Tranquil Dominion (Open to Dreamers)

[Sunshine]

Dreamchild was sick with the flu and remained nearly locked in her occasional room in the Overlook. (Dreamchild didn't actually reside in the Overlook permanently, and instead had a room in St. Blair Academy. But none of the other Dreamers knew her identity, and Dreamchild simply took one of the spare rooms whenever she spent the night in the Overlook.) Also, the Balloonist was gone for the week to deal with personal issues. This meant that Sunshine had to pull triple duty to compensate. Though the Ray of Hope was perfectly capable for the first three days, by the fourth consecutive day she was obviously worn out. Fortunately, the fifth day, a Friday, would be a change of pace in an unexpected way.

Sunshine's alarm blared much louder than any normal alarm clock. Thanks to Gyro's tinkering, the clock was nearly loud enough to stir the amazingly heavy sleeper. She moaned and stirred, then forced her eyes open. She gently tapped the alarm's button, covered her mouth to yawn, and removed the covers off of her. It was early morning, and she would eat breakfast, followed by a sufficient duration in the bathroom to get ready for yet another triple-duty day. She volunteered to take over for Dreamchild and the Balloonist for the week and was more than happy to, but now she, much to her shock, felt a little overwhelmed. To think something so negative was awful, but it's true...

Her eyes were groggy and not fully attentive as she threw on a pink bathrobe over her white strapped nightshirt, and left her room. She padded from the residence hall all the way to the kitchen and took a seat. What sounded good for breakfast?

"Mmmm..."

She closed her eyes, rested her head on the table over her folded arms, and went back to sleep.

[Duck Avenger]

Fifteen minutes later, a large glass cup of orange juice was slammed on the table, just next to Sunshine. Duck Avenger narrowed his eyes in annoyance, and he intended to wake her up by the sudden noise and intensity of the strike.

"Hey, Sunshine!" he exclaimed. "Wake up!" He lightly gripped her shoulder and shook it. "We need to talk." He didn't sound angry, but he wasn't happy.

[Sunshine]

Sunshine's eyes opened instantly. She blinked rapidly after hearing the noise and feeling a grip on her shoulder, followed by a gentle force. She sighed and sat upright, rubbing the sleepers out of her eyes. The darkness under said eyes indicated that she was very sleep deprived.

"Mmmhm? I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean to fall asleep on the table." She closed her eyes as she yawned, then looked at Duck Avenger as best as she could. She offered a weak smile. "Good morning, Duck Avenger."

[Duck Avenger]

The Avenger's eyes softened when the Ray of Hope awakened. He wore his eye mask, though he was in red and white plaid pajamas, and without his trademark hat. He took the seat closest to Sunshine and kept his eyes on her at all times.

"What's so good about it?" he asked with his usual sarcasm. "Look at yourself, Sunshine. Ya got circles under your eyes; you're not getting enough sleep! I heard you come in last night at 3 o'clock. Where were you?"

Duck Avenger: the ever-present voice of authority.

[Sunshine]

The Ray of Hope's smile faded when the Violent Vindicator commenced a relatively polite verbal scolding. She blushed slightly and looked away, as if to hide from his words. It was true, though; she wasn't getting enough sleep. And she had to be honest:

"Three-thirty," she corrected. She sighed in defeat and looked back to Duck Avenger. "Yes, I'm tired. I'm sorry. I was out--"

[Duck Avenger]

Duck Avenger (rudely) interrupted her by finishing her sentence. "--fighting crime without asking for help. Yeah, I know. That's your problem, Sunny." He gripped his glass of orange juice (his favorite breakfast drink) but didn't lift it to take a sip. "Just because you volunteered to fill in for DC and Balloonist doesn't mean you actually have'ta go at it alone. You could've called me; I was here! I didn't have anything to do. Oh, wait--I could've, but you didn't tell me!"

Realizing that he was being abrasive, his face softened and he placed a hand on her back. "Look, I'm just worried about you. You're biting off more than you can chew. You're working yourself too hard."

