Forgiiiive myyy wandering eye; I cannot explain it, I cannot contain it...

[notquitedracula]

Who: Soma and very much open to anyone and anything
What: A certain bat pony starts poking his muzzle around; hijinks may ensue
Where: Ponyville, aaaall over the place
When: A couple days after this
Warnings: None yet, depends on who joins in and stuff. Also I have no idea how this place is actually laid out, so... yeah, please take that into account. XD

Soma was really enjoying this world, which was something he'd never expected. From weather-making lessons with one of its rulers, to soaring among the clouds without worrying about being attacked (okay, mostly without worrying), to being able to put all the soul-searching crap on a back burner and just be himself for a while, it was all very relaxing.

It was also, to some extent, a lie.

This world, like the others, was not real; that much was evident from the way it looped around on itself. They were, beyond a shadow of a doubt, still in the dream world. Which meant, if the previous iterations were anything to judge by, there was a keyhole hidden around here somewhere.

Problem was, he didn't even know where to start looking, so he had to look everywhere, and even a small world has a lot of everywheres.

[Feel free to pick your own location, guys. Like I said, I know nothing about this world other than PONIES.]

Comments

[wavesinherheart]

There probably was a keyhole around somewhere. But if Aqua's experience was any thing to go by it probably wouldn't show up until after they'd defeated another larger Nightmare. But that didn't mean that she couldn't explore the place all the same. It was a new world, and that meant places she hadn't seen before.

To be fair, a lot of her time was spent at the library, but even she couldn't spend all of her time there, as much she might like to, and it was on one of her excursions out to other parts of the town that she managed to run into Soma.

"Are those bat wings?"

[notquitedracula]

Soma was, at the time Aqua found him, about half-buried in a bush. Why was he there? Checking for hidden passages, of course. He'd found them in stranger places in that blasted castle, after all.

The sudden intrusion of an unexpected voice had its usual effect; he jumped. This is a much more complicated process on four legs (typically involving -rearing-), and he really wasn't as accustomed to life on four legs as he let on, so only a quick flap of the aforementioned wings kept him from taking a nasty fall into that same bush.

"Uhh, yeah, they seem to be," he said, glancing at the mentioned appendages (and then shaking his head to get the leaves out of his mane). "I've been told they're kind of rare, but not unheard of, in this world."

Now that he had his head out of the bushes (and out of the clouds, since he was still kind of in shock about all that), he felt he should recognize that voice, but he just couldn't reconcile it with the short list of people he'd actually met here. Which, considering they were both currently ponies? Not so hard to understand.

[wavesinherheart]

Given that Aqua has found new places to explore inside sewers, among other things, she makes no comment about Soma's having been headfirst in a bush. Instead, she waits until he's gotten his feet back under him again and has shaken the leaves out of his mane before speaking again. After all, there's not she means to say that's so important that she can't wait for a little while.

(The fact that he feels like he should recognize the voice also doesn't get a mention, if only because Aqua isn't aware of the fact.)

"They're nice."

[notquitedracula]

It didn't take him too long to place the voice, now that he had a better vantage point. That blue mane and coat sealed the deal; there was only one person he'd met so far with blue hair, after all. "Uh, thanks. They make getting around a lot easier most of the time, that's for sure. Bit of a bother in tight places, though." He gave a sideways nod toward the bushes to emphasize the point. "I think we met before, but I never did get your name. I'm Soma."

Given that he'd spent most of their first meeting squashing the fight-or-flight urge, he was a bit surprised to find himself so at ease now. Maybe it was this world; maybe it was because he'd finally accepted himself for what he was. "That's a nice horn," he said, and instantly regretted it. Hello, my name is derp.

[wavesinherheart]

"We did," Aqua answers with a nod. She hadn't much bothered to get Soma's name before, but now that she's not being distracted by Soma's wings, she recognizes the voice, at the very least. The rest is a little harder, but she at least has a name now and that's more than she had before.

"It's nice to meet you," she offers, with a nod. "I'm Aqua."

The comment about her horn, on the other hand, is sufficiently unexpected that the only thing Aqua can offer in return is a rather bemused "thank you."

