View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
There is a mystery that's currently unsolved. It's in Avedan's head. It's not like he's going insane (he's quite sure that he's not) but lately his sleep's been pretty eventful. He'd always had dreams (didn't everyone?) but lately, they've been getting more vivid. More lifelike. And, most interestingly of all, more internally consistent.
It's really, really confusing. Avedan is somewhere between wanting to learn more about the internal history present in the dreams, and wanting to understand why they're being so - insistent. He suspects it has something to do with malfunctioning servants, but all of his are working just fine. He checked. Twice. So - maybe someone else's aren't working properly? Or something? He doesn't know, there's zero precedent for eerily vivid and consistent dreams. Avedan tries talking to someone about it, exactly once. They immediately think he's having reoccurring nightmares.
But they're not nightmares. Well. Okay, some of them are, one of the more memorable ones included desperately clutching a woman's hand, begging her to stay with him, just keep breathing, to stay alive. She didn't. If it'd been with someone he knew, he might have thought it was just a simple nightmare. But, no. He's never seen her before in his life. Only his dreams, and not all that often, either. Because there are others, with - happier memories attached to them.
He's started to notice patterns. In - consistent people, consistent places, and most interestingly, consistent personalities. He's pretty sure it's not his subconscious being uncreative (if it were that, he would be naked at work or something) but the bizarre internal consistency his dreams are exhibiting.
It's hard, to figure out if there's a timeline to it all. But there is one thing that's consistent: a city. He does a quick bit of research, finds the city's name (Lapis), and after a bit more research is confronted with the dream's reasonable level of fidelity. As in, it's nearly the same, with exception to what he suspects is construction. And he's never been to Lapis in his life. Just what is going on? He can only think of one way to find out, and that way involves packing up his bags, handing them off to a well-maintained servant, and then heading off to Lapis.
+ Show First Post
do_over
do_over
"Okay," he says, a little bewildered. "I - will go do that. Then."
He turns to go back to Sylvi. He won't read the letters, not while still being mobbed by parrots. Once they're gone, then - he will. Whatever's going on.
if_at_first
Sylvi's still waiting and still covered in parrots and sitting on her wooden horse when he comes back.
"Find anything?" she asks.
"Find anything?" she asks.
if_at_first
Sylvi sheds parrots. They sit docilely in the street.
"How'd you do that? Are they yours? Why did you mob me with parrots?"
"How'd you do that? Are they yours? Why did you mob me with parrots?"
do_over
"Apparently," he says, "you are being mobbed by my parrots that I didn't know existed or even belonged to me, and I am being mobbed by yours of the same description. Please make them stop, it's getting a little grating."
if_at_first
"...Go home," Sylvi orders his parrots.
They take off and head in the direction of the house with the golem.
"What."
They take off and head in the direction of the house with the golem.
"What."
do_over
"Yup. That about sums up my feelings on the matter."
He retrieves the envelop marked "*bel*" and offers it to her. "I have no idea what's going on. Apparently this is yours. A huge golem handed it to me along with one that looks like it's for me."
He retrieves the envelop marked "*bel*" and offers it to her. "I have no idea what's going on. Apparently this is yours. A huge golem handed it to me along with one that looks like it's for me."
if_at_first
"Did... it say what order to open them in?" Pause. "...This one looks like my handwriting."
do_over
"Does it?"
He looks at his own envelop. He hadn't taken the time to inspect the handwriting while confused and mobbed by parrots. "... And this looks like mine. That is really creepy."
if_at_first
"I didn't even tell you my full name. ...Okay then."
She opens the one that doesn't look like her writing first.
She opens the one that doesn't look like her writing first.
do_over
Avedan opens the one with his handwriting, first, and starts reading.
Sylvi's letter reads:
"Hello.
I genuinely hope this letter finds you well. I'm fairly certain you're quite confused, but rest assured, nothing terrible or creepy is happening. This is, in fact, good news. I'll start with the fact that I know you will find most comforting - death, at least for the two of us, is not the final end. Just a return to square one. Annoying, but not permanent.
My name is Kidan, I'm - well, it's sort of complicated, and difficult to explain without sounding like a creep. I've been married to the same person three separate times, reincarnated at least twice now. Since you're reading this, you'll be the third known reincarnation. Hi. No, don't worry, I'm not going to expect a fourth marriage, especially since it's likely that by this point I've also reincarnated. The 'me' running around will not have any idea of who you are, or what's going on, until he (or possibly she) finds the similar letters of explanation. Perhaps he or she's already found them, in which case - my dear, you will never have anything to fear from me.
We have notes for you. Things that we left half-done or projects that were important enough to want our reincarnations to get back to work on. You don't have to, there is nothing either of us could or would do to force your hand, but I think the projects themselves will interest you and the new me, both. Beluna was working on immortality, for example. My notes will be less useful than your predecessors, but I'm happy to give you them anyway. This is meant to be a simple opener, the more detailed accounts will be back where the golem that gave you this letter is. We kept obsessive notes. I think you'll like those, too.
Well. It's - tempting to write my more personal feelings, but - I think you'll get a reasonable idea of them, if you haven't already. You're the most amazing person I've ever met (in two lifetimes, even!) and I hope that we manage to find each other again. Because who else will I incite massive social changes for the better of all humanity with? It'd get boring doing it on my own.
With love,
Kidan"
Avedan is staring at his own letter.
"What."
Sylvi's letter reads:
"Hello.
I genuinely hope this letter finds you well. I'm fairly certain you're quite confused, but rest assured, nothing terrible or creepy is happening. This is, in fact, good news. I'll start with the fact that I know you will find most comforting - death, at least for the two of us, is not the final end. Just a return to square one. Annoying, but not permanent.
