sweet dreams are made of this

Alys slept fitfully aboard the Peregrine. Since Sascha's return, the seer had noticed fewer nightmares, but that didn't mean that they were gone entirely. And this had been a bad night, filled with the roars of an angry yeti, the squelching sound of tearing flesh, the flash of crimson upon the snow. Sometimes it was Sascha, dying all over again. Other times it was someone else: Tal, perhaps, or Deimos, or Hotaru, or any number of other friends that Alys had made over the years.

She woke frequently, shivering despite the warmth of the cabin, trying to keep her tossing and turning to a minimum so as not to wake her partner. At her feet, Sascha lay silently, one paw on Alys's calf as though to comfort her bonded. Eventually, in the wee hours of the morning, Alys fell into a different kind of sleep.

---

Magic: Lucid Dreaming | A fleeting vision of the future or the past that allows a glimpse of what has been or what may yet be, though these insights are unreliable and difficult to control. (OOC: Will reveal one plot-related clue per season, giving vague imagery/details).
Type: Light | Rank: Basic

ALYS GLASSE

At first, everything simply was as Alys drifted in the space between waking and dreaming. For a while, she simply drifted, content after a night full of terrors to simply be.

Then, her vision darkened. She heard the soft plop, plop of dripping water, echoing all around her as though in a vast underground space. Suddenly, flickers of bright violet, like writhing flashes of lightning, began to dance across her vision. She peered closer, realizing that what she'd initially mistaken as lightning were something else entirely: markings, perhaps, on something enormous in the cavern. Something with many, many tentacles -

The seer sat up in bed, breathing heavily. At her feet, Sascha stirred, raising her head to look at her bonded. Alys's heart hammered in her chest. The bed beside her was empty, and light streamed in from outside - Tal must be up and about already, off making deliveries and whatnot. That left her and Sascha to fend for themselves.

She was running late, she realized, for a brunch date with Elizabeth, and the seer hurried to ready herself. Fortunately, it was only a few minutes after the agreed-upon time that she rushed into the cafe, sliding into a seat across from Elizabeth, Sascha tucking herself neatly beneath the table and pressing against her bonded's leg. Feeling harried and haunted, Alys offered a shaky smile to Elizabeth. "I'm so sorry I'm late," she said. "I didn't realize how late it had gotten."

ALYS GLASSE

Elizabeth

She'd gotten to the cafe early, like she always does when meeting with someone, looking over the menu casually as she glanced out the window. The sun shone against the lingering patches of snow, glittering through the glass like crystals that threatened to cut her eyes. Elizabeth didn't look too closely at them, choosing instead to watch the people that filtered by. The Longheat brightened everyone's moods as well as the sky, friends and families making their way through the street with jolly expressions and excited movements. 

One such figure stood out as she made her way to the shop, more rushed and frantic than the others. A little ursur followed behind, and Elizabeth's eyes widened with surprise, letting her curiosity sit patiently in her mind.  

When Alys finally joined her at the table, she was met with a warm smile, gentler and kinder than something purely friendly. "Don't even worry about it." Honestly, she hadn't even noticed she'd been late, but she did notice the weight behind the seer's gaze, the harrowed appearance and nerves that hung on her like lace. Elizabeth reached forward with a soft touch, her voice calmly concerned. "Is everything alright?"

Dive into the sea of thought,
and find there pearls beyond price.

It was strange, when Alys had these dreams; she often felt after that she was being watched, that there were too many eyes around her or tentacles waiting to snatch her from the very street. Even in broad daylight, she looked skittish - even if she did her best to try and hide it. Perhaps someone else wouldn't have noticed her nerves, but Elizabeth was, after all, trained in such things. When the therapist reached forward, her calm concern evident not only in her tone, but in her emotions, Alys grimaced. "Yes - I think," she said, biting her lip. Beneath the table, Sascha leaned against her leg, providing moral support.

The nice thing about Elizabeth was that her emotions, when Alys was around her at least, tended to be calm and collected. It was this that the seer clung to as her vision came tumbling past her lips. "I just - sometimes I have these dreams. Or, well, I suppose they might be more accurately called visions?" She waved a hand dismissively. The terminology didn't matter. "I don't have them often, but this one... I'm just a little shaken, is all."

