Day 55, Morning

[gwenyth_b_good]

For as much as he had to drink last night (not much by Shin Makoku standards, but plenty by his), his night had passed restlessly, instead of simply passed out as he had expected. The alcohol in his system had amplified his dreams, making them vivid and seemingly real, but mostly confusing. Very confusing. It was as if he was reliving the previous day, only it wasn’t. Instead of a festival, they were at a theme park on his world. He had recognized it, but couldn’t place it, since all of the people there wore great big mouse ears. His companions, he realized, were recognizable as Nissi and Gunter with big mouse ears, only they weren’t Nissi and Gunter. They were mouse eared Nissi with Gunter’s body and mouse eared Gunter with Nissi’s body. And each of them had cuddled up to him to watch a moused eared and pregnant (IC)Gwendal knit mouse eared Yozak into a cocoon after Yozak had thrown penguins at him. Which was all fascinating and bizarre at the same time. Until the mouse eared Nissi head spoke. You’re useless, Gwendal, she had said, brushing her lavender ponytail back behind one ear. Gunter spoke next, I’m a better man than you and I can prove it. Just ask Alissina. Gwendal had looked with astonishment as Nis/Gun and Gun/Nis dissolved before his eyes and instead, he found himself cuddling his ex-wife and her lover, Alissina and Gunther, the two people in his world that he had loved the most, but who tried (and almost succeeded) at killing him.

He was horrified awake. He sat bolt upright in the bed, sweating profusely. Unable to go back to sleep, he paced the room for awhile and finally decided that a walk might clear his head. Dressing quickly, he didn’t even bother to undo his night braid. Cane forgotten in his near panic, he took off down the hall, not sure where he was going, but certain that he wanted to be as far away from his bed as possible.