[Sunshine]

Sunshine was used to being referred to as Sunny by Duck Avenger. This time, she didn't really enjoy hearing it with that tone of voice. She frowned in embarrassment and guilt for causing Duck Avenger to worry so much. She hesitated to respond, but she did, after Duck Avenger placed a hand on her back. "I'm so sorry, Avenger. I didn't mean to worry you so much. It's just... I never wanted to bother you, or be a nuisance. And I never wanted to complain about something I volunteered to do."

She heard footsteps behind her. She turned in her chair to look at the incoming presence.

[Paradox]

Merlin stepped into the kitchen, wearing nothing but a white wife-beater and pink boxers. He was humming softly, but expressed surprise when he noticed Sunshine and Duck Avenger. His bushy eyebrows raised and he smiled under his beard. "Well! Good morning, you two!"

Realizing that he was in a less-than-flattering wardrobe, he snapped his fingers and was in a blue robe and shoes in a flash. He should have remembered to do this earlier, especially when the lovely Sunshine was present.

He chuckled in slight nervousness and cleared his throat. "What are you two discussing?"

[Howl]

Among the individual doors leading to the various living chambers along the hallway was a door which normally led into a small storage closet. There wasn't much in there; a single, metal bucket, a mop, and a broom and dustpan hanging from a hook on the wall. Since there was a far more practical supply closet elsewhere in the Overlook, Duckworth (and everyone else, for that matter) rarely entered the far less inspiring storage closet. However, in a sense, it had come to become the room of the Dream League's most recent member; Howl, the magician. While the room was still just a broom closet, the wizard had added a new color to the dial of his moving castle's magic door, allowing him (and others) to instead use the door to gain access from the Overlook to his castle, and vice versa. Though it could still open into a normal closet, as well.

On that morning the door opened, and beyond it was not a claustrophobic storage closet, but rather, the main entrance of the magician's castle (which looked rather messy, on top of that... perhaps a bit of unintentional irony, given what the door normally led to). In the form of the doorway was Markl, Howl's youthful apprentice. He stepped into the hallway of the living chambers and then gently shut the door behind him, a small, glass jar held firmly in his left hand. Hearing voices nearby, he scurried toward the source at a steady pace, his unruly hair, trademark bow tie, and ever-present hip pouch bouncing about as he moved along. He stopped beside the table, bowing respectfully to Paradox, then he turned and nodded his head to Duck Avenger and Sunshine (his increased respectfulness toward Paradox was a clear indication of how awed he was by the elderly man, whose powers seemed to rival even his own master's).

"Good morning! I woke up earlier than usual this morning to work on that medicine for Dreamchild. This time I'm pretty sure I got it..." He looked down at his feet sheepishly, then glanced over toward the duck hero. "Is she terribly upset that the last one turned her hair blue? It should wear off some time today..." He asked in an embarrassed tone. He wished he could have consulted his master for guidance in what he had done wrong, but Howl had been missing for several days, leaving Markl and Calcifer to their own devices. It was a fairly common occurrence, actually. The last medicinal potion hadn't gone as he had hoped; no, not in the least. And he had promised Dreamchild, still as sick as ever, that he would produce a new potion for her, which he now held in his hand.

His gaze went over to Sunshine, who looked to be a wreck. His eyes widened and his mouth gaped. "Oh no! Sunshine, are you sick now, too? Well, there's only enough medicine here for a single serving, but I can make some more, if you want it." He offered.

[Duck Avenger]

Duck Avenger was about to "nicely" excoriate Sunshine further, but the sudden presence of Merlin prevented him. Right after the old man joined the conversation, Markl came through the closet door. Jeez, those wizards and their unorthodox entryways. Those wizards thought they were soooo awesome. So, Merlin knew more facts than Aristotle and could transform, and Howl had many parlor tricks and was sexy to many women. BIG HONKIN' DEAL.

