The Dreaming

[Kender Bard]

Plot Thread #1: A Stir - Heavens
Plot Thread #2: Confusion - Heavens
Plot Thread #3: Sleeping on it isn't an option - Khelek

---

Dream...

If you wish to put your character into the Dreaming, please PM me the character with the following information:

Dream or Nightmare
If you choose Dream: What is the character's greatest wish, hope, or ambition in life? If they do not have one, what makes them happiest in their current life?

If you choose Nightmare: What is the character's greatest fear or despair? If they do not have one, what makes them happiest in their current life?

And if you wish me to write out the dream/nightmare or not. If you do not wish me to, you may post the dream/nightmare in this thread.


Please be aware, if you put a character into the Dreaming, they will not be able to be played. You cannot use a character who is Dreaming. You may play out them collapsing into sleep (or not waking up after a night of sleep) but that will be the last of it. This condition will be for a long time.

If you wish to reverse your choice, you CAN wake up a Dreamer by paying 1000 brownie points. If you choose to do so, however, you cannot put them back into the Dreaming. A character who wakes from a Dreaming has no memory of their time asleep, what they dreamed about, nor any knowledge of what put them into that state. Furthermore, they will be slightly changed, always distracted. They will daydream often and have great trouble focusing. This, too, will be for a long time. You will be able to play them, but it will be as if they are not fully awake or conscious any longer nor will be for the foreseeable future.

Characters who are Dreaming do not age nor have need of food or drink. They remain in a kind of timeless stasis.

Again, this condition is expected to last for a long time.

[Kender Bard]

The Dreamers
Morrigan
Fausta
Aaron
Rikus
Sashi
Heath
Dreamwarp
Anarchy
Aries

[Kender Bard]

Morrigan Dreams

Morrigan sat in her bedchambers, staring at a wall where she wished she had a window so she could look outside. But it was too hot, too sandy for such a thing in the temple.

I hate it here, she thought to herself.

A lower priest knocked on her doors and she straightened, frowning at the interruption. "What is it?"

The priest opened the door and stuck his head in. "A visitor for you, High Priestess," the priest responded.

A visitor... for me? Morrigan thought, stunned. She rose. "Let them in." And she hoped and hoped it would be who she yearned for it to be.

The door opened wider and Zira stepped through. Like always when Morrigan saw him, her heart seemed to stop in his presence. He was so beautiful. So wonderful.

So beyond her.

"Morrigan," he murmured, stepping closer.

"Zira," she greeted when she'd found her tongue. "I... This is unexpected. What brings you all the way out to Athrug?"

And, unexpectedly, he drew closer to her and took her hands into his own. "You," he said softly. "Morrigan, I miss you."

Morrigan dropped her gaze to their clasped hands, heart aching painfully. "I miss you too," she said softly. "Very much."

"Then come back home," Zira told her, pleading his voice. "Back to Anarlina, where you belong." He freed one of his hands and lightly touched her under the chin, drawing her gaze up. "Back to... me."

"Zira... I..."

"I love you."

Morrigan struggled to breathe again. "Don't speak lightly of that, ever," she whispered. His gaze was so somber. She could gaze into those eyes forever.

"I'm not," he told her. "I promise. I love you, Morrigan. Please, come home. You can even live with Zack and I. You'll be near your mother and sister again and all your old friends at the temple."

Morrigan's lips parted just enough for her to breathe out, "Yes."

They embraced, Zira's wings coming around her like a soft, ticklish cloak. Morrigan closed her eyes and pressed her cheek against his chest, clinging tightly to him, her savior, the only thing she ever wanted more than anything else in the world. Let the temples choose another High Priestess. She did not love the job. She took it out of honor for her god and the choice of the previous high priest. But in one of the hottest places in Naruta, she felt the coldest.

"Let's go home," she whispered.

[Kender Bard]

Fausta Dreams

Fausta yawned and stretched as she slid out of her bed within the palace.

Her palace.

