The Dreaming Triad

Log Info

• Title: The Dreaming Triad

• Emitter: Telamon

• Characters: Ravenstongue, Telamon

• Place: Ravenstongue and Telamon's house / the Border Ethereal

• Summary: Ravenstongue and Telamon prepare to go on another dream walk, and Ravenstongue suggests, somewhat on a whim, to take Pothy along with them this time. Telamon accepts and Pothy gets a Pothy-sized dose of the lucid dreaming potion. The trio end up back in Rafael Prince's wagon, and are surprised to see Pothy in human(ish) form! With human-Pothy in tow, the group takes a strange but altogether more pleasant journey compared to their last time journeying with the strange prince and ultimately arrive at the Watcher's home. The Watcher gives Telamon some words of encouragement and a strange light before the dreamers awaken, safe in bed.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- Dramatis Personae =--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-    
Ravenstongue         5'0"     99 Lb      Half-Elf          Female    Short half-elf girl with violet eyes and black hair.                       
Telamon              5'6"     140 Lb     Half-Elf          Male      A platinum-blond half-sil man with dancing dark eyes 
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

While the hateful nightmares of the past have faded into memory, that hasn't stopped Telamon from seeking counsel from the distant, alien Watcher in the Stars. Tonight is no different, as Tel carefully measures out the dream-potion into two vials, inspecting the levels carefully before capping the flask and putting it away in his study.

Walking across to the bedroom, he steps inside, smiling at Cor'lana before offering her one of the vials. "Considering your nightmare the other night, I'm surprised you offered to go with me -- so to speak -- on this jaunt. Even if we know now what we're seeking." He looks at her with that tender expression. "Hopefully it won't be too rough."

"Like I'd let you go alone considering what we went through the last time!" Cor'lana replies, taking the vial from Telamon gently. She flashes him a wide smile. "Besides, even if we have to go through 'cloaker country' again, I think it might be preferable to that nightmare. At least I know what I'm expecting if we go through Rafael's part of the dreaming again."

She looks over at Pothy in the room, quirking her head curiously at the white raven. Pothy sits on the dresser, as his book nest has been moved fully into the study--but he occasionally hangs out in the bedroom so long as there's no 'extracurricular activity' afoot. "I wonder... If we were to bring Pothy along, what would happen?" Cor'lana asks. "Unless you want him watching over us."

Telamon shakes his head. "I'm not sure. We're warded," he nods to the circles around the bed. "But this dream ritual points outward, not inward. I'm pretty sure he'd be 'along for the ride'." He pauses. "Frankly, I'm still surprised your connection to him didn't drag him along the first time."

Tel looks up at Pothy. "Care to ride along, Pothy? Or do you want to keep an eye out? I can always get you a dose of the potion."

Pothy perks up at the question. He looks over to his mistress and lets out a series of whistles, concluded solemnly with one noise that Telamon *does* know: "Merp."

"Pothy says that as a repository of knowledge, he'd love to come along," Cor'lana translates, although she's grinning. "The last bit was just him being cute."

Pothy's feathers all puff up in pride as Cor'lana calls him cute. Cor'lana doesn't often call him cute--not when Pothy can hear it--but he clearly savors when it happens. The knowledge repository can, apparently, be a little vain at times.

Cor'lana looks back at Telamon and nods. "I think he should come along with us. I think we're probably fine to do it on our own now that we've done it once. ...Most things are easier the second time around."

Telamon nods, and steps outside the room... returning with a third, raven-sized dose of the potion. "Alright, Pothy. Don't say we didn't warn you. It can get kind of weird."

Tel pauses to recheck the circle and make sure he hasn't disturbed it, before helping Pothy drink down his dose, and knocking back his own share of the potion. "Alright," he says quietly, setting the vials aside. "Let's go ride the magic carpet, shall we?"

Pothy manages to take his dose like a champ, although he makes a couple of coughing noises, followed by a mimic of a little kid faced with a disgusting meal. "Ewwwwww!"

