Log:Until the Raven Girl Comes

2020/04/18 Dialydd Phantom|Travis 1

Travis left alone at the hideout while the others are out or asleep, Travis is left to his own devices. While he can sense his surroundings enough to navigate, he can't see any of his surroundings the way he can when hijacking the sight of others. So he gets comfortable in a seat and leans back. With a deep, he relaxes and lets his consciousness separate from his body so he can explore freely and see things with his minds eye.

You come across an astral link. You know from past experience that by it's appearance the person it's connected to is dreaming.If you peek into the physical world, which isn't always analagous to the Astral, you can see into a dim room where a young child rests on a bed, machines beeping softly around the bald headed child connected to tubes and monitors. The link itself leads towards the Dreamzone.

Travis's astral self floats as it explores this dimension's astral plane. It's different, yet familiar. He moves towards the astral link to inspect it. Perceiving into the physical realm, he sees the young child and feels...something. Sorrow? Compassion? Certainly curiosity. He follows the link on to the boy's Dreamzone.

In this timeless space, how long it takes to get to the child's dream is meaningless, but it somehow seems farther than normal. You comes across the shimmering barrier that represents the edge of the child's dream.

As you cross over, you find yourself in the springtime of a technicolor world: bright green grass rolling over gentle hills, strange trees in blue and reds, and a winding road the yellow brick road. In the distance, around a curve you can hear a child's vocie lifted in laughter shouting 'Higher! Higher!"

Travis sets his 'feet' down on the yellow brick road, looking around at all the technicolor. He smiles as he spins around to take it all in. Tessa's always making fun of him for being blind, but he remembers what it was like, and in these planes, he can. It's why he secretly spends so much time in them. Just about any time he has to himself.He follows the yellow brick road, curious to see what other sights this child has for him to see, but not wanting to disturb his dreams too much.

As you move down the road, you hear a single interrogative croak from a raven somewhere in a tree nearby. But try as you might, you cannot see the raven.As you start to come around the corner, you see a fantastic child's playground: monkey bars, jungle gyms, square ball courts, everything an active child might want to play on. There's even a shallow creek and pond for playing and splashing in.Probably most children would have left out the nightmarish statues that litter the ground around the playground. They lay broken and whole in a perimeter only broken by the road.The laughing seems to be coming from beyond a child's playhouse near the center of the playground.

The nightmarish statues are what catch Travis' attention the most once he's taken in the view. They really don't look like they belong. He glances around for signs of the child as he nears the closest whole statue to examine.

The statue seems to be of a cruel looking man dressed in a tattered doctor's coat with finger that all end in hypodermic needles.

As for the child, you see and hear him as a dusky skinned child dressed in khaki shorts and white t-shirt, his thick black hair swishing in the air as he's tossed high, high, well, over a fifty feet in the air. He screams in joy as he shouts, "I'm flying!" Then at the apex, he laughs as he starts to fall.

Travis cringes at the statue. It even makes him uncomfortable. After being through so much at the hospital, it's no wonder he'd see doctors in this way. He turns to look towards the sounds of the child to watch, glad to see he's care-free in his dreams at least.

The child plummets back towards the ground then disappears behind the roof of the house. You don't hear a thump, so one must assume the kid didn't hit the ground. His laughter rising up fills the air. "One more time!" he yells to be answered by a deep rich, somewhat Scandanavian voice that says with good cheer, "Just once more, Mohammad, I'm getting tired!

Not that the kid could truly die or be hurt in his dream, but it wouldn't be pleasant, Travis figures. He follows the sounds of the voices and moves up to the building the boy disappeared behind. Travis peeks around the corner, confused by the odd and deep voice.

And Travis sees the only clad in a starry kilted Dialydd picks Mohammad up from the ground and throw him high into the air. His moonlit staff lies on the ground next to him. The eyes of the Adonis-like alien never leave Mohammad as the boy flies dozens of feet into the sky then plummets back down towards the disky skinned youth.

Travis blinks and tilts his head at the strange alien adonis. He assumes it's something the kid dreamed up, but the dress of Dialydd leaves him with sooo many questions if that's the case. Those thoughts are quickly dispels as he realizes there's a mind behind what he thought was a dream construct.

The kilt clad youth catches Mohammad, gives him a hug, then sets him down on the ground. "I think Mama Otter said she made sweatbread for you, Mohammad. Why don't you go see?" murmurs the alien in an almost paternal tone somewhat out of place to his appearance."Sure, Dee" says Mohammad with a bright, missing one tooth smile, "I'll save you some!" The boy then darts off towards the creek.A sad smile crosses

A sad smile crosses 'Dee's' lips for a moment as Mohammad runs off then is wiped away as the youth sighs softly. He reaches down and picks up the staff from the ground, settling it in the crook of his arm as he murmurs, "And who are you? You're not a spirit, but a man, yes?" He's not looking at you as he speaks but rather watching Mohammad as he nears the creek.

