Slipped into Dreamland, Woke up in a Nightmare

[Ace the Mongoose]

((OPEN))

The once prosperous kingdom of Dreamland was now anything but. After the collapse, things went south. Crime became the highest of anywhere. Now, buildings were crumbled, and all of the residents left for neighboring areas.

Well, most of the residents. Dreamland was still home to...a few, but they were all shady characters. Thieves, gangs, drug dealers, you name it, the lowest of the low gathered here.

Ace, though just a visitor, was no exception. The anthropomorphic Mongoose was up to no good. Well, he had been. Now, he strolled down the street, large sack of coins on his belt. It had been a good night of business. Looted a store from someone who was too afraid to. And he got a big cut of the cash--even if he did take it without his employer's knowledge.

He propped up against a building, chewing on a toothpick.

[Catriona Breckenridge]

Put to rest
What you thought of me
While I clean this slate
With the hands
Of uncertainty

Catriona had only ever been to Dreamland once before.

It had been back before the collapse, back when things were still halfway decent. But now... Now buildings were crumbling, crime ran the streets; the king himself had abandoned his fallen kingdom. It was enough to make a sort of sadness ache in Catriona's heart.

When even the king had given up, then the land was certainly beyond repair. The people here were hopeless, with only crime or violence as their guiding light. It was this situation that made her thankful she was only there temporarily; she couldn't wait to get back to the Mushroom Kingdom.

And that was something she thought she would never say.

Reaching up, Catriona ran her fingers through her curly black hair, then lowered her hands back down so they could clasp in front of her person. She had taken on her guise as a human female about forty-five minutes earlier, upon entering the city, which meant she had a good hour before she would be forced to return to her normal form.

Her amber eyes, the only trait (aside from her thick hair) that transferred from one form to the other, scanned the area as she walked, searching for the person she had been sent to retrive. Rose had mentioned a new member to the gang, a long-time resident of Dreamland who had gotten tired of the violence. He was the reason she was there. He was the person she had been sent to escort.

Now she...just had to find him.

[Ace the Mongoose]

Ace spit the toothpick on the ground, stuffing his clawed hands into the pockets of his stolen leather vest. His deep purple eyes scanned the area as his ears and nose checked his surroundings with his heightened senses. He started walking.

He knew to keep his distance from most, but he was very good at that, so it didn't matter. He bumped into someone. "Hey, watch it, Buddy..." he hissed, then went on about his way. As soon as the distance between Ace and his target was decent enough, he began to examine the contents of the man's wallet.

[Catriona Breckenridge]

Catriona saw the mongoose, and had every intention of just ignoring the creature and going on with her job - until he stole the man's wallet. Normal eyes wouldn't have been able to catch the movement, but Cat knew what he had done simply because every other person she knew could pull off that move easily. It was one of those pro/con things that came with working in a gang.

Giving up on her task for now, Cat started to follow the mongoose, until he pulled out the wallet, confirming what he had done. She narrowed her eyes, holding out a hand and whispering a few words. The contents of the wallet began to disappear.

Well, they weren't really disappearing, but it appeared as if they were. Catriona could only use illusion magic, but even illusions could be fun - and productive. The bear mystic was betting on the mongoose getting mad, dropping the wallet, and then stomping away, which would allow Cat to scoop it up and return it.

[Ace the Mongoose]

He blinked. The money, ID, everything inside the wallet was disappearing! He knew it had to be some sort of trick, things didn't just...vanish into thin air. Besides, one thing he learned was to never, under NO circumstances, drop your loot.

So, he put the wallet in his pocket and turned, using his senses to try and see where the culprit was. He didn't find them, but still called out. "I dunno where ya are, but dat trick ain't doin' nothin'. Show yerself now, if ya knows what's good for ya."

[Catriona Breckenridge]

Catriona cursed softly when he put the wallet in his pocket. That hadn't been what she was expecting, so perhaps... Perhaps she was going to take a different route. This Mongoose was obviously smarter than some of those she had delt with, back on her own planet. Still, she decided to roll with what was happening.

She needed something to do, anyways.

Giving out a light giggle, Catriona gripped onto the side of the building and leaned over, so her top-half was visible to him. "Ni mor a admhail...," she said, eyes twinkling playfully, "That I am the one responsible for your disappearing money. Quite a talent, don't you think?"

(Translation: It must be admited...))

[Ace the Mongoose]

He looked at her, his purple eyes almost cutting through her soul, and yet, he had a mischievous look on his face at the same time. "So, yous did dat to me."

He had one hand in his pocket, the other near his concealed blaster, just in case. "Not really. Ain't much anyone can do wit' invisible money. So it's just more of an annoyin' t'ing. Now, makin' it disappear from one pocket, and reappear into yers? Dat's a different story all togedah."

[Catriona Breckenridge]

Despite his lack of a complete compliment, Catriona still smiled at his words. "No, there's really not much anyone can do with invisible money, mo chara," she admitted, leaning her head over so her hair just barely scraped the ground. Then she straightened, "Which is why I can just as easily turn it visible."

Her amber eyes twinkled playfully, showing the obvious fun she was having at the moment. Normally, she didn't care to stop to talk to people outside of her gang - especially other theives. But today, she was bored, and that damned target just wasn't appearing. So this was her entertainment for today.

[Ace the Mongoose]

Honestly, he didn't steal the wallet for the money; he'd gotten plenty of cash earlier. He just stole the wallet for the sheer hell of it all. But...he didn't like her. At all.

He looked at her, the weight of the sack in his inside pocket telling him his earlier haul was very much there. "What? Is dis all a game to yous? I'm pretty sure I can do some t'ings you can't eidah." With that, there were suddenly four of him standing in front of her.

"See?" one said.
"Yeah. You ain't da only one wid tricks," said another.

[Catriona Breckenridge]

Catriona's eyes sparkled when the mongoose seemed to multiply. She released the side of the building, standing straight, and clapped approvingly. "I am very impressed," she said with a nod, "It's not too often I can find others with abilities like my own. Well, when it comes to illusions, anyways."

She tilted her head to the side as she looked him over. "But, no, life isn't a game. Life is far from a game, actually. But there are times when you simply need to have a good time." Catriona reached up, tucking a strand of curl behind her ear, "That name's Catriona."

[Ace the Mongoose]

"Is it really a illusion?" The real Ace asked, having appeared slightly behind her as the others vanished. "Life ain't no game. 'Specially not dese days. Da game dese days is survivin'. Yous die, yer nothin."

His ear twitched as someone walked by. He crossed his arms across his chest as the person vanished in the distance. Close inspection would reveal that Ace was now wearing a silver ring with a small, blood-red gem in it.

[Catriona Breckenridge]

Catriona turned to look at Ace, the smile still in place on her face. She tilted her head to one side, and then the other, cracking her neck. Her magic was starting to wear low; she could tell by the way her bones ached to grow. Well, considering she was in the company of a fellow anthro... She figured it would be okay.

"Life isn't a game, but that doesn't mean you can't have fun." She told him, "Besides, if we all went on being serious, then I think that we would all hate life. And, thought life can kick us while we're down, there's not point in hating life."

A shiver went down her back; her nails began to grow, the first signs of her transforming back.

[Ace the Mongoose]

"Oh, I have fun, alright," he commented, examining his newly acquired ring for the first time. "Yer idea of fun, and my idea of fun. Well, dat's two different types o' fun." He grinned.

Then, she started changing. It didn't surprise him that she wasn't really a human; that he smelled from the beginning. What surprised him was that she waited til now to reveal her true self.