Immediately servants were ready to attend to her needs. Fausta kept her eyes closed and allowed them to perform her morning rituals. Once she was cleaned, perfumed, powdered, clothed, and crowned, she stepped out into the hallway, followed by her gaggle of obedient, mute servants. Everywhere she went, people lowered their eyes in deference. She felt today deserved her presence and so skipped breakfast to go to her throne. It was a beautiful day, mild in weather, so she selected the throne placed on the balcony. Black marble extended out in a wide circle with her throne placed near the front, unobstructed by any railing. As she settled herself into the black wood and satin throne, the people below prostrated themselves. Their voices rose as one in the air, murmuring her name in the Morning Chant. "Great is her glory, the most terrible and majestic, Her Eternal Rulership..."

Fausta sighed in soft contentment as the familiar words washed over her. They were not the words of a populace that loved her, though she did not lack for adoring zealots. This was the voice of a populace who lived in terror of their ruler; a terror so absolute and complete that it was more perfect than peace could truly be.

Her steward approached from the side and Fausta opened her eyes. "Your reports?"

"The final pocket of resistance in the south has fallen, Eternal Ruler," the steward responded, bowing low and offering her the scrolled missives to look over. She waved them away. Her steward was a man of the Thuothian priesthood and though he may keep secrets, he did not tell her lies. "The empire is finally and completely under your heel."

"As it should be," Fausta murmured, closing her eyes again and smiling. "All is as it should be."

[Kender Bard]

Aaron's Nightmare

Another day another copper.

Aaron rubbed at his eyes as he moved out of his bedroom, getting ready to greet a new day with the same old routine... But something caught his eye. A leather cord, dangling off the edge of the dresser. Frowning, Aaron walked over to pick up his sister's necklace but froze at the message scratched into the top of his dresser.

Your fault.

Aaron stared at for a moment, confused. "What the hell...?" When did that get there?

He shook his head, taking the necklace and pocketing it, suddenly wanting to have it close as he moved on to get a bit of breakfast. Turning a corner, he was faced with another message written on the wall in some dark substance.

Why couldn't you protect us?

Aaron looked left and right sharply, wondering if he would see someone skulking about his house. "All right, who's there?!" he demanded to know. Had someone from the guild snuck in to play games with his head? It didn't seem like something one of them would do, but clearly someone was doing something.

As he started to search for the culprit, he heard a man's voice whisper from behind him: "You shouldn't have left the farm."

Aaron twisted around, but there was nobody behind him. The hairs on the back of his neck rose. He turned again and was confronted with the ghostly apparition of his brother.

"We might have pulled through if you hadn't left."

Fear shot through Aaron like lightning and he stumbled back. As if seeing the ghost--who was as gone as swiftly as he had been there--had opened the floodgates, he could hear all of his family whispering to him, scorning him, accusing him.

"You shouldn't have left."
"Things might have been different."
"You couldn't even do anything for your sisters."
"You couldn't do anything for any of us."
"You let us down. Failed us."
"It's your fault, Aaron."
"Your fault."

Your fault.

"Stop. Stop! It wasn't-- I didn't--" Aaron pressed his hands against his ears, a futile gesture as the whispers only seemed to intensify, echoing the thoughts he'd been unable to shake since his sisters' deaths. He slowly sank to his knees, eyes filling with tears. "No," he whispered, shaking his head. "Roni, Ira...forgive me. Tresha... Delroy... Father, please."

Even as he pleaded, he knew no comfort or forgiveness would be forthcoming. It was his fault, and this was no more than he deserved.

[Kender Bard]

Rikus's Nightmare

The collar chafed around Rikus's neck. It was made of iron, thick and heavy, and soon would draw sores.

As an Ekaitzian slave, he was used to rough treatment, but this was extreme, even for him. Manacles bound him at the wrists and ankles. But the pain wasn't quite as bad as watching his mother and siblings clapped in heavy irons in front of him.

They wept bitterly as his new owner tugged at the chain connected to the ring around his neck.

"You lot almost got away," his new owner chuckled. "That was a right cute little home you had set up there. It's almost kind of adorable, slaves thinking they could run off and live happily ever after."

The Storm leered at Rikus, smirking. "But we'd have found them anyway, even if you hadn't led us right to them." He pointed to each of his family members in turn. "That one will go to Morilanta. That one will go to the Fireteeth folk who are coming to visit here. And that one will go to a secret buyer in Ilyamen. Say goodbye forever."

