Exile on Main Street

[Rezantis]

"Explaining Shade's demise," Rez explains dourly, then turns back to Unseen, "and yeah, that's about right.  Apparently we're playing for keeps, something Shade did not appear to realize in the short time after I met him."

[Bjorn]

"I don't want to hear about it.  I don't even want other people thinking about it with three miles of me," Bjorn grumps.  "I slept lousy, had more than my usual share of bad dreams, and now this?  Gah.  I'm going to go exercise for a couple hours."

[Rezantis]

"Aaaapparently the rest of us had weird dreams too, actually."

[Huitzil]

"If it's that serious, maybe I shouldn't be mistaking..." Paul looks at the box, "instant mashed potatoes for cereal. And if you had a dream, I'd like to hear it; I think that it's going to be important."

[Bjorn]

"I didn't say weird, I said bad," Bjorn says darkly.  "The sort of dreams it's not weird to have at all after having cut people in half."

He raises the half-eaten slice of bread to his mouth, but pauses before biting into it.  "Though I guess I did have one weird dream," he concedes.  "Running around an invisible maze.  Bothered me a lot when I had it, but..." Bjorn shrugs.

[Huitzil]

"What do you remember about it? The details might be the most important part."

[Rezantis]

"Ah.  Fair enough.  I had an . . . interesting one.  I saw what happened to Ayame and Manos."

[Bjorn]

"I pretty much told you all the details already.  I was running around a maze, but it was all invisible -- walls, floor, furniture, everything --, just like..." he gestures with the bread down at where he knows Shinmyouken is.  "Someone was chasing me and I could sorta see him, but I don't think he could see anything other than me, either.  And that's it, really.

"You... dreamt what happened to the Oracle and, uh, the AI in the Workshop?"

[Ginrai]

"I already mentioned this to the others, Bjorn, but since you weren't here....  My dream was about being unable to go back home until this mess is sorted out.  In the dream all of this was considered to be a contest of sorts."

Ginrai considers something for a moment before adding, "You know, all of this just might be a game involving some greater beings, with us as the pawns.  Kind of like what the Trojan War was, if I recall correctly."

[Rezantis]

"Greater beings my ass.  But, yeah, we have ample evidence that someone's been doing some fine manipulation from behind the scenes," Rez hums, "At least mine made perfect sense.  Flint died when Ashnod killed him, Manos died a few seconds later to a knight - apparently Order of Morpheus, or something.  Her 'daughter' is basically . . . another incarnation of her.  Sort of.  She's not the same person, though, her dream self looks different, and, well, you just have to talk to them both to see it.  She doesn't have all of Ayame's skill yet, either."

Rez exhales wearily.

[Huitzil]

"A game, like the Trojan War... I suppose that's what my dream was, too... only, not only was I a pawn, but I was also moving the pieces. I wonder if that's significant?"

[Bjorn]

"Wait a minute," Bjorn interrupts, "I thought you destroyed Manos, Rez.  Where does this knight come into it?

"And I hate to be the skeptic, but... do you have any reason to be taking the dream seriously or literally?"

[Rezantis]

"Mine?  Confirmed via email.  And . . . apparently I -didn't- get him.  Although I'll give you three guesses what's on that server we stole, and the first two don't count."

Rez clicks his tongue.

"That reminds me.  Bjorn, have you got any idea what some of those workshop power classifications stand for?  Like, B-14, E-16, I-2, etc?"

[Ginrai]

"And from the sounds of your dream, Uns, it seems that our success is dependant on protecting Bjorn."

[Bjorn]

"Okay, wait," Bjorn protests.  "Too much at once.  Alright.  Rez?  Email?  You need to explain that.  And I'm guessing porn, warez, and I-swore-to-punch-cryptic-bastards-in-the-nose in that goddamn order.

"And yes, I know at least some of the classification scheme.  But I'm way more interested in this whole thing about needing to protect me.  Want to explain more?"