[video]

[loadme]

[The sight being shown through the mirror is that of a nondescript wall inside the Temple.

Monika's voice still comes through clear.]


Have you ever felt like...

You're in a dream, and you're aware of it?

Then you wake up.

But then you realize.

You're still just stuck in another dream.

Comments

[suckitblue]

If you're asking if this is all actually a dream? I mean, I thought of that, but the longer this goes on the more convinced I'm getting that it's real.

[ Simmons shrugs, only moving the shoulder of his free arm. ]

[loadme]

Oh gosh, is that what it sounds like?

Ahaha, sorry. It must make me look really weird...

[suckitblue]

...If it's not that then I have no idea what you mean.

[loadme]

Was it really that obvious for you?

video

[googledox]

This isn't a dream. The data I've gathered with my omnicom have made it clear that this universe, however unusual, is still within the realm of physical possibility.

Regardless of the nature of your past circumstances, the conditions we now find ourselves in are real.

[loadme]

[You think you're so smart.]

Omnicom?

[googledox]

[Yes, he does.]

A handheld computer, with environmental scanning capabilities, though those are severely limited due to some kind of background magical interference.

[loadme]

That sounds pretty advanced. I've never even heard of anything like that existing back where I'm from.

Well, I guess not outside science-fiction works.

[googledox]

You have no computers there? Or are they simply not miniaturized yet?

[loadme]

I mean, we have laptops, tablets and smartphones, but that's about it. At least when it comes to small machines that are commercially available.

I'm not too good at that stuff myself. I can use it well enough, but anything more complex and I get worried that I might start to mess up.

[the_hit_list]

Yes. Lucid dreaming and false awakening happen all the time.

[ He doesn't put the mirror down right away, weighing how much more to offer to such a weird question that's really a dazed sort of statement. ]

And if you're speaking metaphorically about life, that's still kinda normal.

[loadme]

I was a little curious, so I thought I'd ask.

Have you ever felt that way?

[the_hit_list]

[ He's feeling a little that way now, honestly, because Tim isn't sure why this is such an important question that they're discussing it on the linked mirrors. He's still caught up in the details of food, shelter, fire - if she hadn't surprised him out of his focus on that, he wouldn't have answered at all. ]

Sometimes. I think making it feel like you're coming out of a dream is a trick that the human brain plays on itself. It's more of a shock-like coping mechanism than a trick. You can pass through rough times and do what you have to do, and the higher reasoning that lets you fully process life will come back online when your brain decides you can handle it.

[loadme]

That's a pretty interesting way of looking at it. I'm impressed!

Is this something you know a lot about?

[the_hit_list]

I've seen people in shock before, if that's what you mean.

[ Tim shuts down any potential bonding over having felt that way himself, because it's starting to feel less like she's experiencing something similar and more like she's idly musing. ]

[loadme]

That must've been pretty rough for everyone involved. I hope they were able to overcome it!

[Can't it be both?]

[the_hit_list]

[ It can be both to her, but he isn't inclined to provide details his own times of drifting through life as a super-focused/completely-unfocused person in crisis. Yes, he's had times where life felt like a bad dream. Tim won't share specifics idly. It's still raw. ]

I hope so too.

[ But he doesn't know. Tim isn't sure if he or his friends have gotten over what's happened to them in the past year or so, and as for the multitudes of Gothamites and others that he's saved... who can say. It's rare he sticks around long enough to get their names, and he doesn't have enough hours in the day to cyberstalk them to find out if they're doing well. ]

And you - I hope your friend who feels like they're still dreaming gets to feel like they've woken up. It's not a good way to live.

[loadme]

[That's one of the nicest things anyone's said to her.

No, really. It is.]

Thanks.

I hope so, too.

[the_hit_list]

You're welcome.

[ Tim gives her a small smile and a nod. If there's nothing more, he'll pocket his mirror once again. ]