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Yunomi Stadler     The Undercity of Ravnica is a vast place, with secret niches tucked away into the dark.

    It was in one of those niches that Yunomi sat, hidden away from the rest of the worlds. She dare not sleep in any more noticable places, and busied herself, scribbing in a worn notebook. The wound on her left arm had stopped its festering -- after cauterization. That scar was bubbling with blisters, painful, but she kept telling herself that the pain would keep her awake.

    She underestimated exhaustion. Her head dipped, her eyes flagging as she leaned back against the wall, her only source of light clinging to her shoulder before the little ball of magic finally fades out.

    She had been afraid of the dreams. Running through the underdark, the roars of angry dragons behind her, the hatred of those she loved like fire at her back. Thainel rebuilt, with razor sharp claws meant to tear his student to shreds, Sidonia, armed and ready to take her head and paired with the magic eater Ijiwaru who hunted her even now. Ryx.

    Rhapsody.

    And aboe her, booming commands and knowing exactly where she was was the memory of Niv-Mizzet. She hit a dead end, her hands spalying against a spiked wall, but her magic wasn't working. She turned, eyes wide as she backed up.

    "THis is a dream, Yunomi, you're still hidden -- wake up. Wake up. /Wake. Up/!"
Merlin     Dreams. For most, a mere manifestation of the unconscious mind's random and pointless nature. For a few, they are a new world of mystery and danger, a realm of rules to be bent around whims. For Merlin...they're much more. A world of everyone, human and fae and more, all at the wizard's will to touch and share. The entire multiverse slept in some form or another, and it was Merlin's occasional pastime to share dreams with another.

    Sometimes it was even useful, to find that which might be lost.

    Waking up was not an option. Magic had failed the tanuki, completely trapped in her human form. The demands on her mind to rouse itself were equally useless. He had seen to that. The sounds above reach a crescendo, and then stop - the sound of an army about to pounce, the momentary pause of a blow readying itself to land. And in that silence, then...there is a sensation.

    When Yunomi turns, the Undercity is gone. When Yunomi turns, there is a sensation of a soft breeze, and the sound of leaves rustling in a forest. When Yunomi turns...there is the feeling of something settling in her hair, tucked over her left ear - a rose, pink and softer than any she'd ever felt before.

    If she turns again, she'll see a certain wizard seated on a tree root, simply observing her with a small smile. A matching silver rose sits in his hair, where she'd tucked one when they'd first met not so long ago."I admit...I do find that flowers suit you so very well," Merlin says.
Yunomi Stadler     Yunomi closes her eyes, trying to will herself to wake up, until she feels a breeze in her hair. Her eyes open, and she turns, seeing not the walls or Lower Ravnica, but forest. Peaceful serene and safe.

    She turns forward again, and there, among the roots is the first friendly face to address her in what seems like a lifetime. She breathes out a confused sounding breath, and reaches up to make sure the rose was a rose... and not something that was going to hurt her.

    Her attention goes back to Merlin, and she swallows, nervously, regarding the mage in her dreams with wariness undeserving of their strange friendship.

    "Yours is not a face I had expected to see." she states quietly, keeping her distance from him.
Merlin     Merlin himself is quite content to settle where he is. It's a dream-forest, so the thick root is quite comfortable and well-shaped for the wizard's well-shaped rear end. Pale eyes take in the tanuki's worn and dirty look, the stress of her real situation starting to settle in her own mental image of herself. That, and she /had/ just been running around in a terrible nightmare.

    The rose is just that - something reminiscent of their first meeting. Their friendship...was new, a seed just recently planted, and Merlin himself was certainly willing to tend it and see what might grow. "I suppose not. Though, I must say that is not a uncommon reaction," he adds, thinking back. "For some time, I was...not a part of the world, and could only find those that needed me in dreams."

    He looks her over, and points his staff at the ground. As if it were an octopus, the tree he sits on raises another root, this one in front of him - a chair, apparently, for her to sit upon. If she wished, anyway. The staff continues, finally pointing at her for a moment before dropping back down to the ground.

    Nothing happens at first - but when Yunomi takes her next breath, there's an invigoration in her soul. It's as if a week of exhaustion no longer exists, and her skin and clothes - clean once more. "All just a dream, my dear. But I imagine it is a feeling you might have missed lately."
Yunomi Stadler     Yunomi feels the burden on her shoulders lift slightly as the staff if pointed to her, and she glances down. Clean, soft clothes. No grime, no threat of fungus... and she closes her eyes, gripping her hands into loose fists before she makes her way over to Merlin. She doesn't meet his gaze, however, the tanuki keeping her eeys firmly down to the ground, to his feet, to the side -- anywhere but the silver haired mage.

