[Changeling] A Gathering of Mists IC

[Thanqol]

Both Stephanie and Charlotte step through the back door, along with Gorilla Grodd. This is no regular door, however. No sooner are they through the portal than the entirety of the terrain shifts. What had seemed like a run of the mill big-building staircase is instead a layered stone spiral staircase ascending a tall tower. Torches line the walls every few feet and a glance back shows that the door they came in was a heavy wooden portcullis with metal bands across it.

Gorilla Grodd beckons them to ascend and makes his own way upwards. Round and round the stairs go, passing another heavy wooden doorway at every turn. At the 5th such doorway, Gorilla Grodd stops and opens it up, revealing a massive hallway with ceilings that must be over 20 feet high. It is lined with old-fashioned suits of armor bearing a mix of blue and argent heraldry, and the floor is covered by a thick red carpet with gold tassel running all the way along it. Grodd makes no particular mention of any of this, simply making his way to the middle of the hallway and opening a door on his right.

This one leads to a luxurious bedroom. There is a four poster bed in the middle of the room with lace curtains and silk sheets, covered by a bright red comforter. The right wall has a dark oak dresser about 4 feet high and above that a rounded mirror with a corded wood surround that gives the impression someone actually braided it. The left wall has another, taller dresser, also of dark oak, with two broad and sturdy drawers. Further along the left wall is a fireplace, and further along the right wall is another door that's peeking open and perhaps leads to a bathroom. The back wall has several small windows within the stone, though they're not letting in any light at the moment. The floor is carpeted in navy blue that blends with the stone.


Gorilla Grodd awkwardly clears his throat and says "welcome, you can sleep on the floor over by the fireplace," then proceeds to lie down on the bed and give no further response.

Huh. It is a castle.

"I'll take the ceiling. I sleep better upside-down," said Stephanie. She stepped forwards, kicked off the ground, vaulted off the dresser and set her feet firmly on the ceiling. She wrapped her cape around her and pulled her hood up, rendering her an amorphous black shape hanging from the roof.

[SiuiS]

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Both Stephanie and Charlotte step through the back door, along with Gorilla Grodd. This is no regular door, however. No sooner are they through the portal than the entirety of the terrain shifts. What had seemed like a run of the mill big-building staircase is instead a layered stone spiral staircase ascending a tall tower. Torches line the walls every few feet and a glance back shows that the door they came in was a heavy wooden portcullis with metal bands across it.

Gorilla Grodd beckons them to ascend and makes his own way upwards. Round and round the stairs go, passing another heavy wooden doorway at every turn. At the 5th such doorway, Gorilla Grodd stops and opens it up, revealing a massive hallway with ceilings that must be over 20 feet high. It is lined with old-fashioned suits of armor bearing a mix of blue and argent heraldry, and the floor is covered by a thick red carpet with gold tassel running all the way along it. Grodd makes no particular mention of any of this, simply making his way to the middle of the hallway and opening a door on his right.

This one leads to a luxurious bedroom. There is a four poster bed in the middle of the room with lace curtains and silk sheets, covered by a bright red comforter. The right wall has a dark oak dresser about 4 feet high and above that a rounded mirror with a corded wood surround that gives the impression someone actually braided it. The left wall has another, taller dresser, also of dark oak, with two broad and sturdy drawers. Further along the left wall is a fireplace, and further along the right wall is another door that's peeking open and perhaps leads to a bathroom. The back wall has several small windows within the stone, though they're not letting in any light at the moment. The floor is carpeted in navy blue that blends with the stone.


Gorilla Grodd awkwardly clears his throat and says "welcome, you can sleep on the floor over by the fireplace," then proceeds to lie down on the bed and give no further response.

Wide eyed wonder. Almost shock.

"Woooooooow..."

It's incredible. It's phantasmagoric. it's almost like being back... There.


Quietly, this time, to herself. "wow..."

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so I don't remember ever seein that you have to be asleep to dream walk, only that you need to meditate. So if that is true, Charlotte will wander aroun absent-mindedly, consider it meditative motion. Shell just sort of day-dream her way there, and suffer from
Exhaustion tomorrow.

Otherwise she'll actually sleep. Heh.

[Raz_Fox]

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He's practically beaming. "Exactly, you have to really feel it. We put our souls into this stuff and it's just so hard to break in when the big vineyards have all these monopoly contracts and have the market cornered. That's why we're counting on you. It says here that the last retailer you dealt with bought over twenty crates of hairbrushes after 1 day of negotiations, so I'm not worried.