My name is Kidan, I'm - well, it's sort of complicated, and difficult to explain without sounding like a creep. I've been married to the same person three separate times, reincarnated at least twice now. Since you're reading this, you'll be the third known reincarnation. Hi. No, don't worry, I'm not going to expect a fourth marriage, especially since it's likely that by this point I've also reincarnated. The 'me' running around will not have any idea of who you are, or what's going on, until he (or possibly she) finds the similar letters of explanation. Perhaps he or she's already found them, in which case - my dear, you will never have anything to fear from me.
We have notes for you. Things that we left half-done or projects that were important enough to want our reincarnations to get back to work on. You don't have to, there is nothing either of us could or would do to force your hand, but I think the projects themselves will interest you and the new me, both. Beluna was working on immortality, for example. My notes will be less useful than your predecessors, but I'm happy to give you them anyway. This is meant to be a simple opener, the more detailed accounts will be back where the golem that gave you this letter is. We kept obsessive notes. I think you'll like those, too.
Well. It's - tempting to write my more personal feelings, but - I think you'll get a reasonable idea of them, if you haven't already. You're the most amazing person I've ever met (in two lifetimes, even!) and I hope that we manage to find each other again. Because who else will I incite massive social changes for the better of all humanity with? It'd get boring doing it on my own.
With love,
Kidan"
Avedan is staring at his own letter.
"What."
if_at_first
Sylvi reads her letter twice, then puts it in her saddlebag and goes for her other one.
do_over
Avedan reads his own letter again, and then folds it up and goes for the other one for him, a little stiffly.
if_at_first
Hi. Here's hoping you can read this language, already/again... My name is Beluna, and this letter is intended for a future reincarnation of my husband Kidan. If you're reading this you found the cache or my reincarnation found it and then you, and it has everything you'll want to know in it and if you get lost in all our old papers you can ask the golem (its name is Charp) for help navigating. As far as we know, I'm the third 'bel' and you're the third 'dan':
Aydanci ------------- Kidan --- you
Alymbel -- Akibel --- me! ----- find this one if you haven't yet!
The dreams are real memories, the two of you will get on famously once you have any idea who each other are, and I really really hope that we continue to have good luck with the gender matchup (so far Dans have been male and don't care about partner gender and Bels all like boys but Kib also was one). (If you are so fortunate: kiss 'em on the back of the neck when you are done being a prude, it's great.) Servants retain their understanding of who we are incarnation to incarnation, and personalities are the same but faces and other details change.
We have left you some cash, some servants, and some notes on some projects you can pick up if they still sound good whenever you are. I was doing immortality but obviously if you're reading this I haven't managed it. (Reincarnation is better than you'd expect but it does have the seriously annoying memory loss problem - if you manage to live long enough the memories will all filter in, just out of order and with all the intervening degradation over time.)
Sorry about the parrots. Maybe you'll think of something more dignified, but I have this rather arrogant suspicion that when you get to know whoever I am now you'll think it's well worth the inconvenience to be sure you found him or her.
Love thrice,
Lu
Aydanci ------------- Kidan --- you
Alymbel -- Akibel --- me! ----- find this one if you haven't yet!
The dreams are real memories, the two of you will get on famously once you have any idea who each other are, and I really really hope that we continue to have good luck with the gender matchup (so far Dans have been male and don't care about partner gender and Bels all like boys but Kib also was one). (If you are so fortunate: kiss 'em on the back of the neck when you are done being a prude, it's great.) Servants retain their understanding of who we are incarnation to incarnation, and personalities are the same but faces and other details change.
We have left you some cash, some servants, and some notes on some projects you can pick up if they still sound good whenever you are. I was doing immortality but obviously if you're reading this I haven't managed it. (Reincarnation is better than you'd expect but it does have the seriously annoying memory loss problem - if you manage to live long enough the memories will all filter in, just out of order and with all the intervening degradation over time.)
Sorry about the parrots. Maybe you'll think of something more dignified, but I have this rather arrogant suspicion that when you get to know whoever I am now you'll think it's well worth the inconvenience to be sure you found him or her.
Love thrice,
Lu
if_at_first
"Apparently 'I'm' more explanatory than 'you'," says Sylvi, taking out her first letter and comparing the two quizzically. "By a long shot."
if_at_first
"Feedback for next time?" she suggests lightly. "Geez, Lu had some very strong opinions about what we ought to be getting up to in our spare time."
do_over
"Feedback for next time," he says, vaguely bemused. "More explanations. Right. I'll keep that in mind. Uh. Strong opinions how, there's a part in mine that mentions 'when I am done being a prude' and - suggestions after."
if_at_first
"Yeah, she, uh, warned me about you being a prude. This is so bizarre. And you really don't look like the - people in the dreams. I mean, I guess you talk like them? Except less old-fashioned and... yeah. And I don't look like the one memory I have of, I think it was Aly, looking in a mirror..."
do_over
"Warned you. Well now I feel like some kind of hazard. Beware of prude. You do sound - vaguely familiar. You don't look like the people from my dreams, either, but I suppose that's what happens with reincarnations?"
if_at_first
"I guess? I mean, if the people from your dreams included Aly and Kib and Lu. The Kib dreams were bizarre, I thought there was something - well, less weird than reincarnation, but something weird - going on in my head."
do_over
"I remember being sad," says Avedan musingly. "Mourning - well, you, for a while. And - when Aly died. Kidan seemed happier."
if_at_first
"I think Lu outlived him," says Sylvi vaguely. "By a few years. How long ago did the stork drop you?"