    "So, you think appearing to me in dreams is going to be evidence that I /need/ you?" she inquires. She tries to sound tough, but there's no bite in her voice. Weariness. Pain. But no bite.
Merlin     The weariness in her voice is palpable. The lack of teeth as well, but Merlin is as implacable as he is ineffable. A calm patience settles on him, as he watches Yunomi approach. He looks her over, eyes pausing where - in the real world - there's an injury to her arm. It's not really possible to tell /what/ it is, but a wound in reality can intrude into the land of dreams. It's clear there's something bothering her arm.

    A simple shake of his head, but she wouldn't see it. "Not at all. I am merely here looking in on a friend." There's a short pause, before he leans back a little bit and continues. "A friend who /needs/ a little rest, it seems. Sit, you have nothing to fear from me. I am no nightmare to you, my dear."

    There's a gentle smile, and Merlin's already heading off one thing that might worry her. "You are not in the world of men, right now. This is the world of dreams...and we can be anywhere. Or nowhere at all. I have no way to track you or find you, and I cannot do much more than...well, what I already have." He gestures to the clean and comfortable clothing she has.

    "Perhaps you do. Perhaps not." Need is something that could go either way. "But for the time being...perhaps it is best to simply enjoy one peaceful night's sleep, with someone who might be a friend?"
Yunomi Stadler     "... I'm not safe." she whispers, and she draws her eyes up. Dark, blackened. Her ears pin down and she leans forward, her head resting on her hands, her elbows to her knees as she exhales. "I don't have the luxury of sleep while they look for what I've left behind and try to clear away the ashes I've strewn... but..."

    She takes a deep breath.

    "Did... did Thaniel's core survive? Do you know?" she asks, in a very, very soft voice. She tries to not let concern showthrough.
Merlin     The change in her eyes gets noticed, but Merlin says nothing. "Perhaps not in the real world. But I'm sure you've noticed that time is...flexible, in this world. What might seem weeks lasts only minutes." As long as she's willing to stay, the real world will wait. "So you may stay a little while, and refresh yourself. In this, at least."

    She asks her question, and Merlin thinks back. The shattered dragon had rained down everywhere...but there had been a particular large fragment that was quite important, it seemed. "I believe so. A great blue crystal was rescued, and treated as most important. I am afraid I am poorly educated, however, in the ways of the Izzet." And therefore, not one to be directly supporting them. Merlin's on his own, here.

    As she folds up before him, the wizard can only extend a hand, pausing just over her hair. "May I?"
Yunomi Stadler     There was releif in Yunomi's face. She hadn't outright killed her friend, just disabled. She lowers her head slightly, her hands rubbing into her face. Weeks could pass in this place. She could gather herself, make plans... but nothing was coming to mind. She was so tired of running...

    And then Merlin raises a hand, and she feels it hovering over her. Her ears rise up, round, fuzzy ears poking up out of the hair, tuning into his voice like antennae.

    And she gives a breath out. Her hair was tangled, matted in real life, hopelessly knotted in a braid that had gotten scuzzy over the last week. She had no idea what it looked like here, but figured it was in desperate need of a comb.

    "Go ahead. Like you said, this is a dream, isn't it?"
Merlin     The expression says much, and Merlin nods. "None are dead. Even those in the...boisterous melee outside are convalescing well, from what I have learned. There was great attention given to Thaniel, as well. I suppose it is not what you might wish to hear about, but...perhaps you needed to know that much at least."

    "It is. But in its way, it is also reality, is it not? Turn, and lean back." Fortunately, it being a dream, it's quite easy to summon a brush from nowhere. It's almost effortless, and a little less fun that way, but Merlin doesn't mind. As the tanuki gives him permission, he begins gently picking at the edges of things and slowly undoing the braid.

    "There is nothing that prevents it from being a good dream, as well." Something to consider. "Meanwhile, the greenhouse's garden grows well. Inga and several of the others are looking in on it, making sure that your work is not left abandoned. Keeping Gawain away has been the hardest part, actually."