Now, let me show you the more mundane stuff. We're going to give you a laptop. You're not expected to come into the office every day if you don't want to, and can feel free to work from home, a Starbucks, or any of the chairs here. You should come in every Friday morning for our weekly meetings and of course keep us in the loop for how sales are going. If you need to travel somewhere to close a deal, let us know, but the budget is a bit tight, so I'll be suspicious if you're closing any deals in Tahiti. ...Unless you take me with you, at any rate." He gives Marchande that ever so slightly off-kilter grin again.

"Now, let me show you the programs we use to keep track of the paperwork."

He then proceeds to guide Marchande through their filing system and how to log on remotely after handing her a new fairly standard Windows 7 laptop. He, of course, stops at any point to answer questions that Marchande might have.

This was certainly interesting. Marchande had been expecting to be used as an attack-hou... as a weapon, given a target to sway into purchasing their wine. This was going to require even more research and initiative on her part - but that was all part of being a merchant, right? Right. Maybe she could start selling this to the Spring Court for events.

The laptop, too, was a surprise. It was so sleek, so fast, compared to the ones she'd been expecting. She could almost hear it purring, and wondered if there were computer-trees growing there on the edge, or if there were technicians who knew the secrets of spark and program... "So, I heard that I was going to have to stand a lot of high-society stuff. I've never sold something this classy before, so I don't quite know the protocol, as it were. Do I need to fish for invitations to meet wine people, or are there big wine events that I'll need to show up at?"

[Anarion]

[Dream stuff probably coming in a couple days. I got a bit ahead of myself there and don't have time right now to write everything up.]

"So, I heard that I was going to have to stand a lot of high-society stuff. I've never sold something this classy before, so I don't quite know the protocol, as it were. Do I need to fish for invitations to meet wine people, or are there big wine events that I'll need to show up at?"

"Well, your prior experience still applies. Call up retailers, make appointments, wine and dine people, with our wine" he winks.

"As far as events, there are wine tastings all over the place. Some in the city, some outside the city that you can drive to. If you want, we can dedicate some time at this week's meeting to brainstorming the best events for you to attend, share industry knowledge and all that. Rich will definitely have some ideas there...he's our manager up in Napa at the actual vineyard and we Skype in to him for the meetings. Or you could drive up there if you have a car and want to meet him in person.

As far as the events, don't actually drink the wine, you're not supposed to get drunk. And make sure you show up in something nice. The richer you look, the more likely people will be interested in you."

[Anarion]

[Okay, dream stuff is happening. SiuiS is correct that you can just meditate, sleep isn't required. You also have a pledge to enter his dreams, so I don't think there's an issue with trying to get in. You might have a little work to do in order to find what you're looking for, however.]

As Stephanie and Charlotte descend in Gorilla Grodd's dreams, they find themselves in an idyllic field on a sunny afternoon. There are daisies growing everywhere and a warm wind blowing on their faces. In the distance there are several pine trees leading to a forest. And in the other direction is a small house with some smoke coming out of a chimney about 50 yards away from Stephanie and Charlotte.

A young boy stands outside the house and appears to be speaking with his mother, who is standing in a doorway, wearing a floral-print dress.

The entire scene is extremely idealized, past the point of unreality.

[Raz_Fox]

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"Well, your prior experience still applies. Call up retailers, make appointments, wine and dine people, with our wine" he winks.

"As far as events, there are wine tastings all over the place. Some in the city, some outside the city that you can drive to. If you want, we can dedicate some time at this week's meeting to brainstorming the best events for you to attend, share industry knowledge and all that. Rich will definitely have some ideas there...he's our manager up in Napa at the actual vineyard and we Skype in to him for the meetings. Or you could drive up there if you have a car and want to meet him in person.

As far as the events, don't actually drink the wine, you're not supposed to get drunk. And make sure you show up in something nice. The richer you look, the more likely people will be interested in you."

"Right," Marchande says, once he's done talking. Now she has a plan and goals and everything's lovely. Once she actually starts getting paychecks, everything will be stable, she can start rebuilding a normal life, she can have a stable foundation from which to spin off assisting the Court.

Come to think of it, she doesn't even need to worry about the Court. Just pay her dues, make sure that Stephanie finds a McDonalds to work at, and devour that delicious Glamour. Except, yes, she does. Because she won't be the only bedraggled Changeling staggering out of the thorns.

