Welcome to Gaia! ::

If anyone is having trouble sleeping after the trip, let me know, okay? ;; I'm a baku, so I might be able to give you a hand if you need it.

Those were words that he was clinging to as he made his way to the demon dorms. The past several days, despite not being inflicted with insanity, had been a mixed confusion of swinging from horribly upset to just numb to everything. Alexander had sent him away, saying that he would find him when the time came. And he had managed to focus on that for two days, when it became obvious that it was just a ruse to get him to leave him alone, despite whatever else was said. Those two days were filled with a mixture of doing anything not to sleep and then crashing. He was almost grateful when he only remembered flashes of the dream. But now he was starting to get tired again, and it scared him. So off to the demon dorms he went.

Miss Xiu-Ying had said that she could possibly help. He was not entirely sure what that entailed, but she was a dream-eater. That had to be something. And any help had to be better than nothing at this point. He could not take sitting alone in his room, doing whatever it took to not sleep for another day. Which left him plagued with questions of why Alexander never showed up, despite that he only left his room when absolutely necessary so he would be there when he arrived. If he could just get one thing taken care of perhaps he could cope with the other.

He had only been to her room the one time, but once he was in the dormitory he found his way there with relative ease, oblivious to the suspicious glowers from more than one gnome. There was only the slightest hesitation when he got to her door. Then he rapped on the door smartly and waited, hoping that she would actually be in.

Even though it had really not been that long since he had knocked it was as if each second was a lingering moment. What was he really doing? He had not told anyone about these dreams, not even Alexander.

Or perhaps...especially Alexander. Perhaps he had thought that if he did not acknowledge these dreams that eventually they would go away or at least stop bothering him. But they simply seemed to get worse, and he had no where else to turn. And Miss Xiu-Ying...he could trust her, she was a good sort of ghoul. And she had sent out that message on Groanspring after all, so hopefully she would not mind his plea for help.

When the door finally (it had to have been at least 10 seconds) opened and there she was. He looked down at the petite ghoul and tried to match her smile, though it did not quite work. "Greetings Miss Xiu-Ying," he murmured.

"Thank you," he gave her a slight bow before stepping into her room, not really wanting to stay out in the hallway for this. He turned to her, hesitated, and then just began forcing the words out before he could back out. "Do...do you remember the message you posted on Groanspring? About anyone who may have been having trouble sleeping?" His expression was somewhat haunted, and it was obvious that he was not there to simply discuss her online social life.

The feel of an affectionate minipet twining around his ankles was calming in its own way. He crouched enough that he could reach out and pet her for a moment as he waited to ear the baku's answer, trying not to show his obvious relief when she confirmed that her offer still stood, even for him. He headed toward the couch without question, too worn out mentally to protest and try to help her with the tea, which she would be much better at than he could ever be.

He took a seat and waited for her, attention focused on Shu and Jian, hands folded a bit oddly so that his hand was cradled in his other hand, palm up. He looked up, eyes tracking her as she sat down the tray though he made no movement to get a cup as she perched next to him on the couch's arm. "Well...not...not exactly Miss Xiu-Ying," he said hesitantly. "I have indeed been having trouble with my sleep, with my dreams to be more precise. But these problems began before the trip."

It was almost difficult to admit, but once he had said it it was out there, and those words were not coming back. And that...that was somewhat of a relief. He was still not relaxed, but he had taken the first step, and that first step was hopefully the hardest.

"That is correct," he confirmed. The islands...that was another set of issues. Issues that he had never managed to focus on fully due to the other problems that he had had. But now...there were dreams and lack of sleep to try to avoid them, the worry that Alexander had still not shown up because he did not wish to be with him anymore, the responsibility that he had to Miss Danny. But if these dreams would just go away he could work on the rest.

If she gave him a temporary fix...he could get some actual rest for once...he could be rejuvenated to deal with things. But...this had gone on for weeks. Temporary fixes would not cut it, he needed free of these dreams...could anything so blissful be considered a nightmare?

But...a permanent fix meant that she would know his dreams? That he would need to tell her about them and she may see them? He stared down at his hands, eyes focused on a small ring around his pinkie. No, he had to be strong. Whatever that took. "I believe that a permanent fix is necessary Miss Xiu Ying. Just...please do not...do not think if me too harshly."

He took a deep breath, steeling himself. "I fled from the Mantodae. Few try to escape, and I do not know if any managed to. But in my dreams..." he gulped, finding it difficult to talk about. He just needed to do it and get it over with. "In my dreams I go back. Or I never left to begin with. But the problem is...I am happy in those dreams." He sounded absolutely miserable as he kept talking. "These dreams were disturbing enough but...I do not recognize others in my dreams. And sometimes I do...bad things to those I care about. And I am happy to do so. It was my duty," he stressed, trying to make her understand why he would do bad things like that.