    That hairbrushing continues, short strokes around the outer parts of her hair slowly easing in deeper. It wouldn't do to start catching in tangles. "He's been spotted around the herbs several times, and chased out each time. Have you ever heard of the stories of when he's found his way into the kitchens?"
Yunomi Stadler     She thought he was going to pet her. It wouldn't be the first time someone had tried to, but... she gives him a curious look, and then she turns, and feels him undoing the corona braid around the top of her head. Her dark hair falls. It's lost its luster and the brilliant reds and blues in the bangs, and is alla nearly uniform brown. Nondescript.

    "I'm far too mentally drained to argue with you, Merlin." Yunomi replies truthfully, and she leans back a little, pursing her lips. The idea that they haven't totally gone and dismantled the greenhouse brings her a little sense of joy.

    "To be honest, other than his curious choice of mount and his boasting, I do not know much about Sir Gawain... but it seems he and I share a similar culinary touch." Which means: None at All.
Merlin     The wizard has slightly more respect for her than that - though perhaps a gentle pat on the head wasn't out of the question. "Well then." The words are said with a humorous delight. "I must be right as always." If she's not going to argue, then he wins!

    And meanwhile Merlin simply gathers her hair, brown and dark as it is, and continues his work. "I can imagine. It was...not that different, once, long ago. When a kingdom fell, and those who loved it were lost. Myself, not as permanent as others...but I spent many centuries a part of the Earth itself. The World is a terrible prison to remain in. As can be one's own mind," he adds.

    His fingers and hairbrush continue to straighten, smooth, and at least soften Yunomi's long locks. "But that is for the real world, and not this place. This is...a place of refuge, even for just a few minutes. And a place of good news." He grins. "Your greenhouse still remains, and it is still yours if you ever return to it. Those who tend it merely do so awaiting your return, because there is a magic to it that is entirely your own."

    And then talk turns to Gawain. "He is...well. I suppose the term 'larger than life' might be accurate in some ways, but perhaps 'one who lives as brilliantly as they can.' He was known as the Sun Knight, once. And he does shine like the morning, even if...perhaps his pure hearted determination gets him into trouble sometimes." Grin. "Oh? I am surprised, but...only slightly. I suppose having such a talent for growth makes food easy to come by in a natural state..." He considers.

    "Someday perhaps, if you would like to learn, one could teach you. It would not be too hard." Lesson one, boil water. That tends to weed out those who /truly/ can't cook. Meanwhile, he just keeps working on her hair. Even in a dream, there's so much to do.
Yunomi Stadler     "'Larger than Life' is a good way to describe Sir Gawain, I think. Yes..." she trails off, and considers the story behind her Kodama first, and then chips in with: "The last time I tried to cook anything, the macaroni leftovers came to life and attempted to kill me. I think I'll pass." Yunomi replies, trying to sound good natured as she listens about her greenhouse, and she gives a slight smile... and then her voice comes, injured, creaking:

    "I don't know if I will be able to return. I did what I did. And I did it of my own will, Merlin. You can tell them that. You know that there was nothing to influence me in those moments except myself. Rhapsody must be furious. Sidonia hunts me. I imagine others do."

    She stretches her fingers, glancing to her left arm again.

    The pain was nothing compared to what she put Rhaps through.
Merlin     Merlin nods at her assessment of Gawain, and then there's a snort of laughter at the thought of some kind of homicidal Mac&Cheese golem. "You are eminently wise, if that was your result. I suppose perhaps we'll simply have to have a good cook on hand. There is, after all, a reason I do spend so much time around Dun Realtai. The keep's chef is no slouch at all."

    Her voice breaks, and the wizard pauses, listening. "At some point...perhaps in a future further away than we both would like, I believe you will. I will be waiting for you." The hairbrushing pauses for a moment, as Merlin assesses her words, and thinks back to what had happened that day.

    Merlin simply nods. "I understand, and as it is your wish I shall. And that is all I shall say." He goes back to her hair, slowly working out the tangles some more. "If I may be permitted one question, I will ask it. I am sure it is obvious...if it is not allowed, then it shall remain unspoken between us."

    Her hair is still dark, but the wizard has at least managed to smooth it out straight again. And this time he takes it upon himself to impose even further upon her, as he's started gathering that long hair...and begun braiding it? Sorry Yunomi, not going anywhere for a while. "As for yourself, though, your arm. You've injured it, haven't you? In the real world." The concern she's paid it, plus well...he'd dulled some of the pain away, so he'd have to know where it was coming from.
Yunomi Stadler     "Ask, M erlin. I owe you at least to listen." Yunomi replies quietly to the mage as he toys with her hair, brushing it all out. After a while it's straightened again, and as he begins to plait it, Yunomi considers her words, and her injury, and she closes her eyes.

