[C'nor]

Alright, this is the official version, rewritten so as not to have Remnant involved, though Part 3 on should still make sense even if you've only read the originals:

Dreams and Nightmares (Rewritten) - Part 1: Entrance (Talina, Nycca)

Spoiler

I've done what I can, for now. The Harbingers have been informed that there's a slave-brothel in Fenwood. Or rather that there's one at a specific place, currently in operation; I'm sure they knew that there are probably dozens, given the size of the district, but sending enough people out to find them is impossible, even with magic, psionics and whatever crazy tech they've got.

Now it's just a matter of doing what I can to help the girls there while I wait, whether with potions when they get sick or just giving them a shoulder to cry on. Nothing else I can do, without getting myself arrested, and probably letting the ones running the place get away in the process. So why do I feel like crap for not doing more?

Dreams and Nightmares (Rewritten) - Part 2: Cleansing Flames (Talina, Nycca)

Spoiler

It's been two weeks, and the Harbingers have done nothing. Apparently, it was easier for them to 'misfile' my report than actually do something about it. Bloody bastards.

But it doesn't matter now, I suppose. The place is burning merrily as I write this, despite the drizzle. Turns out they weren't expecting the 'healer-witch' who came in and tended to the girls to be able to sling combat spells for some reason. Guess they didn't realize that when most of what you do is sympathetic magic, anyone clever and with power can figure out all sorts of nasty things...

Anyway, everyone is out now. Finding work for them, and a place to stay in the meantime, is going to be hard, but they seem to be pretty resilient, so at least they should be mostly okay once I have. Not that they're fine, of course, but they will recover, with time and help.

Or most of them will, anyway. I'm worried about one in particular; a batgirl of some kind. From what one of the others could tell me - she wouldn't, or couldn't, speak, and I didn't push her - her name is Nycca, and she just... Stopped eating soon after she was captured. Poor girl looks like she was in one of the Veilking's prison camps back in the Starsong War. But all I can do is my best, and pray to Chaedarcha she recovers, and worrying about her here isn't going to help, even if it does make me feel better.

This part hasn't changed, but if I'm reposting the other two, I figured there was no reason not to put this one up again at the same time...

Dreams and Nightmares - Part 3: That Sleep of Death...

Spoiler

Nycca’s started writing a journal now. She doesn’t like to talk, so I suggested she might find it worked better for her, and judging by the fact that she's using the one I gave her, it seems like it does. Of course, spending her time hidden off upstairs writing has made her even more withdrawn. Sometimes it feels like whatever I do to try to help her, she turns it around somehow so that the consequences leave her worse off than she was before... Not that I think she's doing it because she has something against me or anything like that, but it does get frustrating.

And she's still shivering all the time, and not putting on any weight. I don't know why. She's been getting food, and the supplements and potions I've been giving her should have helped with the malnutrition by now.

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Apparently, Nycca doesn't want to keep living; she's been giving her food to Lenia, and putting the blankets we give her back as soon as we aren't looking. The same with everything else.

I'm not angry with her, more... Sad, and frustrated that I can't seem to help her. I did sit with her for a while, though, which she seems to like. I don't know if she could be said to enjoy it, exactly, but she seems like she appreciates it, and it does seem to make her feel better for a bit.

She's also hooked up to an IV now, so that she'll at least be getting some sort of nutrition, and I can make sure that the potions I make are actually used. She doesn't like it, but what am I supposed to do? Let her starve herself? If she asked me for poison, I don't know what my answer would be at this point, but I won't let her die like that.

Her nightmares are still bad too, but Sherry's going to be sleeping next to her, and I'm working on figuring out the sympathies to help. I'd do the same thing Sherry is while I am - I don't think Nycca would mind - but there are just so many other things I have to do... Most nights I've ended up falling asleep over my work, or laying down on the couch to wait for my head to clear because I can't see straight, and then finding out in the morning that the minute or two it was supposed to be ended up with my passing out for a few hours.