Hiding his serious envy, the all-too mortal duck smirked at Markl. The poor boy seemed upset about the botched medicine, and so the Avenger decided to put his worry to rest. "Here, Markl, I got a message from Dreamchild." The Avenger pulled out his Dream League-exclusive communicator and pulled up what was basically a text message from the very sick teammate. "She said, 'Tell Markl that I'm not mad at him. I admit, I was startled at first, but blue is my favourite colour'--Haha! She has the Us in those words--'and I think my new hair compliments my eyes. Thank you all the same, Markl.' Yeah, see? She's not mad." He placed the communicator on the table in case Markl wanted to take a look for himself. He then finally answered the boy's question.

"Sunshine isn't sick. She's just too nice for her own good. She's been workin' way too hard, and she hasn't been gettin' enough sleep." He folded his arms on his chest and eyed Sunshine disapprovingly.

[Sunshine]

Markl was such a cute, lively, adorable boy. Sunshine had met the child before Master Howl, and she admired the kid ever since. Unfortunately, she did not look her best this morning. She carried dark bags under her eyes, revealing her cumulative sleep deprivation. Even her hair, usually perfect and curly, was a surprising mess. She was obviously not herself, and she acknowledged this.

She smiled softly at Markl. She felt sorry for Dreamchild's side effect, but the girl apparently forgave Markl easily. Duck Avenger, though, wasn't so gentle.

She frowned at her feathered 'superior.' "I'm sorry, Duck Avenger. I underestimated how... how strenuous all of this would be. But I have no right to complain or quit now because I volunteered in the first place."

Realizing she had yet to actually address Markl and Paradox, she offered a weak yet honest smile to them. "Good morning. How are you two feeling today?"

[Savage]

Around that time, Delbert entered the kitchen. He was wearing a bathrobe over his pajamas, as well as slippers, and clutched a magazine in one hand. Noting that a few other people were up and already here -- namely Paradox, Duck Avenger, Sunshine, and the boy who he had seen around a couple of times but wasn't very familiar with yet... Markl, that was his name.

"Good morning, everyone." He politely greeted the motley bunch before looking around the kitchen. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. Uh, anyone for coffee?" Out of everyone gathered, the doctor felt most at ease with Duck Avenger and Sunshine, as he had worked with the two of them before. Delbert could remember the first time he met Sunshine and how he found himself too flustered by her beauty to really even look at her. Thankfully, he had since overcome his shyness, and could talk to her much more easily.

Looking at her now though, Sunshine looked like she had had a hard night. Maybe some coffee would help?

[She-Wolf]

The spontaneous gathering in the kitchen only continued to increase, as yet another Dreamer entered. The padding sound of bare feet eventually came within hearing distance for the others, as a very groggy-looking She-Wolf shuffled into the room. It truly was unusual, and maybe even a bit comical, to see the proud and fearsome wolf princess in such a state. Her normally stoic, if not stern, face appeared half-asleep, her eyes barely open, and her cheeks and forehead cleaned of face paint. Her short brown hair appeared as wild as her personality, tangled up like a bird's nest with strands poking every which way - her headband was also noticeably missing, allowing her hair to droop over her forehead. Her costume was stripped down to no more than the long, blue tunic that she wore under everything else - her legs, however, were covered in a pair of baby blue pajama pants - a gift from Sunshine. Not really something that fit her tastes, but... they were comfortable.

She-Wolf wasn't typically awake so early, hence her sleepiness, but hunger pangs urged her out of bed. She'd gone to bed without any meals for a long while, due to a particularly busy day of thwarting evil - she aided Sunshine earlier in that day to compensate for the absences of other members, but was unaware of her late-night exploits. Her stomach pulling her forward through the dimly-lit Overlook halls, she eventually reached the kitchen, dragging her feet towards the refrigerator and rubbing her forehead wearily with her hand... until she saw a figure out of the corner of her eye.

It wasn't just one figure, but nearly half of the Dream League! She-Wolf froze where she was, staring at the others in an open-mouthed stupor like a deer caught in the headlights. She couldn't deny how tired she was, but she was embarrassed beyond belief for not even noticing the others until now - on top of that, they all could lay witness to her, for the first time, in her sleepwear. She-Wolf's face turned redder than a tomato, and she stood awkwardly in the kitchen, in front of the fridge. Should she just... act like they aren't there...?