[notquitedracula]

He grimaced. "Sorry, that was rude. I'm not used to being complimented, and... well, it kind of goes both ways, you know?" Being ostracized by the majority of society has its downfalls, not that he was about to admit that he had been for most of his life. "The pleasure is mine, Aqua."

Nope, still no urge to flee. A small win; he'd take them where he could find them. "So, what brings you out into the relative wilderness? Just exploring, like me?"

[wavesinherheart]

To be fair, Aqua had also spent the majority of her life in relative seclusion. And for all that she wouldn't have traded her family in for anything, there were certain things that Eraqus had really been able to teach them. So all things considered, there was at least some amount of social awkwardness on both sides of current conversation.

"Pretty much," she answered with a nod. "I figured I might as well get used to the layout of the place now as opposed to when we really need it."

[notquitedracula]

"Good plan, unless it decides to change on us when things start going haywire. That's never fun." His expression was lighthearted, but this was something he was intimately - painfully - familiar with. "I was looking for anything that could hide another of those keyholes. I know everyone talks about how their dreams change right before one shows up, but I figure, hey, why not get a leg up on scouting out likely locations?"

He gave a pony shrug. "No luck so far, though. Aside from the loop that takes you back to town, I haven't found anything too suspicious. Then again, not being a native, I probably wouldn't know if I did."

[wavesinherheart]

"They aren't always somewhere that would need to be hidden," Aqua answered after a moment of consideration. "And I don't think they'd be under any bushes, anyway. They're usually pretty good at hiding themselves until after we defeat the Nightmare guarding it."

Which wasn't to say that it was bad idea to get familiar with the world at large, of course. Just that there probably wasn't any need to go bush-diving.

"It does look pretty normal here so far, though."

[notquitedracula]

Keyholes hiding themselves? Now that was just rude of them. Why couldn't they be like normal keyholes and stay on doors?

That line of reasoning, he had the impression, was likely to lead him into a land of head bonks and silly string theory, so he gave it up after a few more moments of consideration. Just long enough to start ranting (mentally, of course) about space gerbils.

Yeah, his mind can be a strange place sometimes.

"Fair enough. I was really looking for a secret passage anyway, not the actual keyhole. Last place I was in had the blasted things literally everywhere, including the ceiling." He shook his head, remembering his shock (and subsequent annoyance) at finding that particular one, only to discover he had no way of reaching it.

[wavesinherheart]

Because such was the nature of the keyholes they happened to be dealing with, unfortunately.

Not that Aqua didn't sometimes wish that it wasn't the case, but after having spent so long dealing with such things, it seems almost normal to her to be talking about Keyholes as opposed to keyholes. Either way, Soma's comment is enough to get her off the general topic of keyholes.

"In the ceiling?"

[notquitedracula]

"Yeah. Between two chandeliers, in fact. Big ones. I was jumping over a suit of axe armor and my sword hit the ceiling. After finishing off the armor, I look up and there's this big, gaping hole with a fully lit room on the other side. No other way to get into the place, either." He shook his head, again marveling at the strangeness of it. "It was a pretty weird castle, but I suppose chaos and demons will do that to a place."

[wavesinherheart]

"Maybe you were supposed to stop the armor under the hole, and use that to get up to it?"

As answers go, it's not ideal, but given that Aqua has yet to see any indication that Soma is capable of either any sort of enhanced jumping or any sort of magic that might have helped bridge the gap, it's the only thing she can think of.

[trademark_skull]

Looking where the keyhole would be a great idea, if only that it was that easy. It had only seem that the keyhole only appeared whenever it felt like it, usually in a most obvious place too. Maybe not always though. It wasn't like Emizel disliked the idea of others trying to find it quicker either.

...But he really wanted to get better at this form first before doing else himself. Apparently there was a lot to know, especially with that horn. With only the basics down, there was much to learn, especially if he doesn't want to get into trouble with Nightmares again.

Not really trying not to be found, not trying to be found either. But that presence doesn't simply just 'go away', even if the owner is a colorful little pony.