ALYS GLASSE

Elizabeth

Surprise widened her eyes, the warmth no less present, although ringed with an element of professional curiosity. Her hand stayed outstretched, tender with care and concern. "Oh wow. That sounds... terrifying." She'd experienced one herself over a year ago. It'd been strange and confusing, leaving her with more questions than helpful information, but luckily, it had only been a one-time instance (that she knew of). Elizabeth couldn't imagine what it must be like to have them randomly, taunting her with visions of the future. 

She may not know how what her friend must go through, but she knew a guaranteed method to ease any stressful emotions. "Give me a second." Standing, she quickly made her way to the counter and ordered two teas before carrying them back to set a steaming mug in front of Alys with a soft smile. "Here."

Elizabeth settled into her chair, letting the space breathe for a moment as she inhaled the soothing scent of her own berry-infused tea. It wasn't until she took the first sip that she opened the space for her friend, hoping the warm drink might help calm any nerves as she asked gently, "Do you want to talk about it?" Obviously she wouldn't push, but the option was there if Alys wanted - or she'd be a willing distraction. No judgement.

Dive into the sea of thought,
and find there pearls beyond price.

There was certainly something calming about Elizabeth's presence, even more so because Alys could feel her emotions. Oh, the therapist certainly felt things - surprise, curiosity, concern - but there was a certain... professionalism, perhaps, that almost served to mute the feelings in Alys's magic. It helped her just now to organize her own thoughts, and by the time the therapist returned with a steaming mug of tea, Alys had calmed enough that she was no longer shaking, and Sascha had curled into a contented ball at her feet.

The seer blew on the tea, then took a tentative sip. It was still hot, and she hissed softly as she burned her tongue. Setting down the cup, she nodded. "I usually try to share them with Sunjata - the Archon of King's End," she explained, in case Elizabeth hadn't met the demigod. "I figure the demigods could use the information - not that it's much to go on.

"This one was... normal, at first. But then it got dark, and damp, and I could tell that I was in some kind of cavern. There was lightning, only purple - except it wasn't really lightning. It was some kind of markings being lit up, and they were on a great beast that was lurking in the cavern. When I realized I was looking at a creature of some kind, I woke up."

ALYS GLASSE

Elizabeth

By the time she returned, Elizabeth was relieved to see that Alys was already looking less shaken, even Sascha calming enough to rest at her side. It didn't change that something had rattled the seer, but at least it was a distant enough threat that she could rest easy in the cafe. 

As Alys began to speak, she leaned forward just enough to be supportive without encroaching. Her voice was warm, like honey in their tea to soothe the emotions. "I'm sure the demigods really appreciate any assistance they can get, no matter how small it may feel." She knew some of what they'd been up to, although admittedly not enough to know what kind of information they might find beneficial. 

Cradling her mug, she listened closely to the vision, giving the occasional reassuring smile if she felt that Alys was nervous. It wasn't until the end that she spoke again - after a breath of silence and consideration. Calm and guiding, she asks, "What do you make of it?" She knew her own suspicions, but she wouldn't cast her theories on the woman when she hadn't been the one to see the vision.

Dive into the sea of thought,
and find there pearls beyond price.

Alys cupped the mug of tea in her hands, waiting until she had finished sharing her vision to lift it once more to her lips. This time, it had cooled enough that the seer was able to take a calming sip, raising her brows in a silent sign of approval. When Elizabeth asked what she made of it, Alys paused, drumming the fingers of one hand against the side of the cup.

"Paired with the other visions I've had?" she mused. "And with the information available about the Void and Starfall and everything?" Her fingers stilled, and she met Elizabeth's gaze. "I think we're running out of time. Every vision I have gets clearer. There's something coming, and we're not doing enough to keep it at bay."

ALYS GLASSE

Elizabeth

Despite some of the devastation she'd seen the Void inflict, Elizabeth was still reluctant to label it as 'evil,' at least not without being able to understand the Family's motives. They seemed determined to grow their 'family' through infection, but what purpose did that serve? Were they the last of their kind? Were they lonely? Was it a cultural norm where they were from? It just didn't make sense to her that they would have no true 'motive' other than sewing chaos and misfortune though all of Caido. She was convinced there was something more. 

That didn't mean she failed to recognize the concern in others, and Elizabeth did her best to support that emotion with her own, narrowing her eyes as she took another slow, thoughtful sip of her tea. "Does it give you any information about what might slow the progression? Or what might happen should they succeed?"

