JAWS • DECEMBER 2025 EVENT/TDM

[uruz]

TDM & EVENT: JAWS

Watch on YouTube

ᛗ

Show Me Those Pretty White Jaws

The dream has been coming in waves for those new to Sleep's touch, as a shoreline that never stays still. As a sky that never remembers to include its stars. Beneath it all, there is a voice. Her voice: silk-sweet, coaxing from just beyond the approaching wave that towers like a moving mountain. She tells you to come home. She promises it won't hurt, even if she never tells you what waits beneath. You see the shape just before the dream ends: a massive black tidal wave, yawning wide and black until it looks like a pair of jaws breaking upon you. You don't have time to resist.

You and your veteran Vessels will awaken in water.

There is no surface. No bottom. No sky. No sound but your own heartbeat and the echoes of water being slashed though, dull and endless in the still, frigid dark. You are suspended, weightless— Some may have difficulty to breathe without inhaling water the first few times, while those aligned with the waves will feel it come like second nature. Once you acclimate yourself, you'll notice that around you drift glowing filaments; thin, pulsing threads that coil like jellyfish tendrils, softly luminescent. They curl and twist through the water, and when you look closer, you realize: they show you things. Memories, maybe. Dreams, maybe. Each one unique to your gaze: a hand reaching for yours in the dark, a goodbye that never finished, a face you haven't seen in years. They are what you think love looks like. What you once needed it to be. And when you touch them, they wrap around you, gently, warmly . . . Hungrily— and begin to pull you down.

To ascend into the next level, you must let go. But not everything that binds you wants to be released. The filaments drifting through the water show you what you think love looks like— what you've built it into. They are gentle at first, beautiful even, but the longer you cling, the more they pull.

There are ways to escape them: You may bind your filament with another's and together speak aloud a shared truth: what you believe love really is. If your hearts align or at the very least come to an agreement, the threads dissolve into light and lift you upward. If your beliefs clash or contradict, the threads knot tighter, and something . . . May take interest in you.

Beneath you, something moves. Huge, silent and almost regal. It glides through the deep like a phantom, almost too large to be real. You feel its presence before you see its flash of pearl white and glowing red eyes, three on each side of its face: a shark.

The shark is here to choose its next meal. It smells grief, fear and seeks out trauma most of all. It is drawn to the most unspoken parts of you, the very parts you thought were buried, roused from the tightened ropes of what you crave in your heart. And when it chooses you, it does not bite immediately. It invites, with its jaws opening like a sanctuary and slow towards you.

Inside is I, whispers Sleep. Allow Me to have you whole, and you will be at peace. Show Me love.

Fight against her, or even with your current partner about what love is, and Sleep will open her maw, spilling tendrils from her throat and begin to stalk you. Best be prepared to fight the possessed Megalodon— She will laugh, amused as you do, like a great cat playing with its food. And if you were to be caught, well. You'll wake in the dream's next level with an undeniable prey drive, whether Token or Offering.

She will do anything to keep you here.

NOTES:

• There is no surface visible at first. Light only comes from the filaments. As characters resist, act, or ascend, a faint stained-glass shimmer begins to pulse upward, hinting at the dream's next layer.
• Sound is muffled— speech emerges as bubbles, but meaning travels regardless. Words feel heavy here. Some phrases may literally change the water (turn to light, birth dream-objects, or ripple with tension). You will do better using The Murmur as a means of communication. Luckily you have your mask on!
• The Shark always circles once it senses trouble within you. Sometimes close, sometimes far, but always felt. If characters listen closely, they can hear the echo of One's voice coming from inside it: pleading with a haunted, at times screaming melody.

TOKEN EFFECTS

• The dream bends subtly around Tokens, especially at the whims of an Aquamancer. Walls of pressure open before them, and filaments shift course as if expecting them. This can make their path easier, unless they start to doubt their purpose.
• Tokens perceive emotional resonance as currents in the water such as subtle flows of energy. These can guide them (or others) toward escape paths, or signal when the shark is near.
• When a Token speaks or acts with strong intent, the dream sometimes translates it into a symbolic structure: A word might become a floating glyph. A gesture might alter the filament's shape. A moment of clarity might reveal a hidden path. Other characters can interact with these dream-objects, but they're fragile, unstable, and prone to distortion by doubt.
• The deeper Tokens go, the more they feel themselves pulling apart and begin to experience dual awareness: one part dreaming, one part watching— some may even see flashes of within the shark's belly, and One's voice much louder. The deeper they go, the more detached they become, and the more they lack the ability to act at all.

OFFERING EFFECTS

• The shark is more fascinated by Offerings. It circles them often, sensing kinship— or potential. The more monstrous the Offering, the more the shark "pauses' near them, almost curious.
• Offerings feel "the pull" more clearly, particularly Merrows and other aquatic-based Offerings—they can sense where the surface might be, and where the shark intends to strike next. They may even see pulses in the water that others miss, similar to Spider Man's "spidey senses".
• An Offering may experience rapid body changes submerged. Fins may appear, bones may shift, teeth may lengthen without warning and so on. This makes their movement easier or harder, depending on how much of themselves they're holding back or how apt their monstrous forms are at swimming.
• Some Offerings may feel drawn to the shark— not in fear, but in understanding. They may see themselves in it, and vice versa— One's song in particular is hypnotic, and for split moments you may understand his pain through his words. This might make you more prone to being consumed, though, so hopefully your partner can help you out of it—?.

