place well enough.

He nods in an exaggerated fashion before hurrying along the road. I lose sight of him as he ducks under an awning and doesn't reappear.

I'm a little worried about him, but the others can look after themselves. Even in somewhere like this. I suppose that the worst thing that could happen is that the demon doesn't come back to face the rest of his sentence, but from the sound of it that 'John Constantine' fellow can deal with that himself.

Click to shrink...

...Assuming John doesn't quietly sweep it under a rug. Possibly literally, if he decides to vaporise the Demon...

A few years ago, I'd have said that I was too old for this. Amazing where life can take you.

I take a moment to change my armour into something that… Fits in a little better. I think I still look like… Like one of those British guys I met in Palestine in the late forties. But I want to make it clear to these people that I'm not here to fight them, and… I think this does the job.

Click to shrink...

...So, Pith helmet and safari suit? Complete with shorts, woollen socks and boots?

Alright, there's probably some sort of concession stand somewhere in this park. If I find that, I can get directions-.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Click to shrink...

Oh, here we go with the classic 'blundering tourist' gag.

I turn, and it's a local guy in a purple dress robe. "What can I do for you?"

"What can I do for you? You are clearly a visitor to our great city, and it would be inhospitable for me not to offer aid to someone looking so lost."

Click to shrink...

No doubt Alan will get where he's going, but not without being persuaded to spend a fortune first in trinkets and trash...

"Ah, yeah. I just got separated from the rest of my group in an alleyway that couldn't have been more than twenty feet long."

He nods. "This is not a normal city, sir, as I am sure you have noticed."

Click to shrink...

<Nicholas Cage Face.jpg> Gee, you don't say?

"A dream city. I sort of thought it would be real enough that I could walk down a street without anything like that happening."

"Were you all thinking about the same thing?"

Click to shrink...

Good luck getting that kind of coordination.

I shake my head. That sounds like something that's distinctly possible. "No, I suppose that we weren't. Is that something locals do, or is it just for people from outside the Dream?"

He shrugs. "We are used to it. This is our natural environment. But you, you must be here for a reason."

Click to shrink...

I can only imagine the sort of directions they might give someone... "Head that way for fifty paces, close your eyes, turn widdershins thrice, then step forwards. From there, follow the path up the wall and along the roof..."

"I'm trying to get into a locked tower. Our magician thinks it's easier to get in through the Dream than through the physical world, but it still won't exactly be easy."

"Well… If you are looking for thieves, we have those. You can trust them with your life, as long as you are honest with them. Just not with you coin purse."

Click to shrink...

Just be careful around magic lamps. And bottles. And rings... Heck, anything overly shiny in general. But be careful of the dull and rusty things too...

"You got anything that would let us get through a dream storm?"

"I know of a man who sells ropes that are enchanted to survive even the strangest dreams. You could use that to tie your group together so that they are not separated."

Click to shrink...

...Do you have to be careful to untie yourself before you leave the Dreaming, for fear of permanent proximity bindings, hmm?

"Does he sell anything else?"

"He sells other enchanted ropes, though I am not sure how useful you would find them."

Click to shrink...

Like a rope that stands upright, and leads into an otherworldly room at the top? Or one that will sneakily bind someone you wish it to without them noticing? All manner of things are possible.

"I won't be, either, until I see them." And maybe not even then. Paul's the equipment guy. Is a rope useful for a Lantern? I never used to use it, but here? Who knows. "Can you give me directions?"

"If you are not used to navigating the city, directions would be of limited usefulness. But I can take you there, if you like?"

Click to shrink...

Seriously, if you can afford the space, carry everything. Whether the materials to make what you can, or the strange and rare items you can't fabricate.

We couldn't even make it out of an alley without being split up. Getting a guide sounds like a very good idea.

"Thanks." I nod. "I'd appreciate that."

Click to shrink...

...Alan's not one for adventure stories, is he? Especially these sort of 'Arabian Adventures' type stories?