As they were pointed at, each family member lifted their head just enough to glare at Rikus, at the one who had caused this pain and suffering.

Rikus paled, his normally tanned skin as white as chalk. No... nonononoNO!!! This couldn't be right! He would never lead the Storm captors to his family! And... his family had left him! Well, his mother had been sold to a different slaver... but his brother and sister... they had left and he'd never heard from them again. But had they actually come back for him and his mother after all...? Rikus looked at his family, tears in his blue eyes, flinching at the glares of anger, resentment-and even hate- were thrown at him. He swallowed heavily.

"I-I..." the young teen choked out. "I'm... so...sorry!"

But by the looks they were giving him, he knew that 'sorry' wasn't enough. They would be treated a lot more cruelly- and it was all his fault.

No!

They probably wouldn't survive this harsher treatment. And his mother and sister would probably face a worse fate than his brother.

No! Stop it! he thought to himself as he squeezed his eyes shut against the relentless glares his family were giving him. It's not true! It can't be!

[Kender Bard]

Sashi's Nightmare

Sashi leaned on the wall outside of her daughter's room as Kaisila sobbed in the way only a truly heartbroken child could.

She had already tried once to go in and comfort the girl, but had been met with shrieking demands to get out of the room. Sashi had obliged. She couldn't blame Kaisila for not wanting to be around her. She wouldn't blame Kaisila if her daughter hated her forever.

After all, if Sashi had been just a little more vigilant, a little quicker, Lukas would still be alive.

How am I going to do this? Sashi thought bleakly as she tried to lay out her future before herself. A future without Lukas, of raising a daughter that would forever (rightfully) resent her. It seemed bleak and hard and hopeless. If it weren't for Kaisila, Sashi was quite certain she would have gone to a dark room with her sword and...

She shook the thoughts off and moved to the kitchen. When Kaisila was done crying, she might have an appetite and Sashi was determined to meet her daughter's every whim and need during this time. When she entered the room, though, she saw a half-dead flower on the counter. It had been a random, spur-of-the-moment gift from Lukas before they'd gone off on their last mission together.

With a shaking hand, she picked the flower up and felt something inside her die.

[Kender Bard]

Heath Dreams

Heath sighed and looked out the window of his study room. His tutor's voice droned on steadily, putting Heath into a drowse. He wanted to go out into the snow for a bit, to play. Heath liked winter; he rarely got overly cold and it distracted him pleasantly.

As his tutor abruptly cut off, Heath snapped his gaze back to his book of poetry and attempted to look as though he'd kept listening. But the continued silence--not a rebuke for daydreaming--caused him to look up in puzzlement after a few moments.

His mother stood in the doorway. Heath stared, stunned into silence, and disbelieving. The tutor rose and bowed to her.

"My lady, would you like me to leave?" the tutor asked. At Rebecca's nod, he left the room and Rebecca walked closer to Heath.

"Mother?" he whispered, tears welling up. He reached out to touch her, fearing she was nothing more than a ghost. When his fingers touched warm flesh, he gasped.

Rebecca smiled and knelt down, drawing Heath into her arms and hugging him tightly. "I'm here, baby."

Heath clung to his mother and started to cry with joy and wellspring of other emotions. "But... you died!"

"The Forces are merciful," she whispered into his hair as she rubbed his back. "And they agreed to let me come back to you and Sain. I'm here now, Heath. I promise, I won't ever leave again."

There was a thundering of footsteps as his father dashed into the room, laughing, tears streaking his own face as he grabbed wife and child into a tight embrace. "Look, Heath," Sain laughed shakily through his tears as he nearly crushed the breath out of his son. "Look! We're a family again!"

Heath closed his eyes and smiled so hard it almost hurt.

[Kender Bard]

Dreamwarp's Nightmare

A drip of water landing on Dreamwarp's cheek stirred her to wakefulness, and the dreadful cold woke her the rest of the way. Sleep still keeping her eyes closed, Dreamwarp creased her brow and curled up tighter, shivering. "Lazy servants," she breathed sleepily. "Didn't light the fires."

