Fever Dream

[Hadrian]

Hadrian smiled and floated in silence for a while. It might have been forever; time felt fluid here. This was just so much better than the gut-wrenching illness he had left behind. But eventually a curl of cold fear worked its way through his guts, or his perception of his insides. "No, this isn't right. I need a key to find your chavi," he explained, going vertical to tread water. His brows came down in a worried furrow. "Something of yours, like a piece of clothing or a lock of hair, I... I don't know how I'll find your dreams. This can't be dreamwalking." Suddenly agitated, his mind scoured what he knew of this gift from the writings of famous dreamwalkers like Vulci Trivanti. "Is this blind chance?" he demanded as if Ricky would have the answer. It was like a dream in which one got one's heart's desire only to wake up and have it all dissipate like steam. "I don't... I can't..."

[Ricky Maze]

Chavi? Key? He spoke a language Ricky knew nothing about, one Hadrian would have to teach another time; as he was now agitated with the idea on finding Ricky's dreams. Ricky didn't know for sure if he was needing his clothing or hair like he said, but he placed his hands on Hadrian's shoulders. Hadrian look don't worry, ya need to relax." He assured him with concern, as his mimd tried to wrap around what this key really was. Timr was growing short though, Ricky could feel some of himself slipping, figuratively speaking, into the depths below. "You... you need something like a anchor or a beacon. Something that'll help you find me right?" He quizzed as he took notice of his necklace, he had forgotten that he still wore it even in reality. The small feather carved of glass shone within the pale light of the moon, glowing faintly with the light it collected. If this was the dream world then in reality he would still have this wouldn't he? If that weren't the case though, then he would give it to Hadrian anyway. Though his mother may have made it, it wasn't as important as giving Hadrian the hope of having a key. He took off the pendant and held it out as an offer, hoping that the key he needed was this very object. "Will this work? Or is the key something else?"

[Hadrian]

"No, I don't think so," he said, clearly upset. It wasn't so much his fever-fueled delusion that he was in control of this, but the sure knowledge that if he were to share dreams with Ricky again, it would only be by the grace of Nysel until such time as they met in person and he could obtain a key. The pendant faded from his hand almost as soon as he took it. Everything seemed to be disappearing, which meant, he supposed, that one or both of them were waking up. He grabbed Ricky by the shoulders, which felt real, but still slipping away. "I will be back in Zeltiva as soon as I can... By Winter, I hope. I will ask after you at the Sailors' Guild. You can ask after me at the University. This can't have been a chance meeting. Even if I don't dream of you 'til then. I promise. "And then I'll... I'll ask for a hair off your head, and I'll have a glassworker trap it in a bead. Then I'll be able to find you anywhere..."

[Ricky Maze]

"Hadrian! Ya better come back! I mean it too, we have a lot to do once we meet!" He stated as he felt his entire body begin to dissipate, he felt something of him stay behind though; a shell of him that would only remain before Hadrian until he awoke. Ricky manage to speak one last time before his tie to that shell was completely cut off. "I'll be waitin' for ye', be careful and know my prayers are with ya!" His time was up as the bond was now severed, his real being now falling deep into the abyss of the ocean. Endless black all around as he felt the oblivius feel of sleep coming to end. He knew though his mind may feel groggy and soon forget the events that usually follow that he wouldn't forget Hadrian, no matter what happens he would hold on to the memory of his existence. As he awoke finally came to awoke, he did not forget the existence that found him in his dream.

[Hadrian]

Even the real-seeming flesh of the man began to fade out, and the reality shifted. Everything dimmed and there was no fantastical vision of the chavena, which had been some invention of his fever-addled mind. Everything was dark, and he became aware of his body, which ached and felt weak, damp with cooling sweat. "There you are," said the Healer-Knight, removing a damp washcloth from his forehead, much of his hair still wet and slicked back awkwardly. "The fever broke. I'm as good as I claim to be..." But Hadrian's mind was fuzzy, trying to hold onto what had happened. There had been more words to say that he could not get out, but he remembered a swarthy fisherman with a generous heart and a strong back who had intuited some of his desires, and wanted to help make them come true. Could it have been but a figment of his fever? No, he wanted to believe it was true. Ricky Maze of Zeltiva. The Sailors' Guild. The future...

end.