He does this sort of half-bow thing, then leads the way down the street. I keep level with him as I try and work out his motives. Helping a visitor out is one thing, but he's being a whole lot more obsequious than he needs to be. Is he a professional guide? I don't mind paying for the help, but it would be nice if he were more up-front about it.

"People call me Blue Lantern."

Click to shrink...

Not giving your real name, at least. That's one sensible decision. Even if it's accidental.

"This humble servant is named Uns Al-Wujud." He frowns. "You name sounds strange to my ears. Is it a common name in yours lands?"

"Lantern… Kind of is. Blue, not so much. If you don't mind me asking, what line of business are you in?"

Click to shrink...

Just in case you need to convince some burly fellows you aren't worth the trouble of kidnapping, you know.

"I am a trader in dreams. Our Caliph -may Allah bless and keep him!- has expressed a concern that the material world might come to overtake his great city in glory. So he commands us to seek out the greatest mortal dreams, that our city will not calcify or decay."

"So you collect dreams? Isn't that pretty dangerous work?"

Click to shrink...

Honestly, that's a pretty clever idea. The City that the original Caliph gave up was a marvel of its era (sometime in the tenth century or so?) But it probably looks a little less impressive these days.

"Oh, no, no. That is work for young men far braver than me. I purchase what they collect, assess it and sell it onwards. Much of what they collect is of little use to the Caliph, but there is always a market for that sort of thing."

"That doesn't do anything to the people having the dreams, does it?"

Click to shrink...

I'm sure some enjoy spending their time in these dreams, living out other's fantasies. Sounds positively addictive, really...

"No, no, no. The mind of the sleeper forms the raw dream-stuff into whatever their fantasy is, but the dream lingers for a while after they leave it. It would be even more dangerous to enter while the dream was in motion. They would risk being caught up in it! It is far safer and easier to just gather it up once the dreamer has woken up."

He opens the door into a shop just off the main boulevard, motioning for me to come inside. I do, and it… Brings back a slightly uncomfortable memory of an upmarket whorehouse I saw in post-War France one time. This is clearly a space meant for entertaining clients while the actual work happens behind the curtains.

Click to shrink...

Ah, the perfect place for those burly fellows I mentioned to be hiding.

"Please sir, take a seat. I will send a runner to make sure that my rope merchant friend is available."

"Thank you." I take a seat… This isn't helping with the mission, but I need this guy's help. "Do you-?"

"Would you be interested in viewing my wares while you are here?"

Click to shrink...

And there we go. There's the sneaky sales pitch. Just like those 'free weekend resort trips! If you attend our eight-hour-long seminar on time-share condos...' scams.

I'm not sure how a recording of a dream would help us, but maybe we could use it to reform part of the storm so we can cross?

"I… Guess it wouldn't hurt. What do you have?"

Click to shrink...

Argh, Alan. You poor, trusting fool...

I'm amazed Alan wasn't more on his guard, but he kind of operates on a spectrum of 'It'll all work out somehow' these days anyway... And OL is usually cynical enough for both of them. I mean, it's not like Alan spends plenty of time each day browsing sites like TVTropes... We can but hope the others aren't getting as side-tracked as these two did...

 

[AR760]

It's a little surprising that Dr. Mist didn't give them a warning about how this exact kind of thing could happen. If something as simple as thinking about different things while walking down a road could separate a group, you'd have thought that he would have told them and prepared them against such a fate.

 

[Breadnaught]

"I… Guess it wouldn't hurt. What do you have?"

Click to shrink...

This guy trades in dreams that have no use to the Caliph or the city as a whole, but there is always a market for such a thing.

The place reminds you of an up-scale whore house you visited one time.

Come on Alan, the 'clueless tourist out of his depth' things gets you a lot of slack, but only so much. Figure it out.

 

[NightmareWarden]

Uh oh.

And here we see the dangers of an incomplete DnD/RPG education. If Mr Allen here had completed his basement-studies, he would know to be on his toes right now, kids!

Remember, random story trope cliches may one day save your life!

