brink: (Serious | Upset | This secret we have)
Topher Brink ([personal profile] brink) wrote in [community profile] applesaucedream2014-02-01 02:48 am

Hijacked dream party

Tonight's dream party is, unconventionally enough, not organised by the rift, but by Topher!

Thing is, he was sort of supposed to only pull in a few very specific, targeted people, and all of a sudden, this whole lot comes pouring in. See, he's working with someone with the power of ability amplification, making Topher's dream abilities obscenely powerful for tonight, and he's not quite used to it.

The dreamers will find themselves in an old mansion at nighttime. Lots and lots of rooms; several bedrooms and bathrooms of various sizes, studies, library, sitting rooms, kitchen, dining rooms, games/billiards room, even secret passageways... There's a fire roaring in every grate, everything is warmly lit, with lots of dark corners to sneak off to, comfortable couches, plenty of drinks tables. There's also a pervasive feeling that you're safe, that you can relax. That whispered secrets in the dark will be kept. And everyone will feel much less compelled to judge or mock upon hearing those secrets. A night for confessions. All of a sudden, it's hard to resist opening up...

Of course, the dreamers don't know there's someone listening in, seeing everything that goes on, sometimes even manipulating things to go the way he wants. Certain people with psychic/telepathic/dream abilities may eventually cotton on, though. But it'll take a while. But the secrets you tell in the meantime may not remain secrets for that long. Especially if those secrets are useful to certain other important players in the city, quite apart from the two factions our rifties have become familiar with.

[Mod note: Usual dream party rules apply. All players and characters are welcome, current members or no. Characters will remember or forget all dream events at players' discretion. Bear in mind that any events or information shared in this dream will be available to Topher, and, by extension, probably his bosses, such as Beatrice.]
mr_fring: (dazed)

[personal profile] mr_fring 2014-02-05 03:47 am (UTC)(link)
New territory. What a choice of words; and for a moment, Gus is not sure how to answer. His memory, usually quite sharp, is a curious thing tonight. Not only is he unable to account for his presence in this house -- other than the bizarre suggestion that he might be dreaming, which he has dismissed out of hand -- but he cannot clearly recall what happened before. He tries to trace back, but it's only glimpses, like trying to remember a dream too long after waking. He feels residual anger, regret, betrayal, all phantom feelings, their sources disconnected.

"I confess I feel a bit lost in this world," he admits finally, realizing his silence has grown peculiar. "At home, I knew where I stood. I understood my business and my community. And I feel very certain that I was pulled out of it at an inopportune time." He sighs and shrugs, looking at Cecil, who appears quite attentive. Gus likes that about him.

"The truth is I don't know what my next move is," he continues. "But my sense is that you and I have a fair amount in common. We've both been uprooted, we've both lost touch with what was important. And I believe it is important to stay close to the people who understand you. Don't you agree?"

An afterthought, before Cecil can answer: "And I think there are certainly ways we could help each other, if we wanted to pursue our old habits. Radio depends heavily upon sponsership; and the success of local business depends just as heavily upon word of mouth."
Edited 2014-02-05 04:03 (UTC)
ceciiil: (news is all around us)

[personal profile] ceciiil 2014-02-06 04:17 am (UTC)(link)
Cecil finds himself nodding in less-than-conscious agreement. Gus is saying all the right words, invoking all the right concepts, and Cecil finds himself inspired and on what feels like familiar ground, quite rare these days. "It's true. As the Voice of my community, I don't think it's out of line to say I was very influential, and I was always happy to help out local business owners." With some exceptions. "New York is pretty much the opposite of the sleepy desert town I grew up in, and I've never felt so lost. But the Rift community is smaller, and I believe it has the potential to be just as tightknit and harmonious. And I do think it could use people like us. Maybe that's why we're here, even." That came out a little more speechy and radio-voiced than he intended, but so what, really? Cecil wants to be useful and do some good, make his new life purposeful rather than a Rift-induced accident.

"I've been thinking about how to get the Rift Community Radio off the ground. I already made one emergency broadcast, but that was a temporary set-up. I'll definitely let you know if I figure something permanent out, though."
mr_fring: (regrets)

[personal profile] mr_fring 2014-02-07 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
"Please do," says Gus. "And if there's anything I can do to help -- nailing down a location, for example, or negotiating with any managerial types -- that is my specialty, more or less. Don't hesitate to ask."

He reaches out and gives Cecil a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"I'm not worried about you," he continues. "You seem very capable. You're eloquent and passionate. You know what you want to be doing, and you have the exact skills necessary to do it. If they've served you well before, they'll serve you again."

He sighs, eyeing the disappointing snack table. "I wish I could be so lucky," he admits.
ceciiil: (oh you beautiful tropical fish)

[personal profile] ceciiil 2014-02-08 07:36 pm (UTC)(link)
It's such a relief to have an ally in all this, someone cut from the same respectable, humble, job-oriented cloth, who just wants to maintain the life they've grown accustomed to, grown into. Cecil smiles in gratitude and makes a strong mental note to seek Gus out in the waking world. It's clear that they can accomplish great things.

But why does Gus seem so downcast about his own prospects? Admittedly Cecil is never going to be in doubt when it comes to having a life direction, but he is nothing if not sympathetic. And Gus certainly seems competent and hardworking enough. "You haven't been here very long, have you? I think it's normal to not have a next move planned out yet. And there are people who can help you, not just me, like an actual organization."
mr_fring: (cold as ice)

[personal profile] mr_fring 2014-02-09 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
"That's good to hear," says Gus, somewhat cautious, wondering if Cecil is referring to ROMAC or the Rebellion. "And no, I haven't been here long... in fact, I... think I only just arrived." His memory is still a little foggy. He's still not certain how he came to this place.

