R* [PRP] Harbinger (Dulcet Salon Appointment)

[Ellanoire]

All the stars had aligned just right for this day. All the signs were just right too. And the visions in her dreams had confirmed it. Today was a day Serenity would have the clarity needed to hear about the dreams that others had and advise them. Such days were getting a little more common, as she become more and more practiced. Perhaps partially due to the fact she suddenly had so many more noulicorn to practice on. While she'd know Myanha and her family since foalhood, the Salon was a new addition.

It seemed that many of her friend's clients were also interested in dream reading, so Serenity was now operating out of the Salon, but only on days that were auspicious. One didn't read dreams on days where the stars weren't properly aligned after all.

It was a strangely crisp day, after a string of sweltering ones. Serenity was glad to have the cover of the woven roof, it seemed perfectly cozy. She'd advised a few noulicorns already, and now it was nearly lunch. Four does were lounging nearby, enjoying having their manes plaited by faeries. She's already read dreams for two of them. Both were clearly anxious to hear news about the love lives, and Serenity was only too happy to provide guidance. The signs had been clear.

Now she simply nibbled on some mint leaves, waiting for the next noulicorn who would be in need of her services. She was quite sure there'd be more today. It felt like a day where many would need help interpreting their dreams ...

moonrazor

 

[MoonRazor]

Cinder had been having dreams. That in itself was not a concern, but these felt like ominous dreams and they had plagued her since that truly unfortunately journey to find the missing Council members. Seeing those horrid beasts - the supposedly native ones - that had been resurrected had been a jarring wake-up call, one that had shown Cinder not only that noulicorns were not as secure in their position as they had thought, but also that the Council was willing to sacrifice an untold number of them for what they considered the greater good.

Well. That was all truly terrifying, and never before had Cinder felt so driven to achieve her goals and ascend to the Council. In her lifetime, she couldn't remember another moment in which their leaders had done something that had scared her and shaken her to her very core. But this was it. The fundamental trust she had had in their wise leaders felt utterly broken. Did the Council exist to serve Vykeli only? Or did it also exist to serve the noulicorns under its protection? More and more, Cinder felt as if it was difficult to tell.

Today, Cinder was on a mission. She wasn't sure how much news had leaked back into Homewood, but with her previously unwavering trust broken, she wasn't sure how much the Council would tell the inhabitants of the forest. Would they risk panic? Would they admit they were wrong? Perhaps not, and Cinder felt it was her responsibility as a first-hand witness to spread the word.

The best place to do that was in a highly-frequented spot, one that the nobility of Homewood liked to visit both for services and for gossip. She knew the perfect place to begin, and hurried her way to the Dulcet Salon early in the morning, hoping to sneak her own gossip in early. Every listening ear mattered. The doe poked her head into the salon. "Hello?" she asked, peering about.

Ellanoire

 

[Ellanoire]

Serenity was finishing up her mint as the snout of an adept peaked under the pergola. She didn't think Myanha had any scheduled appointments just yet, so perhaps this was someone who needed their dreams read. Serenity extricated herself from the mossy tuffet she'd been reclining on. Only the best in the Dulcet, after all. She trotted towards the newcomer. She was still nervous approaching strangers, but she just had a feeling this one was here to see her. "Welcome to the Dulcet Salon. Are you here for an appointment, or have you come to have your dream read?" From the corner of her eye she could see the other patrons perk up. They simply loved to hear the messages in the dreams of others. Made for something to talk about, after all.

She tilted her head, and nodded towards the mossy tuffets. "If you're hear for a dream reading, I can see you now. It's an auspicious day for dream readings. The signs are very clear. All you need to do is tell me of your dream, with as much detail as you can muster." Serenity drifted back to her comfortable spot, and settled herself in. Either this newcomer was here for her, or she wasn't.

moonrazor

 

[MoonRazor]

Cinder hadn't even thought of getting her dreams interpreted. Perhaps it was because she'd known that dream readers tended to work only on specific, relatively unpredictable days, and she hadn't expected that one such day would line up conveniently with her visit.

But now that the offer was out there... She did a quick, sweeping glance at the other patrons, who had all quietly perked up, trying and failing to be subtle about their interest. This was as good a venue for spreading the word as Cinder could have asked for. She nodded at the other doe, and made her way toward the tuffets.

"I would love a dream reading, thank you," she said, not working overly hard to keep her voice to a hush. "In my dream, it was dark, darker even than night. There were faces illuminated by a sourceless light - gleaming eyes, giant fangs. These faces towered over Homewood, like they were looming above the trees. There was nobody else in the forest. I couldn't find them, perhaps? But it was me, alone in this clearing, looking up to see the faces. And in the blink of an eye, the forest was gone and I was... elsewhere. On a hill covered in dead trees."