Click to shrink...

The only thing Alan is in danger of here is a timeshare sales pitch. That runner is going to take an aggravatingly long time is all, plenty of time for Alan to thoroughly look over Uns' entire stock.

…what happens if Alan brings a dream with him into the Tower of Fate, or through the Gate to the Underworld?

 

[Darko]

In these shifting streets, a moment's hesitation may put you at opposite ends of the city....

Click to shrink...

They really should have tied a rope to connect them.

Let's hope that after all this, OL gives him the 'Never split the party' advice he gave the Team.

Click to shrink...

Hey, Paul was the first that split.

Honestly, that's a pretty clever idea. The City that the original Caliph gave up was a marvel of its era (sometime in the tenth century or so?) But it probably looks a little less impressive these days.

Click to shrink...

The end of the comic showed it as being a destroyed wreck.

And there we go. There's the sneaky sales pitch. Just like those 'free weekend resort trips! If you attend our eight-hour-long seminar on time-share condos...' scams.

Click to shrink...

Now I'm reminded of the South Park episode with the ski resort and I'm thinking that this will turn out the same.

Including the demonic salesmen.

 

[m_d]

Honestly, that's a pretty clever idea. The City that the original Caliph gave up was a marvel of its era (sometime in the tenth century or so?) But it probably looks a little less impressive these days.

Click to shrink...

The end of the comic showed it as being a destroyed wreck.

Click to shrink...

Darko, my reading was that Chojin was saying that the people of the present day wouldn't find 10th Century Baghdad as impressive as people then would have. The end of the comic is meant to represent modern day Baghdad, rather than the current state of the city in the Dream, I believe. So it's showing people in the present who can still be inspired by the Baghdad of the Dream. And the merchant is saying that the Caliph is keeping the city in the Dream connected to the waking world via its dreamers dreams, hence allowing for change. It's not the only plausible reading, but I think it's a valid one.

 

[Mr Zoat]

The end of the comic showed it as being a destroyed wreck.

Click to shrink...

The material version was a destoryed wreck. The Dream version was at the apex of its glory.

 

[Silveraith]

Just not with you coin purse

Click to shrink...

Your

You name sounds strange to my ears. Is it a common name in yours lands

Click to shrink...

Your.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Your
Your.

Click to shrink...

Thank you, corrected.

 

[Windona]

Well, it makes sense they got separated. Though I am a bit worried for Alan, but you'd think the Caliph or city as a whole would have use for a superhero like Alan.

I'm amazed Alan wasn't more on his guard, but he kind of operates on a spectrum of 'It'll all work out somehow' these days anyway... And OL is usually cynical enough for both of them. I mean, it's not like Alan spends plenty of time each day browsing sites like TVTropes... We can but hope the others aren't getting as side-tracked as these two did...

Click to shrink...

Alan's genre savvy enough to know that unless it's an Elseworlds, the heroes always end on top in the end. And heroes prominent enough to last decades like him don't end up with their throats slit in an alley.

 

[Darko]

Alan's genre savvy enough to know that unless it's an Elseworlds, the heroes always end on top in the end. And heroes prominent enough to last decades like him don't end up with their throats slit in an alley.

Click to shrink...

Sadly for Alan his life isn't a story so he may have seen friends and colleagues that ended up killed by having their throats slit in an alley.

 

[Ardy]

Jordan: League! I've just received a transmission from Oa! They think they've found a link to Orange Lantern's home parallel, and even found a transmission that 'should explain why he thinks what he does about us'. Not sure what that means but let's watch it!"



Jordan: So, creationism?

Superman: Shut up Jordan.

 

[Darko]

Jordan: So, creationism?

Superman: Shut up Jordan

Click to shrink...

Wonder Woman: Your...counterpart didn't give the best impression, Hal.

 

[Windona]

Sadly for Alan his life isn't a story so he may have seen friends and colleagues that ended up killed by having their throats slit in an alley.

Click to shrink...

