Welcome to Gaia! ::

Patterns of frost lined the outside of the shop windows as Granny worked, the scent of cider in the air as she began an early spring cleaning. She had already scrubbed the floors and gone through her inventory, finding items for catchers she had thought she'd forgotten, all of which now had a new place to call home until they were needed.

It left the afternoon open and free for anyone to come along without interrupting her or her work.

"The door's open!" a voice, only slightly familiar, called. Granny was in back as the floor dried, checking on the cider that was wonderful on a cold snowy day. The woman stepped into the shop's main room at the sight of one of her special customers, nodding at Randi as she stepped inside.

"Ah. Randi, correct? I believe you have a catcher of mine."

Granny nodded, gesturing to a nearby seat for her guest so that they could be comfortable. She could sense another important talk coming up, especially since the catcher that she was seeing from a distance was a special one.

"I see. And how are your dreams? Have you used it?"

Granny nodded as she listened to Randi, watching the woman with careful consideration as she alluded to a dream that was returning from the past. Granny knew the signs of a special visitor in a person's dreams and was not surprised to hear Randi reach the conclusion that she had.

"Tell me about your dream. There was a dog in it, ye?" Now that Randi was comfortable, they woman went back behind her the desk that had seen much love and wear over the years. She was retrieving a length of black thread, along with a sharp pair of scissors and several different types of beads.

"Footsteps?" Granny raised a brow as she finished sorting her items and turned her attention back to her guest. "And do you ever find any other clues of who your visitor is?"

"I see." Granny didn't seem all that surprised that Randi's dream had no further clues for her to follow. Raising a hand out to the girl, she nodded to the dream catcher she held so carefully. "May I?"

Granny took the dream catcher without a word, just a thoughtful hum as she turned to the desk and began to rummage around in her desk for something else. It was a very vague dream, but after examining the catcher for a few moments, the woman was fairly certain she had an idea what was needed.

Just to be sure, she ran her finger along the frame another time, then looked over to Randi with a knowing smile. "Oh, I'm sure you'll find out more soon enough." She plucked what appeared to be a piece of jewelry from her desk and set it aside, then picked up the scissors and snipped out the threads that were currently in the catcher. Once done, she measured out a new length of cord, counting out several beads to add to it before weaving the pattern from before.

"You aren't likely to see your guest unless they want to be seen for a while longer," she revealed, not looking up just yet as she wound the cord and fiddled with beads. But as the subject turned to important matters, Granny looked up at Randi as she spoke.

"The reason your dreams are so different - the reason I gave you this catcher in the first place - is because of the Oneiroi.

"They area a type of spirit that feeds on dreams; they need your dreams as much as you do. While some are less kind than others, that remains a universal truth. Once you have been selected, they cannot break the bond without something severe and likely tragic. All you can do now is adjust to it, which this catcher will help with."

“Fortunately for you, your dream is rather benevolent and mild,” Granny agreed with a nod. She was glad that Randi was able to keep up with her so far. Sometimes people just didn't or couldn't grasp her information, the need for logic outweighing the belief that there was more to the world they were in.

“They stick to a certain dream. There's a certain emotion that is strong enough to draw them, anything from hate to love to nostalgia or peace. It sounds like yours might be a mix of latter. They will feed until they are strong enough to part on their own, so I would recommend getting along with them as best you can until then.” There was a glint of silver as she worked the jewelry she had pulled out into the weave, carefully maneuvering the piece with precision that came from more years of practice than Randi had been alive.