[prp] not in kansas anymore (kim/gloom)

[azuredreams]

"It can be," replied Gloom. "Anything can be dangerous but this place especially. It's magic and y'can do anything here. Y'just have to learn and be safe.

"Or call for Gloom. Gloom will help y'are in danger."

toogay

 

[toogay]

"Th--thank you, Gloom." Kim said, for the future and the present, because there was no way that they wouldn't need to call upon the pine marten to save their accident-prone a**.

Kim was convinced, though, that he was somehow mistaken. There wasn't a drop of magic in them. They'd tried as a child, of course, but nothing had come of it. They'd come to terms with the fact quite early on that it just wasn't something that was going to happen for them. Nevertheless, here they were. In some sort of parallel dimension. Talking to a creature made of shadows. About the very magic they thought had evaded them.

It was almost exciting. It would be, if they weren't so damn scared of everything.

"Is there any way I can, um, protect myself? I don't know much about magic... I thought- well, I didn't think I had any..."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Magic was a fickle thing and, except for one particular individual, never seemed to manifest until someone was a teenager. Gloom sniffed at the air, coming forward to sniff at Kim's shoes and then peer up at them with wide luminous white eyes.

"Y'got magic. Gloom can smell it. Y'probably just haven't figured out what it is. Most don't really understand that magic isn't like Harry Potter. At least, not where y'came from. It's more like y'got a special talent. Y'can do this one thing better than someone else." For a moment he seemed to pancake on the ground before he popped back up and stood on his hind legs.

"Y'can protect y'self if y'know what y'doing. Learn about this place, what y'part of now, and stuff."

toogay

 

[toogay]

Kim let loose a shaky breath. They resisted the urge to pull away their slippered foot when Gloom moved forward to sniff at them.

"O-okay..." They murmured with a small frown as they rubbed their hand across their face and through their curtain of loose dark hair. "This is all just... a lot... I think, if it's okay... I think I'd like to go home now. Unless there's more y-you think I should know? I'm not sure I know the right questions to ask..."

They felt like a child. Helpless and naive.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"If y'want to go home, that's for the best," replied Gloom. He circled their feet, walking around them a few times as he looked them over.

"Y'just need to start looking for other people with magic. Otherwise y'gonna get lost really quick."

toogay

 

[toogay]

Kim watched, just a tad bit wary, as Gloom scampered around them.

"P-people with the same magic, right? Ones that can cross over..." They were starting to feel lightheaded. Suddenly, they had some semblance of responsibility where- before- they'd had none. "How do I-... how do I find them?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Gloom's nose twitched.

His tail swished.

"Y'want to know? Y'should look at the tea shop over on the other side, the one that shares a space with the bookstore." Equinox and bibliophile. "Sometimes the fourth wall place. If y'look there, y'will find people with magic."

toogay

 

[toogay]

"Okay..." Kim murmured. They made a mental note to visit one of the places Gloom mentioned, though it would most certainly be an awkward experience for all involved.

"So, um, how do I get back?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Y'just got to say the magic word," replied Gloom, "and y'gonna go back."

toogay

 

[toogay]

Kim looked perplexed. "The m-magic word? Um, like... is it... um, p-please?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Yep!" That was all it took apparently because then the shadows surged from all around as Gloom leapt backwards.

Then he was leaping forward, high into the air, and pouncing onto Kim's chest. It was a surprisingly gentle push to knock them backwards. Except instead of hitting the ground, they hit the softness of their bed.

... and instead of a shadowy creature, it was a black as pitch marten with blind looking eyes (that were far from it). "Y'home," he told them. "Y'safe."

toogay

 

[toogay]

Kim gasped as the small creature bounced off their chest, fully expecting to land on the hard ground but... instead... they were home?

Kim's room was small and meticulously neat. Gloom looked entirely out of place within it.

Kim sat on their bed, mildly shocked by the sudden change in environment. "Um, th-thank you." They said, as they took in Gloom's new appearance. "You're, um, quite a han-handsome pine marten." They hadn't expected the creature to be able to crossover, for some reason.

"Is there s-somehow I can repay you, for your help?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Gloom says thank you! Y'suppose to say thanks if y'get a compliments but ... uh ... y'don't have enough affection with Gloom for a smooch or something ..." Not that he really knew what smooches were entirely (he had ideas).

"Y'being safe is enough for Gloom ~" Then he pressed his nose to their cheek, a small bise, and then scurried until he was on the foot of the bed.

"Y'should take it easy if y'dreaming and crossing over. Also go visit those places! Y'will find magic people soon enough."

toogay

SHADOW THIEVERY


Courtesy of meeting Gloom, Kim will lose the ability to see their favorite color for twenty-four hours. Why? Who knows. Gloom is a strange, strange creature and he does so love taking things sometimes.


(Note they may not even notice this depending on the color or necessarily connect it to Gloom. Also, he'll be out on my next post ~)

 

[toogay]

Kim froze when Gloom touched his nose to their cheek. They blinked at the pine marten. Something felt different now, but they had no idea what it was. Only that it felt sort of like deja vu.

"I'll- I'll go, y-yeah." They said as they touched the spot on their cheek that Gloom had brushed against. Suddenly, they felt very tired. They rubbed at their eyes and stifled a yawn.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Good. Sleeps well," said Gloom, disappearing into the darkening shadows of the room. It was not unlike the Cheshire cat of Alice in Wonderland in how his eyes and his teeth were still white and very much visible.

Until they weren't.

Gloom was gone and there was nothing but normal shadows left.

toogay