Was there a JSA member in YJ who died like that? I know his romance ended in tragedy, but I didn't think the others did.

 

[Someguy Somewhere]

I think OL and Jade might have made an off the cuff breakdown about newly minted superheros dying in a host of less then dramatic ways.

On the Toilet, in their sleep, car accidents. Some of them arranged by the League of Shadows. And some of them just....bad luck.

 

[Mr Zoat]

November 8th, 2012
Half Past Nine, I think?

Oh golly. Oh golly. Oh golly.

I don't think I'm ready for this.

I think I was doing okay with the future. And with being able to turn into a sand monster. And with getting the equipment back into good working order. But I just spotted Green Lantern walking along a river that was flowing from the sky to the floor, and, and, and I could sort of ignore it while the other guys were around, but now I'm on my own.

I feel like the mask is… Like it's holding my mouth shut so I can't breathe. I know it's not, but that's…

What would Wesley do?

Leave the mask alone, stay calm. Straighten up. They can't see your face, and people always find that intimidating. Humans, anyway. And these people are mostly-. Okay, that guy isn't, but most of them sure look human. Walk like I've got a purpose, like I know where I'm going.

I don't know where I'm going.

Green Lantern's been a super hero for… Seventy years now. He always knows what he's doing. Orange Lantern looked like a guy who always knows what he's doing too, even if it's something crazy. The negro wizard seemed like a fellow who can just go with the flow, and the demon is a demon.

I'm pretty sure I never felt this unsure when I went out with Wesley. But now I've gotta make my own decisions…

That building. People are going in and coming out, and I can hear loud talking. It could be a bar. No, wait, do moslems have those? Maybe a restaurant then. Whichever it is, there'll be people to talk to.

I walk confidently towards the door, push through and take in… The scent of coffee? Oh, right, I think I remember something about moslems being big coffee drinkers. It makes sense that they would serve something like that here. I'm not sure that coffee gets people talking like liquor does, but I can give it a try.

"Sir?" A fellow with a tray -probably a waiter- bows politely. "Your table is this way."

They actually seat people at a place like this? Ah, okay, that helps with me not knowing how the locals place their orders.

"Lead the way."

I follow him across the main room, through another door and down a short corridor, out into a small garden. There's a fountain in the middle, a couple of benches and some plants that I… I don't recognize. That one's some kind of cactus, and it's flowering. I don't think I've ever seen one of them do that before.

There's also a table, with a tray on it. On the tray are a coffee pot and a couple of small cups, and on the other side of the table…

"I will leave you with your guest, sir."

I see a wealthy merchant, but at the same time I don't. I see expensive clothes, but it's almost like they're floating around him rather than being worn by him. Not literally, but there's a sort of… Lack of connection between the accoutrements and man. And that man's got the same Mediterranean skin color as the other locals, but it's… Make-up, with… Pure white underneath. His hair is jet black and he… Both is and isn't wearing a turban.

Oh. Orange Lantern told me about-.

"Please, be seated."

I walk towards the bench opposite him as he pours me a cup of coffee. "You're him, aren't you? Morpheus. Dream."

"Those are two of my names. How do you take your coffee?"

I frown. It's just the pot… And jars of sugars both are and aren't there, along with jugs of milk and cream. I'm not sure that taking anything from those is a good idea.

"Thank you, but I'll just take it straight."

"As you wish."

I… I can't drink with this mask on. I'm not sure I should take it off-.

"Sanderson Hawkins, most creatures wear many masks, but there is nothing you can do that will obscure your identity from me."

Orange Lantern didn't say exactly what he is or what he can do, but he's supposed to be real powerful. This whole dream place is his. Which means that's probably true, and I can't think of any other reason to cover my face up. Not if he can just make anything he likes whenever he likes. I reach up, then take off my hat and mask and put them on the table next to the coffee pot.

"Ah-. Thank you." He looks at me… I want to say 'blankly', but the floating… False face? Dream face? Makes it a little hard to tell exactly what his real expression is. "For telling Orange Lantern that I was still alive. I'd have stayed trapped for even longer if you hadn't."

