( it's the middle of the ocean...

a girl lays still on a shoddy raft that's seen better days. there was a storm the night before... she must have had a bumpy ride. as the sun steadily rises, the sudden warmth is enough to get her to open her eyes.

it's a new day.

how long had she been floating now? it was getting difficult to remember. but it's been so long since she's even seen a ship. with her eyes half closed, if she squints just right... it's easy to imagine a ship in the distance -- being carried by the gentle breeze. the unforgiving waves had calmed a little. it was almost... peaceful.

mnemosyne closes her eyes for a moment, and draws in a breath. opening them again, she had thought that the ship in the distance would have disappeared -- it was just a figment of her imagination wasn't it?

no... it was getting closer! )

H... lp... He--lp!

The sound of the waves came before everything else. Slowly the view pulled back enough that a impressive ship of dark wood could be seen cutting through the ocean. Where it was headed was not obvious as there is currently no land within sight. On the ship is a crew which works like a well oiled machine, overseen by a tall woman accompanied by two men at either side of her. Out of the entire setting though, the woman seems to be the most lively one. She's dressed like the rest of her crew, if perhaps more elaborately. Her pale hair is bound back in a braid, except for her bangs which still frame her face.

Currently she's headed toward a certain area she's heard has become something of a death trap for their sort, the Navy laying ambushes on unsuspecting ships and taking their captains and crews under arrest...those that didn't die in the boarding of their ships anyway. Teaching the Navy a lesson sounds rather entertaining to her and a worthy challenge to her fighting abilities. She would show them once again that these waters belonged to her and her kin. Anyone who sought to argue the matter with her would have to argue with the six feet of steel she carried, as well as the swords of her first mates.

There was a reason after all, that she was considered the undisputed queen of these waters by the pirates which sailed them. Thus it was her duty to punish those who would attack her subjects in her territory.

[It's heavy, threatening, loud. The sound of waves chaotically sloshing around the open sea and rebelliously assaulting the tiny, wooden boat. The waves bend the small vessel to their will, and it joins the disarray of the waves as it is tossed and thrown into a directionless whirl. This goes on, the same pattern of waves with all the same sounds and sights.

The captain of this ship, however, stays glued to center of the deck. Despite the chaotic, unruly voyage, the invisible physics of this realm keep her held tightly down with her legs folded up like pretzels. She's cradling a small looking glass that extends to be much longer. Hesitantly, the girls lifts it to her eye, looking out on the thin layer of blue that covers the briny deep. Her examination doesn't last long, but she continues to do it in pendulum with the waves. Everything is a cycle, and it goes on for a long, long time before she breaks out.

Long, baggy white pantlegs scream as they transition into strips of black leather held tightly together by the metal zipper between them. It happens on her entire body, like a snake that shed its skin growing a new coat of ebony.]

There was something...[Her voice is soft and careful. Unsure and worrisome. Like hitting the wrong frequency might cause this whole ship to capsize. She speaks only to herself, vocalizing heavy thoughts and emotion.]

Something that I was doing. And I can't...I was supposed to go back...
That's right. Sora...[Becoming aware of her surroundings, the seas seem to shift at her subconscious whim. The waves settle into a gentle, rhythmic lap against the wooden exterior.]

He wanted to build a raft...Explore the sea and all the worlds. [It was a good wish. One the tide loving Xion could easily share herself. But in the wake of the end of her life, it's a bittersweet sensation to watch these tides glisten in the sun.]

Is this his wish? What's become of me now...? Now that...

[A heavy sigh of realization. Although the presence of anything to realize eludes her. Shde doesn't know where she is, why, or what to do.]

I don't understand.

[The girl is lost at sea.]

[ This is a nightmare. No really, this is a nightmare. It is a very... bizarre nightmare but a nightmare nonetheless. The dreamer is tied to the center of what is probably a pirate ship. Except that these pirates are quite strange as they are undoubtedly fish! Fish pirates with classic pirate features, including one with a tattoo of a heart bearing the word 'Mom.' ]

[ Kaito is physically shaking and trying to make himself as small as possible. He's sweating and paler than he's ever been in his life as he watches the fishy pirates roam about potentially harmlessly about the ship, stopping every now and again to move terrifying fishy lips in some form of communication. ]

I've never eaten fish in my life!