"Sorry, Pothy, it's never tasty," Cor'lana says, drinking her dose quickly after. She settles down onto the bed, as does Pothy--he sits between their pillows--and she smiles. "Come here, my starborn prince, and let's sleep." It's a voice halfway between teasing and more of a sultry tone, clearly a joke. Pothy looks like he'd be objecting regardless, but his eyes are already fluttering shut. <Sylvan>

Telamon reaches out to take her hand, as he lies down next to her. "Sleep and dream, queen of my heart." His eyes close as well, but his hand remains in hers, as slumber inexorably drags them down...

Down...

Down...

Down...

It's like sliding down a steep incline, no panic, no fear, just the rush of colors and patterns zipping past, too swift to be seen. Until suddenly there's a sudden, jerking stop, and--

It's the wagon, again. The familiar sight of Rafael at the reins, guiding it. But this time it's some place different. A cave, huge beyond measure, possibly the size of Alexandria, illuminated by dim magical lights. And piled all around, the ransom of a dozen nations in gold, silver, and platinum.

Rafael turns around halfway to look at the dreamers, pipe sticking out of one side of his mouth, and growls, "Took you long enough. Don't get out of the wagon."

Cor'lana comes to in the wagon, hand held on her head... and a groan as she blinks her eyes. She can see. She can hear! There's the 'strange prince' again. "Hi, Rafael," she says. She's not flirting with him this time.

But there's a small hand on her dress.

There's a five-year-old boy, his skin white like marble and his neat, straight hair equally as white, almost putting Telamon's platinum-blond locks to shame, sitting next to Cor'lana. He peers up at her with blue eyes, his cherubic face smiling at her. "Lana!" exclaims Pothy. "Yay! I can finally hug you!"

Cor'lana blinks a handful of times as she's suddenly embraced by... human Pothy? He looks human, although that marble-white color on him looks more at home on statues than it does on humans. Although he could pass for a store mannequin, as he's wearing pristine scholar's robes, dyed a deep blue. "Oh, umm--I thought you'd be a raven, Pothy," Cor'lana says.

The little boy giggles. "Nadi suggested I be a human for once in the dream! So I took her suggestion."

Telamon rubs his face as he looks around. It felt like he was falling for an eternity, but then just... stopped. In the wagon. "Rafael," he replies, shaking his head. "Sorry it's been so long." He looks down at himself -- this time he's dressed in expensive, elaborate robes of black, trimmed in silver and decorated with patterns mimicking the constellations. "Huh. That's new..."

Then he looks to Cor'lana, and... the hell? He blinks twice, before realizing who that is, and his face softens a little. Even ravens need their hugs, it seems. "She may not be able to follow us into the dream," he suggests. "A pleasure to meet you, Pothy."

Rafael is half turned in the seat, the beast of burden content to plod along the path between riches unseen on Ea. "I saw you two made it official. Good for you." He grins, his eyes glinting behind his spectacles. "Can't have dreams without new people to dream 'em. And not all the dreams are much fun." He gestures. "This is actually kind of tame. There's a red dragon somewhere who's... well, he's got big dreams, I'll give him that."

"Official? Oh! Well, we're not quite married yet," Cor'lana says, blushing. Pothy's still holding onto her for dear life, and she pats his white hair. Now that she's getting a good look down at herself, she's wearing... the Feathered One's robes and feathered cloak? Although they don't plunge all the way down to the navel like they normally do, although they show off more of Cor'lana's skin than she's surely comfortable with. The Lúpecyll curuchuil and blood pact mark is well and fully on display.

The half-elf sorceress, once she's taken stock of her clothing, glances back to Rafael. "The boy is--well, he's normally a white raven named Apotheosis. My familiar. Although that feels weird to call you when you're a human, Pothy."

"Then could you call me your best friend ever instead?" Pothy asks, his blue eyes shining. Gods, he's even harder to refuse in this state than when he's a raven.

Cor'lana nods firmly. "Okay. Fine with me--but are you sure you want to follow along with us?"

The boy pouts. "I'm not defenseless. If I really need to, I'll change back to my raven form. I just wanted a hug. I'll get one from you, too, Telamon, once we're off this wagon. Where are we going, anyway?"

Telamon seems a bit bemused. It's one thing to deal with Pothy the raven, but Pothy the five year old boy? Goodness. "We," he explains patiently, "are going to meet with the Watcher in the Stars. He wants to speak to me."