"It seemed appropriate. Your mentor was hurt when he touched my realm, and yet chose to aid others with what he learned. Even taking one of my sobriquets as his own in tribute."

"That wasn't you? I mean, you didn't give that to him?"

"I was indisposed. Had I been free to act, I would most likely have warned him off."

"So do you not want people doing good in your name? Or are you annoyed that he was here without your permission?"

"I have spent some time thinking about that. Personally, I care very little either way for sages who use the Dream to learn of the present or to try and divine the future. The Dream is a place of wonder, both wondrous joy and wondrous terror. If someone was using the Dream to injure others as your captors were then it would be a different matter, and I would personally act against those who took my domain for their own."

"Wesley Dodds was in the former category, and came by his connection accidentally so I cannot even fault him for a mindful intrusion. I should however credit him for portraying the Dream in a positive light without thought of reward, even if that was not his intent."

"Does that credit extend to helping us get into the Tower of Fate?"

"The Tower of Fate? That would be outside of the Dream."

"Yes, but we're getting in from the Dream. Doctor.. Mist made it sound like that's pretty dangerous, so if there's anything you can do to help us out..?"

"When the Tower was created, the Lords of Order made a pact with me so that I would allow it to exist within the Dream. It would violate it for me to simply transport you inside."

I nod. "I understand."

"Why do you want to get inside from the Dream? It must be easier for you to get in through the entrance in the material world."

"We think there's a guy called John Constantine trapped in there by the current Doctor Fate. We want to free him, and Doctor Fate's not exactly going to let us in the front door."

"Constantine? Hm. Then perhaps there are things that I may do without breaking my word. Tell me, do you intend to take up your father's mantle?"

"As a super hero?" Am I? I wasn't sure. But the moment Green Lantern asked, I couldn't get it on fast enough. Guess I couldn't even fool myself, even if I do need to get back in training first. "Not right now. But I probably will in the future."

"Constantine spent some time in possession of a piece of my property. A bag of Dream stuff. Given how much exposure to the Dream you already have, it would be a simple matter for me to grant you the ability to feel it."

"Okay. What's the down side?"

"I would do so by binding narratives and stories to you. You would almost certainly begin sharing your father's prophetic visions, and I know those greatly pained him."

"Oh."

I look down at my gasmask again. It's Sandman's mask, but it didn't make me Sandman. And it didn't make Wesley Sandman. But those visions, and wanting to fix them, those kind of did.

"Okay." I look back up at him. "Hit m-."

He blows the sand right in my face, and then-.

 

[Handlewithcare]

Oh Wesley. You brave, innocent, naive, idiotic fool.

Making deals with one of the Endless? Big yikes.

Also, I really wanted to hear Morpheus' opinion on Paul.

Does the Ophidian dream?

 

[In search for story's]

Getting more involved with the endless.

If that's not bad idea, I don't know what is.

 

[thebishop8]

He always knows what he's going.

Click to shrink...

"going" to "doing"

 

[Ciber]

Next up: Drug trip chapter.

 

[Khettien]

Getting more involved with the endless.

If that's not bad idea, I don't know what is.

Click to shrink...

You...do understand, everyone is already involved with all of the Endless, right? Even if by glaring absence.

 

[FreeGod]

Getting more involved with the endless.

If that's not bad idea, I don't know what is.

Click to shrink...

It's bad idea to do it on purpose, but if one of them seeks you out like this the best thing to do is generally to be polite and usually nod along.

 

[Darko]

Orange Lantern looked like a guy who always knows what he's doing too, even if it's something crazy

Click to shrink...

Oh, you have no idea how accurate that is.

r. No, wait, do moslems have those

Click to shrink...

Is this a mistake or is he just ignorant.

something about moslems being big

Click to shrink...

Ah, the latter.

 

[NightmareWarden]

Getting more involved with the endless.

If that's not bad idea, I don't know what is.