A sudden anchor is a beautiful thing.

"Now," she says, tapping the laptop, "Do I get a wall charger for this? A bag to carry it in? I didn't think to bring a work bag with me, and I don't happen to have any chargers of my own, see." Please, don't ask why she can't buy her own. She doesn't want to borrow more money off Swifthoof, or explain why she doesn't have money...

[Anarion]

"Oh yeah, the charger's right here." He hands it to her. "And a bag, a bag...hmm, what bags do we have?" He goes and rummages around, producing a cloth tote bag obtained from one of those public broadcasting fundraisers that they have all the time. Those things are always giving out tote bags.

"Feel free to contact me if you need anything else. I'm at this office during the weekdays, but I live outside the city, so I'm hard to get on weekends. Cindy comes in here Wednesdays and Thursdays to help out. She does our graphic design and some marketing. The rest of the team is up in Napa, where we have a bunch of people actually working on the farm and doing all the accounting and stuff like that. There's a full list on your computer, along with everyone's phone number and e-mail. And uh, I guess you can get started if you want, or take the day off, y'know whatever. We aren't expecting you for a couple more days anyway, so your call. If you want to get some lunch together though, I know a great little cafe near here."

[Thanqol]

[Okay, dream stuff is happening. SiuiS is correct that you can just meditate, sleep isn't required. You also have a pledge to enter his dreams, so I don't think there's an issue with trying to get in. You might have a little work to do in order to find what you're looking for, however.]

As Stephanie and Charlotte descend in Gorilla Grodd's dreams, they find themselves in an idyllic field on a sunny afternoon. There are daisies growing everywhere and a warm wind blowing on their faces. In the distance there are several pine trees leading to a forest. And in the other direction is a small house with some smoke coming out of a chimney about 50 yards away from Stephanie and Charlotte.

A young boy stands outside the house and appears to be speaking with his mother, who is standing in a doorway, wearing a floral-print dress.

The entire scene is extremely idealized, past the point of unreality.

Stephanie's eyes flashed open.

Keep to the plan. Remember your training. Remember that you're in a dream, and you can bend this world to your will. Starting with yourself.

Stephanie's clothes altered and shimmered, reshaping into a black exploration vest. It had fifteen different pockets, a variety of useful kit, and left her arms bare to expose her dreamwalker tattoo. It moved across her skin, coiling and extending like a serpent, going from a barbed ring of darkness to an elaborate and complex symbol glowing such a dark violet that it seemed blacker than black. She looked a little wilder here, a little more tribal - to Stephanie these were incredibly important focusing techniques to remind her that this world wasn't real and that she couldn't chance getting lost in it.

In. Out. No side trips.

"Charlotte, you done this before?" asked Stephanie.

[SiuiS]

Charlotte walks around what she's seen of the castle in awe. A spectator would say that she wasn't paying attention, was lost in her own world. They would almost be right.

Taking off her boots and putting them by the fireplace (because the fireplace is where boots go, of course), Charlotte wiggles her toes through the webwork of her stockings – noting sorrowfully a hole beginning to form – and plays with the plush blue carpet for a while with her feet. Soaking in the texture. Shifting on the cushion.

And then she is off, walking slowly, so slowly about. Her fingers trace the stones of the wall, like liquid ivory pouring along the surface, tracing every nook. Feeling the weight and heat, the subtle chill here of dull limestone, the sharp ice-cold snap of marble there, as she leaves the fireplace behind. The grain even of the door, the weight as she pushes around and through, the subtle shifts.

In the hallway Charlotte moves as if in a trance. Her eyes wide, round, the surfaces of a calm glass of cider, feet moving in line toe-ball-flex, toe-ball-flex like a stalking kitten, mouth open. The metal armor positively sings to her, shining and cool and polished, silver-blue intricacies lost on her. And the carpet! As she walks, Charlotte savors the different feeling, the thickness, texture, warmth of it. It's almost like walking through grass, in some stone forest where the boles of the trees rise thick and grey over the field, close. The armor was out of place, surely, but stands and statues in gallery, silent audience to nature's tides made some sense. The stone, chipped like tree bark, gave way slowly to actual stone woods over blood red grass as she walked, turned, pirouetted and reversed her trail back, the wood under the carpet creaking like the sway of branches, the movement giving up its subtle oils, and there is a scent of pine on the wind as Charlotte turns through a stone arch that is a bent tree that is a bedroom doorway, and comes to stand beside Stephanie who is among the daisies.