    "I was wounded. I had to cauterize it." she dare not say from what infection -- it could give away her hiding place. She draws up one leg, setting her chin on her knee as her ears lean back and her tail curls beneath her.

    "I deserve any pain that is visited on me, and none of your kindness."
Merlin     He is permitted, and Merlin takes the time to properly thread his question. Meanwhile, Yunomi closes her eyes, and Merlin slows his braiding some. It's not simply supposed to give her a proper hairstyle, but it's supposed to be relaxing as well. Pleasant, something she can enjoy for a time. His fingers are deft and sure, and the braid forms slowly. And, it seems, with lush thickness rather than a tight, constricting style.

    "When you sought the power of the Izzet, Yunomi...what did you wish to accomplish with it? You do not strike me as one who would seek power for their own glory and vendetta...but to achieve a specific need. I do not believe it is your nature to simply rule. You tend so well to the plants at Dun Realtai, and you have such care even for those simple things. One who is consumed by merely a lust for power...would care not about them."

    His explanation perhaps rambles a bit, but he's also putting out his vision of her. "We have met little, but I suppose I have learned much about you in that time. Your heart is strong, your soul is true to itself. I merely ask the question, what does that heart seek?"

    And if she ever answers, he will return the favor. Meanwhile he simply nods. "I understand. I take it no infection has spread, then." If it was cauterized, there shouldn't be - but that's still a terrible and brutal way to go about preventing one. "The wound is not so great, I hope."

    Then she utters words that give him a sigh. "Your heart...is filled with sorrow and self-hate. I knew another like that, once. Do you know the legends of Camelot?" Whoops, there's a tangle. Out comes the brush, to smooth out her hair some more. Gotta be sure it's straight; it would not do for a lovely young girl to end up so rough.
Yunomi Stadler     Why did she attack? Yunomi muses over the question, rolling it around her mouth for a few brief moments before she replies:

    "I did what I had to do, to satisfy a promise made, this heart at least seeks rest."

    And she leaves it at that, a quiet statement, enigmatic on purpose before she shifts her weight. She gives a small shrug of her shoulders as he begins to untangle her hair a bit. "I attended primary school in the UK... so I suppose as much as any British schoolchild may know. But... your version and the version adopted by Walt Disney may be a little different... the King being one glaring example."
Merlin     Enigmatic indeed. But it explains much, and fits the young woman he's met and heard about. "A vow...can be a dangerously complicated thing. Many young knights sought the day of their vows with great passion, only to find themselves conflicted in the way they must fulfill them. I do not envy you your conflict...but I respect your determination." And that is all Merlin says about that.

    "Oh, I suppose there are quite a few additions to the legend that have come and gone. I do still wonder why so many of them think I have a beard. Come now, is this the face of an old man?" And he leans around giving her a wink, actually meeting her gaze for a moment. Then it's back to work, brushing out the braid he'd started and making extra sure that it was smoothed out this time.

    And then he continues, in a more somber voice. "I have read a little of what mythology has made of history, and...the end of Camelot is still close enough, I suppose. There were those who sought the destruction of, and revenge upon, Arturia herself. Mordred, the son of King Arthur...of Arturia Pendragon, yet lives." Now there's something that should give her a start.

    "His was to bring down all of that around him, and...perhaps, in some way, I was responsible for his creation as well. Not long after, I was removed from the World, and Camelot soon struck down by what had been wrought. Sir Bedivere, the last survivor..." He sighs, then continues, fingers finally satisfied enough with her hair to begin slowly braiding again.

    "For some time, Mordred has visited the castle. There...has been the occasional difficulty, but time has passed for us all - and forgiveness is a way of knighthood. It is not to say that all is as it was in the joyous days, but...he is at least accepted once more. Even if he can be, at times, a rather amusingly uncouth fellow." There's a laugh from the wizard, thinking of the Snark Knight's comments.
Yunomi Stadler     Merlin is chatty... but it's at least friendly words that reach her ears. The young mage gives a slight smile, remembering her own world's mythology and her place in it. She leans back a little more as he begins braiding anew. "Mordred, the betrayer..." she gives a huff of air through her nose, and her eyes close. Pain rises beneath her breast, and she brings one hand to her heart, gripping into a fist to try and cease the feeling inside, to grasp it and squeeze it out of existence.

