TDM #1

[fortiscormod]

"Well, good morning, Sleepy Head,"

The voice was sweet and pleasant on the ears. You open your eyes to find a smiling face looking down at you. A face that looks human enough. Two eyes, a nose and a mouth, all in the right places. But something feels off about it... "We've been waiting for you to wake. It's about time!" The nurse, for now that she's moved away you realise that she is indeed dressed how you would imagine a nurse would be dressed, continues to talk and fuss about the room. In doing this, she explains:

❝You've been asleep for such a long time! Several years ago there was an Event that caused many people to fall into deep, deep sleeps. Some woke within days or weeks of their fall, but there were some, like yourself, who have been asleep for so much longer. It's hard to tell just how long you have slept, and I fear the world you remember is very different now, but we are here to help you through your transition from Dream World to the Waking World.❞

The nurse leaves and you are left alone. You will find that even though you have been in a coma for years, you are as physically fit as you remember. Any injuries you believed you had are gone now, as if they were never there. At the foot of the bed are clothes and any items you own. Take them. Go. The urge will take you. Once you leave, you will find you can not enter the hospital again, nor can you quite remember how you got out in the first place. All you can remember is the strangely haunting nurse and her words...

---

Welcome to Williamsburg!

The town before you is a hodgepodge of colour and style. No two houses are exactly the same. Some made of wood, or brick or even strange metals. Some are no more than holes in the ground. But all are warm and welcoming inside and not many are inhabited. In fact you'll find that the town itself isn't that populated at all. The busiest place is Main Street. Here you will find all the shops you need. From food to beauty and fashion and furnishings for home and garden, there is a café selling the most delicious of sweets and a pub that never closes. The Main Street is the place to be, if there is something you are lacking. And it is only a hop, skip and a jump from the Hospital and around the corner from everywhere else.

● [The Nowhere Inn] is the local watering hole where you can come and share a drink with a friend. Or, if just passing through, spend the night. Here you will be greeted by Bert, the owner and bartender. A seven foot tall bear of a man with a magnificent beard and a loud, booming voice! And a desire to one day create a cocktail that will take the world by storm. It's just a shame that not all of his little experiments hit the mark... Newcomers to the town will be offered a drink on the house. Choose wisely, as some of these drinks can often come with side effects, both good and bad.
✦ Apricot Smash: A refreshing glass of fruit squash. Made from the concentrated juice of a sour and sweet type of apricot, this is a simple and thirst quenching kind of drink. If asked nicely, this can also be made into a slushie! Anyone who tries this deliciously fruity drink will find themselves enjoying a chance to dance and/or sing at any given opportunity. (Side effect: It can cause insomnia.)
✦ Lemongrass Twilight: Made from spicy and sour lemongrass syrup, this mildly alcoholic drink is served in a tall glass with round, purple coloured balls of ice. The drink is a swirling green, yellow and purple colour. Those who try this drink will find themselves feeling very mellow and warm and more inclined to feelings of affection. (Side effect: It can cause headaches.)
✦ Mint Blast: Pale blue-green with light swirls and served in a wine glass. The drink is heavy on the mint and light on the alcohol, with even a little sprig of it resting on the rim of the glass. Drinking this will leave you feeling a chilled and shivery. A nice cuddle should soothe those chills away. (Side effect: It causes sleepiness in the drinker.)
✦ Blue Smooch: This drink is a deep blue with white, creamy foam atop. The drink smells like chocolate and tastes wonderful. It leaves the drinker feeling happy and optimistic, almost childlike. (Side effect: It is rumoured to cause truthfulness in the drinker.)
✦ Burning Wine: Pale gold with yellow-orange swirls, this mulled wine is served in a clear glass mug and tastes like cinnamon and oranges, with a hint of chili. It has a nice, warming burn as it goes down. This drink will put a fire in your belly and keep you toasty and warm through the cold nights. It may also make drinkers a little more amorous than usual. (Side effect: It can sometimes cause tingling and numbness in the extremities.)
✦ Frosted Starlight: Sapphire with silver flecks and glittering sugar around the rim of the glass. This is an intoxicating alcoholic drink that is only served in the evening and at night. The drink itself smells like coconut yet there is no coconut within the drink. The taste is almost floral, with a slight hint of grape. Those who have tried this drink often find themselves with the brief ability to touch another and see their surface thoughts. (Side effect: It can cause blackouts.)