ᛗ

Watching Me With Eyes Of A Predator

The surface you breach is not water— it's glass.

You strike it with the force of falling sky. It fractures beneath you in a bloom of painted light. For one weightless moment, the dream hesitates, sputters. Then the world shatters, and you fall with the cascade.

Water pours through the crack in the ceiling, carrying you down in ribbons of color and a shattering splash. Stained glass shards drift like petals through the now collapsing roof, and you eventually land not in sand, but upon a cathedral floor, slick with tide. Around you, the water spreads, pooling across the stone and swallowing the walls in a rising hush as it finds escape through the doors.

The cathedral is vast, impossibly so. Its architecture towers, crooked and immaculate, built more from longing than stone. No altar awaits you. No congregation. Only the sensation of having trespassed into something meant to be private. Veteran Vessels may recognize this cathedral as St. Patrick's— before it was drenched in One's blood sacrifice.

High above and surrounding you, the stained-glass mosaics churn with captured light. f you linger beneath one of the window's rays, your appearance may begin to change under the light. You appear as someone else sees you. Be it a hero. A monster. A disappointment. A god. A weakness. A temptation. Even a burden. That version of you clings to your dream-body like a second skin; uncomfortable, intimate, and undeniable. For some, it may be beautiful. For others, unbearable.

If you and another stand beneath the same window, you may each appear as the other secretly imagines. There is no control and no negotiation. Only truth twisted through the lens of want, resentment, fear, or love. And it doesn't go away until you leave the light.

Eventually, the cathedral doors open by dream's will. Beyond them lies a cloister garden: narrow paths, pale trees, and wild flowers that bloom in stillness. At the far end, behind the overgrowth and ruined arches, you see a hollow.

It is a corridor where the dream collapses inward, twisting, warped, half-swallowed in fog and dread. Its stones pulse faintly beneath a shallow film of water. Black tendrils reach from its depths like roots, veins, twitching toward sound, warmth, and movement. You see them dragging matter into the earth, and between them lie bones, contorted and fresh, half-consumed.

And farther still, a body that still breathes. Glimpsed only briefly, A masked man's form is stretched by the hollow's gravity, arms pinned behind the veil. He does not move, or speak. Or perhaps, he cannot. The hollow does not let him go and will not, should you make your attempts. If you step foot in the hollows that have consumed him, you too will be consumed. A three eyed Tod sits at the hollow's edge, a single bushy tail splitting into three, as its body plays with illusion like smoke put to dance over fire. It says, as its head floats up and its maw splits into a grin too cheshire to ignore: Wearing shoes, yet no feet in sight. You'll hear steps pound in the death of night. What is it that you need, to cross this narrow blight?

It disappears and only leaves you the riddle to chew on.

Nothing living can cross the hollow, you'll soon find. Nothing except . . . The Nightmares.

Just outside the garden's boundary, you'll find horses built from wind and shadow, flickering at the edge of your vision. Their bodies are black— not the color, but the absence, swallowing all light. Some of their craniums cound be seen, others have a jutting horn of bone from their foreheads. Where eyes should be, there are six: three stacked on each side of the skull, glowing dimly red like distant embers beneath ice. Their manes flow like torn fabric, like drifting vapor that trails behind them like the smoke from a snuffed candle. Their maws are too damn wide to be herbivorous, yet they seem to enjoy the act of grazing. They wait, unchained and wild in a herd.

This is the only way forward. Only they can pass through the hollow untouched. But how to ride one—? You may chase them. You may plead, command, kneel. You may offer them all your need and all your love, promises that you will provide if they become your steed. But they were not made to answer it. For every Vessel, there is one single Nightmare that will choose them, and thus you will choose each other. They have their own personalities, some more aggressive or shyer than others. The harder you reach, the faster they vanish or harshed they will attack if unready. Try to mount one through force, and you'll regret ever trying. Try to bind one, and it will break you.

But if you are patient, if you figure out its nature and how to please it— your Nightmare may come closer. One may circle you. It may bow its head. Their snort is warm and real against your palm. If successful, it will lower itself to its knees. If you've got the height, they will simply wait, patiently, for you to get on their backs (Or not; there are plenty of sassy mares out there).

If you accept, you might not be taken somewhere safe, but you will be taken somewhere true, away from here. And if you force your want upon them, if you cannot let go— you will be left with something else.

In the distance, across the flooded cathedral floor, you may see One again. Flashes, glimpses. Always chasing a mare he never reaches, or the opposite— the mare chases after him.