Reaching out to one side, she patted in search for Adam or Drake. One of them would come closer and warm her. When her fingertips brushed against cold, damp stone instead, her eyes flew open in confusion.

She was not snug in the temple of Soahc in Flux. She was lying on a pile of foul smelling rags in an alley. Snow glittered blindingly bright as above her icicles dripped from the pale heat of the winter sun. She was dressed not in her velvety winter robes, but in torn and ragged clothing of a beggar, her feet wrapped in more rags. She reached up and pushed back her hair (oily, limp, thin) from her eyes and shuddered as another sudden gust of wind drove itself through her.

"What the fuck?" she breathed, confused. Her first thought was that she had been pranked somehow but that was ridiculous. Nobody could have smuggled her farther than the city of Flux (and they'd have a hell of a time doing that) and it never snowed there, never grew so cold as to kill. Had she taken something powerful from the Addicts? It wasn't really her style, though after regaining her youth as compensation for the war, she had gone on a sinful bender, indulging in ways she hadn't since... well, since she'd hit twenty the first time around.

Disoriented, she slowly climbed to her feet and shuffled out of the alley, blinking against the sun. And then she recognized where she was, drawn forth from the recesses of a dim memory.

Maelstrom.

The market stretched out before her, different than from her youth, but of course it was, and yet the same. The fashion had changed, but not too much. Maelstrom had always been slow to change, clinging to tradition proudly and stubbornly. The accent was the same. And the demeanor of the people, of course, never changed. Dreamwarp reflected it every time she strolled the halls of Flux as haughtily as the Proud and each time she struck down someone in a pique of anger, roused so easily to Wrath.

What am I doing back here? Dreamwarp wondered. Well, one thing was for sure; she needed to get back to her brothers and sisters at the temple and puzzle this out in warmth and comfort. She did her best to find the temple, having to retrace her steps several times as her memories failed her from the last time she'd been to visit. Finally, though, she located it. Stepping inside the foyer itself was a relief, though people pointedly either avoided catching her eye or they stared challengingly, letting her know she had no place here where no doubt she'd come to beg.

Whatever, fuckers, Dreamwarp thought dismissively, striding towards the Soahcian hall, giving a respectful salute to the prostitute-styled statue of Soahc. She'd forgotten how fond she had been of that particular rendition of her lord... well, lady in this case.

As Dreamwarp put one foot past the threshold, a desperate chill ran down her spine. There was a powerful, overwhelming sense of forbiddance. The priests glanced up and stared at her, hostile--well of course they'd be hostile, they were Wrathful--and challenging. Dreamwarp tried to lift her chin in response, letting them know she was not one to be bullied, but her body would not obey, frozen in place as it was.

A grinding sound behind her made her hair stand up on end and still she could not turn. The statue, stone grinding on stone, pivoted and stood behind her. The stone dagger in its hand lifted and touched against her neck where she discovered it was as sharp as steel.

"You aren't welcome here," one of the priests told her coldly.

Dreamwarp blinked against the familiarity of that voice. The speaker stepped forth. No... The Beast flicked his feline tail, stared at her with hard, animal eyes. Greggory? "Gregg, it's me. Dreamwarp."

"You had your chance to join us long ago," her dead-mentor-not-quite-so-dead told her. "And you failed. We'll not tell you again; stop coming here to beg. Begone."

Dreamwarp suddenly noticed the absence of a blade at her throat and she lifted a hand to touch where its cold edge had kissed her skin, craning a head behind her. The statue stood where it had always stood, in the same pose as it had always had. But the feeling of forbiddance never left.

Mouth dry, she staggered back a few steps. The statue's eyes seemed to glare at her much as her brethren's had. "But... I'm Dreamwarp," she whispered, dizzy, as if the floor had dropped out from below her.

The stares did not stop until she had scampered out of the temple in bewilderment. She had nowhere to go. Soahc had rejected her. Had he ever embraced her...? Or had it been some glorious dream of love and family and a life that was just for her?

[Kender Bard]

Anarchy's Nightmare

Anarchy blinked, started back from her daydream, as a pair of fingers snapped in front of her face, making her jump.