Travis ducks back behind the building and leans against the wall, realizing he'd been spotted some how. . o O (Shick.) He's not very used to encountering other aware beings in dreams of the Astral plane. And why is he hiding? He's already been spotted. He facepalms, rubbing the heel of his palm into his eyes before dropping them and stepping out. "Yeah. I'm a man." More like boy, but he isn't going to say that when the title of man was offered to him. "I'm just not sure what exactly you are."

"I am Dee-all-lith nee Bress tee Eemur of the Jerin. I am Mohammad's guardian and playmate in this place and time," murmurs the apparent youth. "And you can come out if you wish. I'm not going to bite. I reserve that for unruly dream spirits and nightmares." His tone is coaxing and teasing.

Travis steps out a bit further, taking another look around. "Well, I'm not here to hurt the kid or ruin his dreams. I just kind of wandered along and wanted to see if he was doing okay after seeing how he is in the physical world."

Dialydd murmurs gently, "I'm glad to hear that. Mohammad has had enough nightmares."He starts to say more when a woman-sized otter wearing a stocking cap and apron pops up out of the water, or rather from under the bank of the creek. She holds a plate in her hands with what look like cookies and falls into talking with Mohammad.This creature has a mind as well. But it is less human than Dee's. But, Dee at least doesn;t react badly to her presence instead turning his gaze fully to you."And no, Mohammad will be fine here for the rest of his dream...But, you'll need to leave before the Raven Girl teaches him to fly."

Travis looks over at the giant otter woman, puzzled by there's being a mind there, as well. "Is that...someone else?" he asks in a quieter voice meant just for them. He looks over at Dialydd after his mention of the raven girl. "Raven Girl...? Is that another actual person? I thought I heard a raven back on the road."

Dialydd takes a few steps to get around the building and looks down the road. "Did you? Did you see any..thing? Or just hear it?" His eyes scan the road past the statues.As the youth scans, he murmurs absently, "Mama Otter is a nurturing spirit. She tends to those who need her maternal touch. I'm not certain what beliefs she springs from."

"Just heard something," Travis replies, though he's starting to look confused and concerned. "Should I be worried? Cuz I might be a little freaked out by this Raven Girl's deal," he says as he watches Dialydd peering down the road.

"There's no need to be worried, ser," murmurs Dialydd as he turns to look at you, smiling gently. "The Raven Girl, cha, she's the one tasked to teach Mohammad to fly. So he can leave this dream behind. It's just best that you not learn to fly from her. Or I for that matter."

You note that while he's smiling, his eyes are sad.

"Well, that's pretty crash, getting to learn how to fly," Travis starts, but then he catches on to exactly how things were said, and his smile fades. "Wait, you don't mean...? -No-..." he says the last in disbelief as he starts to understand.

Dialydd nods to you. "Mohammad...cha, he's been dying for a time. He needs to rest and this..." Dialydd gestures and seems to encompass the entire 'world'. "This is just a waystation for Mohammad. A place to wait..." The youth ducks his head for a moment then wipes a hand across his eyes. "Cha, amazing how dust gets one even in dreams," he murmrs as he turns to watch Mohammad splashing in the water with Mama Otter.

Travis is at a loss, and his expression shows it. What Dialydd says makes sense, considering what he saw in the real world. His head turns towards Mohammad to watch, his expression saddening. "How...how much longer does he have, you think? Is tonight it?"

Dialydd shrugs slightly. "I only know he will pass, ser. It's not given to me to know when..." He looks back at you. "So, in the meantime, when I can, I come and play with Mohammad and help him, if needed, defeats his nightmares."

Travis leans back against the building wall to brace against it, wanting to sink down to the ground. "That's heavy," he replies quietly. His eyes search the ground as his mind searches for the right words. "And...so unfair. So frickin' unfair," he frowns and closes his eyes a moment. "It's really nice, what you're doing for him," he finally says as his eyes open again.

Dialydd comes over and takes a knee by you, his kilt concealing whether he's a dressed Scots fashion. "It's always hard when a child dies, ser. But here, in Dream, Mohammad feels no pain, faces no horrors. Here, he plays and laughs and...has cookies whenever he wants."Dee smiles gently. "Thank you, ser. It's my, cha, honor to bring him joy."

Travis offers a sad smile. "Well, I don't think there's much I could really do to help. I'll leave you all alone so you can focus on Mohammad," he says, casting a glance back to the boy.

"You can play with him, ser. It's hard, cha, boring to play hide and seek with two people and someone who always hides in the water," murmurs Dialydd in a gentle voice. "But, I understand if it's too much as well. Death, cha, it's not something humans handle well it seems. Or so it seems by all I've read. And, cha, you're young." Dee then laughs. "OF course, not like I'm old. Maybe I'm a few years older than you?"

Travis smiles kindly, though it shares the same sadness Dialydd's had. "I can do that. 'Til the Raven Girl comes." He buries his sadness and resolves to be all smiles and fun for Mohammad.

And so, Dialydd, Travis, Mohammad, and Mama Otter played hide and seek, and tag, and catch, and everything Mohammad's heart desired, until the Raven Girl came and taught him how to fly.

The end.