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[Aidara]

“You’re much too pretty to be a warrior.” Green eyes carefully followed the Dreamwalker as she went about her business, yawning as the fatigue slowly washed over her worked its magic. The whole experience had been so relaxing and disarming that Addy had to fight to keep her eyes open. It was a battle that she would lose before long. It said a lot to Chemar’s abilities that the little woman was so swiftly carried off towards sleep. It was a nightly battle that Addy had to face when she lay down for some rest.

When Addy’s eyelids finally fluttered close, it seemed like only a tick or two before she shifted and was pulled back into consciousness. A growl of frustration manifested on her lips before she even opened her eyes, annoyed that even here, where she was supposed to be asleep, she couldn’t do so. Having always been one to drift indefinitely between awake and asleep, just on the brink of consciousness so that the slightest movement, sound or shift in lighting could wake her up, Addy found it difficult to just drop off to sleep. It was during this quasi dream world that the most disturbing of dreams came to the woman. It was why she worked herself to the bone, so that when she did finally pass out, unconsciousness was instantaneous.

Figuring that it was out of this catnap-like state that she was roused, Addy shoved herself into an upright position as she opened her eyes, a frown already curling the corners of her lips. “Would it completely mess up the process if you gave me something to help-“ But the sentence ended in a loud gasp. Having opened one eye to glance around for her Dreamwalker, Addy found herself not in the warm, comforting chamber of the Dreaming Lady, but instead on the very top of a mountain. The peak on which she lounged was barren of all life save herself; a quick glance downward over the edge of the rock showed Addy impossible heights. It was no wonder nothing was alive up here.

Placing a hand upon her chest to feel the rapid pounding of her heart, Addy tried to move as little as possible as she sat completely upright. It hadn’t taken more than a quick glance around for the healer to realize that she was definitely dreaming, though her mind stumbled over some of the more mundane facts, worrying over how real it had felt while at the same time, she didn’t seem to register the difference between the soft bed on which she had lain and the supposed rocks that she now rested upon.

The most noticeable change, however, had been the wind. There wasn’t any. Such a high vantage point should have had the breeze whipping wildly around her, practically tugging her from the summit with nothing to act as a breaker. It made her position relatively safe. Upon realizing this, Addy gathered her feet beneath her and stood, shading her eyes from the bright light that shined from above, casting everything in a bright, golden glow; even with her hand raised to shade her eyes, Addy couldn’t see anything but the top of the cloud cover that hugged the sides of the mountain. There was no way to tell where she was.

And she was alone.

Suppressing a shiver, it wasn’t hard for Addy to decide where to go next; there was nowhere to go but down. It wasn’t until she began looking around for a way down that a path made itself visible, spiraling down around the peak and disappearing into the clouds below. With no other option available to her, Addy began her decent.

It wasn’t until she was about halfway down what path was visible to her that she felt a tug on her hair. Whirling around only to find herself still alone, Addy’s brow furrowed in confusion; it was only then that she remembered someone was supposed to be with her. Chemar. Was it normal for such walks to happen solo? Was she supposed to accomplish something within her dream? Perhaps her goal was to get off the mountain before she could find the Dreamwalker?

Evil thoughts began to crowd her mind, whispering that something had gone wrong. She would be stuck here, on the mountain forever. She wouldn’t see Sira or Natalie ever again. Just like she had lost other important things in her life, she too would be lost. Forever.

Forever.

The word plagued her, echoing in her ears even after Addy clamped her hands down over them, as if to block out the sound but it only reverberated louder inside her head, the volume increasing until the pain of the word was overwhelming. Staggering and crying out, Addy didn’t react quick enough as her foot slipped off the side of the path, the rest of her weight following the limb as she tumbled out into the open air.

Though she dropped like a stone, only the idle thought was given to the fact that she was tumbling to her death; some deluded voice of optimism chirped that at least the string of echoing FOREVERs would stop with her heart. The light blazed and the world spun as Addy plummeted, but there was no wind-milling of arms or wild flailing and crying. The woman stretched out flat as if she were about to lay down, spinning in a lazy circle as the air cradled her form; there was no wind to whip her here or there as she fell, her decent instead straight and true.

Well, it was one way to get off the mountain.

Darkness descended upon the strange dream world with violent sort of abruptness. One tick, the sky was blindingly golden and the next was filled with an oppressive obscurity that surrounded her on all sides. There was no force of impact or any sign that she had stopped falling, but Addy knew without a doubt that she had. Standing was more of a process than she had expected, as it seemed the shadows that surrounded her resisted her every movement. Addy’s grunts of frustration and exertion came out muffled as she fought her way to a standing position. It was only when she had finally gained her feet that she reached out to feel what resisted her presence so.