"Are you even paying any attention to me?" a familiar voice--her mother's--snapped sharply.

Anarchy looked at the face of her mother as she remembered seeing it last, confused, but the old words of childhood leapt to her tongue without any conscious thought. "Yes, mother."

"Well it would be a first," her mother sneered. "Now I expect I won't be hearing another little snivel out of you about your new duties. You are a wife. You will obey your husband, as is your place. If he wants you to go down on hands and knees and scrub the floors like a scullion, you will do so with a smile because if your husband is happy, he will--if you are deserving--make you happy."

Anarchy was still considerably confused but she had a feeling of deja vu, as if she had heard this conversation before at some point in time. With it came old feelings of resentment she hadn't felt since... since... the moment eluded her.

"I am not a slave," she retorted. "I won't be treated like one."

Her mother slapped her, hard. Anarchy cried out and held her face, the pain magnified by a bruise there she had almost forgotten until the blow had brought the pain roaring back to the surface.

"You are a woman and if you ever thought we weren't the slaves of our men then somewhere your teaching has gone badly awry," her mother growled. "If you are upset, you will take it out on your own slaves. That is what they are for. But for Etaf's sake, child, if you can't keep your mouth shut and your pride down by the mouthful then you risk the ruination of this entire family. Do you want that on your head? Because if it looks like that is the path you are treading, then have no doubts that your father will deal with you rather than risk that. After all, better a widowed son-in-law than a disobedient daughter."

Anarchy went cold at those words because she knew in her heart of hearts that they were true.

The door opened and a voice called out for her. "Acacia. Come."

Anarchy turned towards the voice but her mother grabbed her arm, fingers squeezing painfully.

"Smile," her mother hissed into her ear. "Damnit child, you can manage that."

Anarchy plastered a forced smile on her face and turned away again. The man called out to her once more, impatient sounding now.

I prefer my daydream of rulership, Anarchy thought darkly as she went to her fate.

[Kender Bard]

Aries's Nightmare

Aries ran an arm across his forehead and closed his eyes, fatigue pulling at him like lead weights hung over his body. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept fully.

He couldn't rest now. He needed to scope the area out to make sure it was safe for his father rival-- huh?

Where had that thought come from?

After a moment of hesitation, Aries pushed off the wall he was leaning against and began to stalk the area, eyes darting left and right as he tried to assess the mood and intentions of every person he could see, tried to recognize a face from the guild, possibly disguised. I'd kill for my Mind sign.

What?

Aries shook his head. I'm going to need to take some time to sleep. I'm losing my grip on things. And that could be deadly not only to him, but his father. It'd kill him to lose Mat. He was the only parent he had left.

After a survey and then a second sweep, he deemed the area safe and started to head back to inform Mat.

It wouldn't be so bad if he died. He'd be back with Acqua again, which would make her happy at least. I wish I could see her again but I made my choice and now I'm stuck with it--

Aries stopped and held his head, moving side to side almost violently. A Mind had to be messing with his head. "Get out, get out, get out," he snarled. He couldn't go back with a Mind spy piggybacking in his mind, messing with his thoughts.

Most Minds wouldn't do that, we have too much integrity and reverence for the privacy of others. Of course if a Mind didn't care about all that, they'd be a force to be reckoned with, that's for sure.

"Get out of my head," Aries whimpered as he crouched on the ground, feeling helpless.

I can't get out of my own head.

"You're not me," Aries growled through gritted teeth.

No. His thoughts were sad. I'm not.

After several long minutes of silence, Aries finally stood and began to make his way back to where Mat would be waiting. He looked side to side and then shouldered open the camouflaged door and slipped inside as quickly and silently as possible.

A candle guttered on a table, the only source of light in the small, cramped hidey-hole. But it was enough light to see Mat dead in a pool of blood, several daggers stuck in his body.

Horror crept through Aries. Horror and gut-twisting fear for his own life. He slammed into the door (twice) before managing to get it open as he fled as fast as he could across the misty, rain-soaked streets of the city. People stared at him as he passed but he didn't care. He ran until he couldn't anymore, collapsing in a trembling, fearful, depressed heap. Despite how much shame it brought him, he couldn't stop from sobbing as he curled up into a ball on the streets, soaking through from the puddle he'd fallen into.