"Fortunately, or unfortunately, that requires riding with Rafael Prince here," Tel gestures to the strangely-dressed driver, who grins and says, "Hello."

Tel continues, "Because to get to the Watcher, we have to traverse the dreams of things that are not necessarily... well... people." He looks to Rafael. "Is that accurate?"

Rafael rolls his hand back and forth. "More or less. A better term might be 'dreams of things that are less bound to the world'. And to give you an idea of how strange, dragons are the shallow end of that pond. Out in the deep ends, you get some really strange stuff. I'm not talking animals, either. I'm talking shit like spirits trapped in crabs and collective minds transformed into eyeball monsters. There's a reason I drink."

"Well, hi, Mister Prince," Pothy says politely as he lets go of Cor'lana. He's being rather well-behaved, considering he's usually a menace looking for snacks in the real world. "I am Apotheosis, repository of knowledge for the inheritor, Cor'lana Lúpecyll."

Pothy looks rather thoughtful as Rafael talks about the spirits stuck in crabs and the eyeball monsters. "Hmm. I think... I remember... Nadi fought one of those once. Was it when she fed me those grapes that one time?"

Cor'lana just smiles politely, patting Pothy on the head, but she looks at Telamon with an expression that, by now, her other half can read: (Yup, it's Pothy, all right.) "Well, with any luck, Pothy, we won't encounter anything... too awful. Or weird." That's perhaps hoping for too much.

Telamon looks about now, and perhaps a tiny bit wistful. "So this is a dragon's dream? Can't say I'm surprised. Though I admit I wonder about all the good you could put this much money to." He smiles at Pothy and Cor'lana in turn, shifting around in the wagon to sit next to Pothy with Cor'lana on the familiar's other side.

"Pleased to meet you, Apotheosis." Rafael drawls, as he flicks the reins a bit. "Remember, Telamon, none of this is 'real' per se. The dragon who's dreaming it, well, right now he's about the size of your buddy there. He's got maybe a few hundred coins to his name, but he's dreaming of having a hoard -- like most dragons do."

Rafael grunts suddenly, and takes hold of the reins. "Hnnh. Alright, kids, good news, we're coming up on a transition here. Stay in the wagon, though, and don't fuckin' jump out. I don't care if Tarien himself is out there offering cigars and brandy. This part's a little weird."

There's a sudden lurch, and it feels like the wagon just fell -- with them in it -- but then the world is different. It's a lush jungle, daytime, with birds calling and green everywhere. The only sign of civilization is the narrow path the wagon moves along.

"Dragons? I, hmmm..." Pothy puts his little hand to his chin. "I think maybe--a century or two ago, I saw a dragon?"

Then he shakes his head. "No, probably not!" he concludes. "All I remember is that I was given a really yummy roast lamb! I do remember something about a dragon but I think I was too busy focusing on the sauce. The cook was there and he kept shouting about making sure it wasn't raw before he served it to us at his sous-chefs. Gosh, I wish I could remember his nam--"

"Pothy, please--" Cor'lana asks, and then there's the wagon lurch. Cor'lana yells, throwing her arms around Telamon--with Pothy remaining perfectly calm in his seat--and then the wagon's fine.

Cor'lana peers around the wagon as it rides along, looking around with sheer interest. "Oh, wow. This is kind of lovely," she says. "...Where are we now, Rafael?"

Telamon just peers at Pothy. "You are one weird little raven, Pothy. You think you saw a dragon, but all you can remember is the roast lamb?" He shakes his head, giving Cor'lana a squeeze before letting go.

"Wow indeed. I wonder how big this jungle is?" Telamon inquires. He looks up at the far-up treetops, the narrow blade of the sky visible. He glances to Rafael at Lana's question.

"It's the Jungle of Dreams. Troglodytes, mostly, but there's a real big fella that I see from time to time. Gods only know where HE sleeps -- probably 'any damn place he wants'. Trust me, if we see him, you'll know -- I've seen smaller mountains." Rafael gives the reins a little flick, encouraging his beast to pick up the pace a bit. "On the upshot, not going to run into anything rough here. The big guy doesn't like it."