● [Sugar ‘n Spice Café] is a peculiar place. From the outside it looks like any other store front, but as you enter and the little bell tinkles, you will find the interior to be bright and open. Warm colours and bright lighting, and from somewhere soft music is always playing. A very modern sort of café selling a wide selection of handmade sweets and pastries as well as an espresso machine.
For the next month, if you come in for a hot drink you can have your choice of their specially made, homemade cheesecake free of charge. Subject to availability, of course.
✦ Roasted strawberries and cream cheesecake: Made with a chocolate biscuit base, sumptuous strawberries and homemade cream.
✦ Coconut cheesecake with lime and passionfruit sauce: This zesty citrus cheesecake has a buttery base, creamy coconut filling and fruity lime and passionfruit sauce.
✦ Triple choc upside-down cheesecake: The name may say upside-down, but this cake looks right side up to us! Juicy raspberries give it a fresh bite and for the chocoholics - oozing sauce.
✦ Gingernut cheesecake tart with sticky maple pears: A creamy cheesecake with high visual impact for that special dessert finale to your dinner party.

● For those looking to add a little something extra to their wardrobe, they'd be best heading to [Dreams Come True Boutique]. For the month of April the clothing store will be offering all new arrivals free vouchers for up to three new outfits of their choosing. Within reason, of course. But most all of the clothes here are decently priced with an odd array of fashions from the very old fashioned to near futuristic.

● [Linlae Botanical Gardens] resides not far from Main Street. Part of the gardens are covered, housed within a large green house, but most of the gardens are outside and easily accessed. There is much to see here, from the [Hedgemaze] with the secret gazebo at it's centre, [Hanging Gardens] and the weeping willows reaching into the waters of a large koi pond. If you're lucky you might see a large white carp, said to be 2,000 years old by the name of Etherus. Who knows how long he'd lived in that pond, but they say if you catch sight of him it's a sign of good luck. And if you manage to see him during a full moon, he may grant you a wish.
There are benches all over, places to sit and take in the peace. But don't expect much quiet, the twittering of birds is a near constant companion within these gardens.

● [A Home]. As you explore you will realise that you're going to need somewhere to stay the night. Of course you could always go to The Nowhere Inn and wait until morning, or you could just... open a door.
87% of the houses within the town of Williamsburg is vacant, and well maintained, for many years. These houses wait for someone to come and bring life into them. Inside your pocket you will find a key. If your key doesn't fit the lock, that house is occupied, so find another. When you finally open a door, you'll notice that the key has changed subtly. That key is now unique and can be used only for this house. It is yours.
Some houses come fully furnished, some might need some work. You might even be surprised to find that the house is one that looks vaguely familiar...

---

A Familiar View

It may have been immediate or it may take days for you to notice, but when you do...

The memories of your Dream World are coming back to you. It doesn't feel much like a dream at all. Those things that happened, those feelings you had, all seemed so real!

And then you find it.

It could be something as simple as a book, or as large as a building. You know this thing. This thing has been pulled directly from your memories, whether those memories are good or bad is entirely up to you. But there it is, as large as life, right in front of your eyes. What does this mean? Which world is real and which isn't? How did these things from that other world make it into this?
This is your chance to explore this new addition to Williamsburg. Maybe you will find the answers you seek? Or maybe you will be left with more questions. Just know that you aren't alone. It seems that almost everything in this world was pulled from another, brought here by 'others', and left here.

Maybe this new landmark, or item, leaves you with a warm feeling and questions are the last thing on your mind? Perhaps you would like to share with your friends, or even a perfect stranger, the joy that this thing brings you? Tell them your story. Share with them it's the history. Or maybe the feelings attached are feelings of anger, of horror and fear? Misery does love company, so don't go through with this trip down memory lane alone.

---

Down the Rabbit Hole

It starts with something small shifting around you. Maybe it’s a door or window, but as you walk down the street things take a turn for the bizarre. It’s far too late to escape by the time you notice the buildings themselves bleeding into the sky or folding back onto themselves.

You are stuck in The Corridor now.

And you appear to be alone. Or are you? As the buildings creak in protest you seem to hear footsteps. Is that a fellow waylaid traveler?

Before you can determine the direction of the sounds, one thing becomes clear to you: these homes and businesses, all that brick and mortar, seem to be closing in on you…

It is a gradual squeeze but you can tell that if you don’t get out of there you’ll eventually be crushed. As you explore this place where time and gravity seem to have lost all meaning and your senses may even betray you, you search for a way out or an end to this madness and that is when you finally realize that the buildings are taking shape according to your will. The more you panic, the more claustrophobic and chaotic things become. But if you remain calm and focus your attention you find you can tame the buildings back into their original shapes and places. Of course, it helps if you have a partner.