On second thought, his thoughts-not-his-thoughts said very quietly. I guess I still haven't changed much at all.

[Northen Light36]

Letha Dreams

“Letha, Letha... Oh Letha... Rise and shine sleepy head,” Acqua called to her middle daughter in a laughing sing-song. “Don't make me send our little Lilly in to get you up.”

“Muma?” Letha sat bolt upright in her bed, her eyes wide with shock. This isn't right... It can't be! “Muma?” she repeated in a shaking whisper. “But... You died. You died! One of the guild killed you and were hunting Daddy to take over the guild.”

Acqua blinked and the humour vanished from her expression as she walked over to sit on the edge of the bed and draw her daughter into a tight hug. “Oh, sweetheart,” she murmured. “You've been letting Bas and Pas tell horror stories again, haven't you?” She smiled and kissed the top of Letha's head. “You had a nightmare, love. That's all. I'm fine, your father is fine and the guild loves us, darling.” She laughed. “And besides, do you really think your uncles would let anything happen to any of us? Forces, Amaro and Vortai all but come to blows if either of them bruises me in a sparring match. And even Alethia has her protective streak.”

Letha, glancing down at herself to see the body of an eight-year-old, gave into the urge to scramble into her mother's lap and relate the rest of the details of her nightmare. “They were all gone too,” she whispered. “Rocs got Aunt Alethia and an assassin killed Uncle Vortai and demons killed Uncles Talon and Amaro. Everyone except Daddy died.” She shivered and clung to her mother, listening to her comforting heartbeat. “It seemed so real.”

“The worst nightmares always do,” Acqua murmured, stroking Letha's hair. “But it was only a scary dream love, and what do I always tell you about that?”

“Nightmares end with the rising sun,” Letha whispered, relaxing. “It was awful.”

“I'm sure it was,” Acqua soothed. “Rocs and assassins and demons...” She shook her head as Lillian toddled into the room on chubby two-year-old legs. “Oh I am going to be having words with the big twins and Aries. Those three should know better then to terrify you like that.”

“Muma, b'fast,” the two-year-old demanded, looking up at her big sister and mother. “Hun'y.”

“You're quite right, Lilly-love,” Acqua chuckled and set Letha down. “Go on, girls. Go get that lazy little Robin out of his nest.”

Letha giggled delightedly as she took her baby sister's hand and headed for her twin's room, the details of her nightmare fading like mist as she plotted how best to get her twin up this morning.

[Kender Bard]

Vince's Nightmare

In Morilanta, power and prestige were life itself. Vince paused in front of a mirror, admiring his profile with a cocky, self-assured smile, before stepping out of his bedchambers to begin the day. And there was much to do; he needed to harvest information from his spies and informants, consider job proposals (both legitimate and "legitimate" in nature) and also see to the domestic affairs to his houses insofar as his sisters were concern. His sisters mostly handled those but there were still some things he wanted to keep his hand in by himself. He was lord of his house, his family, his guild. He was a man who needed to keep a firm grip on control.

And so it was with considerable surprise that he saw his sister standing with some guards, one hand on her hip as she spoke with them in aggrieved tone. Turning, she narrowed her eyes at him and pointed. "There he is. There is the man who is impostering my poor departed brother!"

Vince's eyes widened but he was not a man to stop and gawk either. He rapidly grabbed a slender dagger from the near invisible pocket in his housecoat. With the guards wielding longswords, however, the goal was not to outfight them. He instead made for a fast dart at his sister, hoping to use her as a hostage.

Unfortunately she was as well trained as he was and quick on her feet besides. There was a bit of scuffling but she managed to escape his grip, scratching him with her nails as she did. Teeth gritted, Vince darted away before the guards could catch him. But before he even reached the front doors, his body grew heavy and sluggish. He began to stagger and he went down easily as the guards roughly caught up to him.

Bitch, he thought venomously towards his sister as darkness fell upon him. Poisoned me. Had she been keeping a bit under her fingernails? He couldn't ponder it further as he blacked out.