[Paradox]

Paradox raised his bushy eyebrows when he heard the door next to him open. Out stepped Markl, the wizard Howl's loyal assistant. Though Paradox was always friendly to the boy, it took the old wizard a much longer time to fully accept Howl. Merlin was initially displeased with Howl and his behavior, but the young wizard had since proven himself to be a good and noble man, and earned the elderly wizard's respect and trust.

Merlin smiled, though his mouth was completely hidden under his beard. Only his crinkling eyes and a subtle stretch of his mustache indicated that he had smiled. "Good morning, Markl!" he said to the boy as he bowed respectfully. The wizard stroked his beard idly as he listened to the conversation. He couldn't help but chuckle scratchily when Markl admitted that his concoction turned Dreamchild's hair blue. After Duck Avenger read the message, the old wizard decided to chime in.

"Persevere, my lad!" Merlin exclaimed positively. He pointed upward and stood upright, tilting his head back and closing his eyes in pride. "That's what experiments are for. From the ashes of failure grow the roses of success." He clenched his fist and shook it vigorously as he winked at the sheepish kid. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That's the key to experimentation!"

Then Duck Avenger said some fairly harsh things about Sunshine. That blasted Avenger--for a duck he sure could be cocky. But the Avenger did have a point; the normally beautiful Sunshine looked shockingly worn out and down the weather. But she still remained polite and courteous even though she looked fairly like hell. "I'm feeling well, Sunshine. Thank you. So, you've been out all night, hmm? Just like Archimedes; if only he knew, he probably could have kept you company." He almost made another joke, but the entrance of Dr. Doppler grabbed his attention.

"Oh, no, thank you," he replied. "I'd rather have some tea." Paradox hadn't really gotten to know Delbert, but everyone knew that Delbert could act rather Savagely when provoked. But Paradox had a respect for anyone who read frequently and loved history, so he was polite to Delbert.

Paradox looked beyond Delbert and recognized the Child of the Forest herself, She-Wolf. The old man remembered their first meeting well; in the same time and place, he, Dreamchild, and the Masked Mallard had met both Sunshine and She-Wolf. With the help of Sunshine, the League managed to thwart Madam Mim. Though Sunshine joined the team that same day, it took She-Wolf longer to gain the Dreamers' trust.

Even though he met Sunshine and She-Wolf long ago, he still didn't know too much about She-Wolf. Not that he wasn't interested, but the feral teenager just wasn't really one to socialize... as clearly evidenced by her very red face when she realized that she wasn't alone in the kitchen. Paradox couldn't help it; he approached the stunned teenager and patted her back encouragingly. "Here, here, She-Wolf! There's no reason to be upset." He gestured to Delbert. "He's wearing sleepwear, too!" Well, the sleepwear was likely under the robe...

[Howl]

The youthful lad held his breath as Duck Avenger spoke, gripping his newest batch of medicine tightly in both hands. He exhaled in relief to discover Dreamchild wasn't cross with him in the least. Even with her mask on, it was apparent that she was an attractive young girl, so Markl could sometimes feel awkward in her presence. Especially when he considered that she was roughly the same age as him, yet far more dignified and eloquent than himself. Actually, she seemed more well educated and sophisticated than several of the adult members of the Dream League, though he would never admit such to their faces. Nor would he name names.

He raised an eyebrow, his mouth open, as the avian hero placed the strange gizmo on the counter. Markl still wasn't entirely familiar with the technology of earth, and it both amazed and even irritated him at times. He glanced at it only briefly before diverting his attention to Paradox, who had addressed him with some positive words. Markl smiled brightly and nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely! I'm sure I have it right this time! I think I found out what I had done wrong with the first potion." He informed the sagely wizard. From what Markl understood, Paradox also had a pupil, much as Markl himself was the apprentice of Howl. However, Markl hadn't seen much of this 'Arthur' fellow, and didn't know a whole lot about him other than what he had heard from Dreamchild, Paradox, and Archimedes (the latter of which rarely had positive things to say, and who seemed to be even moodier than Calcifer, though Markl liked the educated owl all the same).