NOTES:

• If a character successfully forms a bond with their Nightmare, it will return with them in the form of a waking world steed, officially introduced in the next event. You're free to give it the personality you wish.
• If a character attempts to force a connection with a Nightmare at any point (tries to catch, mount, command, etc.), the mare will bite or kick, which Vessels will suffer as a persistent dream-mark that will carry into the waking world.

TOKEN EFFECTS

• Light clings unnaturally to Tokens in the cathedral, especially near the stained glass. It bends around their bodies like a false halo, casting them in divine or monstrous outlines depending on who watches.
• If a Token casts or channels any magic within the cathedral or near a Nightmare, the spell does not manifest, but instead, a cold mist escapes their mouth, and the Nightmare turns to look. The dream rejects force.
• When a Nightmare looks directly at a Token, their eyes eclipse, pupils vanishing into rings of shadow. In that moment, a fragmented vision floods the Token's mind . . . not from the Nightmare, but from another character nearby. It shows the Token how that character once dreamed of them, what they feared, needed, or hoped they would become.

OFFERING EFFECTS

• The stained glass causes a subtle change in scent and physical appearance turning into a more grotesque version of this— Offerings begin to smell or look like what others most want from them.
• Offerings may always know where the Nightmares are, even when hidden. But the more they try to act on this knowledge, the harder the Nightmares are to reach.
• An Offering's body will react before they realize it, flinching from lies, bristling in moments of emotional pressure, pulling away from contact, and so on. They may startle even at gentle contact, as if something inside them is as reactive as they are.

ᛗ

Where The Delicate Stops

As your Nightmare takes you through the misty hollow, you may begin to notice the empty city of Manhattan as veterans remember. There is no warning but the eerie silence that surrounds you like impossible weights. The cathedral once behind you folds inward— wrong, deep and full of pressure. It bursts through the hollow's path, through the city's street, and then— The dream ruptures.

Stone peels backward like paper. Glass liquefies mid-air. The sky above the city pulls itself inside out. Time bends sideways. And from the edges of the dream, something, someone, begins to hunt. Sleep's presence moves like the very shark she chose as a vision of her physical manifestation. She does not speak or rage. But you feel Her, rising like fever beneath the skin of Her world as the hairs at the back of your neck do. She does not want you this deep, and neither does One.

Somewhere within the collapse, you may see them— entwined, shifting, trembling. One's face is turned toward you, screaming something that doesn't reach your ears. Sleep's hands are tangled in his body. She pulls him back with a gentleness that breaks the sky, and he screams, reaching for you with his last breath before consumption. The dream convulses.

The Nightmares bolt with you still on them.

The city rises to meet you from the shadows, but it's not the city you know. Skyscrapers twist at unnatural angles. Streets flood, then dry, then flood again. Tendrils burst from subway grates and gutters, slashing upward like tongues. Streetlights spin like compass needles. Cars levitate, crash, freeze midair. You move through it all at breakneck speed, but the exit keeps shifting— a hole in the world that flickers just beyond reach where you see your body, fast asleep.

Somewhere in the chaos, a few Nightmares are caught. Sleep strikes like lightning— she coils like a viper and tightens like a vice. One touch from Her, and your Nightmare collapses mid-gallop, its body unraveling into smoke and light. No sound. No scream. Just absence. And you fall right off it like a ragdoll.

Others fall beneath impact, too— a wrong turn, a shattered wall, a burst of heat from One's grief. A broken leg. A crash. A wound too deep to ride through. If your steed is lost, you fall. And if no one reaches for you, you stay fallen. Others are near, and their Nightmares still run. All of you have a terrible dread in your bones— if you are caught or left behind, the consequences will be dire. You might not even wake up. So, call out. Cling. Climb. Share. Two Vessels on one mount. Anything to survive and flee as the dreamscape tightens its wrathful grip around you.

Sleep calls inside your spine. You can't make out what She says. One answers, the same blur of garbled words in your marrow. And then, just before the dream can take you, just before you reach an exit— you rise.

Your body lifts from the Nightmare as it paddles the air with desperation, it too rising. You're pulled upward, weightless, as if a thread inside your heart has been yanked by a furious god. You float, twist in the air. Your vision glows white.

We've got you.

And then you wake up— mid-air in the waking world.

Your body slams into your bed, floor, street, soil, wherever it was that you had slept. Reality greets you with terrible impact.

NOTES

• If a character does not find a mount in time, they may be caught in the dream collapse. They still wake— but they wake broken. These characters may wake up bruised, disoriented, or emotionally fragmented, and this can be explored in the next waking world event.

TOKEN EFFECTS

• Any Tether they feel becomes unstable—splintered. For brief moments, they feel it breaking and re-forming again and again, with slight differences each time.
• The more emotionally charged they are, the more the dream pulls toward them; tendrils snap faster, debris veers unnaturally close.
• Their body flickers with signs of their own magic—sigils, symbols, runes— burning just beneath the surface of their skin like constellations. These glow brighter as the dream collapses, as if trying to tear free.