When he woke up he was in chains, stripped naked, and in a dark cell somewhere that smelled as foul as he knew it would be. He spent a long time in the darkness, waiting for feeling and life to return to his body. By the time it did, a light in the darkness--a torch--lit the place up as someone approached his cell. He didn't recognize the individual but he recognized the robes of a Priest of Evil. High ranking as well. And he recognized that look of smug arrogance on the face of the priest.

"Impersonation of a noble is a high crime, cretin," the priest replied in a smooth, amused voice. "Did you think you could fool the departed Lord Delroy's sister for very long? At any rate, perhaps the poor man's soul can finally rest well once we've spilled your sins over the altar of Evil."

"I was set up, betrayed," Vince croaked, his throat dry and sore.

"Sure you were," the priest replied mockingly. "We will give your case due consideration. Long consideration. After all, it would be embarrassing if it turned out that you were the true Lord Delroy after all. Lady Delroy is very broken up over the ordeal and has paid us handsomely to consider this very a long... very long time before execution."

Vince's eyes burned with hatred as the torch moved away and then disappeared, plunging him back into darkness and obscurity.

[Kender Bard]

Thakur Dreams

Thakur stretched out his legs a bit before settling into the plush and comfortable chair by the fireplace, resting his old bones. He idly thought about working a bit on his music, perhaps jotting down some song ideas, but the idea flitted out of his mind as quickly as it had come.

Andromeda walked into the room and flashed her husband a smile. Even though she was growing as old as he, Thakur still felt his heart give a faint flutter at her smile; to his eyes, her beauty would never fade.

"A letter from Tevran," she announced, sitting on the armrest of his chair. Thakur grinned and pulled her into his lap instead. "Oh? Let's see it."

The two leaned over and read together, the words filling Thakur's heart with warmth. Tevran was doing well, spending considerable time in a more distant part of Anarlina as he got to know some people there and expressed a desire to stay a bit longer, perhaps look into getting some work while he was lingering. Arcan and his wife were well, settled comfortably in a life of moderate solitude on the outskirts of Sensatia. There was speculation of perhaps children to come and the letter had the wistful tone that implied that Tevran was getting ready to settle down as well. There were a few lovely young women that had caught his eye, after all.

Thakur folded the letter carefully and reverently, feeling a deep sense of peace as he held Andromeda close. It had taken a long time, but his boys seemed to have finally found their place in the world where they could be happy and safe, living stable lives with bright futures.

What more could a father want?

[Kender Bard]

Shima Dreams

Shima woke in a cold sweat, heart thumping rapidly. Alexandria is dead. The thought struck him forcefully, a reminder of something he'd already known but the sweet release of dreams let him forget. His heart ached painfully in his chest and tears welled in his eyes a bit so he shut them tightly. It had been so sudden, but so brutal. She'd been ripped away from him by the demons that had invaded Sensatiamens. She had been making so much progress, too! They both had. Their life together, having started so strangely, had taken on the comfortable routine of normalcy. And sure there were times when things got hard, either financially or emotionally, but they made the best of it. He'd never, ever wanted to give any of it up.

Something moved beside him on the bed and his eyes flew open again, his breath catching in his throat. Alexandria's face floated into view above his own.

"Shh," she whispered, cool hands stroking his face. "It's okay. You were just having a nightmare, Shima."

Shima reached up a trembling hand and touched Alexandria's cheek. It was warm and soft beneath his fingertips. "How?" he whispered, disbelieving.

"I don't know how nightmares form," Alexandria told him with a slight smile and amused tone. "I just know I'm very used to them. Come here..." She lay her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He turned and returned the gesture, clinging to her with ferocity.

"I thought I'd lost you," he whispered, shaking slightly as he buried his face into her hair a bit, trying to stave off more tears.

"I could never leave my angel," Alexandria told him softly as she smoothed back his hair and comforted him in the same way he had done for her during her night terrors. "Just relax. Maybe this time you'll have sweeter dreams."

But Shima didn't sleep. He stayed awake, holding onto the woman he loved, thanking Thuoth and all the Forces for not taking her from him after all.