Ellanoire

 

[Ellanoire]

Serenity settled herself in, and listened closely. A good dream reader needed to listen to exactly what their client was telling them, or if was all for naught. She nodded slowly, not interjecting anything.

A soft frown settled onto her face. "Those are certainly signs. Is change happening in your life? A change that makes you uncomfortable?" She tilted her head slightly, considering the details. "Is the change making you feel alone, like only you can act against it? Grandfather Tree sends us these signs for good reason. So we can consider our path."

moonrazor

 

[MoonRazor]

Cinder fell silent, listening to to Serenity's answer. She wasn't sure how much she had believed in dream reading before, but the way this doe had picked up on small, unspoken hints behind the images in her dream... It seemed impressive, to say the least, and unsettling in its accuracy. She found herself nodding, doing her best not to peek at how intently the other patrons were listening.

"Changes. Yes," she said in agreement. "Big changes, I would say." The doe took a breath, letting in out in a shaky exhale. This was the hard part. This was where she'd have to revisit what had actually happened on that journey to recover the Ascended noulicorns who had been kidnapped by the Bone Crushers.

"I went on a mission recently. I was roped into a group that went to hunt for Brightheart and several other Ascended who had been attacked," she said. "The Council resurrected a horrific predator, something native to Vykeli, but which has the ability to hunt noulicorns on a scale never before seen with dire rats or catbeasts. They ate someone. They almost at the other Ascended..."

Cinder swallowed, feeling lightheaded as she remembered seeing Brightheart emerge from that cave with her wings in tatters. They had come so close to losing so many of their leaders.

"I... I suppose it does feel like I'm the only one who can do anything - or one of few, anyway. I'm afraid that the news - the real news - won't travel quickly enough through Homewood. We think most of them are in the Ruins now, but... there is at least one that we think is still out there." She peered about carefully at the other patrons. Surely, that would give them something to think about. "Dream reader, is there anything I must do in the face of this challenge? Any way for me to... help?"

Ellanoire

 

[Ellanoire]

Serenity watched her patron's body language, and it put her on edge. Cinder was clearly carrying something big. It made sense that her dreams would reflect that. But as she listened, Serenity began to blanch, and had to fight the desire to recoil. Serenity didn't think that Cinder was trying to deceive her, so if what she was saying was true, something incredibly disturbing was going on. "You aren't speaking about a dream are you?" That was the only stick Serenity could grasp at. Could the council actually have released something as dangerous as that into Homewood? And just kept silent about it? Serenity gulped. She closed her eyes. She could hear the other patrons behind her shift and begin to whisper.

Serenity's stomach roiled with this revelation. Here they sat in the lap of luxury, while some beast was stalking prey? Possibly engaging in murder right now? It was a lot to take in, and Serenity could feel herself shaking. "Grandfather Tree wouldn't have put you there if you couldn't do something to help." Her voice was barely a whisper, and there was fear in her eyes. "Maybe you are meant to be the one that spreads this news, like a messenger."

The world almost seemed to spin around Serenity. If what this doe was saying was true it meant no one was safe, even here, in the very heart of Homewood. "Perhaps we all must act as messengers now."

moonrazor

 

[MoonRazor]

A grim, tight-lipped expression settled on Cinder's face as she nodded in the affirmative. "The journey was too horrifically real, much as I wish it wasn't," she said. If the memory hadn't stiffened her up, she might have sighed. But now was not the time to wallow in self-pity.

"A messenger," she said, her gaze sliding sideways to catch Serenity's. She hadn't thought of that before. As much as Cinder wished to respect the Council and its decisions, the truth was that there were certainly Ascended who had supported the resurrection of the Bone Crushers, and she feared that those voices would try to rationalize the horror that had unfolded as a result.

"Perhaps you're right," she said in agreement, feeling the beginnings of... a thought forming. Would they need to rally? Get noulicorns up in arms? Demand safety protocols? Self defense training? Somehow, some way, they would have to take action. Cinder rose, surreptitiously glancing about, feeling some small measure of satisfaction when she noticed the low whisper rippling through the salon. "I wish I wasn't the bringer of such bad news, but thank you. You've given me much to think about. And perhaps the more this news spreads, the more ready we'll all be when the inevitable first attack happens."

Ellanoire

 

[ll Grandfather Tree ll]

REDEEMED : Ellanoire

rolling for exploration

 

[ll Grandfather Tree ll]

REDEEMED : MoonRazor


you found some seeds!