His attention was then pulled from Paradox to Sunshine, who had weakly asked him and the elderly magician how they were that morning. Truth be told, Markl was exhausted. He had worked well into the night on the first potion for Dreamchild and, having had no success on that, had gotten only a few hours of sleep before rising before the sun to work on a second. However, seeing Sunshine in her current state of exhaustion and hearing of her plight made his own tiredness seem trivial by comparison, and he didn't see fit to bring it up. Though still merely a child, he had some sensibilities about him, even if he was leagues behind the Dream Come True in terms of maturity.

"Oh, I'm all right. But you ought to get some rest, Sunshine." He responded to her inquiry, his eyes fixed on her. He had never seen her in such a disarray before; her hair messy, dark circles under her eyes. Though, even in her current state, she was still quite fetching to behold. He was about to continue speaking when Dr. Doppler appeared in their midst and offered to make coffee. Markl wrinkled his nose at the prospect. "I hate coffee." He remarked. He had tried it since arriving on earth, and was far from a fan of the substance. Tea, however, was a tried and true staple of life, as far as he was concerned. When She-Wolf appeared he looked at her briefly, then averted his eyes. They hadn't had the most pleasant of first encounters, and he had been intimidated by her ever since. In his opinion she was downright mean... even more so than Archimedes, who at least had jokes and wisdom to impart. She-Wolf, however, seemed strictly serious at all times.

The boy returned his gaze to the weary Sunshine and smiled, holding up his jar. "Don't fret! Once Dreamchild drinks this she'll be right as rain, and that will kill two birds with one stone; she'll be well, so you needn't look in on her, and she'll be able to help the team again!" He informed her with confidence. "Drink that and she will feel a bit better... before sleeping for two to three days." Suddenly came a voice from the hallway behind the group. Some time during the exchanges between the Dream League members and Markl, Howl had managed to slip through the magic door unnoticed. The youthful wizard looked exhausted, though still in better shape than Sunshine, it seemed. It made Markl wonder what he had been up to during his absence, though he would never directly ask his master such a question. Wherever he had disappeared to, it seemed to have taken a toll on the man. He had a weak smile on his face, and was simply wearing a white, short-sleeved shirt and black pants, along with his usual black dress shoes. His hair was also black, as it had been for a while. In his left hand he held a wicker basket which was covered by a red cloth.

Markl frowned and looked to the bottle in his hands, then back to his master. Howl then approached the table, removing another bottle from the basket with his free hand and placing it on the table close to where his apprentice stood. "This one, however, should make her feel worlds better." The magician added before looking to Markl "I shall instruct you on what steps you mistook another time." He told the youth. Markl frowned and sighed. "Well I could have used your help yesterday, you know." He said in a somewhat agitated tone, implying that his master's disappearances could be rather inconvenient at times. "Anyway! I'll take this to Dreamchild straight away!" The boy beamed, his mood instantly brightening at the prospect of helping the blonde heroine. Setting his second botched potion on the table he scooped up the one Howl had just provided before darting down the hallway toward Dreamchild's room.

Howl glanced between the Dream League members gathered in the kitchen, bowing his head lightly as he made eye contact with each one, while casting an added smile to She-Wolf, before ultimately focusing on Sunshine. "You look as though you've been pushing yourself too hard, Sunshine. You haven't taken ill, have you?" Howl raised his right hand to her forehead, pushing away her bangs and gently feeling her skin for warmth with the back of his hand. "Hm. Warm, but... then again, I believe you're always warm." He commented, suddenly recalling that her temperature likely wouldn't be a reliable indication of whether or not she had a fever. Nevertheless his hand lingered a moment longer before he withdrew it.