Extending her hand out in front of her face, her fingers had barely uncurled from her palm when they came into contact with a pliable, soft, fluffy substance. Intrigued, Addy pushed firmly and felt the same resistance that had made her struggle to stand, though the tip of her finger slowly slid into the stuff. Soon she had pushed her arm up to the elbow in the stuff, giggling as it tickled against her skin. How odd, it was exactly how she expected a…Gasping, Addy quickly withdrew her arm and spun in a fast circle, panic sending bile up the back of her throat as she felt her heart drop into her feet.

A cloud. It was exactly how she expected a cloud to feel.

Unable to help herself in her panic, Addy cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled at the top of her lungs. “CHEMAR! HELP ME!”

OOCSorry, I took it a little slow because I wasn’t sure how far I could go before it was hard for you to reply!

[Chemar Tisserand]

CHEMAR! HELP ME!

The sound of Addy's scream in her subconscious sent a tremor through Chemar. The little healer had yet to realize that the dreamer had been with her all along, or perhaps she just hadn't known how to see her. So disregarding any kind of subtlety, Chemar curled her arms around Addy's shoulders and whispered in her ear.

"I'm right here."

She let her breath dictate the pace of Addy's breath, keeping her chin upon the healer's shoulder so that her lips brushed softly against her ear. "Relax." As their breathing became synchronized, Chemar could feel the surface beneath their feet turning solid. After several deep breaths, she lightly stomped on foot on the ground, raising a fine mist of dust from under their feet. Sparkling particles rose all around them, shrouding them in a glittering cloud."Deep breath." When she spoke to Addy, her voice never rose above a whisper. Together they drew a lungful of air, then slowly expelled it and watched as the cloud that had surrounded them began to disperse into nothing.

As though in the eye of a great storm, there was an absence of any breeze, leaving the fog they'd dispersed to hang just beyond the reach of their combined breath. Shadows within the fog created menacing silhouettes that moved along like plodding ghouls. But they had no form, no solid threat as of yet. They existed only as a collection of transient forms, waiting along the borders of what Addy had revealed to the dreamer. Chemar could not reveal the that which existed in the healer's subconscious until she was given access by Addy.

"Show me."

Chemar moved to stand beside the little healer, letting her hand slide along the woman's arm to thread into a familiar grasp of her hand, then she began to lead Addy toward the mysterious fog. The pulse that reflected off Chemar's palm began to pound, speeding up with every step they took. The dream would not manifest in its true form if Addy was tentative, anticipation almost always warped the truth within a dream's message, and Chemar would not , could not, be effective if she did not know the truth.

She stopped the healer, shifting to stand before her. With the softest touch, she placed her hands on Addy's shoulders and stared into her eyes. "Let me in Addy." She leaned forward and blew a long breath into the healer's parted lips.

As the breath left Chemar's body, so did any substance, weight, or physical mass, leaving a crystal clear vessel, that held all the features but none of the physicality of the dreamer. The only that remained unchanged was the gold ringed gaze that had remained fixed on Addy. When all that remained was a crystalline version of the dreamer, she smiled and released her light hold, then with a stillness that matched their surroundings, she moved to stand behind Addy. What Chemar was about to do would be impossible if Addy did not trust her, so with a tentative movement, she tested the strength of their new bond. At first, Chemar moved only her hand, slipping it beneath the healer's hand, to be her ghostly shadow. Chemar lifted her hand until their fingertips met, then, without a word, she slipped into the Addy's skin, watching as her own hand disappeared. As she continued up the healer's arm, she could feel the steady thrumming of her pulse. She took no pause, thinking that if she showed hesitation that Addy would resist. Limb after limb, and head to toe, Chemar slowly joined with Addy, until the little healer was encased in Chemar's vessel of glass.

Outwardly, when the joining took place, there was no longer evidence that Chemar even existed, save a slight sheen across Addy's skin and the hint of glowing ring in the healer's eyes. But that was as far as the illusion went, because within the body of both dreamer and healer, there was the distinct presence of the other. The combined presences offered Addy all the inner strength and confidence of Chemar, and it made Chemar privy to the details of the dream that lived inside Addy, that she could not bring herself to dream out of fear.

"Use me, I am...your armor." Chemar did not force anything upon Addy, but she used her comfort within the dreamworld to strengthen her resolve and confidence. "I will protect you." The two of them began to step toward the fog. With each fall of their combined feet, some of the fog fell from the air, creating a fine layer of pale dust that covered the ground like snow. As this happened, the undulating shapes within the fog began to take on shape, and life, giving the dreamer a clear view of Addy's nightmare.