"T--Troglodytes?" Cor'lana finds herself tripping over the first syllable of the word. "I, uh... I don't think I'm familiar."

Then she seems to realize that, prior to Telamon letting go of her, she actually hadn't let go of him. She finally releases him, blushing a little from embarrassment. "Sorry--hope I didn't break your ribs," Cor'lana says quietly.

"Does the giant man like food?" Pothy asks. He doesn't seem nearly so concerned about the possibility of troglodytes--only that they have something in common.

"They're... like sith-makar, but don't make that comparison around them. The makari went one way, but the troglodytes, well... they kinda went backward. There's probably a common ancestor but I'm sure as hell not going to look for it." Telamon shakes his head. "But I've never heard of this... big guy, Rafael."

Rafael shakes his head. "Yeah. 'Cause if he comes out, things get tense. Honestly, I'm not even sure he's on Ea, but, well..." He points to where the jungle suddenly thins a bit, and at first it's not even recognizable... until one takes a good look. It's a footprint. Four-toed, like a lizard of some kind.

Except most lizards don't have a footprint that's over ninety feet long.

Rafael drawls, "No idea what he eats. As far as I know, he doesn't need to. Least I've never seen him dreaming of food."

Cor'lana looks at the footprint and she pales. Which is a feat, considering she's already fairly pale, but it's like her ghost has partially left her.

But Pothy just makes a curious noise as he looks out over at the footprint. "He probably would eat some big snacks," he says with a giggle.

Cor'lana curls her arm around Telamon defensively--although it's pretty clear it's for her own state of mind rather than his. As though keeping close to her equally-as-small-in-the-eyes-of-a-ginormous-entity fiance will solve their problems. "I don't think I want him to come out, either," she says.

Telamon's eyes go wide as he absorbs the sheer size of that footprint. "I... yes. I think we're quite happy to not see what left that footprint. Gods!" He can't help but cuddle close to Cor'lana as well, a little unnerved. "How does anything that big live?"

Rafael shrugs. "Got me, kid. Like I said, when he's on the move, it pretty much doesn't matter what's in the way. Even his dreams are pretty intimidating." The jungle is thinning out, into another clearing. "Okay, we're coming up close... hang on, this next bit is even weirder. But at least it won't involve tentacles."

Transition, a lurch. And now it's an alien landscape, a vast plain of grey and brown. The sky above is dark and full of stars, but a chunk of the sky is dominated by a strange world hanging overhead, banded in colors of cream and orange and brown, shifting ever so slightly.

"Just no cloakers, please," Cor'lana murmurs. "I'll cover Pothy's eyes if I have to."

Pothy looks at Cor'lana with a deadpan expression. "Lana, I witnessed your mother turning people into desiccated husks of corpses. I've been around for a long time. I can handle it. Besides, covering my eyes might not help if we're dealing with cosmic horrors." Somehow, the five-year-old cherubic voice manages to pronounce 'desiccated' perfectly.

"Right. I have to remember you're... Well, I mean, Mom called you a child, but only terms of your attitude." Cor'lana returns to looking over at the strange landscape, looking at all the stars in the sky.

She leans her head onto Telamon's shoulder. "At least it's kind of pretty... if weird," she comments.

"Probably not my first choice for a honeymoon spot," Telamon admits. "For starters, doesn't look like there's a good tavern or inn out here." He grins, giving Cor'lana a squeeze. "Where are we, Rafael?"

Despite the bizarre surroundings, the wagon and its beast roll onward. Rafael grins. "Man, I don't even know. But the Watcher's set up here for a change. Something about needing to get a little distance so he could study the bigger picture." He shrugs. "Maybe someday someone from Ea will come here in person. Or not."

The wagon rolls over a low hill, and the strange conch-shell construction of the Watcher's home sits in a valley. Dust kicked up by the wagon's beast puffs briefly and then settles down again, as it rolls forward.

"Oh! This is the Watcher man who gave you your magic talent like how ----- gave me to Lana's ancestor!" Pothy says excitedly. The name he says comes out purely as white noise.