OFFERING EFFECTS

• Where Offerings are grazed or injured, they bleed light, not red. It floats up like mist.
• They hear One's heartbeat, not theirs, and it speeds in panic. It affects their own pulse, the mare under them . . .
• The Nightmare no longer follows the Offering's will—it will respond to their fear instead.

ᛗ

OOC NOTES

➤ Welcome to Somnia's third TDM, which doubles as the month's gamewide event!
➤ This TDM is considered game canon. You are free to have your character remember as many details as possible when they wake up.
➤ Only new characters are free to experiment with the Vessel options, Token or Offering to your liking; this is a dreamscape, so multiple/different situations for you to really test which option you like most is possible. Current characters must remain as their chosen Vessel type unless you requested a switch, which can be done on the Taken page.
➤ All TDMs take place within a dreamscape, meaning characters can interact with the setting without needing to apply. Come have fun with us!
➤ Veteran players, I ask to please refrain from making post-event threads for the time being! We have some important information to take into account in next month's event when characters are slated to "wake up". At the very least, please wait for the information to be offered on the next plotting post. Thank you everyone for your patience!
➤ Please comment on the TDM's INVITE TL if you are a new player interested in joining the game, but don't yet have an invite. Current players or the mod may reach out to extend an invite. Once you've got one, please don't forget to comment on the Invite page so you may properly link it in your reserve and app.
➤ Questions? Please direct them to the designated questions comment linked below!

network ᛗ logs ᛗ ooc ᛗ memes ᛗ navigation

code

code

Comments

[trashblaze]

[ Hearing that, Caelus maintains the neutral expression, but he does feel his brows furrow slightly. ]

What's your plan? Are you…

[ There's no indication that "Roe Deer" would do such a thing, but Caelus doesn't like how that's worded. "You and everyone else." What about himself? He has to make sure, so he asks straightforwardly. ]

You're not going to sacrifice anything to Sleep, are you? That god doesn't play fair. And I doubt you can hide anything from her for long.

[ He doesn't want any more of this self-sacrifice stuff… He's met way too many people who kept doing it, even before arriving in this place. ]

Through the months, we've been trying to find the people who seem to know more about her. We've been informed that it's our best chance to counter Sleep.

[roedeer]

[ sacrifice to sleep? that's an option? the dreamer takes... offerings? to know that sleep takes anything means there's a chance.

it's information for the people outside of this darkness, and maybe the director would know about it. knowing him, he'd take the gamble, but there was nothing about "sleep" when going into a certain darkness... though, they had to fall asleep to even enter, so that could be the connection.

the horses feed as they talk, grazing peacefully without a thought in their mind as kim soleum walks over to caelus to stand by his side. he picks up a few petals from the goblet to toss them on the ground as he thinks on what's said. ]

The less she knows the better.

[ sneak it behind her back without sleep noticing. ]

Sleep's dreaming now, is there a way to talk to her here?

[ that is the best method to learn how a darkness works, there has to be someone who's willing to know about her... there are workers outside of this darkness who would be willing to follow up, offer all sorts of items to see what she likes best. if there's a way to contact her here and not from manhattan, then that would be good. ]

There may be a chance she sleep-talks, as silly as it sounds... it's an option unless someone has checked?

[trashblaze]

We've seen her in these dreams before. More than once.

[ So, Sleep doesn't… actually slumber in the traditional sense. ]

She's always watching. The others have already spoken to her, even through these dreams, I believe. But I haven't, simply because I'm not prepared to speak to her yet.

[ Caelus thinks he knows too little about her and this world, so he doesn't want to say anything out of assumptions or theories. He also can't shake off the feeling that she might only say things that convenience her, to attempt to convince him to her side. And because he lacks the truth, he feels he might get in trouble if he makes a rash decision. Therefore, he feels it's best to avoid her until the time he's ever ready to speak. ]

I want to know more before I do. And… she's always asking for something. I don't want to sacrifice anything to her.

[roedeer]

I see.

[ it's never that easy, especially if they're in an annihilation-sanctioned supernatural disaster then it'll be difficult with complicated requirements. if her whole gimmick is sleeping, dreaming, and she's awake in a sense... he'll think on the common themes for later. ]

That's good. [ soleum comforts, nodding to caelus because it comes so easy to agree to that sort of mindset. ] The less you know, the worst the outcome.

[ even soleum navigates darknesses like this cautiously and within reason, little information would place him in poor situations. luckily for him, he's read thousands and thousands of wikipedia pages with horror-adjacent gimmicks, and these are a dime a dozen.

as long as he feels like he understands, it's easy to make his way through this. ]

When you understand how to handle her is the only time you should step forward.

[ he approves of caelus' way of staying out of trouble. ]

Do you know what she's accepted so far?

[trashblaze]

[ A sad smile. ]

I'm glad you agree, but some of us are too eager to speak to her.

