applesaucedream | Far Side of the Aurora Borealis

Congratulations, dreamers of Manhattan - you get to go to Oxford! It's probably not the Oxford with which any of the dreamers are familiar, though. This one is a bit… different.

The dreamers will find themselves in Jordan College, the oldest and grandest of all the colleges in this version of Oxford, a rambling structure that includes dining halls, libraries, classrooms, chapels, courtyards, a botanical garden, and an extensive network of cellars and tunnels beneath the ground. There are plenty of places to explore!

Sharp-eyed dreamers might notice some subtle architectural quirks. Doors look larger than they'd need to be for solely human use, and every staircase has a little ramp built in - not large enough for a wheelchair, but large enough for, say, a small, scampering animal.

And speaking of - the dreamers are a bit different here, too. Upon arrival, they will realize that they now possess dæmons: physical manifestations of their souls. Be gentle with them; they're undoubtedly confused by being suddenly made manifest. They come with all the side effects and complications inherent with dæmons. They can't travel more than a few yards from their person without it being painful for both parties… and it probably won't take the dreamers long to realize they shouldn't be touching one another's dæmons, what with the shared sensations and all. Still, it's a rare opportunity for the dreamers to chat with their own souls - and the souls of others.

What could possibly go wrong?

[Mod note: you know the drill. All players and characters are welcome, regardless of whether they're current members or not. Characters will remember or forget any and all dream events at players' discretion.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

/Hello,/ he signs again. /Edgar, Almondine, and Merewenna,/ he adds, pointing to each in turn. After hesitating for a moment, he waggles a finger back and forth between Merewenna and Astyanax. /This is new./

Well, at least she's not the only one with a new companion. "Does yours talk, too?" she asks. She leans forward a little to get a better look at Merewenna, and Astyanax leans out from her shoulder as well.

"Hello," Astyanax offers, mostly to the cat, if Jennifer's not mistaken.

/Talk?/ Edgar says, just as Merewenna replies.

"Yes, I can talk. Hello, it's nice to meet you." She nods her head slightly in greeting.

"Likewise," say Jennifer and Astyanax in perfect unison.

"It's weird," Jennifer continues, idly running a fingertip down Astyanax's spine. "Does yours feel like it belongs to you?" It feels strange to be discussing another obviously sentient being as if she owns it, like a pet, but that isn't really what she means.

Edgar nods vigorously as Merewenna circles on the bench arm, rubbing against his shoulder. "We belong to one another," she says.

That's a better way of putting it, and Jennifer echoes his nod.

"I'm not even sure what Astyanax is," she admits, holding her hand up to her shoulder so he can crawl onto it. "I've never seen a lizard like him before. He's got these little wing things." By way of demonstration, Astyanax spreads the little flaps of skin and bone, revealing a brighter red-orange tone than the rest of his skin. "Like a dragon," Jennifer adds absently. Then, her eyes widen. "Oh. He's like a dragon!"

Edgar admires Astyanax's wings as Almondine and Merewenna lean forward, each sniffing the air in the lizard's general direction.

/He does look a little like a dragon,/ Edgar agrees, thinking back to the colored illustrations of the creatures he has seen in books. /Or like a little dragon. The stories usually say they're very big./

"Oh, they are," Jennifer assures him as she looks at Astyanax in a whole new light. It is strangely fitting to think that her lizard, despite his initial outward appearance, has a bit of dragon in him. "Maltcassion was enormous."

Edgar blinks at Jennifer in surprise and wonder. /You have real dragons?/

"Two," she confirms with a faint, wistful smile. "Back home, I was a sort of ambassador between the dragons and humanity."

Astyanax tilts his head to look up at her. "They'll be fine," he says reassuringly. "The dragonlands should still be safe enough for them."

/You had actual dragons,/ Edgar says slowly. It has never occurred to him that dragons could be real, though he supposes that if he had ever stopped to think about it the idea wouldn't have been a stretch. After all, he is living in another world during another time with people and creatures and all things in between.

/What are they like?/

"Have," Astyanax corrects, sounding just a trifle defensive. "They're still there." Of course, there's no way of knowing that for certain, but the alternative is to horrible for either of them to contemplate.

Jennifer runs a finger down Astyanax's spine. "Bookish," she says in response to Edgar's question, offering him a wry (and apologetic) smile. "They're very intelligent… and peaceable." She feels compelled to add that last part due to the unfortunately common misconceptions that used to run rampant back home.

The concept of peaceable, book-reading dragons is so incongruous that it takes Edgar a few moments to wrap his mind around it. But when he does, he finds himself delighted by the idea. /They sound wonderful./

Merewenna, who has abandoned her perch on the arm of the bench to curl up in Edgar's lap, purrs her agreement.

"They were planning a trip to the Ununited States to visit the Library of Congress when I last spoke to them," she says. "I expect they've already gone by now." Or canceled the trip. She's not sure what they're doing without her to mediate, though she'd like to think that by this point, most people are over the idea of dragons being violent menaces to society. It wouldn't be fair for Feldspar Axiom Firebreath IV and Colin to be stuck in the Dragonlands while they wait for her return.

Edgar's seen pictures of the Library, and he tries to imagine dragons slinking through its doors. It's a strange and delightful mental image, and he smiles. /I hope they did./

Reaching up to scratch Merewenna's chin, he glances around the conservatory. /Do you know where we are?/ he asks Jennifer. /I just showed up in here; is there anything else?/

Far Side of the Aurora Borealis

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