"I mean, would we really need a good tavern or inn, considering we'd probably be cooped inside doing--" Cor'lana begins to say, but then she looks over at Pothy and gives a nervous laugh. "--doing crossword puzzles!"

"Oh, I love crossword puzzles!" Pothy says cheerfully.

Cor'lana just gives Telamon another look that says everything that she can't actually say: (Oh gods, help.) But her eyes wander back to the Watcher's home. She seems much happier to have spotted the familiar construction. "Here's hoping he doesn't mind Pothy dropping in," she says.

Rafael flicks a look back at Pothy. "You keep tossing that name around, they might notice, y'know." Letting that sink in, he guides the wagon towards the strange building.

"Not exactly, Pothy," Telamon explains. "The Watcher... didn't give me the talent. He predicted I would be born, and he took steps to make sure it happened. Which included... healing Feadril. It's... complicated, I think. You'll understand when you meet him."

He looks over Pothy's head at Cor'lana, and can't help but grin at her, giving her a wink, before commenting, "I can't imagine he'd object. He's fairly reasonable."

Pothy looks at Rafael with a look that's sort of sad. "Boy, I wish that would happen. It's tough being on your own for so long," he says. "Just me and my best friends, the inheritors, who... all have to leave one day. My creator and I haven't spoken in so long."

Cor'lana looks over at Pothy and purses her lips. She actually leans over and hugs the poor boy. "Hey, I'll be around a while. Don't worry about me, okay?" she says, soothingly. It's like a big sister doting on their little brother.

"I know," Pothy murmurs into Cor'lana's ear. He accepts the hug and squeezes her before releasing her. He's giving her a boyish little smile now.

The wagon comes to a stop next to the building, and when it does, part of the wall seems to tessellate and fold away, a doorway opening in it. An invitation. Telamon levers himself off the side of the wagon, and then reaches out to help Cor'lana and Pothy down. "Thanks for the ride, Rafael."

"No problem, kid. And hey, Apotheosis... Pothy..." The strange man looks at the boy-raven, and offers a slightly crooked grin. "It works out in time, you know. And you know... sometimes you can find anything you've lost in dreams."

With that bit of odd advice, he flicks the reins, and the wagon rolls off... fading into the dark and the gray. Telamon squares his shoulders, looking to the others. "Ready?"

"Thanks, Rafael," Cor'lana says with a smile--both for the advice given to Pothy, and for the ride. When Telamon helps her down, Cor'lana actually scoops Pothy into her arms before hopping down from the wagon--which is a bit of a feat, as five-year-olds are a bit old for carrying, but she makes it work. It's either a big sister or a maternal instinct at play there that makes it happen. She sets Pothy back down on the ground. "I think we're ready," she says--

And then Pothy tackle-hugs Telamon's legs. "I promised a hug for you, too!" he says with a snicker. "That man driving the wagon was really nice! And the ride was fun."

Cor'lana can't help but grin. "You got lucky, Pothy. He can be a little... growly. And strange."

Telamon wraps his arms around Pothy in turn, as his legs are hugged. "He's not a bad man, just... strange. And cautious. He wanders some very dangerous places and I think it's made him a little twitchy." He strokes Pothy's hair gently. "Supposedly he was mad, once upon a time when he was alive. Now... well, who knows?"

He smiles gently at Cor'lana, before taking her hand -- his other taking Pothy's, as they walk through the doorway. Smoothly, the door closes behind them, sealing off the alien landscape.

Within, the decor is slightly different. There are smooth white extrusions that look like benches, kind of. And then the familiar voice, but clearer now.

((Greetings, friend Telamon, friend Cor'lana, and friend Apotheosis.))

Pothy holds onto Telamon's hand, more than happy to stay by his side. The strange white-haired boy could, if he had a more mortal-typical skin tone, and had the pointed ears so typical of being half-sil, pass almost for Telamon and Cor'lana's child with how light his hair is. His little hand feels warm in Telamon's hand.

Cor'lana smiles at the 'voice' of the Watcher floating into her head. It's not so jarring when you're used to it. "Hello, Watcher," she says. "I hope you've been doing well--Rafael said you'd moved? It's nice here."

Who knows if extraplanar entities have a concept of nice real estate or not.