The branches continue to sway and rustle in the breeze that sounds so much like a crackling fire, and it is a moment before Charlotte realizes that Stephanie was speaking. Did she ask something? About...

"Oh? No, miss. I have not. But it should be as easy as being back where we met, non?"

Charlotte bites her lip in concentration, and digs her fingers into the oncoming breeze like the sky were a tapestry – or a running river. The lees behind her fingers trail deep red and purple and orange furrows that she pulls out of the sky against the current and paints around herself, weaving them into a (still skirted) travel outfit the color of August sunset beneath the trees.

[Anarion]

[Okay, well, before stuff starts happening, did either of you want to attempt any dream-riding dice rolls? I read the analyze the dream action as being guaranteed to tell you the intensity of the dream, as well as info about it if you succeed on the roll. And since this is someone else's dream, you're not getting spoonfed all that info as I did with your own dreams.]

[Thanqol]

"Oh? No, miss. I have not. But it should be as easy as being back where we met, non?"

Charlotte bites her lip in concentration, and digs her fingers into the oncoming breeze like the sky were a tapestry – or a running river. The lees behind her fingers trail deep red and purple and orange furrows that she pulls out of the sky against the current and paints around herself, weaving them into a (still skirted) travel outfit the color of August sunset beneath the trees.

"Okay. A few tips - one, you have to remember you're in a dream, and that's really hard sometimes. It helps having some external thing you can check. This tattoo -" Stephanie held up her left arm, covered in serpentine coils, "if it stops moving, I know that I'm awake. Two, things here operate on connections. If we find a fire it could be a gate to a memory of fire. Three, we're sworn not to pry so don't be curious. Remember it's a dream, it's not your dream, and keep moving forwards."

[Okay, well, before stuff starts happening, did either of you want to attempt any dream-riding dice rolls? I read the analyze the dream action as being guaranteed to tell you the intensity of the dream, as well as info about it if you succeed on the roll. And since this is someone else's dream, you're not getting spoonfed all that info as I did with your own dreams.]

[I believe those are Wits+Wyrd+Empathy? Then that's 4+1-1(untrained) - 4 dice.

3 - 3 - 3 - 6 (Avg: 3.75)

Nada.]

[Raz_Fox]

"And uh, I guess you can get started if you want, or take the day off, y'know whatever. We aren't expecting you for a couple more days anyway, so your call. If you want to get some lunch together though, I know a great little cafe near here."

The charger and the computer go into the bag, and the bag goes over one shoulder, looking slightly incongruous next to the suit - but, then again, most bags would.

"I think I should wait until Friday to really get started," Marchande says, briskly and professionally. "Although I'll have to start sketching out some plans before I meet the rest of the team, just to make sure I'm not wasting time."

It only takes a moment for her to make a snap decision about the cafe. As nice as it would be to go out to lunch with Jason McHunky, she doesn't have the money to spend. "And I'll take a rain check on that lunch, Mr. Crevan. As pleasant as it would be, I'm afraid I didn't bring my wallet with me today. Never a good idea to carry too much walking through an unfamiliar neighborhood, you see. But the offer is not unwelcome."

If that's all, Marchande will smile, shake Jason's hand again, and then leave the building, with her next stop being Timothy's place. Touch base, see how the other girls are doing, maybe plan a trip out to UCSF.

[Anarion]

But the offer is not unwelcome."

He gives Marchande a slightly quizzical look, but says "Oh, don't worry about that. It would be my treat. To...give a new employee a proper introduction to the office."

[SiuiS]

"Remember. Dream." Charlotte nods, sharply, and moves next to Stephanie while looking at the house with the family out front. "What do we look for first, miss?"

[Thanqol]

"Remember. Dream." Charlotte nods, sharply, and moves next to Stephanie while looking at the house with the family out front. "What do we look for first, miss?"

"The memory we're looking for is a showdown with some evil fairytale witch, so books, stories, old people, that kind of thing," said Stephanie, starting forwards.

[Anarion]

As Stephanie starts forward, the boy finishes speaking with the woman (presumably his mother) and begins walking away from the house. The woman moves backwards and begins to close the door. As it shuts, the boy's shadow seems to elongate. He's running away from Stephanie and Charlotte, and doesn't see his own penumbra begin to grow and rise up.