"Perhaps a hot meal will help to give you a lift. I hadn't anticipated so many present this early in the morning, but I believe I have enough for everyone." And with that he approached the stove, with basket in hand, which he set on the counter top beside the cooking area. Setting a couple of skillets upon the stove and turning on the flames, he removed several pieces of what appeared to be ham from the basket and placed them in one skillet. He then began cracking large chicken eggs skillfully with one hand into the other. Rather than discarding the egg shells afterward, he instead placed them back into the basket. This likely would have appeared odd to most anyone present, though few knew that he would later feed the shells to Calcifer. Even having officially joined the Dream League, the wizard was still decidedly secretive.

[Sunshine]

She watched Paradox encourage Markl, and smiled at the blatant respect the two had for each other. It was obvious that Sunshine was sleep deprived; even Markl pointed it out. “Yes, a rest does sound nice,” she admitted good-humoredly. “But I can’t. Not now, at least.”

Sunshine smiled sweetly to the kindly doctor, Delbert Doppler, who had since entered the room. Delbert and his inner Savage formed a yin-yang of sorts in the Dream League, and it was admittedly amusing that such a timid man could transform into such a beastly powerhouse. "Good morning, doctor," she replied. “May I please have a cup?” Sunshine didn't drink coffee too often, but she wanted to drink anything that could help keep her awake.

At that time, she noticed someone else who made an entrance. It was She-Wolf, and she looked very un-She-Wolflike. Though she still had on her signature blue tunic, her face was clean, her hair was messy, and she wore those baby blue pajama pants! Despite the apparent embarrassment on She-Wolf’s part, Sunshine couldn’t help herself. From where she sat, Sunshine smiled in flattery and gestured to She-Wolf’s legs. “Oh! You’re wearing those pajama pants I gave you. They look cute!” The Ray of Hope regretted those words as soon as they left her mouth. Though she was excited to see She-Wolf, she remembered just how antisocial and awkward her close friend could be. If it’s true that sometimes you have to take a step back to admire someone, then Sunshine was one of the few (if not only) who actually took that step and recognized She-Wolf as a good person. Paradox patted She-Wolf’s back and pointed out that Delbert was also wearing sleepwear, and therefore there was no reason to be embarrassed. “And me, too!” She stood up from her chair and pointed to her pink bathrobe.

Sunshine sat down again when she heard Markl’s reassuring words. She gave a warm, pleasant look to him. She was about to thank him for being so thoughtful and caring, but a deep, masculine voice entered the conversation by surprise. Sunshine gasped softly and looked to Howl, watching him fully enter the room. He must have entered through his magic door undetected, which wouldn’t be surprising considering the rapid conversation going on amongst the Dreamers. He and Markl had a tiny friction between them, but they seemed to have patched things up instantly. Markl took off to cure Dreamchild with the proper concoction. Sunshine smiled in the presence of Howl. She recognized his respect for She-Wolf, a respect that she was all too aware of. She didn’t need to greet Howl because he approached her. He asked her if she had taken ill. She would have answered, but before she knew it he raised his hand, gently brushed away her bangs, and placed the back of his hand on her forehead. Sunshine’s back straightened instinctively. She sat very still, but her lips parted, her purple eyes widened, and the faintest of gasps escaped her mouth when she felt the touch. Her cheeks reddened by the second.

Howl commented on her extraordinary warmth (Sunshine was warmer than normal humans, because her body stored solar energy). But his hand still lingered on her forehead for a moment. He finally withdrew his hand and referred to breakfast. As he approached the kitchen’s stove, Sunshine was left alone after the intimate physical contact. Her eyes remained almost exactly the same, and her lips were still parted. Her cheeks were very red now; she almost looked sunburned… which, of course, was impossible. She had forgotten about everyone in the room for that moment. With Howl focusing on cooking breakfast, Sunshine touched her forehead with two of her slender fingers, as if to feel Howl’s imprint on her temple. She continued to blush profusely and act very awkwardly yet silently. But if anyone stared at her long enough, they would have seen that she ultimately smiled. She smiled dreamily.

She enjoyed it.