Audio | Early Egret 24

[wisdominshadows]

If there's anyone else newly awake after an unpleasantly vivid dream, I'd like to speak with you.

[Zelda's voice holds fairly steady over the network, but her voice is slightly horse- as though she'd woken up screaming. Which she probably did, considering.

She lets out one slow breath as she thinks, then continues.]

More specifically... falling. The world dissolving around you. Cries of pain and despair... are any of those familiar? And if not, what else did you See?

[A quiet sigh, and then anyone listening closely can hear a muffled I am sorry about the disturbance, truly- before the connection cuts out.]

Comments

[maxwellsdaemon]

... The hell kinda dream is that?

And others having it?

The hell? What the actual hell is going on in this place?

[Duo being new has never heard of this happening, and sound rather pissed off that he was brought here under false pretences, not that he remembers ever being asked if he wanted to join this Merry Band of Misfits... But he definitely never wanted to be dragged into dissolving worlds and screaming!]

[wisdominshadows]

The true kind, unfortunately.

[Oh, Duo, if you ever figure that out, please consider filling in the rest of the train.]

Still, part of me wishes there was more to work with. Prophecy is always tricky to interpret, but this one....

[maxwellsdaemon]

[Is REALLY not liking the sound of this. At. All.

Then the sound of a deep breath... and a sigh. And when he speaks next it's much calmer.]

What do you remember about the dream? Any exacts or just thoughts and impressions?

[wisdominshadows]

I remember enough.

[But how to begin? She lets out a breath of her own, then tries to collect her thoughts.]

I was in a garden I used to play in as a child. The sun was shining and I was looking up, watching the clouds. But then the sky darkened- not clouded over, not nightfall, but as though some dark thing I couldn't quite see was blocking it out.

And then the ground fell away... no, everything fell away. The ground beneath me, the world around me, my very self.

All there was was the screaming. My own, and that of so many others like me.

[maxwellsdaemon]

[Really really REALLY does not like the sound of that... He'd had nightmares like that. But back in his world, during a chaotic time. And he doubted this was another Libra falling onto a planet to destroy it. This was going to be something worse, clearly...]

... These dreams? You've had em before?

They come true?

[wisdominshadows]

I had my first prophetic dream when I was nine.

[There's a flatness to her tone there that Duo, if he's listening, might interpret as, Please don't ask me to elaborate.

Because she will, if she has to. But, establishing her prophetic credentials aside, that particular story wasn't pleasant to live through and it won't be fun to recount.]

And I understand that it's not an uncommon gift among the passengers here.

[maxwellsdaemon]

[Duo had no intention of asking about things that didn't involve him or weren't important, that and he knew the signs of someone with something to hide, something painful they didn't want to share. No way was he poking at that hornets nest.]

Beats me, lady. This is all new to me. I just needed to know if this is just some fever dream or if you guys dream these things and they come true...

[Because if it was true it was terrifying, and Duo's guard was now all the way up]