[ He's always nervous about that, hoping that nothing happened in their contact with Sleep. ]

She accepts what she calls worship. It comes in many forms. Sometimes it's literal, as in offering her anything of worth. Sometimes, it's…

[ He pauses a little, then continues. ]

Sometimes she takes pleasure in our pain. She'll accept that as a form of worship. When I got hurt in the cathedral, she… gave me a reward for it. It makes me sick.

[roedeer]

[ i'm a coward, i'm scared, i don't have it in me to handle spooky creatures!!!

soleum exhales, he's calm with a shake of his head hearing how people jump in line to speak with her. not something he would want to do unless there was a large gain from it. ]

Star.

[ the man lifts one hand, then rests it on his shoulder to gently pat him a few times. what can he do, apologize? tell him it's okay? ]

You don't have to reflect on it if you don't want to.

[ as much as soleum wants to know, and he does, he does have to act like someone for caelus to lean on. ]

If you do, maybe I can understand her a little more. What did she give, did you ever use it?

[trashblaze]

[ How sweet. Caelus can tell that "Roe Deer" is trying to comfort him, so his smile turns more genuine, the sadness drifting away. It doesn't take much to cheer Caelus up, because he's more resilient than he appears. After all, he's a trailblazer who deals with the worst types of situations throughout many planets, so he's more than prepared. ]

It's fine, I'm not letting that bring me down. And… she gave me back one of my weapons.

[ Caelus has the ability to summon his weapons anywhere, so he does that now for the one he's regained. Extending one hand forward, he makes a quick gesture, and a blue light appears. Soon, a baseball bat not from this world takes shape until it fully materializes, a physical form that can be held. He takes it, spinning it with natural ease until it adjusts for a proper grip. ]

Even though the way I reacquired it is not ideal, I don't want this to become a weakness of mine. With it, I'll change things. Losing our abilities in the waking world has been really difficult for me, but now I can actually fight back next time.

[ They can only use their real powers in dreams such as this one. In the waking world, in Manhattan, they lose all of that. As Caelus mentioned earlier, they are taken and then replaced by something else that Sleep granted them.

Since Caelus lost every single one of his combat-type abilities, he didn't have anything to defend himself with. Only with his raw physical strength, but even this has been weakened by Sleep in the waking world, too. Part of why he got badly injured. ]

[roedeer]

[ an ability. the way caelus summons his weapon right before soleum tells him enough, that place strips them of everything. when he thinks about it in regards to himself, what does soleum have? very little. the thought of being somewhere defenseless, again, in a darkness... how dangerous is that, and they're gifted by a strange entity depending on what they give in exchange?

this is just like a merchant distributing weapons to those that pay the toll, and others who do not will just have to go without. he's played many games like that. ]

She holds a great amount of influence.

[ enough that people would want to harm themselves or others just to be... in another way... blessed.

soleum isn't familiar with the ability, but he can't help but be curious. the flashiness of how it appeared retains his attention for the most part, wondering if it's connected to some power he has inside of him or powered by the dreamer instead.

clearing his throat, soleum speaks again. ]

It's good to know.

[ that doesn't mean he wants to follow in those footsteps, he really needs to get out of this place and give the bureau a tip. ]

There are people you want to save that you couldn't before. The trade off wasn't as bad as it could have been.

[ the gains in the future are more promising. ]

[trashblaze]

[ Since "Roe Deer" has a good look at his weapon, Caelus lets go of it now, and the bat dissipates into light particles that gradually disappear. The trailblazer's expression is hopeful and warm, always ready to face the next challenge with a strong heart. ]

We'll never really know if we'll meet at Sleep's Manhattan. But if we do… I'll be there for you.

[ That's a promise! ]

I'll keep your secret, as long as nothing goes wrong. But I'm breaking it the moment you need help, or if it's a desperate situation, because I can't risk losing you. We're in the same team now, Deer hyung.

[roedeer]

[ must be made out of essence or some kind of energy, it really reminds him of a unique skill certain characters have, and he did call himself the galactic baseballer earlier, so it lines up. ]

You don't have to do that.

[ he's sure caelus has heard this numerous times, and kim soleum elaborates. ]

I'm not anyone you're losing. It'd be better if you didn't think so much of me.

[ clearly caelus finds soleum someone of importance, a piece of the puzzle that he can't stand to lose. there's nothing to be gained from being attached to him, and the little bit of contact he can give is patting the boy on the shoulder. ]

You have enough on your shoulders.

[ soleum finds caelus full of worry, from his explanation before to his grief at not being able to save people. he's placing too much. ]

[trashblaze]

[ Immediate frown. Sorry, but this is Caelus, and he values every connection he makes. The moment "Roe Deer" downplays himself, he leans forward with that obvious frown and gently pokes the older man's nose with one finger. ]

I don't know what you're thinking of, but I can tell I don't like it.

[ Why does the man think Caelus keeps calling him affectionately despite his protests over being called hyung? It's not because he thinks he's useful. He's not that kind of person. ]

I'll think about you however much I want!

[ Damn. Oh, but he's not even done. ]

I'll never forget your handsome voice, your considerate nature, and your desire to do something for everyone! I don't have to do it? Yeah, but I want to. You are my only and only "Deer hyung" now! By the way, I can tell you also have a pretty face underneath that mask.