Gradually, the Watcher descends, floating downward. The alien, yet familiar form, like a jellyfish grown to some strange size and given wisdom, as he regards the trio with those dark eyes.

((I felt it necessary-obligated. There are...))

It pauses, considering.

((...threats. I will not name some of them. But it is wise to sometimes remain mobile-evasive.))

Tentacles curl and move in an endless pattern, as the Watcher drifts closer.

((Welcome to my home, regardless.))

Telamon straightens up slightly. "You were calling to me. The shape in the night. I know you wouldn't merely summon me to discuss the weather..."

"Shape in the night?" Cor'lana asks, turning to Telamon with a curious brow. "What do you mean? You don't mean that barn owl from the other night, do you?"

It's Pothy's turn to look confused, the boy looking up at Cor'lana with big blue eyes. "Barn owl? ...Have you been seeing other birds lately, Lana?" But he snickers afterwards to prove it's just the boy being silly. He looks up at the Watcher and gives him a little wave with his free hand. "Hi Watcher. I'm Pothy. Can you tell me what you are so I can catalogue you correctly in my library? ...And maybe give me a snack, too? It helps me remember where I put things in my library."

"Pothy, I don't think the Watcher has any snacks to give you," Cor'lana says, suppressing a grin. "Telamon is here for an important purpose."

Telamon shakes his head. "When the Watcher tried to speak to me at first, remember? He appeared in my dreams as a giant figure. Mostly because we... couldn't exactly speak the same language, in dreams." He cocks an eyebrow at the Watcher. "It's... clearer now, than it was."

((Indeed. You are grasping the music of the spheres, friend Telamon. The voices of creation, where stars are forged.))

A pause, then the voice of the Watcher becomes different. It's like the blossoming of a flower, fused with the sun rising, given audible form.

((For in the words of Creation can be found the wisdom unending.)) <Celestial>

Telamon rocks back, his expression confused. "I... understood that? How...?"

The Watcher doesn't answer initially, instead bringing its deep dark eyes onto Pothy.

((I know you, Apotheosis. Cast out your fears. All knowledge is blessed, and so you are blessed in the sight of -----.))

Again, the static.

((I am called in the language of Ea a flumph. It is our gift and our burden to defend worlds from the terrible things that lurk between the stars.))

Pothy looks rather content with this situation and with the Watcher's words. "A flumph! Hmmm... Oh! I know flumphs. I think an inheritor from five generations before Cor'lana had a run-in with one..."

He squints a little. "That wasn't you, right? I think we were in a cave, and I was eating a mushroom. It made me see pretty colors."

"Oh gods, who fed you mushrooms?" Cor'lana replies with a quiet panic, before she looks back up at the Watcher. She looks a little confused. "I didn't understand that line--what did the Watcher say, Tel?" she asks, curious.

Telamon gapes at the Watcher, before closing his mouth. "He said... it's a little hard to translate. 'In the words of creation can be found wisdom eternal.' It's... a little more poetic than that." He furrows his brow. "How do I know this?"

The Watcher's tendrils shift and move.

((It is ordained. As you draw upon the stars, and your talent, there will be more than mere magic. Your mind is ... receptive, friend Telamon. You are skilled in language, and so it is that you grasp the first truth: that the beginning of wisdom is understanding. And by coming here, you have grasped the second truth: that one must carry the light of wisdom into many places -- whether one's own dreams or deep into the realms of darkness.))

Telamon swallows slowly. "You said... when we met... it would be partnership. That you would help. Is this part of it?"

((Yes.))

Cor'lana looks between the Watcher and Telamon for a long moment. Without realizing it, she puts her hand on her curuchuil mark, handily exposed by the low neckline of her outfit, which mimics her Grandfather's usual mode of dress. "It sounds like you're on the verge of something like what I have with my Grandfather--although I doubt that the Watcher would offer you a blood pact."

Pothy looks seriously at Telamon. "Just don't be like Lana and rush into it willy-nilly without telling her about it!" he says. "Otherwise she'll be super upset and cry a lot. I'm serious."