Click to shrink...

Let's count those who have popped up so far. Dream is here, very good.

Destiny's book has come up for one of Zatanna's spells, but he has not.

Desire visited Paul at the end of his first cuddle with the Ophidian.

Despair could be connected to any use of black text in the story, but we do not have any confirmation. If she ever popped up or gave someone her attention, it may have been with Grayven after Darkseid's visit.

I don't believe Delirium popped up during any instances of drug use or insanity, but she could be related to why that child wizard Timothy Hunter and his school have been missing (that is just speculation though) for the entire fic. She may pop up on Wilson at some point though.

Death should have appeared when those amazons gave birth, but she did not show up when Theodore Adam died, nor when Paul died. She did not appear when any character was fixed up by a Lazarus pit.

I don't recall Destruction or any of his art popping up, but I don't know which part of Earth he made his territory during his storyline. If he popped up, it should have been during Grayven and Artemis' time in the future, despairing about the destruction of the rest of the universe.

 

[Ganurath]

Next up: Drug trip chapter.

Click to shrink...

Why would Doctor Mist go on a drug trip?

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

November 8th, 2012
Half Past Nine, I think?

Oh golly. Oh golly. Oh golly.

I don't think I'm ready for this.

Click to shrink...

Sanderson's turn, eh? No doubt worried and a little panicky at being separated from the veteran heroes. ...And the Demon. And his inexperience puts him at more risk of blundering into something bad.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

I think I was doing okay with the future. And with being able to turn into a sand monster. And with getting the equipment back into good working order. But I just spotted Green Lantern walking along a river that was flowing from the sky to the floor, and, and, and I could sort of ignore it while the other guys were around, but now I'm on my own.

I feel like the mask is… Like it's holding my mouth shut so I can't breathe. I know it's not, but that's…

Click to shrink...

Perhaps OL can redesign it for you, after all this? If it's still modelled on the wartime style, I don't doubt it's awkward-feeling.

What would Wesley do?

Leave the mask alone, stay calm. Straighten up. They can't see your face, and people always find that intimidating. Humans, anyway. And these people are mostly-. Okay, that guy isn't, but most of them sure look human. Walk like I've got a purpose, like I know where I'm going.

Click to shrink...

Hmm... An elemental spirit, or one of their descendants, I wonder? At any rate, it's unimportant. Good to see Sand focusing on a goal...

I don't know where I'm going.

Green Lantern's been a super hero for… Seventy years now. He always knows what he's going. Orange Lantern looked like a guy who always knows what he's doing too, even if it's something crazy. The negro wizard seemed like a fellow who can just go with the flow, and the demon is a demon.

Click to shrink...

I know, he's a product of his time, but... I really hope you don't use those words in public, Sand. Some folks might take violent exception to them...

I'm pretty sure I never felt this unsure when I went out with Wesley. But now I've gotta make my own decisions…

That building. People are going in and coming out, and I can hear loud talking. It could be a bar. No, wait, do moslems have those? Maybe a restaurant then. Whichever it is, there'll be people to talk to.

Click to shrink...

Something like a restaurant, yes...

I walk confidently towards the door, push through and take in… The scent of coffee? Oh, right, I think I remember something about moslems being big coffee drinkers. It makes sense that they would serve something like that here. I'm not sure that coffee gets people talking like liquor does, but I can give it a try.

"Sir?" A fellow with a tray -probably a waiter- bows politely. "Your table is this way."

Click to shrink...

Yeah, the Middle Eastern countries did like their coffee back in this Baghdad's day. Even if it's maybe a few centuries anachronous, the original version of Baghdad coming from the 8th century as it did...

They actually seat people at a place like this? Ah, okay, that helps with me not knowing how the locals place their orders.

"Lead the way."

Click to shrink...

Let's hope this isn't a lead-in to trouble, then. It would be entirely in character to such a realm.

