birds singing in the sycamore tree

[baedalites]

As night falls on Baedal, the city is almost quiet. The streets have a few last minute workers returning home, but by now, most citizens have already gone by the temples and picked up their vurt, ready to lay down and dream.

After placing a not-feather in one's mouth, there's a moment where it fizzes against the tongue before sliding coolly down the back of the throat and pulling the user down into sleep. A series of impressions, more sensation than anything concrete, appears before the user and this is how one chooses which Dreamer to enter.

Comments

[leviohhhhsa]

Hermione needs a break. And she's getting one, perched on one of the vine swings- not to actually swing, she's still prissy and perhaps excessively sensible even in dreams, but just to sit, breathing deeply and taking the time to do...nothing.

She looks like she always does, just less tired and without any frown lines- and with a red and gold scarf wrapped around her neck.

She hasn't noticed it's there. It just seems natural.

[greatestofthese]

Charity, on the other hand, is swinging quite happily across the way, though not too energetically, since she has a plate of pastries balanced on her lap.

"I never did manage to get in touch with you after I saw you on the network, during the... whatever that was," she says. "I managed to break my leg again, like an idiot. How have you been, Ms. Granger?"

[leviohhhhsa]

Hermione looks over at her with not-quite-surprise, because no one's surprised by things in dreams and because she's distinctly calmer here. For once, she's not exuding an attitude of having her mind on a thousand things at once, flitting anxiously between concerns- rather, she seems focused and in charge of herself.

She's like this in real life sometimes, admittedly- when she feels bravest and brightest.

"Professor," she says, looking delighted. "Gosh, it's wonderful to see you. I've been-"

How has she been?

"-busy," she finishes, eyebrows up, almost wry; it's taken her a while to fully understand humour as a coping mechanism, but a bit of dry understatement never hurt anybody.

[greatestofthese]

"I imagine so. It does seem to often be rather... busy around here, but perhaps I am one of those cursed to live in interesting times, as they say." Pause. "Or not live. I'm not entirely sure what my exact metaphysical state of being is, currently, but it's good enough for me, anyway."

[leviohhhhsa]

"Live," Hermione says firmly, almost fervently. It feels like after everything, it's best to be sure about these things, and not to quibble over maybes and might have beens; she's alive, end of story, nothing more to worry about.

"Thankfully. What happened with your leg?"

[controlledvariable]

Steph is definitely swinging, and she's now upside down beside Hermione, her legs hooked around a vine to stop her from falling to the ground. She'd seen Hermione in the distance, and come over to say hello. She's still wearing the smoke dress, and it stays curling around her ankles like gravity isn't a big deal.

She also has a piece of fruit that looks like a peach, but tastes sweeter, which she holds out to Hermione, "You should try this stuff, it's great."

Now if only there was a fruit that tasted like waffles.

[leviohhhhsa]

She jumps at Steph's sudden appearance and then laughs. "You should try being the right way up, it's great," Hermione retorts, jokingly exasperated and smiling, taking the peach-that-isn't and inspecting it.

"What's it called, do you know?" she asks, fiddling idly with her scarf and frowning at it- because she does like to have all the facts.

[controlledvariable]

"I'm taking advantage of the fact my blood won't rush to my head," Because dream gravity only exists how Steph wants it to. Take that, gravity, Steph has finally defeated you.

She smirks, which looks a little odd upside down, but whatever, "Not telling." She actually has no idea, but it's more fun to pretend she does.

[leviohhhhsa]

"Do you actually know?" she asks, raising her eyebrows and taking a cautious bite, frowning rather deeply for someone undertaking nothing more serious than a bite out of an unknown fruit. (She can tell it's not a peach because of that odd dream logic that tells her it's not, regardless of everything that says it is).

"--oh, it's lovely," she says, with some surprise. Not that she doesn't trust Steph's taste, just that- she doesn't trust anybody's taste.

[controlledvariable]

"Nope!" Cheerfully, and she laughs at Hermione's reaction, "You should learn to trust me. I wouldn't give you anything that tasted terrible."

A pause, "Okay, I might, but only if I thought it would be funny." Steph you are a terrible friend.

[leviohhhhsa]

"Exactly. Which is precisely what a lot of my friends at home would do, too, so you can't blame me at all for being wary," she says. It's actually a little strange for her to talk about specific people back home, and she pauses after she does it, offering Steph a quick and uncertain smile, surprised at herself for sharing.

[controlledvariable]

"All this proves is that you make good choices in friends," It's teasing, but there's a hint of gentleness in it too, in response to Hermione's uncertain smile. It's not actively encouraging her to talk more, it's just sort of an it's okay, in case Hermione does want to keep sharing.