"I only wish I could know how... how I left things," he says. He's determined that it's unusual for anyone to be dead on arrival -- or resurrected, as it were -- and he doesn't feel like giving that up just yet. "I was taken out of my life at a particularly... difficult point."
ceciiil: (UGH)

[personal profile] ceciiil 2014-02-09 07:43 pm (UTC)(link)
While Cecil hadn't been removed from his life at an especially difficult point, it had been...a bad time to, what he assumes, disappear utterly. Not like there's ever a good time for that, right? Even in Night Vale, where that's not exactly an uncommon happenstance. But things had been going so well with Carlos, and who will look after the people of Night Vale now? What if they forget that Desert Bluffs is awful?

Cecil sighs. "I can imagine. It's so awful not to know, you know? I like to think that things are fine without me, like I can even picture my boyfriend Carlos heroically keeping the town advised of scientific developments in my place, but who knows, anything could be happening, really." It's a deeply sobering thought, and one that he's mostly tried to avoid.
mr_fring: (dazed)

[personal profile] mr_fring 2014-02-09 08:21 pm (UTC)(link)
There's something -- Gus can't quite pinpoint what -- in Cecil's words that seems off. Maybe not as off as some of the things he heard from Jennifer, but it's enough to make him suspect he and Cecil come from... different backgrounds.

Cecil's worrying about how things will keep without him around; Gus is worried about that too, but further removed. He knows, deep down, he is no longer entitled to that world. On some level he knows he'll have to accept that.

He doesn't want to talk about that, so he pries further at the most sensitive topic Cecil's given him to hold.

"And Carlos?" he murmurs. "Don't you worry about him?"
ceciiil: (now you have fucked up)

[personal profile] ceciiil 2014-02-10 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
What is Gus implying? "Of course I do!" If Cecil sounds defensive, it's mostly mis-directed guilt. He does worry about Carlos, very much, not that Carlos isn't a competent and magnificent scientist who has really learned a lot of survival tips and tricks in his time in Night Vale. But he also feels inexplicable guilt at having abandoned him. It's not like he chose to get snatched up through the Rift. But at the end of the day, does it really make a difference? "Every night I go to sleep hoping I'll wake up back home. And every morning is a disappointment." He's done an admirable job of seeming stoic and well-adjusted, but the truth is the worry is a constant nagging presence in the back of his mind.
mr_fring: (Default)

[personal profile] mr_fring 2014-02-10 04:26 am (UTC)(link)
Not very tactful, Mr. Fring.

"I'm so sorry," he says softly. "I didn't mean to imply otherwise. I understand this is very painful."

More is required to smooth this over. He has to show once again that they are on level ground. And to do that...

"I only ask because..." Gus swallows carefully. "I am faced with a similar situation. I too left someone behind."

He will have to lie.
ceciiil: (there's no need to be rude)

[personal profile] ceciiil 2014-02-13 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
Well now Cecil feels bad. He hadn't meant to get snappish, or even mention his distress. Although he tends to wear his heart on his sleeve, he does like to stay put together wherever possible, especially when the source of his distress is just a fact of life. And Gus does seem so sincere in his apology. It's probably very difficult for him to broach subjects like this, and it's not his fault that Cecil has been sublimating his own gnawing worry.

"I'm sorry to hear. And I didn't mean to get bent out of shape. Do you want to talk about it?" he says by way of apology, and not because he wants to talk about it at all.
mr_fring: (wistful)

[personal profile] mr_fring 2014-02-13 03:25 am (UTC)(link)
He doesn't, really, but he can't bring it up and drop it immediately. He only did so to let Cecil know, however discreetly, that they share something more than what they've already discussed.

"His name is Max," says Gus, and it takes every bit of improvisational willpower he has to use the present tense. "He is... my partner. We work together." He swallows, strangely nervous. What he's saying lies so close to the truth, but there can't be any harm in telling it, not here. "I manage a restaurant, and he is the chef."

He allows himself a small sigh. "It isn't so much the business," he murmurs. "I don't like the idea, but it will continue without me. It's Max that I miss."

He's never said anything like this before, and it disturbs him, because it is truer than Cecil could possibly know.
ceciiil: (news is all around us)

[personal profile] ceciiil 2014-02-16 10:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Although this kind of reticence about one's feelings is quite foreign to Cecil, he feels the tug at his sympathy strings nonetheless. In fact, he can even kind of see a similarity between them. Gus is laconic on the subject of his relationship as a kind of defense mechanism, which isn't really that different from what Cecil himself has been doing since being uprooted. Sure, in his own case it's just been a desire to avoid facing reality rather than...whatever Gus' deal is. If Cecil had to guess, he'd say the man just doesn't seem that comfortable with feelings in general. It's very poignant.

Gus' specific question sticks out. "And worry about?" Cecil asks, in only the most gently pointed of manners. "Yeah, it doesn't get any easier. How long were you together?" Probably a good amount of time, from the sound of things. Probably longer than he and Carlos had even known each other, and Cecil winces at the thought. That must be so awful.
mr_fring: (mmHM)

[personal profile] mr_fring 2014-02-17 11:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Gus gazes at the floor, masking the reason for his disinclination to go into detail as sadness rather than discretion. "A long time," he says, then lifts his head and shakes it off, as if to say enough about that.

"I suppose there's nothing for us to do but be patient," he says. "I have to believe there's a way back."

He says this for Cecil's benefit, to bring their conversational mood back up. He's not sure he wants to think about a way back. If there was one, would he take it? What would that mean for him?

In any case, it's time he steered them away from this topic. This can be explored later, if need be.

"Tell me more about the organization you mentioned," he says briskly.