I follow him across the main room, through another door and down a short corridor, out into a small garden. There's a fountain in the middle, a couple of benches and some plants that I… I don't recognize. That one's some kind of cactus, and its flowering. I don't think I've ever seen one of them do that before.

There's also a table, with a tray on it. On the tray are a coffee pot and a couple of small cups, and on the other side of the table…

Click to shrink...

Probably a dream of a Cacti, then, since they're not particularly common in the Middle East.

"I will leave you with your guest, sir."

I see a wealthy merchant, but at the same time I don't. I see expensive clothes, but it's almost like they're floating around him rather than being worn by him. Not literally, but there's a sort of… Lack of connection between the accoutrements and man. And that man's got the same Mediterranean skin color as the other locals, but it's… Make-up, with… Pure white underneath. His hair is jet black and he… Both is and isn't wearing a turban.

Click to shrink...

Let me guess, his robes have a stylishly subtle flame-pattern motif? It is a recurring design motif of his...

Oh. Orange Lantern told me about-.

"Please, be seated."

Click to shrink...

Ah, yes. The voice of an Endless. That subtle impression that you're not just hearing it with your ears, but also your soul...

I walk towards the bench opposite him as he pours me a cup of coffee. "You're him, aren't you? Morpheus. Dream."

"Those are two of my names. How do you take your coffee?"

Click to shrink...

Interesting. I wonder what brought him here. Sanderson's arrival in the Dreaming?

I frown. It's just the pot… And jars of sugars both are and aren't there, along with jugs of milk and cream. I'm not sure that taking anything from those is a good idea.

"Thank you, but I'll just take it straight."

Click to shrink...

...Probably a good idea. Mortal flesh and figments of Dreaming might no be as compatible as you'd think.

"As you wish."

I… I can't drink with this mask on. I'm not sure I should take it off-.

"Sanderson Hawkins, most creatures wear many masks, but there is nothing you can do that will obscure your identity from me."

Click to shrink...

Certainly, Morpheus himself has a natty helmet, but he doesn't wear it all the time. And i don't think anyone here is going to care who you are.

Orange Lantern didn't say exactly what he is or what he can do, but he's supposed to be real powerful. This whole dream place is his. Which means that's probably true, and I can't think of any other reason to cover my face up. Not if he can just make anything he likes whenever he likes. I reach up, then take off my hat and mask and put them on the table next to the coffee pot.

"Ah-. Thank you." He looks at me… I want to say 'blankly', but the floating… False face? Dream face? Makes it a little hard to tell exactly what his real expression is. "For telling Orange Lantern that I was still alive. I'd have stayed trapped for even longer if you hadn't."

Click to shrink...

To be fair, Morpheus' default expression is generally a mask of blank amusement (or bemusement) anyway. When he isn't changing appearance to match his observer's expectations, anyway.

"It seemed appropriate. Your mentor was hurt when he touched my realm, and yet chose to aid others with what he learned. Even taking one of my sobriquets as his own in tribute."

"That wasn't you? I mean, you didn't give that to him?"

Click to shrink...

Certainly, he was better than fellows like Doctor John Dee (Who did, for a while, possess Dream's Ruby.) Not one of the nice ones, him.

"I was indisposed. Had I been free to act, I would most likely have warned him off."

"So do you not want people doing good in your name? Or are you annoyed that he was here without your permission?"

Click to shrink...

Morpheus cares little for what mortals do, I think. Few of them make any mark in the world anyway. At least, until they impact on him or his responsibilities...

"I have spent some time thinking about that. Personally, I care very little either way for sages who uses the Dream to learn of the present or to try and divine the future. The Dream is a place of wonder, both wondrous joy and wondrous terror. If someone was using the Dream to injure others as your captures were then it would be a different matter, and I would personally act against those who took my domain for their own."

"Wesley Dodds was in the former category, and came by his connection accidentally so I cannot even fault him for a mindful intrusion. I should however credit him for portraying the Dream in a positive light without thought of reward, even if that was not his intent."

Click to shrink...

And when you're on Dream's good side, that's pleasant enough. Now, if you get on his bad side...