[ The sudden out burst has the attention of all the pirates for about two seconds before they go back to what they were doing. ]

[Dreams are funny things, sometimes. Often they reflect the dreamer's day, important people or things. Sometimes it's more convoluted, things feeling familiar that aren't, people with the right faces by wrong names, or just complete nonsense. Joshua has purposefully changed his Frequency to enter the land of dreams more than once, to learn, to satisfy curiosity. There is one thing he's noticed through most if not all of them- more often than not, the events aren't important. It's the emotions attached to them.

Which he why he wants no one in his dream tonight.

Those who enter may find themselves among a blurred crowded, the dreamers being only solid things while the misty figures move around or even through them. The buildings are more defined, but still a little wispy and insubstantial. There is only one thing that is clear and unmovable- a statue of a dog.

There's a clamor in the background of noise from the crowd, but even though it's obviously very busy there's something about this place. It's not calming, exactly, but there is a feeling of contentedness. But even that isn't quite right. Get nearer to the statue, and you might feel a slight ache in your very soul, or hear a melody that's just out of reach...]

[ooc: Hope I did this right. For those who know canon, this is riiight after the secret ending, so.]

The world of this dream is different from those Tseng has previously been found in, though it's eerily similar to the frozen library. Pillars and archways of ice form meandering pathways across the vast frozen landscape, everything crafted of ice and snow aside from the clusters of lillies that grow impossibly from the at times transparent ground. Ribbons of light twist beneath the ground and in the air, forming rivers and flowing endlessly back and forth.

All paths, however, eventually will lead to what could be seen as some sort of receiving area or strange bedroom. Frozen constructs shed cool light in the area, illuminating carved seats draped in heavy fabrics to keep the chill off of skin. Whites, blues and pale greens dominate with the occasional glint of gold bringing the only visual warmth to the scene.

Despite the frigid scene there's a pervading deep sense of safety and home that seems to come from a rather scantily clad blue skinned woman who's mass of dark blue hair falls in braids and twists bedecked with gold and ribbons. Seated on one of the larger 'chairs', she seems more than content to let the dark haired man rest with his head in her lap as she gently runs her fingers through his hair in soothing affection a soft hum of a long lost song floating in the air.

The tialk on Tseng's forehead is blue, instead of it's usual black and he's dressed in a draping blue and silver cloth that leaves his arms and one shoulder completely bare. What can be seen of his skin is littered with scars, alluding to those that aren't visible. Despite being obviously more relaxed than anyone has likely ever seen him, he doesn't look younger. If anything the loss of the tension revealed how very tired he'd been, how thirty years of being a Turk wore at him.

Despite the somewhat obvious implications of the dream, there's no sense of sadness. Tseng has long been at peace with his own demise, and in some ways it's a bit of a relief to finally have it done with.

When approached, she gives whomever it is a look that speaks volumes. Violence of any sort will not be tolerated in her domain, and while she's incredibly tolerant and understands there may be a good deal of anger she will stop anyone from harming her charge. He is hers to protect, at least until he's good and ready to defend himself again.

She touches Tseng's shoulder, head bowing as she speaks to him briefly and shifting as he sits up to greet whomever it is with a tired though open smile.

[OOC: Holy tl:dr batman!

So, basically Tseng's dead now, timeline wise for the ff7 people who're in line with him this dream happens the night after the wails of thousands of dying souls is heard coming from the abandoned Midgar sometime just before Dirge begins after Deepground's attack on Junon where said thousands of people were taken from.

And yes, the woman is Shiva!]

Perhaps getting thrown down here was part of the plan. The great quest. The attempt to woo sweet Agrabah princess, or just fetch what that weird rug merchant asked you to get.

More likely this particular stop wasn't on the itinerary. Boy is that Saucer of Wonders picky! The moment you--or a faithful but not always reliable animal companion--got distracted by something shiny, it was down the hatch to a natural desert prison, surrounded on all sides by quicksand. There's evidence that people have been here...and evidence they died here. You're not about to find anyone alive and kicking in the rundown shacks anytime soon.

Look long enough, though, and you'll find a dusty watering can lying on its side. The weathered metal has certainly seen better days, but maybe it could be cleaned up with a little polish?

Or maybe you're more interested in the "water" part of "watering can". This is a desert, after all.

Pick it up?

[ No? But thou must! Not much is going to happen until that can's picked up, and Aerith might get a bit impatient if your character ignores her. Oh yes, indeed, she's in there as the Genie.

In a little spin on the theme, I'm using the Disney take rather than the classic version itself. Also, if you want to find the watering can in a completely different place to better fit your own character's quest, that's fine! (And I do mean completely different, never underestimate the power of cosmic ...powers.) The Gold Saucer/Corel Prison just happened to suit the Cave of Wonders sequence nicely. ]