Her initial reassurances helped somewhat. If he had no control over it maybe...no he could not believe that it was okay. But maybe it was not as bad as he feared. Perhaps there was not something fundamentally wrong with him. He gave a small nod as he soaked up the words, clinging to them as if she was offering him a lifeline.

But now Miss Xiu-Ying had a look on her face as she seemed to be thinking about what to do with the situation. She could guide his dream? Guide him away from doing something awful? That sounded promising...but...

He almost blanched at the idea of her entering his dreams. The things that she might see, his past, his potential future...that was bad enough. "But what if I were to hurt you in my dream?" he all but blurted out. He had not hesitated to kill others he cared about in his dreams, and if she was there would she be next? Looking down he could not help but ask another question, quietly. Resigned. "Is that the only way that these dreams can be stopped? And would you face any repercussions if you give such assistance?"

The miniature heaters at his feet and Miss Shu, Princess Eva's friend, were welcome indeed. He reached out to pet her, careful of his claws as he rubbed her gently behind her ears, not really thinking about hiding anything any longer. Hearing her talk...yes, she was a baku. This was what her species did. And she was used to these types of things. Well, if one could ever be used to something like this.

And well, she was a ghoul, so maybe that would offer her some protection even if he did not recognize her. "So...um...when would we do this? And how?" Really he just wanted to know as much as possible before trying something like this. Quite frankly...it terrified him. Having a ghoul inside his head, messing with things, even if it was only a dream. But the alternative was worse, much worse, and at this point he would welcome the intrusion. And now that he knew there was nothing that could permanently harm her well...it needed to happen. He could not avoid sleep like the plague and try to survive constantly on edge, constantly exhausted. Not if he was going to keep his promises and protect those close to him.

The last tea that Miss Xiu-Ying had worked wonderfully, though by the sound of it this one was much stronger. He trusted her, not once considering that the ghoul would give him something harmful until she mentioned it, and even then not really giving it much thought.

As for when? He could probably manage to not sleep until the next day, though he had no idea of when Alexander might attempt to contact him again. It bothered him slightly that the zomboil might show up while he was gone, but this needed to be done. "I believe that today would be preferable, simply to get this over with." At the thought of it being so soon his stomach began to churn a bit nervously. "Oh but if you need to have any time to prepare yourself we can do it a bit later...I do not wish to inconvenience you if you had any other plans."

This entire ordeal was stressful. But then another thought occurred to him. "And of course I do not expect you to do this without some form of repayment. If you ever need anything I will do my best to assist you as well. Or I can try to save up money for you."

Miss Xiu-Ying was busy preparing the tea, and the light rustle and clatter from the other room was what Yin tried to focus on. As he waited his nerves began to eat at him more and more. She would be in his dreams, she would see what he was capable of there. And right now? What was he thinking? What if Alexander tried to find him?

But she was back and telling him he needed to make himself comfortable. He spared a glance toward her bed, which looked comfortable, but he quite honestly would be more comfortable not settled in a ghoul's bed, though he had been on Miss Danny's before. "I am fine where I am, thank you." Now more than ever he was thankful that she was getting him tea, because he was not sure if he could fall asleep on his own as tense as he was. He shifted a bit to bring his feet up, careful that he did not accidentally kick any minipets.

After a moment she was back, tea in hand and he took it from her with a murmured thanks, breathing in some of the steam before taking a sip though he could barely smell it. The flavor was a bit different than any tea he had ever had, but it was good and he managed a small smile before he took another sip. Even as he drank he began to feel exhausted, and there was still a bit of the hot liquid left in the cup when he set it down and laid back, eyes closing of their own accord.

It was far too easy to just get lost in the simply pleasures. The pumpkin sun was blissfully warm today, which was odd to note because it was rarely cool, and never outright cold here. Miss Jiā Tíng had been begging for them to all take a picnic together, and finally her mothers' had consented. He carried a few items, a thin blanket for the three ghouls to sit on, tea, basic seasonings and utensils for cooking, though naturally he would be hunting once they reached their designated spot. He was a few paces behind them, Miss Jiā Tíng holding on to both Mistress Shi-Ru and his bonded, Mistress Ah-Lam, chattering away happily.

They passed a suitable clearing but Miss Jiā Tíng wanted to go on and they continued until they found a nice peaceful place in the woods. The three ghouls stood by visiting as he laid out the blanket and poured them cups of tea, making sure they were settled before he would begin his hunt.