[ Last part might be unneccessary, but he says it anyway. Good fuel for his memory about "Roe Deer." 😊💕 ]

[roedeer]

[ this brat.

kim soleum stares bewildered, but the mask hides the expression as his lips remain pursed in a straight line. between the tap against his nose and the compliments, what is soleum to say? he's in a position where his awkwardness wins: a hand comes to his mouth, he coughs into it and then nods his head.

he can hear it now if braun were here to hear that, "— what a casanova! nobody can resist my friend's charms. he'd make a great lackey for future endeavors if you take advantage of that, mr. roe deer!" ]

Um, alright.

[ that was a thing, he doesn't feel as bad knowing caelus won't let that disrupt that unwavering hope of his. clearing his throat to move the subject along, the employee knows better to let that linger in the air between them.

the important part of this is, well. ]

Your safety comes first. I'm familiar with the dangers of a Darkness and can keep myself safe, but you were the one who was endangered before. Please, even if selfishly, focus on yourself for now.

[trashblaze]

[ That'll teach "Roe Deer" to downplay himself. Try it again, and the confidence-boosting talks will come back. Caelus is relentless; he'll always make sure that whoever he considers a friend never forgets that he's thinking the best for them. He wants to treasure every moment with them and always aims to make them smile. Even if some of them will take a long time. It doesn't matter how long it takes.

For now, Caelus considers it a victory that "Roe Deer" accepted it without protesting. He muffles a small giggle to himself. That's why he doesn't protest either when his precious Deer hyung tells him to focus on himself. ]

Okay, I promise. I'll be careful.

[ Well, then. It seems the shadow horses are finally done eating. That means… ]

So, are you ready to learn how to ride on Pink?

[roedeer]

[ caelus doesn't understand the ways that soleum hates himself, actually. he's already unsure if he should keep this up when the other is like ... that. the things he says are unpredictable, and soleum knows he won't get used to it because he's going to find a way out this darkness.

one hand lifts to his mask to adjust it, but it's mostly to make sure caelus really doesn't know what he look like. ]

Right.

[ the horse. his attention turns to it for a few moments, and his attention is back on caelus. his hand comes back down to his side. ]

Why would I need to do that?

[ it's because of the riddle, but what are the chances that escape isn't the one soleum needs? he has reservations. ]

[trashblaze]

[ Maybe today, Caelus doesn't know, but one day he will! One day, he swears he will successfully connect with this person. The meaning of give up doesn't exist for him. ]

Because the one who said it is on our side.

[ Since "Roe Deer" is unaware of this one, too, then Caelus will explain. Man, at this rate, "Roe Deer" will know everything before he even arrives in Manhattan. ]

That three-eyed creature is actually a person, named Three. There are some others like Three. The one who told us about them is someone named Espera, who stands against Sleep. Several months ago, Espera warned us about Sundowning before it happened, and also led us to a water treatment station that we were able to restore, which allowed the city to have clean water again.

[roedeer]

[ "our side" sounds like "your side", which isn't the side that kim soleum is on, but if these entities are on their side... ]

Three and... Espera.

[ alright, these are names of special characters to the narrative, and that allows soleum to have a better understanding of what to emphasize more on the "who". that's where his curiosity grows, and caelus can hear it in soleum's voice. ]

Whose side are you on?

[ for someone sensitive as caelus to the environment and people around him, it doesn't sound unlike him to have... favorites. ]

[trashblaze]

As long as these people continue to aid our friends, then I will consider them friends as well.

[ The honesty is clear in his voice. Caelus's side is the side of those willing to aid those around them. That's why he worded it as "our" because "Roe Deer" is doing the same thing.

Can these people truly be trusted? Who knows for sure? But as Caelus said earlier, "I don't have a guaranteed method to tell if something is trustworthy. But I've always just trusted what feels right to me." Since these people have been aiding them so far, the trailblazer will respect them.

He decides to introduce himself again, but this time to state his true identity, not a mere title. His true name, a sign of his full trust in "Roe Deer." He straightens up, and he opens a hand towards the older man.

In addition, he pries off his raccoon mask, allowing this person to see him entirely without any cover. He can feel the discomfort coming from doing this, but he ignores it to get his heart across. Even for just a few seconds. His vibrant smile fills his face, paired with that glimmering set of golden eyes. ]

I am Caelus, a Nameless from the Astral Express. We are intergalactic adventurers who travel the stars and follow the Path of Trailblaze. To Trailblaze is to explore the universe and aid other worlds.

So, my side will always be to aid the worlds I come across.