Open your mind and show me. She did not speak aloud, as now, there was no need, and for just a moment she felt the healer's body tense. Within their bodies, Chemar could slow her heartbeat as well as Addy's, this was something she'd never done, but the effect was a sense of calm that she'd never had access to before in dreams. To experience the nightmare with an objective eye could be useful in its employ. Whether or not she could maintain that detachment in herself as well as Addy when they were in the throes of her nightmare remained to be seen, but perhaps with practice. Until then, she could offer the little healer a safe port in her mental storm.

[Aidara]

The panic melted away like an ice cube in the hot Summer sun as soon as Addy heard Chemar’s voice, felt her gentle and reassuring presence nearby. The little woman could feel the muscles relaxing in her neck and shoulders, rolling them as they slowly regained their range of movement. Drawing a deep breath as the Dreamwalker commanded, Addy closed her eyes and exhaled just as deeply and slowly; the process repeated itself half a dozen times until the little healer felt the rapid beating of her heart slow back down to it’s normal patter, unaware that Chemar had physically helped her draw the calming breathes she so needed.

Addy opened her eyes in time to see the clouds that she had found herself trapped in slowly fade away, leaving her just as alone in this strange place as she was atop the mountain; until the shadows began to appear that is. At first, Addy watched them with silent, detached indifference, making no movement or sign of shock as they began to move closer, existing in a form that was not quite a shape, not quiet a cloud, as if they were waiting for something to make them more, make them real.

Something told Addy that she did not want that to happen.

“I can’t!” Apprehension took her then as this realization washed over her like a shower of ice cold water, barely a tick between the feeling of indifferent comfort and distinctly uncomfortable fear. Chemar had taken up her hand at some point and was leading them forward, though Addy hardly remembered taking even one step, so focused she was on watching all the shadows that swirled around her, all the things that she had locked away in her mind and refused to let back out lest they hurt her. Or worse.

Feeling her heart speed up to match the rapid pulse that the little healer felt through the Dreamwalkers palm, it was almost inevitable when her breath also started puffing small, rapid clouds in front of her as she panted, seemingly unable to catch her breath. But Chemar seemed to expect this too, stopping her just before it became unbearable.

Unable to look anywhere else, Addy felt herself falling into the mysterious woman’s gaze, leaning forward towards her as she breathed ever so softly against her lips. “I will.” No sooner had the permission left her lips than did Chemar slowly sink into her, disappearing from Addy’s view as they became one, their bodies melding perfectly with each other. Unable to help herself, Addy smirked and sighed. “I thought our first time together would be different…less…. Creepy.” The humor was a good sign; some of the anxiety was already melting away.

It also helped that she had started to shine, her skin taking on a strange glare that Chemar referred too as armor. Protection. “My warrior.” Addy whispered, reaching out one finger to trace it along the back of her other hand. As far as she could tell, there was no detectable difference to her skin, other than the obvious change in appearance. Addy had decided to trust Chemar in that moment, so strangely intimate as they became one, the little healer had no choice but to let go of her fear and put her complete and utter trust in the Dreamwalker. She wasn’t alone, after all and it felt selfish to hold onto such foolish worries like the safety of ones wellbeing.

She was protected.

Suddenly, facing the unknown shadowy creatures didn’t seem all that bad. The closest one wasn’t even a dozen feet away, shifting between shapes as it failed to make up its mind as to what it wanted to be. Addy approached without hesitation, confident in her dream-knight that she quiet literally carried with her.

It wasn’t until Addy got closer that she saw what was really going on; it was as if a veil had been lifted, allowing the women to step through and see clearly now for the first time. The blob things weren’t shadows at all, but instead swirls of color that never stopped changing, one morphing into the next even as that one swirled away to become a different color still. There were only two things that stayed consistent throughout all the different swirling blobs: They all seemed to be sporting red hair.

“They’re Inartans.” The statement was whispered, as if Addy was unsure whether or not the things knew that they were so close by; granted, none of them had made any kind of motion towards Addy/Chemar, but that didn’t mean they had gone unnoticed. It seemed appropriate that she should whisper, lest they be heard. “What are they doing here? What is wrong with them?”

Unable to curb her curiosity, Addy stepped closer still to the nearest ginger topped swirl of color, circling around it entirely until she came to the point where she knew without knowing how that that was where the face was supposed to be. She told Chemar so out loud, still whispering, unsure if the Dreamwalker could simply read her thoughts.

“I wonder if they can see us when they have no eyes.” As soon as the words had left her mouth, however, Addy felt the things gaze suddenly upon her, rooting her to the spot and nearly crushing her with the intensity of the stare. It became hard to breathe and Addy could hardly manage to draw in any air, let alone choke out a word or two. Did Chemar’s protection not work against the gaze of another that effected her so?