"Does that credit extend to helping us get into the Tower of Fate?"

"The Tower of Fate? That would be outside of the Dream."

Click to shrink...

And thus outside his area of concern. One thing Morpheus is big on is proprieties and boundaries... In his own series, that's ultimately responsible for his downfall, in a way...

"Yes, but we're getting in from the Dream. Doctor.. Mist made it sound like that's pretty dangerous, so if there's anything you can do to help us out..?"

"When the Tower was created, the Lords of Order made a pact with me so that I would allow it to exist within the Dream. It would violate it for me to simply transport you inside."

Click to shrink...

...But providing a measure of aid in acquiring what you need to gain access yourselves, that's another story.

I nod. "I understand."

"Why do you want to get inside from the Dream? It must be easier for you to get in through the entrance in the material world."

Click to shrink...

Ah, yes, that's the rub. After all, if the Tower's owner doesn't want it being found...

"We think there's a guy called John Constantine trapped in there by the current Doctor Fate. We want to free him, and Doctor Fate's not exactly going to let us in the front door."

"Constantine? Hm. Then perhaps there are things that I may do without breaking my word. Tell me, do you intent to take up your father's mantel?"

Click to shrink...

Ah, yes, another mortal to which he owes a debt. And Morpheus honours debts, no matter how small.

"As a super hero?" Am I? I wasn't sure. But the moment Green Lantern asked, I couldn't get it on fast enough. Guess I couldn't even fool myself, even if I do need to get back in training first. "Not right now. But I probably will in the future."

"Constantine spent some time in possession of a piece of my property. A bag of Dream stuff. Given how much exposure to the Dream you already have, it would be a simple matter for me to grant you the ability to feel it."

Click to shrink...

Well, that would be quite helpful... What's the catch?

"Okay. What's the down side?"

"I would do so by bounding narratives and stories to you. You would almost certainly begin sharing your father's prophetic visions, and I know those greatly pained him."

Click to shrink...

A power he did eventually possess in the comics, no less. Though not a pleasant benefit...

"Oh."

I look down at my gasmask again. It's Sandman's mask, but it didn't make me Sandman. And it didn't make Wesley Sandman. But those visions, and wanting to fix them, those kind of did.

Click to shrink...

Well, don't complain later if this bites you in the ass...

"Okay." I look back up at him. "Hit m-."

He blows the sand right in my face, and then-.

Click to shrink...

...Because you did ask for it.

...I'm not sure if that counts as good or bad, but it counts. It's a big weight he's taking on his shoulders, nut I have the feeling he's strong enough to bear it. So, then. Only Doctor Balewa and the Demon Constantine left to check in on, I suppose. Though I doubt the good Doctor has let the latter out of his reach and doesn't plan to. It'll be fascinating to see what happens next, though.

---

If someone was using the Dream to injure others as your captures were...

Click to shrink...

If someone was using the Dream to injure others as your captors were...

"I would do so by bounding narratives and stories to you.

Click to shrink...

Perhaps you meant 'binding'?

 

[Darko]

Sanderson's turn, eh? No doubt worried and a little panicky at being separated from the veteran heroes. ...And the Demon

Click to shrink...

I'm thinking this was the Demon's plan.

Get them into the Dreaming and then have its eldritch nature separate them so that he can escape.

Yeah, the Middle Eastern countries did like their coffee back in this Baghdad's day. Even if it's maybe a few centuries anachronous, the original version of Baghdad coming from the 8th century as it did...

Click to shrink...

It was said that they import dreams, so maybe they got some connected to coffee.

To be fair, Morpheus' default expression is generally a mask of blank amusement (or bemusement) anyway

Click to shrink...

Or generally blank, or broody, or pissed off.

And when you're on Dream's good side, that's pleasant enough. Now, if you get on his bad side...

Click to shrink...

You don't wanna be on that side.

 

[Darth.Bill]

Meanwhile, Paul's got a sleep-paralysis demon sitting on his chest.