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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Isabelle shared a glance with her two friends, an inkling of an idea forming in her mind. Of course, given her track record so far she was probably wrong but ...
"I had no idea you could store dreams," she asked Talmage "did Miss Tall have many of these dream catchers?"
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"Dozens. She made them all the time out of anything that came to hand. I don't think I ever saw an empty one, though," said Talmage.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
“Talk to Gammy Snaps...” Jon said it half under his breath, adding another thing to his mental to-do list. He ate quietly while Talmage described the Herald, intrigued by the stories of dream weaving.
After a few more silent and awkward minutes of eating, Jon finally cleared his throat before taking a long gulp of coffee. “So... it’s probably time for me to come clean about the nightmares from last night, huh?” His gaze flickered between the others seated at the table, and there was a hint of panic trapped behind his eyes, but he was doing his best to hold up the promise he’d made to himself to hash it all out at breakfast.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"No need," said Talmage. "We all had the same thing, and it's not a natural thing. Just ignore them."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"Well, if he wants to talk about it then he can ... or, rather, if he thinks he needs to talk about it he can." Isabelle countered, amending her statement on the fly.
"The offer to take it outside still stands, though. But, if it helps, Charlene and I had a brief chat before we found you Jon. Enough at least to find that we'd shared a similar dream to what you probably had."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Charlene chewed at some toast and nodded at Isabelle. "Talking about things doesn't hurt." She was getting a little annoyed at this blithe reaction to something that, even if it was nothing to worry about, was at least disturbing and worth discussing. It was like Talmage was trying to hide something.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"All right," muttered Talmage, sense of fairness getting the better of his lack of sleep. "All right, go on."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
“Right. Well, uh, things started out ok... I was in a big house - or really a mansion, I guess, and it was just me and the Lady of the house living there. I can’t really remember what she looked like, except that she was beautiful, and so was the house. I worked there as a servant... well, as a slave, and at first things were ok.”
Jon took another long sip of coffee and tried to gather his thoughts. He hoped he wasn’t bothering Talmage and Vorel with his story, but he needed to get this out; he had too many things haunting him already and he didn’t want something else to be afraid of.
“Then... things got out of hand. There was a look she gave me - like I said, I don’t remember her face, just the look - and in it I saw Him again. That’s when I realized that everything in the dream was just like it was back there and I kind of lost it. I... I hit her... and then I kept on hitting... I was angry - angry and sad, and I just hurt so bad...”
Another pause, and the cup trembled slightly in Jon’s hand.
“I think by then, I knew it was a dream. Even so, I felt like I had to finish it, like the dream was trying to tell me something, and I needed to see if what I was doing was really me... if I was wrong and instead of hope all I really have is cruelty and pain... I... don’t really think so - not now, in the light of day. But still, what scares me most is that I can’t remember the face, no matter how hard I try. I just... I mean, what if she was wearing Jess’ face when I did that?!” This last came out barely above a whisper, and Jon was eyeing the tablecloth as though it were an anchor to keep his thoughts from wandering too far.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Charlene looked down at her toast. They really were largely the same, these dreams. She wasn't sure she would be much good at making Jon feel better, when his fears and doubts seemed to reflect her own so perfectly. But wasn't it better to hear the truth than be told a comforting lie? It couldn't be a coincidence, could it? Talmage could say what he wanted about it not being anything to worry about, clearly it was. Clearly it was trying to tell them about what darkness lurked inside them all.
"I remember my face ... the face in my dream, I mean, it was my own. In a way what I was shown was me but not me killing myself, the real me." She turned her cup of coffee as she thought about how to express it. "I think it's warning us about the monster we could become, the monster that would kill our real selves and wear our face."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Isabelle took a long sip of juice, placing the glass back on the table before speaking.
"Well, mine sounds almost the same." She grimaced. "I didn't see all of it, though. I couldn't watch all of it. If you thought you saw something of your durance the woman, I felt mine all over the damn thing."
"It was like one of his stories again. I could feel the dream trying to tell me something, but it also tried to control me wile doing it. I hurt the woman in mine. At first it was because I wanted to. To teach her a lesson, show her just how wrong she'd been to keep slaves, no matter how well treated. But then, the dream me got worse about it and she ... I don't know ... crossed a line?" Isabelle shrugged.
"It didn't feel like I was me anymore ... I was just acting a part in the dream's message, and ... I couldn't take it. Not again"
She took a shuddering breath. "It's why I just don't trust it. How can it really be telling the truth about me if we all had the same dream? Especially when it made being me feel so ... wrong? Maybe it's just denial, but I think something else must be causing them."