[Raz_Fox]

He gives Marchande a slightly quizzical look, but says "Oh, don't worry about that. It would be my treat. To...give a new employee a proper introduction to the office."

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I may be paranoid here, but I'd like to roll Wits+Empathy to judge how on-the-level Jason has been through this meeting. See if Marchande noticed anything off about him, or if he's quite sincere.

[Anarion]

[Sure you can roll wits+empathy. It's at a -2 penalty, he's quite smooth.]

[Raz_Fox]

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At three dice, that's 6, 10, 8, and 7 on the 10-Again and I swear this d10 is going to get me accused of cheating

Fail at something already

[Anarion]

Marchande's read of Jason is complex. He obviously has an ulterior motive than taking out a new co-worker and Marchande is pretty sure he wouldn't have been this solicitous if she wasn't so good-looking. On the other hand, he doesn't feel especially sleazy and his reactions seem to be closer to someone who is following all the proper rituals and is expecting something to happen.

[Thanqol]

As Stephanie starts forward, the boy finishes speaking with the woman (presumably his mother) and begins walking away from the house. The woman moves backwards and begins to close the door. As it shuts, the boy's shadow seems to elongate. He's running away from Stephanie and Charlotte, and doesn't see his own penumbra begin to grow and rise up.

Right now, follow. Stephanie began to chase after the boy, keeping a significant distance, following where this thread went.

[Anarion]

Right now, follow. Stephanie began to chase after the boy, keeping a significant distance, following where this thread went.

As the boy moves, the shadow grows taller and more distinct. It rises up from the ground as a thick black mass, and splits off arms of its own. These are thick, jagged things, with spikes of darkness sticking off of them at odd angles. The arms grow and grow as the shadow rises, until they're nearly 5 feet long each, with 5 or 6 distinct spikes, and the shadow is looming 10 feet in the air. An arc of purplish lightning seems to arc through the shadow, and two eyes begin to glow in purple near the center of its head.

The boy, meanwhile, notices none of this. Instead his attention seems to have shifted towards the forest, which he is rapidly approaching, trailing the shadow fiend behind him. Following his gaze, it seems that his view has alighted on a white deer, standing amidst the forest, perhaps 20 feet into the trees, and he speeds up to try and reach it, the shadow beast becoming larger and more distinct as the boy moves.

[Any of various potential knowledge checks could provide the symbolism represented by these dream creatures, otherwise, you're on your own.]

[Thanqol]

[Any of various potential knowledge checks could provide the symbolism represented by these dream creatures, otherwise, you're on your own.]

[I got Academics and Investigation, and Stephanie's Academics is predominately down to 'Total Bookworm as a kid'. So she has a really good understanding of fiction, and a lot of useful data intermixed with reams of knowledge she doesn't fully understand or with critical gaps.]

[Anarion]

[I got Academics and Investigation, and Stephanie's Academics is predominately down to 'Total Bookworm as a kid'. So she has a really good understanding of fiction, and a lot of useful data intermixed with reams of knowledge she doesn't fully understand or with critical gaps.]

[I think academics would be appropriate. -1 because the symbolism is a little obscure, but the right fantasy books might have had some details on it. Also, the white deer is easier to get than the shadow, which will require multiple successes.]

[Thanqol]

[I think academics would be appropriate. -1 because the symbolism is a little obscure, but the right fantasy books might have had some details on it. Also, the white deer is easier to get than the shadow, which will require multiple successes.]

[Int+Academics-1, intelligence because I wouldn't let a player in my games get away with wits in this situation. Two dice:

7 - 1 (Avg: 4.0)

Nothing. Still paying off my dice karma. I think SiuiS might have relevant skills]

[SiuiS]

[Any of various potential knowledge checks could provide the symbolism represented by these dream creatures, otherwise, you're on your own.]

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Knowledge skills, knowledge skills... Charlotte, do you have any knowledge skills?

"Non, monsieur."

Flick. How did that happen?

*shrug*

Marvelous. Uh... We've got empathy 3, investigate 1 and politics 2. So our tack must be different. I think we will try to observe, get a reading on the feelings involved (going to take the synesthesia merit soon, I think) and extrapolate from there what patterns might be involved. So empathy+ stat, followed by extended investigation+stat?

