Not Until We Are Lost

Jack stretched, and stretched, and stretched. She thought she'd reach the end of the bed eventually, but nothing ever happened, other than reaching the edge of the bed. It wasn't that she had a small bed, but it was smaller than the one she was currently in. Her eyes opened slowly to what looked like a high end hotel room; she had stayed in a few before Kai, but it wasn't the usual. It was a high end hotel, or one really well done apartment. Either way, it wasn't her carpentry shop.

The hunter climbed out of bed and did a quick search for what she had in the room. Clothes, phone, weapon, all were around. Running water was a good thing, and she considered taking advantage of it before it disappeared on her again. She opted for a quick face wash and teeth brush - she'd missed this.

Jack got dressed and headed out her bedroom after checking her phone for what it might features it might have - say like a very nice contacts list. The hunter pocketed the phone and tucked away a few weapons, just in case. She came to a full stop as she saw the common area. Well, at least she knew it was a hotel now. A glance at the door across from hers, she'd bet it wasn't the way out. There was a third door to the side.

"What's behind door number 2?" she asked herself. To go searching or to wait.

This place and these people did not leave Finn in a very good mood. He'd had to hold himself back from turning a few people into toads or inflicting more... subtle curses on them. Subtle curses were his bread and butter, to be certain. He always preferred the revenge that crept up on a person, slowly making them miserable. And yet, he had to figure out where he was and why he was here. These people and their archaic ideas about what men could and couldn't do were an irritation but they weren't the real threat here. No, he had yet to see the real threat. And if Niks was correct, the real threat was far bigger than he would have preferred. The threat was quite literally alien in every meaning of the word.

So for now, he would be a 'good' faerie and was simply observing. Currently, he'd had a long day and he sought out some sort of libations. The ales here paled in comparison to what he was use dto back home, but they would have to do for now.

He strolled into the tavern without a second thought for the looks that he got at being a man out on his own after dark. Instead, he grabbed a seat in one of the tables furthest away from the crowd of people and attempted to catch the attention of the man who was currently serving the denizens of this backwards place.

He even managed to keep the open disdain off his face for the time being. Instead, he just sat and listened to the conversations around him in the hopes of learning a little bit more about his surroundings or better yet, his captors.

Finnick had found himself in a world that was very decidedly wrong. It didn’t feel right, didn’t smell right, nothing about it was right. He’d wanted to take solace in the nearby forest but he was informed that he had duties. A job. The indignity of it made him seethe. He didn’t know where he was or why he was here, but oh he planned to find out and there would be hell to pay when he did.

For now, he ventured into the Dreamlands. Thankfully, those were still present. Whatever else might be going on in the waking world, if he could access those, then it would be all right. He felt more at home in the Dreamlands than in the waking world anyway.

Today, he wandered by the shore of a lake. It sparkled in the sunlight at him. The plants near the lake shrank away as he wandered, aware of their rightful place as it should be. He was clad in a deep green tunic decorated with intricate patterns and brown leather pants. A sword hung at his side, ready to be drawn if needed. He had powers that made using the blade unnecessary but the weapon was still a comforting weight to have.

He wasn’t alone here. He could feel that much. It wasn’t entirely surprising-sometimes mortals or other faeries stumbled upon the Dreamlands. The presence today, however. That presence was familiar in ways that he still wasn’t sure he was comfortable with. There was a flash of irritation that faded just as quickly as he turned his attention back to the lake. If she was here, she would have to come to him.

( What dreams may come... )