Comments

[ancientflower]

"You don't remember me, Wufei?" Aerith cocked her head to the side, her smile fading to a look of mild sadness. To not be remembered wasn't the nicest of feelings. But then again, there were some gaps in her own memory that keep coming back to her in fits and spurts. She had a stronger handle on things though, and would grasp onto those memories and had no intention of letting them go. Not the important ones. Never those.

"Like a dream, I suppose? Not knowing anything about this world before the dream makes me wonder... But I'm sorry, I should introduce myself again, hm? My name's Aerith. Do you remember that name at all? It's okay if you don't." It would be sad but she knew that she would also do her best to befriend him all over again. Wufei was such a sweet and kind boy, she'd enjoyed their time together in her gardens.

[pilot05]

Wufei shook his head. "I don't, I'm sorry," he replied, offering her a wan smile. Upsetting her didn't settle well with him, but lying wouldn't have done any good.

He nods again when she asks if it was like a dream, sighing softly. The name has his brows raising, though, and he nods. "Like a word, on the tip of my tongue," he agrees with a small smile. "And as you already know, I am Chang Wufei," he offers her a shallow bow. "It's lovely to make your acquaintance," though how he had befriended someone who seemed so soft -- and a woman, at that -- he has no idea.

[ancientflower]

Yes, that was definitely a feeling of deep, profound sadness that washed through her. Not quite of loss though, as there was still a chance she could somehow jog Wufei's memory in time. That it had happened at all... Something very strange was going on and she didn't know what it was.

But Aerith pushed all of that to the back of her mind as she laughed and took a half step back to sketch a little curtsy right back at him, since they were being so formal. "Again," She teased him. "You'll make it again. We had so much fun, you and I." The temptation to tell tall tales and make up extraordinary stories was so strong! There was a hint of mischief in her eyes. But she laughed again and decided it would be best to be kind. "We were neighbours. I'd cook for you and you'd help me in my gardens."

[pilot05]

He smiles back at her optimism, huffing out a little chuckle. "In your gardens?" he asks, expression warming at the idea. "Flowers?" He doesn't know how he knows that there were flowers, that he would often find himself out crouching in the rows, carefully tending to the plants and pulling up the weeds. And there were daisies. The very thought made his heart ache.

"That sounds like a very lovely memory," and he wondered if he would regain it, like he was regaining bits and pieces of other memories. Fighting Sephiroth, living with Duo, even a strange, cat-like creature. "Have you found your home yet?" Maybe they would get lucky and be neighbors again.

[ancientflower]

"Flowers!" Aerith agreed enthusiastically, cheered that Wufei had remembered. It might have been a small victory for Team Remember Me but it was a victory nevertheless.

"I have indeed. My fiancé and I found a home that is just ours," Aerith tried to give him directions to where her house was, but she was still wasn't very confident with where everything was in relation to herself. Locations, street names and such, she was new and still learning. Or... she had just forgotten this world in favour of another, which is what people seemed to want her to believe.

[pilot05]

Her cheer is infectious, and he smiles warmly at her with a nod. "I do love flowers," he agrees, and isn't at all surprised to know he helped with hers. It feels right.

When she describes where she lives, he nods along and tries to picture it in his mind. "I think it's in the same general area as mine. It's an oddly... Japanese home, where Duo and I live," and it was still weird, to say that. To know that he and Duo had something between them that they were both still trying to remember. "We're both piecing together memories, but we've figured out that we were very close."

[ancientflower]

"I think I've actually seen that... It's on the same street, if it's the one I'm thinking of." There could be others like it, who knew? But the only reason she even knew the term 'japanese' was because of the world she was in before this one.

At the mention of Duo, her eyes lit up and she looked all the happier. "Duo's here, too? You must be so happy! Yes, you were as close as two people could be." Did she tell him that they had been planning on getting married or should she leave that memory for them to discover in their own time? If it was her, Aerith knew that it was something she would have wanted to know.

[pilot05]

Wufei nodded. "It sounds like it," he agrees.

He blinks when she lights up, and laughs quietly. "Yes, we're quite happy, and very confused together," he admits. "We remember the war, but there seems to be something more that we're still trying to work out. We were... we are a couple," and just saying it aloud has him going crimson. "I don't know what I did to win him over, but I sincerely hope I can do it again... maybe I should bring him flowers."

