[ Ah. Yes. That would explain much, wouldn't it? The Fool pauses in the process of arranging a selection of fruits on his plate to glance at his yimo again, the whimsical quirk to his lips fading some. ]
Yes, its timing could be better, that I shall grant you. Just a moment, [ and here, some juggling ensues while the Fool collects his breakfast and yimo, carrying both over to a small table beside an open window lined with blooming plants. Some birdsong and wind chime notes carry through. ]
What did you see? [ He doesn't ask if Devin experienced visions; they all have. While waiting for his response, the Fool plucks up an apricot and takes a bite from it. ]
A woman named Al'amar. First all the food she ate was turning to ash, then some kind of siren song, and this last one was... more graphic. She cut into some sort of vine wrapped around a tree and it bled like it was an animal before attacking her.
[He grimaces faintly; as objective as he tries to make his observations, he's not heartless.] It hurt her. I'm not entirely sure how, she wasn't coherent enough at that point, but... [The agony reminded him of his own traumas, so near the surface of late. It's probably why this one woke him and kept him awake, where the others had been less disruptive.] I think they're beyond the barrier, wherever they are.
[A mug appears that is probably full of tea.] What about you?
[ It's hard to know just what makes the Fool's heart clench, Devin's description of this strange woman's suffering, or the small but tell-tale signs in his expression that speak to his own private anguish. There is still much about his friend that the Fool does not know, pieces of his history that are his alone. The hints are there, though.
A slow inhalation, and, ] Her name is Eitria, I think. I can only guess that she is crewman aboard the same ship. Vines made of shadow hounded her and dragged her into what seemed like a burial ground for the dead.
[ He grows quiet, his expression distant, as though the subject has brought him back to a dark place. Undoubtedly it has, for both of them, but he does not appear to mind sharing this moment with Devin. ] In my last vision, she was very afraid.
[Devin listens carefully, studying the Fool's expression in turn. Sometimes what was seen but unsaid could tell one more about a situation than words alone. They both have specters from their pasts that may never fail to haunt them, some of which they've shown to each other.]
It seems the visions might be getting darker as they continue. [He says it almost apologetically.] The Dreaming tends to do things in fits and starts, from what I've seen, so hopefully they'll stop altogether soon. A few of us are researching the incident.
[Why is he trying to be reassuring? Well, he knows why. It's the same reason he's contacted only the Fool about this. Devin hesitates over this thought, questioning the wisdom of saying what's on the tip of his tongue. He still hasn't given the Fool an answer.]
If they do continue, I'm a night owl, as you've noted. I'll probably be up. [Way to be unnecessarily vague, Devin.]
[ He is, perhaps, not as vague as he believes that he is.
In response, the Fool quirks a smile that gentles some of the lines of strain and fatigue that have been forming at his eyes and the corners of his lips. He drops his eyes to his fingers for a moment; no, he has not yet received an answer from Devin--and Fool though he is, he is not fool enough to believe that this gesture might be mistaken for more than it is. Nevertheless, what it is, is more than enough. ]
You are very kind, [ he says, his smile thinning though not fading. ] Thank you, Devin.
[Devin would be grateful to know how much the Fool is able to read between the lines and not turn this into a subtle signal. He's going to be direct when he can finally come to articulating an answer for the prophet.]
I would hardly call it kindness. [Though truthfully Devin isn't sure what he'd call it. It's not an offer he's making to anyone else - just the one Devin knows has more than enough nightmares of his own. This is a very small thing compared to the carving the Fool gave him.] But you're welcome. I should let you get back to your breakfast.
[ Their conversation is reaching its natural ending; it would be easy to offer his farewells and let the call end there. The Fool hesitates. Then, rather gently, ] Devin--
[ a short pause; he seems to be fumbling over a response, which is rather unlike him. Then, ] I am here, too. [ a beat, ] should you wish to speak with someone else about your visions again.
[...there is an attempt to make slightly uncomfortable shifting look natural, and Devin almost pulls it off. He appreciates, on the level that isn't always screaming about 'no attachments', what the Fool is saying. It is inexperience rather than distaste that informs his reaction. Had he called because he wanted someone to talk to just as much as he wanted to check on the Fool?]
I'll keep that in mind, [Devin promises with a small nod and what might be the beginnings of an even smaller smile.] Thank you.
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afoolsgold) wrote2018-01-16 10:28 am
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