milliways_bar | (no subject)

A grin-shaped shadow is cast by the fire, onto the floor, the grin's silouette hanging in the air with nothing to support it, like a dragonfly above a pond. It is soon followed by a tail, swishing back and forth slowly, hypnotically, to make a quiet thump on the floorboards. Soon, the form of a large cat (roughly three feet in height) appears, connecting grin to tail, emaciated, missing flesh in parts.

The Cat turns its face away from the fire to grin at Truman, its eyes knowing.

"Hello, Truman" It's voice purrs out in a deep British rumble.

Truman glanced up at that, and blinked some.

"Uh, hi there kitty?" Maybe this one heard of the show, too?

Its tail thumps on the floor again. It glances at the book.

"Interesting book?"

"Very much so," Truman grinned at that. Though the cat's very strange appearance got a lot of eyeing. Weird creature.

The Cat stood, turned around and sat down again, to let Truman get a better view. Its skin pools around its paws a bit. The flessh on its neck is almost entirely missing, leaving nothing but spinal cord, which just might make one wonder how it can speak. But then, it's a cat, so maybe its not supposed to speak .

"What about your explorations?" The Cat urges on conversation.

Yeah, a bit creepy, and didn't make any sense at all. Must be from a very strange land, or maybe even an alien?

Truman replied, "Oh, well, haven't done much except around here so far with that. Got an offer to check Paris sometime from another patron here so that should be fun. Oh, and there was that Q who showed me a planet he made. Weird but neat." He still had the ring in a safe place that he got from it.

"Disappointing. There's so many places you could go..."

There's an inflection there, that perhaps the Cat isn't entirely talking about location. It hesitates, trying to figure out how to form a thought, though never losing its bloody grin.

"I'd... like to help you, in what limited form I can."

Truman wondered what the creature meant by that.

"Like where? And well, I'd appreciate the assistance I suppose. Whatcha have in mind?"

The cat lets out a slight chortle. It doesn't sound entirely sane."

"What do I have in mind? Utterly brilliant, lad. That's exactly what I was thinking. The realms of the mind are fascinating, each one stranger than the last. Billions of paths, untread by human feet. I could help get you there.

Truman seemed a bit wary at that chortle.

"Maybe... was thinking more along the lines of flying on a place or better yet sailing on a ship to explore."

He then shrugged, "How would you get there anyway? Except in dreams?"

"You can fly or sail, given the right tools. And dreams are an excellent way to get there, but not the only way. You can follow the white rabbit..."

It trails off, the parts of its face that might pass for eyebrows furrowing together as it looks at Truman. One hoop-clad ear twitches.

"You are suspicious of my intentions. Perhaps I said too much too soon. I beg forgiveness."

Truman listened to it thoughtfully. Hmmm... possibly. He wasn't sure, even though he was curious.

He then hastily said, "Oh, no, it's just unexpected. Didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything. Sounds interesting."

"Unexpected, yes. For me more than you. I had not ever dreamed of finding someone with the potential and curiosity necessary for such a journey."

Truman remarked, "Really?" He seemed a little flattered at that.

"Uh, thanks?"

"You think too little of yourself, Truman. I sense we are alike, you and I. Figments of deranged minds, made manifest. Our very will enough to break our chains and grant us freedom in the world, or worlds as it may be. Its a recipe for greatness, really. I just don't have the ambition, because I'm a cat."

Truman listened to that with some wonder. Though he knew he wasn't a figment. He was real, just everything else that wasn't. No argument on deranged mind though.

"Oh sorry to hear that I guess," While Truman had lots of ambition. To travel, to escape, and see everything.

He finally said, "How would I go on this journey then? A door, fall asleep...?"

"There are several ways to start from here. Mostof them use dreams, which is troublesome. One of the locals has providence in that department, and from what I hear, he can be nosy. There should be a door, however. There almost always is..."

It thinks for a moment.

"Alice might still have the key... You'll have to find Alice. Nice girl. Blue dress. Pennifore. Carries a very large knife."

Lifting its paw as if holding something on its paw pad, it stares at the empty space there. Then that space isn't so empty, filled up by a vial of bright red fluid that glows faintly. There's a little tag attached to it that says DRINK ME.

"You'll need this, of course. Can't readily go the way you are. Don't drink it until you're ready."

Truman missed out on many books, including fantasy books like Lewis Carroll. More conditioning against exploring, or being imaginative. As much as it didn't work.

So as it was, Alice or the bottle wasn't ringing any bells in his head.

Truman picked up the bottle, and stared, "Alice, blue dress, really big knife. Ok... thanks. What's this do?"

"And somebody's involved with dreams? Who's that?" He doesn't know about the Endless yet.

(ooc: slowtime ok? mun's got to go to bed.)

It puts its paw back down, dismissing the bquestion with a twitch of its ear.

"Don't know yet. You'll have to try it and see. And presumably, Dream is involved in dreams. Rumor has it, dreams are what he is. Not that it matters, because everyone who is anyone knows that it's what you do, not what you are, that matters."

(OOC: Night!)

"Dream, and dreams..." Truman remarked to himself, still with some wonder.

He then said to the cat, "I guess I'll keep an eye out for Alice then. Thanks again."

"Oh. And if you do decide to go, you'll probably want to order a White Rabbit from the bar. Specifically do not order it from a bartender. There's no guessing what they might give you. Order it straight from the bar. With it, you should be less likely to get lost."

The Cat fades out until there's nothing but a grin floating by the fire, which stays there for several minutes before disappearing as well.

Truman nodded, "Will do." He stared at that grin a little though. Creepy. Hopefully this was worth the adventure at least. He carefully pocketed the bottle, and went to go look for Alice after retrieving his book.