    "Forgiveness may be a way of knighthood... but honor, in my country, is everything. By all rights I should be dead of my own hand... who knows. Time may come yet, once things are finished... but every minute I live, Rhapsody is in danger. We will fight again, and one of us will fall."
Merlin     It is friendly, and perhaps a little educational. Maybe. "Indeed." And when she reaches her hand to her chest, Merlin stops - and then reaches forward to softly touch that hand. "You cannot crush your own heart, and even if you could the only thing you could squeeze from it is blood. Pain...remains deeper within." And with Yunomi leaned back against him, the wizard just slides both arms around her in a hug. Light, and easily pulled free of - but perhaps she'll accept it.

    "I would rather hope not. Are you not also the Gardener of Dun Realtai as well?" There's a smile in his words, as he offers her one possible interpretation. "The Order of the Rose...may have been a simple jest at first, but those of you who came together are strong and interesting people. It would be a great loss if one of them were to extinguish their light so soon." Please don't, Yunomi, says the unspoken words.

    And then she mentions Rhapsody's danger. "Danger you say. From yourself, then - you still seek the fulfillment of your promise, and can find no other way?" Just what is that vow she swore, he wonders.
Yunomi Stadler     "If I could squeeze the life out of it and extinguish the pain in hers, I would." Yunomi replies dourly, and she accepts the hug -- but it's begrudging. She doesn't give affection back, and the hair on the back of her neck rises, fearing it might be a trap.

    "Every minute I still breathe I will fulfill the promises I am held to... no matter the cost." she breathes. "That much I /can/ say... but..." she turns to him, and then goes to draw herself to a stand. "There is no other way. I am bound by a promise cast in burns in flesh and memories. I shall do," she states, and her voice cracks, "... what I must to uphold it."
Merlin     The only trap is that Merlin doesn't let go quite right away. The hug lasts a few seconds more, but nothing else happens. Eventually, the wizard lets go. It doesn't take long for him to finish her braid, as he can feel that the time for their dream is soon to end. It's finally worked into place, and tied gently, as she continues her explanation. When she stands, he lets her - and simply nods.

    "Yunomi..." He pauses, meeting her eyes in an honest gaze. "One last question, if I may be permitted? What promise is this that has you so dedicated?" It's a simple request, and it's a true one. "I merely ask as one who would be a friend, one of our special Order." He raises his hand to his head, and gives that silver rose she'd placed into his hair a gentle touch.

    And then he gestures to the chair-root before him. "It will not be long before you wake. I suppose the chances are low...but if you ever need rest, if you seek a friend...call my name in your sleep. I will find you once more, and perhaps I will tell you stories of the time I turned Gawain into a pomeranian." No really, he did that.
Yunomi Stadler     She's heard legends of Gawain the Pom. The idea brings a sad smile to her face, and she reaches out, her finger sbrushing over the rose in Merlin's hair.
    "I fear it may be a long time before I call to anyone but her in my sleep, my friend." she whispers back, and she turns away, and answers with honesty: "My promise was to do whatever I had to. I have failed in all other things... I failed my homeland, my family, my Kami, the Union and Izzet... Rhapsody... I cannot fail in this task... and pray pry no further, Merlin. There is only so much a heart can handle." she states, and she begins to walk away, her arms wrapping around herself. "Please... let me wake."
Merlin     "I understand. I will leave you with this, then." He reaches up, taking her hand, and brushing her knuckles against his lips. It's not a true kiss, but applying a spell that at least will give her the mental time she needs when she can find those fitful naps. "I pry no more - and merely give the boon of rest. I am aware of what a heart may take, and what may shatter it...let not yours find such an end." He raises her fingers to his forehead, kneeling down before her, before speaking one word - "Wake."

    And Yunomi will find herself where she was, but...strangely refreshed. Much more than it seems the few minutes of actual sleep she had gotten could have provided; it is perhaps enough to clear a few cobwebs and help her think - and hopefully, it seems, remember him at least slightly fondly.
Yunomi Stadler     She gives a momentary start when Merlin takes her hand again, and brings it to his lips. Her eyes narrow in suspision before he speaks again, her head canting to the side, ears pricking up before he raises his fingers, and speaks the command...

    ...and Yunomi is returned to the tunnels, awake, her arm throbbing from the burns and blisters of her self-cauterization, the scarring twisting her skin tight. Her chest hurt. Her eyes burned, and when she cast her light spell, the tunnel was thankfully empty.

    Yunomi swallowed the lump in her throat, and not giving herself the luxury of rest, shakily stands and slips out of the niche and back into the tunnels -- the Butchery, she thinks, may be her home tonight.

    Tomorrow... who knows?