[roedeer]

[ this does the opposite to quell kim soleum's worries as he watches caelus discard his mask and offers his name aloud. soleum can feel the stress overwhelming his entire person, his face going hot, and hands come to his face as he takes a deep, and long breath.

after everything he's said, caelus doesn't listen, and it's because contaminated people don't listen to reason. he can't save anyone who is past the point of saving, it's an error, a trait written in that someone forgot to take out. that's all it is, if soleum can accept that—

no, he can't! it doesn't make sense, especially when caelus knows the horrors of this darkness. the entity may know everything, but it doesn't have to be obvious... what is caelus, a plant? or someone to test soleum's patience. dread washes over soleum as his hands finally free from his face, and they drop down by his sides. ]

I say these things because I'm concerned. If you wish to aid me, please respect my wishes by keeping on your mask.

[ nameless? intergalactic? alien... he's starting to miss chief lizard, at least he was an alien who avoided unnecessary problems like this.

no matter, soleum's taking a step forward, his hand touching the back of caelus' own that holds the mask. he may be brave enough to show his face, to speak his "name," and feel comforted that this truth will help whoever hears it. unfortunately, soleum's still bound by the rules of a darkness. ]

Avoid saying your name, [ is caelus even his real name? ] and listen to me more. I know that you've been here longer than me, but I want to rescue you through methods I understand.

[ he's calm, but his request is filled with worry. ]

[trashblaze]

[ A being from beyond the stars, with his own free will, and fears almost nothing. That's what he is. ]

I will keep it on. I only wanted to prove my resolve, that I won't back out of anything, no matter how frightening it may be. Something like this won't stop me from accomplishing what I've decided on. And that includes not losing against Sleep or her influences.

[ With that said, Caelus puts the raccoon mask back on gently, his mannerisms the opposite of the stressed "Roe Deer." Even without a tether, hearing the man's worried voice like that, it's easy enough to tell how distressed he was just now. But then again, is it really only "just now?" Caelus has been keeping his eyes on him since earlier, after all.

He's seen the subtle hints. He's not blind. But he won't point it out, keeping it to himself as he reaches to protectively hold both of "Roe Deer's" hands, trying to reassure him that he's all right. That he will continue to be all right. Slowly, he entwines their fingers as well, sharing the warmth of his own hands. ]

I wonder if Sleep will choose you. If she doesn't… [ This might be the last time that he'll get to hold these hands… ] I'll still remember you. The concerned, kind Roe Deer. So, thank you for worrying about me all this time.

[roedeer]

[ the contact of their hands, the way caelus laces them together, the gesture remains briefly before soleum withdraws his hands. they come down by his side, the amount of stress he's experienced so far doesn't help. he finds that he doesn't want to touch, he doesn't want any of this, because if he wants anything it's to... no, he can't even think of that now; he just wants the other to listen.

to stop endangering himself.

at least do it when soleum isn't around, that way he can't even complain! he sighs, his fingers curling into his hand, nails digging into the palms until he stops doing so. ]

Stop it.

[ control the situation, keep it from escalating, don't think these things about him. there's no fear, there's no concern, right now soleum holds some sort of annoyance, but isn't it okay to feel that way when someone endangers themselves in front of him? ]

It's not about being chosen. [ ... ] If this is how you think I feel, why do you choose to frustrate them?

[ if soleum is so concerned, if soleum is so worried, then why does caelus make the choices that only makes it worse for soleum mentally. it's one of those times where he wishes braun were here, not because of his penchant to lighten the mood as an entertainer, but someone who will listen and keep soleum's beliefs in mind. ]

[trashblaze]

To prove that I'm going to be fine.

[ Didn't Caelus make that clear by now? That no matter what happened at this point, or what will happen in the future, he will still get through them and survive. He has too many things to accomplish to fall to Sleep's petty tricks. It's been months since he came here, and he has no intention of giving in to her. Never will. ]

Stop what, exactly? Trying to prove myself? Or trying to befriend you?

[ How many people has Caelus dealt with at this point, across so many planets? He's familiar with this kind of behavior. He can tell there's a wall in front of him, but that doesn't mean he'll give up on trying to connect. He'll keep trying no matter what. Because that's his mission as a Trailblazer. ]

If it's not about being chosen, then what is it?

[ Is "Roe Deer" trying to say that he's above Sleep's power? Does he have a guaranteed means to get everyone out of here? Caelus wants to believe him if that's the case, but that doesn't seem to be likely at all. It just looks like… this person will have to learn it the hard way. Because the rules are different in Sleep's world.

Whether or not "Roe Deer" arrives in Manhattan, he'll realize it either way.

Making it back home means potentially losing contact with everyone here, unless Sleep pulls him into her dreams again. And making it to Manhattan means facing the harsh reality of everything that Caelus warned him of. The threat of Sundowning is only one among the many. ]

Do you see me as someone helpless, Deer hyung? Even I have something to protect. So, even if you don't believe in my strength, that fact won't change. And I will continue to be fine.

[roedeer]

Putting yourself in danger.

[ he doesn't have to prove anything to soleum, he knows there are people the boy wants to protect. he's heard that! soleum knows this because hasn't their conversations prior been the well-being of those here? he doesn't need to befriend soleum, but he's not reacting this way because he doesn't want to be his friend. it's so much more than that. it's not about limiting him, or keeping up a wall that prevents caelus from coming near him. ]

I don't want you to put yourself in unnecessary danger. If there's an option where you can be safe without repercussions, then you should take it.