Once we have an idea of the patterns, we change them. Stephanie gets a robin hood outfit (possibly opposed roll?) and plays hero while we observe more. It's entirely possible asking the boy could make headway.

[Anarion]

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Knowledge skills, knowledge skills... Charlotte, do you have any knowledge skills?

"Non, monsieur."

Flick. How did that happen?

*shrug*

Marvelous. Uh... We've got empathy 3, investigate 1 and politics 2. So our tack must be different. I think we will try to observe, get a reading on the feelings involved (going to take the synesthesia merit soon, I think) and extrapolate from there what patterns might be involved. So empathy+ stat, followed by extended investigation+stat?

Once we have an idea of the patterns, we change them. Stephanie gets a robin hood outfit (possibly opposed roll?) and plays hero while we observe more. It's entirely possible asking the boy could make headway.

[Alright, let me see if I got that. Empathy+int might allow a few extra details on the mood of the boy. You can roll that at a -3 penalty because you can't see his face so you have to judge entirely on body language, or you can move up and try to catch him. The deer and the shadow are too alien to read emotions into. I don't think investigate is appropriate as a follow-up though. This isn't a mystery, at least not as presented. You could try to alter the dream using dreamshaping in a way that might turn it in to a mystery and then begin investigating clues.

I think messing up Stephanie's clothes would be a standard dream-shaping roll (wits+empathy+wyrd-intensity) and rather than an opposed roll, simply a penalty equal to her wyrd. She can just change them back if she doesn't like it though.]

[Raz_Fox]

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Marchande's read of Jason is complex. He obviously has an ulterior motive than taking out a new co-worker and Marchande is pretty sure he wouldn't have been this solicitous if she wasn't so good-looking. On the other hand, he doesn't feel especially sleazy and his reactions seem to be closer to someone who is following all the proper rituals and is expecting something to happen.

Marchande hesitated for a moment, considering, weighing risk versus reward. On the one hand, there was something about him that made her think he was, well, angling for something here. But on the other hand, she didn't think he was particularly sleazy - and yet, on the third hand, the best con men never were.

On the fourth hand, if she was going to stand around being paranoid, she'd never cobble her life back together.

"All right," Marchande says, "But I'll pay you back soon enough, Mr. Crevan." She hesitates after she says that - it may have come out wrong. She wasn't looking particularly flirty, was she? "After all, it would be unconscionable to take advantage of such a gentleman."

[Anarion]

"Unconscionable?" He chuckles. "Don't think I've heard that one outside of the legalese in our wine contracts. Anyway, don't let me keep you. Just meet me back here in two hours and I'll we'll hit up the cafe. They have this amazing greek salad, we'll have to order."

[Anarion]

[Dream time. Stephanie and Charlotte appear to not actually be sleeping tonight, so no dreams for them and they may be fatigued tomorrow (or Stephanie will just sleep during the day). I'm going to assume that Rose and Marchande do sleep at some point during the evening, despite brooding and computer wiki sessions, respectively.]

Rose

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The dream is not prophetic and is at intensity three. Being a lucid dreamer, and with the day's events weighing heavily on Rose, she is not surprised to find that the dream begins to take form as a wish-fulfillment dream. Rose is wearing a classic blue police officer's uniform. She's also riding a horse, apparently doing duty as a mounted officer working in the park. She sees a man begin a mugging, an almost comical example of a classic old lady having her purse taken, and begins riding him down easily, returning the purse and arresting the man with no difficulty.

If Rose does not shape the dream

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The dream has the potential to spiral into a repeating nightmare. Finding and stopping crime over and over, no end in sight, no challenge, and ultimately no meaning as it becomes more and more futile to do anything. As a changeling lucid dreamer, Rose would be aware that she could break this cycle at any point by manipulating her own dreamscape.

Marchande

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The dream not prophetic and is at intensity 2. Marchande has a dog's dream, which probably did little to help her mood starting the next morning. In the dream, she has a master, a vague, faceless being, and her form is that of a regular dog, not a human-like dog. The master is kind, friendly and generally makes her feel good. Marchande is, of course, aware that she can stop or alter the dream at any point she likes. The biggest hurdle is the feeling of pleasure from being well-treated and pampered.

If Marchande does not shape the dream

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It continues fairly much as is. There is a rousing game of fetch, an enjoyable belly-rub, a wonderful long run outside, and a pleasant nap in the sunlight, which ironically would be when Marchande wakes up.