[ancientflower]

"Of all the things for you to remember..." She sighed sadly. To remember the war but not the love he found afterwards seemed a cruel twist of fate. And so it was for that reason that she reached out to rest a gentle hand upon Wufei's shoulder.

"You were your sweet and handsome self, silly. And when you remember, you'll realise that all you needed to do was love him," She'd seen them both together, had invited them over many a time to have breakfast or lunch with her and with both herself and Sephiroth. Aerith really loved the two boys and wanted desperately to see them happy. "You were going to get married, the two of you. Do you remember asking him?"

[pilot05]

He tenses just a smidge when she touches him, but his smile doesn't fade as he shrugs in reply. "The war brought with it many terrible things, but it also brought peace to the entire Earth Sphere," and as much as he had suffered, it was worth it. Worth it enough that he'd given his life for that peace... maybe.

He laughs warmly when she tells him to just be himself, giving his head a little shake. "I will do my best," he promises, but then. Then.

He shakes his head a little. "I don't," he replied softly. "But I am not surprised. He is..." He sighed, like a lovesick teenager.

Mostly because he is a lovesick teenager.

[ancientflower]

Aerith didn't move her hand though, she just gave a gentle and reassuring little squeeze, though when Wufei laughs she does let her hand move from his shoulder down his arm to his elbow, laughing right along with him.

She'd heard him talking about that war before and the peace that followed, but war and terrible things weren't something that Aerith wanted to focus on right then. No no, what they needed was some happy memories. And Wufei looked very happy.

"He's your soulmate," She spoke warmly and with conviction. It was the same way she felt about Sephiroth. Entirely besotted and believing with all of her heart that he was the only man for her.

[pilot05]

It takes a moment, but he relaxes under her hand. He hadn't been used to physical contact before he'd arrived in Jikan and since forgetting most of what he experienced there, his tension had returned. With any luck it would fade again, and just as quickly.

"Soulmate," he repeats the word, and huffs out a soft chuckle. "To think that such a thing exists... but it certainly feels that way." He connected with Duo a great deal more than he ever had with Meilan, even in those final moments before she'd died, when he'd realized they were a better match than either of them had thought or admitted to. "It's strange, but I've been out less than an hour and I already miss him." So silly, and foolish, and... wonderful.

[ancientflower]

"I don't know whether they exist or not, but it's what feels right to me and my experiance. And from watching the both of you I had the feeling it could be the same," Her souls home was wherever Sephiroth was, she knew that. The fact that they had been with each other through several different worlds was a testiment to that. Even if those worlds were dreams, just the fact that they had been shared dreams was surely even more proof?

"It isn't strange at all," Aerith replied warmly. "I think it's really sweet. I suppose it's all new to you all over again, with your memories playing hard to get," It was almost a shame they couldn't remember all the details of their lives. But Aerith thought the idea that they get to fall in love all over again was a beautiful one. The same had happened to Sephiroth and herself when they had arrived in Nippon together.

[pilot05]

Wufei nods in agreement. "It certainly does," he agrees, because what else could he call it? He and Duo had an undeniable connection, and had clearly done things together in that dream world that only couples should. (At least in his admittedly conservative view. He has some hot takes on social norms, as usual.)

"It's very new, and at the same time feels very old," he didn't know how else to explain that his body seemed to know how to do things it shouldn't. Like where Duo was most sensitive, or how he liked to be kissed. He knew muscle memory when he felt it, after all. "Did we... did we have any peculiar pets?"

[ancientflower]

Now Aerith pulled her hand back and laughed brightly, her hand now finding a place to rest upon her hip.

"I'd say! You had a spider-cat called Shiro. She was a white fully Spitten, I think it was called? Had more legs than I could count. But she was very sweet and didn't bite," Which she was glad for. It had taken her a few tries to get past those legs and how alike the cat-creature was to an actual spider. She didn't much like them.

Which you would think she'd be used to after working with plants and in gardens most of her life.

Bugs in general she had no problems with. Spiders were just creepy. So long as they kept to their webs then she was happy with them. As soon as they started to crawl on her, she panicked! Aerith didn't kill them though. Or tried her best not to.

[pilot05]

The face Wufei made said that he agreed with her -- or probably had until the Spitten had turned its adorable little eyes (thankfully it only had two) on him. "Duo must have been very convincing," he decides with a nod, utterly oblivious to it being his own doing. He couldn't imagine.

"I'm glad she was no trouble, at least. I wonder if she'll show up here, too," and if he'd even be able to cope with it. A spider-cat sounded like a bad American comic book character.

