[Krile makes a thermos of hot chocolate and heads over quickly, jogging through the snowflakes in her long coat.
She pulls off a mitten and raps on Paladin's door urgently. Yes, the last ten people who got put in a cocoon were fine, yes, he was only sleeping, but she was still worried those two weeks and has to see with her own eyes that he's all right.]
[Paladin's sitting and reading the journal (so much to catch up on) when the knock comes. He's sure it's Krile, and so doesn't bother to check before opening the door.]
Welcome--come in, [he says, putting on a cheerful smile.] it's gotten quite cold of late, it seems.
Oh, oops. [She grins a little sheepishly and comes in, then holds up the thermos.] It's cocoa! I thought you might be thirsty after sleeping for two weeks.
[He shakes his head in a 'think nothing of it' gesture, then smiles warmly.] I am--though, not any more than usual, strange as it may sound. Thank you.
[Paladin heads over to the kitchen and pulls out two mugs before setting them down at the table. His expression sobers a bit.] I'm sorry about Pollux.
[She pours out the cocoa--she's not surprised that he didn't wake up ravenous, even though realistically he should have. The Sphere is not good friends with "realistic."
Her face falls. She's sad about Pollux, but strangely it seems to be more for Castor's sake than her own. Yes, she talked about it to Lockon, but even so... it still took less time than it should have for her to be okay. It wasn't that long ago.]
Thanks... I hope he's all right, wherever he's gone.
[That's just hope without foundation, though. She doesn't have any proof.]
[He nods with her--he also knows it's a hope without basis, more faith than anything. Paladin squeezes her shoulder comfortingly, takes a drink of his cocoa...and speaks again, looking into his mug as he does.]
I dreamed while I was sleeping. But... [he hesitates, before speaking again, more slowly,] I do not think it was my dream.
[She gives him a grateful look at the touch and then looks into her mug as well. Hope he's safe, wonder if it would be good or bad if he should return to the Sphere.
She looks back up when he says that, surprised.]
We've had dreams from other people before, but it was during normal sleep... what--? [She pauses, knowing that it's rude to ask about someone else's dream, but...] What was it like?
[A fleeting little half-smile crosses his face at that, then fades.]
[And no need to feel bad, Krile, he was the one who brought it up in the first place. And that dream was...fascinating.] It was...strange. It was a very emotional dream. [Paladin rests one hand on his chin to think for a moment.] But--I remember I dreamed I was outside Edensphere, and then I stepped inside...and I was happy.
[Krile gets a thoughtful frown on her face as she listens to that. While she tries to make her life in Edensphere good, there's a big difference between that and being happy to live here. But she knows there are people here who feel that way.]
...Maybe it was the second dream of someone who's here. For some people, it is better than wherever they're really from.
[She takes a sip of cocoa, trying to form an image in her mind of what he said.]
Do you mean they were standing outside the glass and stepped in, or climbed down through the hole, or something else?
It--that could be, but it didn't feel like that. [Paladin bites his lip, trying to think of a way to explain it.] I felt--wonder, and overjoyed. I don't think whoever it was had seen it before.
And...it was neither. [He closes his eyes, trying to remember.] I was in a dark, lonely place...then a golden sphere appeared before me. When I reached for it, I could step inside, and I was in Edensphere.
That is strange... [She frowns.] How could someone dream about Edensphere without knowing what it is?
[A dark, lonely place... her hands tighten around the mug. She can readily imagine something like that. Even if it's not her dream, she can't help but wonder who had such a dream.]
I've never thought of Edensphere that way. It could be something that looks like here, but I don't think that's likely. What else happened?
She pulls off a mitten and raps on Paladin's door urgently. Yes, the last ten people who got put in a cocoon were fine, yes, he was only sleeping, but she was still worried those two weeks and has to see with her own eyes that he's all right.]
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Welcome--come in, [he says, putting on a cheerful smile.] it's gotten quite cold of late, it seems.
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She hugs him tightly before even going through the door. It's such a relief to see him like this, apparently unharmed despite what happened.]
It has. But the snow is really pretty, don't you think?
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The snow's lovely, yes, but a man ought not be cold inside his house. [Noticing the thermos, he nods.] What's that?
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[Paladin heads over to the kitchen and pulls out two mugs before setting them down at the table. His expression sobers a bit.] I'm sorry about Pollux.
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Her face falls. She's sad about Pollux, but strangely it seems to be more for Castor's sake than her own. Yes, she talked about it to Lockon, but even so... it still took less time than it should have for her to be okay. It wasn't that long ago.]
Thanks... I hope he's all right, wherever he's gone.
[That's just hope without foundation, though. She doesn't have any proof.]
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I dreamed while I was sleeping. But... [he hesitates, before speaking again, more slowly,] I do not think it was my dream.
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She looks back up when he says that, surprised.]
We've had dreams from other people before, but it was during normal sleep... what--? [She pauses, knowing that it's rude to ask about someone else's dream, but...] What was it like?
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[And no need to feel bad, Krile, he was the one who brought it up in the first place. And that dream was...fascinating.] It was...strange. It was a very emotional dream. [Paladin rests one hand on his chin to think for a moment.] But--I remember I dreamed I was outside Edensphere, and then I stepped inside...and I was happy.
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...Maybe it was the second dream of someone who's here. For some people, it is better than wherever they're really from.
[She takes a sip of cocoa, trying to form an image in her mind of what he said.]
Do you mean they were standing outside the glass and stepped in, or climbed down through the hole, or something else?
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And...it was neither. [He closes his eyes, trying to remember.] I was in a dark, lonely place...then a golden sphere appeared before me. When I reached for it, I could step inside, and I was in Edensphere.
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[A dark, lonely place... her hands tighten around the mug. She can readily imagine something like that. Even if it's not her dream, she can't help but wonder who had such a dream.]
I've never thought of Edensphere that way. It could be something that looks like here, but I don't think that's likely. What else happened?
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