TOC:
Note: Lavendulan is physically at the infirmary in the Dark Kingdom after being KOed by Zinkenite when their spar got taken a bit too far. This is a dream.
Other Similar RP:
- Beneath the Waves Marissa x Elias
Bait and Switch Lavendulan
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Into The Dreamscape Lavendulan x ???
Note: Lavendulan is physically at the infirmary in the Dark Kingdom after being KOed by Zinkenite when their spar got taken a bit too far. This is a dream.
Other Similar RP:
Darkness slowly receded, not all at once, but like the tide drawing back from the shore.
Light filtered into her unconscious mind. Not the blinding brilliance of waking, but the soft glow that welcomed her back into the Dreamscape.
It was a place that existed between wakefulness and sleep, where the boundaries of reality softened and thought could shape the world around her, though never completely.
Each return brought with it a different landscape, as if influenced by recent memories. However, there were constants she had come to expect: the presence of water, the watchful treeline beyond, and Keeper’s patient presence.
This time was different.
Rather than finding herself beside the water or near Keeper, Marissa stood alone in the forest with towering evergreens surrounding her. Ribbons of light filtered in through the canopy overhead, illuminating a weathered tree stump several paces ahead. Perched upon it sat a lone crow, watching her with an intelligence that betrayed its true nature.
It didn’t appear to be entirely real.
Its silhouette shimmered like a half-forgotten memory, feathers woven from curling wisps of smoke. Darkness bled from them in slow, graceful tendrils, though it wasn’t the darkness of shadow. Instead, it resembled spilled ink suspended in water, forever unfurling yet never diminishing.
The bird regarded her in silence as she cautiously approached.
“These are Warden’s woods,” she said quietly. “ You have no place here. Where is Keeper…?”
The crow did not answer.
It did not caw nor move, did not even seem to breathe. It only watched her, head tilted slightly to one side as though considering words it had no intention of giving.
It was the intelligence in its gaze that unsettled her the most. It lacked the feral wildness she had come to expect from creatures within the Dreamscape. There was a sharpness behind it that stirred the same unease she had felt when looking into the Sovereign’s eyes, particularly the one blue eye that was somehow not quite right.
Then the shadows beneath the trees began to shift.
The smoke curling from its feathers thickened, spilling down the stump like ink bleeding across parchment. It wound between exposed roots and flowed across the forest floor, and with each tendril, the Dreamscape seemed to reshape around the crow’s presence.
The forest was changing.
Not violently. Not with urgency either.
But as though the Dreamscape itself had heard her question and was deciding how best to answer.
Marissa waited patiently for the world around her to settle into something more familiar. The carefully drawn lines of the shifting landscape began to fill with color, revealing a tranquil lake that stretched toward every horizon. Its glassy surface reflected the sky so perfectly that water and clouds became indistinguishable.
A narrow path of pale stones rose just above the surface, leading to an ivory gazebo at its center.
Within it, Keeper waited.
The enormous sea dragon occupied nearly every inch of the structure, her long body coiled protectively beneath its roof. Only the slow movement of her tail betrayed her presence, sending gentle rings rippling across the otherwise undisturbed lake.
A quiet rustling sound broke the silence as the crow unfurled its wings. Wisps of smoke spilled from its feathers as it lifted from its perch with effortless grace.
As it swept past Marissa, the tip of its wing passed so close it seemed to graze her cheek. She recoiled on instinct, more startled by the bird’s sudden closeness than a touch she could have sworn she’d felt.
The crow circled the gazebo once, its reflection mirrored in the lake below it, before settling upon a perch next to Keeper.
The dragon regarded it with a measure of indifference, unbothered by its strange appearance, she merely lifted her head to study the visitor more closely
Marissa hesitated, watching the exchange from a distance before slowly stepping onto the stone path.
With slow steps, she continued across the lake toward the gazebo, her attention fixed more upon Keeper than the uninvited guest. But as she drew nearer, the more details emerged from beneath Keeper’s silvery-blue scales.
Marissa stopped.
“...Keeper.”
The dragon shifted its attention toward her, calm and untroubled.
A jagged wound traced along the side of Keeper’s face. Another marred the broad curve of her shoulder where fractured scales gave way to torn flesh stained a deep crimson.
Marissa knew those wounds. Remembered the embankment. The unforgiving stone. The sharp sting as scales tore away from beneath the force of the impact.
Yet when her gaze fell to her own reflection upon the lake, there were no scrapes nor bruises, no blood to be seen. Only Keeper supported injuries from the fight.
“Why…” Marissa’s voice broke the quiet stillness around them. But it was Keeper who stopped her worry from overflowing.
“These belong to me and are my burden to bear.”
There was neither pride nor sorrow in Keeper’s voice—only quiet acceptance. For in the waking world, it was Lavendulan’s youma instincts that had earned her Zinkenite’s swift retaliation.
The crow stretched one wing and began to preen its feathers as if bored by their conversation.
Marissa remained still for a long moment before kneeling at the edge of the gazebo. With careful hands, she tore a strip from the hem of her dress. The sound of fabric ripping seemed oddly loud in contrast to the tranquility surrounding them.
She dipped the cloth into the water until it darkened, then reached toward Keeper’s wounded shoulder.
“May I?”
The dragon regarded her for a moment before nodding slowly in wordless agreement.
Marissa worked in silence.
With slow, gentle strokes, she wiped away the blood, revealing the silvery blue beneath it.
Keeper neither flinched nor pulled away. However, her gaze did drift back to the guest who seemed curious by their interaction.
“You fear him?”
Marissa followed her gaze. “I do,” she replied honestly.
“Shall I devour it?” A low growl accompanied Keeper’s voice as her lips pulled into a threatening snarl.
“No.” A gentle hand touched the side of her scaled face. “He is Nameless. Neither ally nor adversary. He may watch, but will learn nothing, for he is not truly present.”
The crow’s head turned sharply to one side, where it studied them with that unsettling gaze.
A quiet note of disappointment settled over Keeper. With a slow exhale, she lowered her head to rest upon her forearms, where the soft grass brushed gently against her jaw.
Marissa watched for a moment before setting the torn strip of cloth aside.
One of Keeper’s great wings unfurled, arching over the young woman before curving around her in silent invitation.
Marissa accepted without hesitation, settling herself against the dragon’s side. Comforted by the steady rise and fall of Keeper’s breathing, she carefully rested her cheek against the smooth scales beneath her hand.
Together they watched Nameless in silence, neither trusting its presence nor fearing what it had yet to say.