Wufei turned his attention back to the window with a little smile. "Hopefully the only things we find from our pasts here will be the pleasant one. Like my family heirloom that I can't afford to buy back," he chuckles as he nods at the Altron again.

[ancientflower]

"Who knows?" If you believe that the world they new was a dream then there was a chance that the spitten was a construct of that dream. Or a representation of something else from this world.

If you believed.

Aerith had seen enough strangeness in her short lifetime to have suspicions of what was real and what wasn't. Which was puzzling. Because this world felt just as real as the last and just as real as her own.

She pushed those thoughts aside. A conversation like that could wait. It wasn't something to be discussed right there on the sidewalk.

"I hope you can find her again," Her attention was again pulled toward the statue and she smiled softly. "Maybe you could haggle the price down to something more reasonable?"

[pilot05]

Wufei hummed softly in agreement, looking at the Altron with a soft sigh and shaking his head. "My clan is gone, and Altron has served its purpose. Best to let the past go," or he might find himself making terrible mistakes again.

The stakes were too high for that now. He knew he had something special and important with Duo. He wasn't willing to risk throwing it all away just because he got too sentimental about who he was supposed to be, instead of who he had become over the years.

"Perhaps I'll come see your garden again soon, if you don't mind a guest or two." He was sure Duo would want to come along at some point.

[ancientflower]

"That... might take a while. My garden isn't much right now. But it will be! Not to say you can't come by for a visit though. I can still cook for you both," She'd actually enjoyed doing that a great deal. Sephiroth had a habit of wandering off, which was just fine. She wasn't his keeper. So the company was always welcome!

"I'll be working on my garden soon enough though," Aerith glanced up at the sky above and smiled. "When the weather starts to warm up will be the perfect time. Then you can come over as often as you like, Wufei."

[pilot05]

"I certainly wouldn't mind coming by before then, but do let me know when you plan to start work on the garden. Preparing the land tends to be the most difficult part of the process," and he doesn't say it, but he thinks it's much too difficult work for a young lady. Normally he would just say it, so he's not entirely sure why he keeps his mouth shut.

"Do you plan to grow daisies?"

[ancientflower]

Even with his memory betraying him, he is still wise enough not to belittle Aerith. Which is good. She'd hate to have to slap him upside the head for being an idiot after such a lovely friendship with him.

"It shouldn't be too hard. Not nearly as tricky as growing things in the last world, anyway. The land here seems a little more... sturdy?" She actually tapped her foot against the pavement then and gave Wufei a bright smile. "You liked the daisies before, I remember that. If I can find them in this place I'll be sure to grow them again."

[pilot05]

He laughs at the idea of land being more sturdy. "Yes, I do think we're on a planet of some sort. The dirt tends to be much more compact with real gravity holding it down. Gardening back home made me wish for the soft soil of the colonies, even though it's much more difficult to work in other ways."

He nods at the question of daisies. "I'll keep an eye out, as well," maybe there'd be a nursery somewhere around here, or even just a seed store.

[ancientflower]

Aerith knew what she meant. The last two worlds she'd been pulled to, the land had been... strange. The first had been a dying world and the second damaged by time and magic. This one seemed to have more life to it. Though she hadn't had time to explore that just yet. When she was able to start growing things again she would have a better idea.

She grinned, somehow feeling like Wufei was teasing her, until she remembered what he'd told her about having lived out in space.

"Mmhm, it's a planet, I can confirm that much at least," So it was real, as far as she was concerned. Unless it was a VERY fancy illusion... Aerith decided not to think along those lines and laughed. "Between us I'm certain we'll find some! And then maybe we can grow some in your garden, too?"

[pilot05]

"Though, now that you mention it, the gravity does seem a little off. Not in the way a colony's is," he said thoughtfully, glancing down at the ground. "It reminds me of the moon, a little," but he wasn't going to think too hard about that or he was going to need a brown paper bag.

When she mentions his garden, he laughs. "Yes, absolutely. I think I'll focus more on vegetables, but there are plenty of flowers that help vegetables they're planted next to," and if he had a little plot of daisies just to have daisies, he was sure no one would complain.

[ancientflower]

Aerith raised a brow and looked down at the ground. Again, she tapped a foot against the pavement and even went and jumped up and down a few times. If there was any difference in the gravity she couldn't actually tell.

"I can't tell the difference! But since I've never been on a moon..." As far as she knew. Who knew? The planet they were on right now could have been a moon? Aerith blinked and looked at Wufei with a bright smile. "You're going to grow a vegetable garden? That would be so cute! I'll help you in any way I can."