Merriment 3, early [video]

[motherofresistance]

[It's early morning when Leia appears on the network, just shortly after the morning announcement. It's obvious she's just woken up by the fact that her hair hasn't been put up and she's still wearing her nightgown.]

Did anyone else have a... very disturbing vision last night? More intense than a normal dream? If so, I'd like to compare notes.

[This vision was as vague as the other one had been, but from what she could infer from it, it meant nothing good.]

(OOC: Leia's roommates are welcome to have seen her wake up with a start, looking frightened for a moment, which is fairly unusual for her.)

Comments

[wisdominshadows]

If you would please give me a few hours, then I would be happy to discuss the matter.

[motherofresistance]

Of course. Let me know when you're ready.

{Leia has other things planned for today, but will make time to discuss this.]

[wisdominshadows]

I'll be in the gymnasium. Forgive the delay, I simply need to quiet my mind a bit.

[By hitting something. Very hard.]

[motherofresistance]

[Leia understands that feeling.]

I should probably clear my mind a bit too. Maybe we could meet in the library in a few hours?

[That will give them both time to clear their heads and also get some breakfast. Because vision or no, practical concerns are still a thing.]

[wisdominshadows]

That would be acceptable, madam. Until then?

[A few hours later, Zelda can be found sitting in a corner of the library, hair damp from a shower and muttering a healing spell into what look like fairly bruised knuckles.]

Video > Action

[motherofresistance]

[Leia nods.]

Until then.

[She ends the feed there. Then a few hours later, Leia arrives in the library and approaches Zelda, a cup of tea in either hand.]

I brought us some tea. I've found that it improves most discussions, including heavy ones like this.

[wisdominshadows]

[A small laugh at that.]

I find I like your way of approaching these things, madam.

[She raises her cup in a quick salute, then takes a long sip.]

I think I should begin with the admission that it is entirely possible I'm being paranoid. Likely, even. But last night's dream reminded me of two which occurred not long after I arrived on the train.

[She sighs] Perhaps you have heard of the aborted mission in Egret?

[motherofresistance]

[Leia sits down across from her, giving a bit of a wry smile and returning the salute with her own tea.]

I have the benefit of experience.

[She take a sip of her tea, then nods solemnly.]

Yes. It was well before I arrived on the train, but I've heard the basics of what happened.

[wisdominshadows]

Like most missions, it was proceeded by a dream.

[She looks away for a second; even the memory of the dream is still uncomfortable.]

Two, as I said- much the same both times, though the first had a... rather wider audience than is usual. Around the dreamer, a world dissolved into dust and chaos; the only sound was a thousand, endless screams. For me, it felt a little as though my mind was trying to tear itself apart.

[Another sip.]

This dream felt like an echo of those. The sense of fear was not so acute this time but....

[She shakes her head.]

I hope I am wrong about this. But I can't shake the concern that there is a connection.

[motherofresistance]

[Leia knows such a sensation, and its aftermath. But for her it was no dream or even a vision.]

Given the description... it wouldn't surprise me. The question is how? They both seem big on catastrophe, but not so much on potentially helpful details.

[wisdominshadows]

Alas. That is rather the norm for dreams on the train. A flash, a part of the puzzle, but nothing truly clear.

[She takes another sip of tea. Was it simply nostalgia to think that the dreams at home contained a bit more to work with?]

[motherofresistance]

It's the norm for visions in general in my experience. Which is why I don't tend to be very fond of them. You can't make a plan based on a vague dream, at least not a good plan.

[wisdominshadows]

[There's a slight increase of pressure in her hold on the cup as Leia makes that comment. Just slightly. There's no reason to notice that whatsoever, of course.]

And yet, it seems irresponsible to not collect what information we can, no matter how frustrating the source. [She observes, resigned.]

[motherofresistance]

[As a matter of fact, Leia does notice, though she opts not to comment.

She does give a bit of a resigned sigh at the comment.]

Unfortunately yes. Until the train gives us the standard mission briefing, this is all we have to go on, for better or worse.

[She takes a sip of her tea.]

Alright, let's see if we can break this down. We know that something catastrophic is likely to happen with this mission, and that our rainbow-colored, illusion-producing friend is almost certainly involved. We also know that the last time there was such a dire prediction in the dreams it involved those shadowy creatures wiping out the entire population of a planet. Do you think there's some connection between the two?