"Pothy, that'd be really hypocritical of me to get upset at him for that," Cor'lana says. She offers Telamon a smile. "I'm okay with what you want to do--so long as you're comfortable with what's happening here."

((It is not a pact. I cannot grant powers. I can give guidance though.))

The Watcher's tentacles twitch a bit in what looks like agitation.

((His powers are part of him. He hears the music of the spheres, the whispers of distant stars and the silent voice that only says 'LIVE'.))

Telamon runs his hand through his hair. "I... alright. It's not a pact. What will comes next, Watcher?" He looks at the strange, inscrutable creature, before offering Cor'lana and Pothy a grateful smile. Moral support is always appreciated.

((You will carry the burden on your shoulders, but understand you do not carry it alone. You have friends. Allies. There are no easy choices -- only the ability to live with those choices and to see oneself in the mirror and not recoil from one's reflection.))

Cor'lana smiles at Telamon, squeezing the hand she's held onto all this time. "That's right. You aren't alone--just like when we came here before, you weren't alone then, and I insisted on you taking me along with you again. We even got engaged between now and then... So you're never going to bear any of this alone."

She gives him a more coy look as she says, "Also, I've seen you in the mirror and you look pretty good. Nothing to recoil from." She kisses him playfully on the cheek.

"You give me snacks, so I like you, Telamon," Pothy says. Very helpful show of support, Pothy.

Telamon blushes. "I... don't think that's quite what he meant. But thank you. Both of you." He turns to look up at the Watcher. "What ... what's going to happen, Watcher?"

((Something wonderful. I understand how you feel. But it will all be clear to you in time -- the whole thing. It's wonderful.))

There's something almost joyous in the Watcher's voice -- the happiness in seeing something new and amazing take form.

((To carry the light into dark places, just as I have done. I envy you.))

Cor'lana continues to squeeze Telamon's hand. She looks at him like he's the most beautiful person--maybe the most beautiful thing, period--she's ever seen, grinning at him in a full and wide smile. "See? I keep telling you you're special, Telamon--more than just to me, though. You mean something wonderful to everyone."

"It's true," Pothy replies. "Not that there's a reason why the Watcher would lie to you, but it's true. Just like Lana, you're meant for something important, I think."

"Even Pothy agrees. So that means it has to be true," Cor'lana says. "Whatever it is... I'll be there. I promise."

Telamon looks at the others again, squeezing Cor'lana's hand in return. "Alright then..." His eyes turn to the Watcher, who is... moving its tendrils in some strange pattern, before drawing forth what looks like pure sunlight in its woven tentacles.

((Take it. The light continues to shine and grow stronger with every one who carries it, and a single candle can break the deepest gloom.))

Telamon gently frees his hand from Cor'lana's, and offers them up, cupped. It looks almost like the Watcher is pouring that light into Telamon's hands, a golden glow that shines brighter.

((Fear no darkness, friend Telamon. You are a child of the stars; the dark shall hold no terrors for one such as you.))

The glow gradually diminishes, though it still seems to cling to Telamon's fingertips, like a dusting of glitter perhaps. "I hope this isn't goodbye, Watcher."

((No. Only 'until again', when we meet.))

Cor'lana watches all of this happen, her eyes going wide as she beholds the light flowing into Telamon's hands. But soon the glow dissipates, and her gaze lingers on Telamon for a long moment before she looks at the Watcher.

"We will meet again, Watcher," she says, a firm nod to that. "I'll make sure Telamon comes back here--and hopefully, it won't take so long to come back this time around. We were lucky on our way here."

"Are we leaving now?" Pothy asks with a frown. "I liked being here. You're nice to talk to. I like your funny tendrils, too."

((My home is always open to you, friends. But for now... it is time to awaken, and face a new day.))

The Watcher's tentacles raise in a clear gesture of farewell.

((Until then, starborn friend. Carry hope and light wherever it is needed.))

Telamon is blushing again -- he can't help it -- but he steps back to put his arms around Cor'lana and Pothy. "Thank you, Watcher. I'll see you again soon." He presses a kiss to Cor'lana's brow, as the tower shimmers, blurs... fades...

...into the gentle light of dawn, creeping in through the window of the Lúpecyll-Atlon home.