[notquitedracula]

Happening across such a familiar aura in a place like this gave Soma pause, until he remembered the kid he'd met when he arrived in this world. Not primordial Death, but a Reaper all the same. Curious.

Of course, now he couldn't just wander off; he had made his resolve not to hide anymore, dammit, and he wasn't about to start running now. "Need some help?" he asked, ambling into the small clearing and looking around. Nope, no keyhole here.

[trademark_skull]

"--Huh?" Emizel whipped around. Funny, he wasn't sensing much from Soma. Not this time anyway.

"...N-not really," unless Soma somehow had a better understanding how everything worked here, no wait, he had wings, darn..

"Ah, well, that is, nothing you could probably help with.."

[notquitedracula]

...and once again Soma had to fight the urge to ruffle the kid's hair. Not that he could really do that in this form (well, he could, it just would probably hurt more), but the thought was there.

"You mean the horn versus wings thing," Soma guessed, having gotten the basic rundown at some point. "If I understood the lecture correctly, it's all a matter of willpower - no matter what form your magic takes here."

[trademark_skull]

Probably good that it was too. Pets and ruffles would at least get you some dirty looks. Maybe not violence though...maybe.

"It is," Emizel confirmed that. "I got most of the basics down, it's just..figuring out my own skills now."

[notquitedracula]

"I know what you mean. It's one thing to throw a lightning bolt, but quite another to make one come out of a cloud." He could sympathize, he really could. After all, he couldn't even access the majority of his own souls here. "What kind of skills, if you don't mind me asking? You have the general feel of a Reaper, but you're nothing like the one I know from back home."

[trademark_skull]

"Well I should, I am Death," Emizel couldn't really help but brag. It's been some time since he had the chance to, and it is someone who isn't trying to kill him apparently. "...But I don't know what good that'll do me here, I can't even use my normal magic yet."

And swinging a scythe around doesn't seem easy when you don't even have hands anymore..

You saw *nothing* >.>

[notquitedracula]

Steady, Soma. Different world, different Death. Admittedly it wasn't hard to keep his cool, because this kid looked nothing like the Death he was familiar with. "I've seen the ones with horns use a kind of telekinesis; maybe you should start with that?"

Always best to start with the basics, after all. Even if Soma didn't have a horn, he did know a few things about Death.

Hahahaha |D

[trademark_skull]

"Yeah, I can do that," to demonstrate, Emizel walked away. There was a nice sized boulder that caught his eye, and getting that off the ground would be enough to prove he knew what he was doing. Besides, he liked the idea of pushing how heavy objects he could lift now, it's was turning out to be much more than what his normal body can do.

The boulder hovered over where Emizel found it for a little while and then it dropped; probably could have done it a little more carefully, but still no one got hurt.

[notquitedracula]

Yeah, that pretty well demonstrated that he had the telekinesis thing under control. At least for basic movement. "How fine is your control? I can put a lightning bolt about where I need it, but I don't have much control over the intensity just yet." And heaven help everyone if he needed to use wind.

To demonstrate, he glanced up at a nearby cloud and then pointed at an empty bit of ground. He got a big, fat bolt for his trouble, one that left a yard-wide patch of earth smoking.

[trademark_skull]

Although the bolt was a safe distance away, Emizel still stepped back and raised a hoof up when it crashed. Dang, now he feels like he got gypped on these pony types.

"...At least you can already do some serious damage with that," unless Emizel spent his time throwing rocks at everything. It wasn't really his style though.

[notquitedracula]

"With a bolt that size, yes. But I'm just as likely to get one that's barely a spark; the power's there, but I lack fine control over it. I'd be better off relying on a blade, but the only ones I have left are far too large to use in this form." A wry smile. "Not that they were ever reasonably sized even for a human to wield, but that's rather beside the point. What I'm getting at is, you might try using telekinesis to control a weapon; surely doing so would give you a much greater range of movement than you ever had with your hands."

It galled him to admit it, but Soma wasn't likely to be much use in battling this world's 'boss', if one existed. That didn't mean he wasn't going to try, though.