[ what does removing his mask do but cause pain like he said, he told soleum this, and then he just does it!? for what!? what is he proving! stop it, stop it! then he says his name aloud, soleum gets it, he's contaminated, it probably matters little, but that doesn't mean it doesn't fuel the oddity of this darkness by hearing it over and over again.

soleum's frustrated, but he has to reel in his feelings because that's not what matters. why did he even think the reasoning of: "if you care about my feelings, then why...?" would help. he realizes it was a stupid way to address it, why would anyone care about that!? ]

You have an advantage. [ he acknowledges that. ]

What you did is one of the many, but why do it now, when there's no need to?

[ they'll come a day where removing his mask and saying his name may prove fruitful, but all it's done is give soleum a headache. he doesn't have to prove anything to soleum, all soleum wants him to do is listen.

protect himself. ]

Save your strength for when it really matters. That's all.

[trashblaze]

There is a need. You didn't realize what I meant by it.

[ The removal of his mask is more meaningful than it seems. Is it dangerous? Maybe, but nothing's happened so far every time Caelus did it, only a lingering discomfort at most. It becomes dreadful longer without it, but he hasn't gone that far. He only does it for a few seconds at most. It wasn't the first time he had done it, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

But it isn't that he's intentionally doing it to harm himself. He only does it to reach across to another person. There's always going to be an issue of trust in strange places like this, right?

What is the meaning of a mask in the first place? A cover to protect one's self. But in another meaning, it also means to lie. A mask hides so many lies. Caelus doesn't want to lie. That's simply all he wants to do. So, showing his real face with his real name, not hiding behind anything as he looks into a person's eyes— it's an act of sincerity, an honest desire to connect past every overwhelming illusion in this place. Because he wants to show that he's real.

That his heart is true.

Just like right now. How Caelus wishes he could see what "Roe Deer" actually looks like. He wants to see his full expressions without a cover… He wants to get to know him so much more.

But Caelus won't make the older man remove his. Of course not. It's just a desire that the trailblazer keep to himself. Besides, there'll be plenty of admiration for that obscured pretty face later. Either in Manhattan, or he himself will go to "Roe Deer's" world, by means of the Astral Express, when he manages to escape this place. ]

But I wasn't wrong about you. You're still worrying about me even now. You really are kind. Don't worry, I won't be removing it anymore.

[ At least, not anymore today. And certainly not in front of him, now that Caelus has witnessed just how much of a worrywart this kindhearted hyung is. ]

[roedeer]

No. I understood, but I am not your enemy.

[ he is no different from the position that caelus is in now, he is a victim inside of this darkness that wants to get out. the only difference is that soleum is not the same, but that isn't anything to elaborate on. his frustrations, his concerns, and even the reiteration of his advice is given because he wants to ensure that caelus is safe. he doesn't mind the sort of person caelus believes him to be, a kind person, then so be it.

even though he may be, that doesn't mean he's accepting of the young man doing stunts like this that hold repercussions. ]

That weapon you have, the one gifted to you by Sleep, will be used to protect others.

[ they too had this conversation, and as he reflects on it, he can tell that caelus is one who wants to get his beliefs through, that he wants to appear dependable, that he will do what he must. however, soleum never asked for that, all he asks for is his safety, to work with him properly, and to see him unharmed. even though all the people around him are characters thought up by different people: given a name, a backstory, and a will, that doesn't mean soleum is unable to feel something.

like now, there's something, and it's for caelus' well-being. ]

I believe that.

[ he can tell from the other that he isn't lying, that he wants to change from being helpless to someone reliable. ]

That's why it's important that you protect yourself, because sometimes a weapon isn't enough.

[ and caelus has been here to know this place could be unpredictable, some people couldn't help themselves from attacking before. it could happen now all because they heard his declaration of who he is and what he plans to do? luckily, it's nothing like that. ]

That's how you can show me who you are.

[ he wants caelus to think before he acts. ]

[trashblaze]

It's not gifted to me.

[ A quick correction, because Caelus is bothered that "Roe Deer" calls it as "Sleep's gift." ]

It was always mine. She just took it when she dropped me into this place. But as a reward, she returned it.

[ There's so much more that was taken from him, but Caelus is hoping that he can regain his precious belongings and abilities without relying on Sleep in the future. But maybe that might be difficult, considering how far that god's influence extends. Until then, he's always at her mercy…

Anyway, Caelus is more natural with his reflexes and is very impulsive. This isn't the first time that someone has scolded him out of worry because he does tend to be reckless. This happens a lot more than "Roe Deer" could expect, but the trailblazer won't mention that. He doesn't want to be scolded more than this! So he just gives him a resigned smile, looking quite familiar with the situation. ]

Geez. I promised that I'll be careful, right? And look, I am okay…

[ These are attempts of reassurance. ]

Don't be sad anymore, Deer hyung!