She fingered the broken dream catcher. "I mean look at this thing. If the woman who made it could shield a town, why couldn't someone or something else do the opposite? The nightmare could even have just escaped on its own from something like this ..."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"Yes, it's very possible to attack someone's dreams, or to attack an entire town's dreams in that way. And I've looked for who might be doing it, and I've flushed out every hole around here for miles looking. The conclusion I've come to is that whatever it is doesn't exist in the physical world at all. It's some sort of dream monster, of which I have no idea how to fight" Talmage said.
"It might be stored dreams, but that seems... strange," he mused.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
When no one at the table started treating him like a monster, Jon began to feel a little better. Just the act of talking about what had happened helped lessen the horror, and he found himself growing curious about Talmage’s theories as to where the dreams might be coming from once his own fears had started to subside.
“Is there anyone who would know more about dream monsters? I mean, how would you even recognize that you were dealing with one?”
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"And what's so strange about the possibility of it being a stored dream?" Isabelle paused, before she found herself smiling. "Since when were dream monsters the outcome that automatically makes more sense?"
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
the_druid_droid
When no one at the table started treating him like a monster, Jon began to feel a little better. Just the act of talking about what had happened helped lessen the horror, and he found himself growing curious about Talmage’s theories as to where the dreams might be coming from once his own fears had started to subside.
“Is there anyone who would know more about dream monsters? I mean, how would you even recognize that you were dealing with one?”
"Again, not my area. Gammy Snaps and the Autumn Court deal with nightmares and fear as their stock and trade and they haven't turned up anything either. That they're telling me, at least."
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BlasTech
"And what's so strange about the possibility of it being a stored dream?" Isabelle paused, before she found herself smiling. "Since when were dream monsters the outcome that automatically makes more sense?"
"If I had anything factual for you, I'd have told you. All I got is a hunch and some inferences," Talmage shrugged.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
A dream monster, one that doesn't exist in the physical world ... because it lives within each of us. It all made perfect sense. But how did you fight such a thing? Charlene finished her coffee as she listened.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Deadly
A dream monster, one that doesn't exist in the physical world ... because it lives within each of us. It all made perfect sense. But how did you fight such a thing? Charlene finished her coffee as she listened.
"I don't know. Tall used to be able to deal with things like this," Talmage shrugged.
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"What happened to her?" Charlene asked, hoping it wasn't a sensitive topic. "If you don't mind."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Deadly
"What happened to her?" Charlene asked, hoping it wasn't a sensitive topic. "If you don't mind."
"Two years ago, the Fae killed her before Amy Acre killed it." Talmage said flatly.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"Hmgh, okay" Isabelle grunted, distaste in her mouth. "Well, would it be okay if we at least took one of the intact dreamcatchers with us if we go to visit Gammy Snaps?"
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Jon remained quiet as he finished off his breakfast, thinking over what had been said and trying to work up the courage to head out and see Jessica. He poured himself another cup of coffee and resolved that once he’d finished it off, he would go find Felix and ask him to drive over to Reed College.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BlasTech
"Hmgh, okay" Isabelle grunted, distaste in her mouth. "Well, would it be okay if we at least took one of the intact dreamcatchers with us if we go to visit Gammy Snaps?"
"Certainly," Talmage said.
Felix appeared almost as soon as Jon started wondering where he was.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Jon polished off the last of his coffee in a gulp, then looked up to see Felix approaching.
“Oh, hi Felix. I was just about to go looking for you. Would you be able to drive me over to Reed College today? I don’t really trust myself enough to drive anything that belongs to Talmage.” He stood up from his place at the table, silently wondering whether Felix’s abilities were more useful, or creepy.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"Of course. I understand your visit will be an interesting one," Felix said, bowing stiffly and leaving without explaining himself. Talmage shrugged if queried.
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“Ah... yeah, I guess?” Jon shrugged and waved his goodbyes to Isabelle and Charlene, along with the rest of the breakfast crowd before heading off after Felix.
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"Hey Jon." Isabelle called, before he could get out of earshot. "You're going alone? You sure you don't want some backup with this?"
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Jon paused and scratched his head for a second, looking a little surprised. “Well, if you guys want to come along, sure - but it might be really boring for you.”
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Isabelle shrugged and glanced at Charlene. "Well, it's either this or dreamhunting first up today, what do you think?"
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"Oh," Charlene said in response to Talmage. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"Well, I was going to go see if I could talk with Prince Vickrum, but if you would like me to come with you then I can always visit him when we get back."
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"Well, I'm happy join Charlene in visiting Vikrum while you go to the university, if you'd prefer. But ..." Isabelle rolled her shoulders uncomfortably, embarrased. "I'd rather not have to go visit Gammy Snaps on my own if I can help it."
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"I think we should all be there when we go see Gammy Snaps," Charlene agreed.