Dive into the sea of thought,
and find there pearls beyond price.

Maybe there were other perspectives to consider, but Alys herself couldn't shake the gut feeling that something about these dreams was wrong. There had been something menacing about the thing in the cavern, and the other visions she'd had were just as concerning. Of course, she would have agreed with Elizabeth that there had to be some kind of motive for the Family's actions - there was rarely true evil or good in the world, after all - but when those actions threatened her and all she held dear? That was enough for her.

"No," Alys said, sighing. The most frustrating thing about her dreams was that they came in bits and pieces and fragments, with nothing that she could easily discern or use. It felt like all they were was a warning that something was coming - and they'd known that for ages. Her visions might be unique in Caido, but they certainly didn't seem to be very helpful. At least, not in the way that mattered. "They just... they just feel like... like... Do you ever just get a feeling that something bad is going to happen?" she asked. "It feels like that. Like some... impending doom. But there's nothing to indicate what we can do against it."

ALYS GLASSE

Elizabeth

Cradling her drink, she considered Alys's answer. Elizabeth wasn't knowledgeable in 'visions' per se, but dreams were something of a fascination when it came to people. They told of subconscious desires and miniscule observations that the person may not have had the capacity to understand upon first glance. She hadn't read enough on the subject to provide adequate renderings of such experiences, but she still gave a slow nod of her head, accepting the seer's emotions as truth. 

"Instincts and intuition can sometimes be more powerful than facts. It's what's kept us alive so long." From avoiding dark forests to trusting gut emotions in the presence of someone otherwise unsuspicious, humans had found ways to use what little facts they could glean in order to make inferences. So, when Elizabeth took another slow sip of her tea, she gave Alys a small, encouraging smile. "What do your instincts tell you to do?"

Dive into the sea of thought,
and find there pearls beyond price.

Alys had studied dreams, in her youth, although perhaps not from the perspective that a therapist might. Her interest had been in their arcane nature, in what one could glean from their dreams. Often, Alys had found, such things were a window into one's intuition, revealing that which could not be discerned in the conscious mind. Perhaps in that, she and Elizabeth's experience was similar.

The Fateweaver nodded at Elizabeth's assertion. Instinct and intuition was, after all, her bread and butter as a seer. She took a sip of her tea as she considered the question, her gaze lifting away from her friend to skim across the cafe, roaming over the other patrons idly. "My first instinct is to hide," she said after a moment. "But that doesn't seem to have worked well, so far." After all, she and Tal had stayed somewhat out of the brewing fight - particularly in recent months - and yet they still seemed to have drawn the Family's ire. At least, they had attracted the Void during Longnight, and wasn't that basically the same thing?

ALYS GLASSE

Elizabeth

Elizabeth let out a soft, understanding hum, leaning her head back slightly to wonder at the psychology of it all. "Depending on the reasons, hiding isn't always a bad thing. It's a natural instinct that can protect us - keep us safe from harm." There was a gentle reassurance and validation, confirmation that Alys wasn't wrong for wanting to preserve herself amongst all the terrifying uncertainties from her visions. 

However, she noted the regret in the seer's tone, the desire for change, and she would never discourage such a thing. Smiling gently, she added, "That doesn't mean we always have to listen to it though." She took a small, casual sip of her tea as she navigated how to guide Alys along her own decisions. Tilting her head, she lowered her mug. "What would you prefer to do?" Not accusative, but a kernel of suggestion to get her thinking about her own desires and how she might adjust her actions.

Dive into the sea of thought,
and find there pearls beyond price.

Elizabeth's understanding was a balm to the seer, who had been feeling rather guilty about avoiding the conflict that plagued Caido; she smiled gratefully at her friend as she reached for her cup of tea. Sascha shifted beneath the table to peer up at her bonded, relaxing alongside her human. Elizabeth was right, of course: hiding did serve a purpose, and Alys couldn't find it in herself to be angry that she and Tal had been spared some of the worst the Family had had to offer thus far.

The problem, then, was the future, and what came next. "I... think I want to help," she said, realizing perhaps for the first time that what she'd been doing was no longer enough. "I've been looking for roses, sometimes, but maybe I could go back to doing that. Or maybe there's something else I can do. Fight, maybe, except I'm not sure I'm a good enough fighter." Anything other than leaving it to others, sticking her head in the sand and hoping the problem would go away.

ALYS GLASSE