12-13-2014, 04:54 PM
Lex stepped gingerly through the forest he now found himself in. He had had no luck finding solid ground beneath and between the plant life, so he stepped as lightly as he could, trying to avoid any of the black flowers budding from the green. "It's bigger than before," he marveled under his breath. "But it's only been a day..." Lex trailed off, realizing he wasn't entirely sure how time worked in this new world. For all he knew, this could have been the product of months of hard work, or even years.
Coming into a clearing, he pushed his musings aside. As soon as he caught sight of a hill covered in green vines and black flowers, like a bump in the ground, he stopped. "Tendo," he called out, and the bump in the ground shifted slightly. "Let's talk."
The vines on the hill fell to the side, the delicate flowers upon them falling apart, as a slim creature sat up from underneath them, its skin a speckled mix of green and midnight black. As it turned to face Lex, still seated on its hill, the vines around it crawled back up its body, seemingly of their own accord, and taking their place as clothes, burying its bare skin in a sea of vines. New flowers, all dyed black, began to blossom as the Spectre called Tendo spoke. "About?" he asked plainly, his voice like gravel, rough but not harsh.
"This is just a dream world, Tendo," Lex told him, making certain not to move his feet. He had the benefit of knowing Tendo's quirks, especially in regards to how it interpreted free-standing creatures in its grove -- a lesson he wouldn't need repeating any time soon. "You're dreaming."
"And what of it, Lacuna?" Tendo retorted, slouching back slightly. Lex hadn't expected that.
"You're not dreaming," Lex corrected himself, furrowing his brow. "You're lucid."
"I have a world to tend to," the Spectre told him, laying back down slowly. He bit his lip, and clenched his fist. Would he have to remind Tendo the hard way? Recreate the act of being bound? No, he decided. That was her plan, not his. Spectres are driven by their nature. He had learned to take advantage of that before, he could do it again.
"Growing things isn't your desire, Tendo," he told him, and the Spectre sat up as slowly as he had laid down. "You told me once that Spectres are focused on goals, not actions."
"They are," he answered carefully. "I am."
"Tell me what you want," Lex demanded. Tendo just sat there, unflinching.
"You already know," he answered, confused.
"Tell me again," he insisted. The Spectre began to stand -- or rather, the vines beneath him propped him up higher, for he had no legs to speak of.
"A world of green, filled with life."
"That's right," Lex nodded. "A green world. And you think you can make it work here, because you're free again. But you can't." The forest around him rustled at that, leaves like a death rattle. "Because this world just goes on, Tendo," he explained quickly. "If you stay here, you could grow forever, but you'll never get what you want."
"I'd rather a world unending," Tendo spoke up, the plants around Lex seemingly echoing him. "Than a world I cannot help, bound to you." The vines beneath Tendo began to snake their way towards Lex, bringing their master closer along with them. "You have a good soul, Lex. But the fact remains," he paused, settling down in front of Lex, meeting him face to face, looking into Lex's green eyes with his own. "In your world, tied to you, I must set aside my own desire. I'd rather not."
"We're not in our world anymore," Lex corrected him. "The world I'm in now, the waking world?" he waited, piquing Tendo's interest. "It's a green world. A world that grows itself, and it's beautiful, Tendo." The vine-covered Spectre sat in place, confused. "Tendo, I know we don't exactly align. I know that asking you to come with me means you won't be able to grow like this," he gestured to the forest around them. "But I need your help here. And in exchange, I can show you a world where your desire is already achieved."
"You could lie," Tendo squinted, his vines taking him a good foot higher than Lex, towering over him with his gaze. Lex stood still and looked up to match his gaze, unintimidated.
"Trust me."
Coming into a clearing, he pushed his musings aside. As soon as he caught sight of a hill covered in green vines and black flowers, like a bump in the ground, he stopped. "Tendo," he called out, and the bump in the ground shifted slightly. "Let's talk."
The vines on the hill fell to the side, the delicate flowers upon them falling apart, as a slim creature sat up from underneath them, its skin a speckled mix of green and midnight black. As it turned to face Lex, still seated on its hill, the vines around it crawled back up its body, seemingly of their own accord, and taking their place as clothes, burying its bare skin in a sea of vines. New flowers, all dyed black, began to blossom as the Spectre called Tendo spoke. "About?" he asked plainly, his voice like gravel, rough but not harsh.
"This is just a dream world, Tendo," Lex told him, making certain not to move his feet. He had the benefit of knowing Tendo's quirks, especially in regards to how it interpreted free-standing creatures in its grove -- a lesson he wouldn't need repeating any time soon. "You're dreaming."
"And what of it, Lacuna?" Tendo retorted, slouching back slightly. Lex hadn't expected that.
"You're not dreaming," Lex corrected himself, furrowing his brow. "You're lucid."
"I have a world to tend to," the Spectre told him, laying back down slowly. He bit his lip, and clenched his fist. Would he have to remind Tendo the hard way? Recreate the act of being bound? No, he decided. That was her plan, not his. Spectres are driven by their nature. He had learned to take advantage of that before, he could do it again.
"Growing things isn't your desire, Tendo," he told him, and the Spectre sat up as slowly as he had laid down. "You told me once that Spectres are focused on goals, not actions."
"They are," he answered carefully. "I am."
"Tell me what you want," Lex demanded. Tendo just sat there, unflinching.
"You already know," he answered, confused.
"Tell me again," he insisted. The Spectre began to stand -- or rather, the vines beneath him propped him up higher, for he had no legs to speak of.
"A world of green, filled with life."
"That's right," Lex nodded. "A green world. And you think you can make it work here, because you're free again. But you can't." The forest around him rustled at that, leaves like a death rattle. "Because this world just goes on, Tendo," he explained quickly. "If you stay here, you could grow forever, but you'll never get what you want."
"I'd rather a world unending," Tendo spoke up, the plants around Lex seemingly echoing him. "Than a world I cannot help, bound to you." The vines beneath Tendo began to snake their way towards Lex, bringing their master closer along with them. "You have a good soul, Lex. But the fact remains," he paused, settling down in front of Lex, meeting him face to face, looking into Lex's green eyes with his own. "In your world, tied to you, I must set aside my own desire. I'd rather not."
"We're not in our world anymore," Lex corrected him. "The world I'm in now, the waking world?" he waited, piquing Tendo's interest. "It's a green world. A world that grows itself, and it's beautiful, Tendo." The vine-covered Spectre sat in place, confused. "Tendo, I know we don't exactly align. I know that asking you to come with me means you won't be able to grow like this," he gestured to the forest around them. "But I need your help here. And in exchange, I can show you a world where your desire is already achieved."
"You could lie," Tendo squinted, his vines taking him a good foot higher than Lex, towering over him with his gaze. Lex stood still and looked up to match his gaze, unintimidated.
"Trust me."
Quote:<Leaving: The Spirit Realm (Attunement)>
<Continuing: How Does It Grow