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Dreaming Together With You - A Fading Memory Experiment - On Hiatus

hey, my apologies for the (very) late post. I'll be keeping more up-to-date with this in future. Just got busy with some projects.

Dreaming Together With You - A Fading Memory Experiment - On Hiatus

Rowan Moore

Interacting with: Audrey: @Gisk, Aleyn [@Taka and Rulania: @Fading Memory

---

Rowan had consigned herself to stand back and let much of the enthusiasm run on. Through all the craziness of the situation, the excitability of the princess stood out as much as anything. Rowan was only disappointed she could not match her energy. But she grew more and more comfortable as the interactions continued.

First David, then Audrey. Rulania held each of them and listened to their song. It was easy enough to see it wasn't some simple charade and that she was truly divining something from each of them. Perhaps it didn't reveal everything behind their transformations. But a peek behind the veil would be enough. There were still too many questions.

She seemed well-intentioned and genuinely happy while doing all of this. Her happiness drove Rowan's suspicions of foul play to the back of her mind. If any sinister machinations were in play with all this, the princess was undoubtedly not the ring leader. This let Rowan smile with assurance. She was in a good place.

Aelyn's sudden outburst was frightening. Rowan had not expected such a display and immediately looked toward Audrey to help the situation. Despite all of Rowan's posturing about being the older and more responsible one, she always seemed to turn to Audrey when things took an unexpected turn for the worse.

Still, Rowan decided to take some action and stand defensively closer to the princess. But she didn't have faith in her words to settle Aelyn, so she addressed Rulania instead.

"If I'm not mistaken, it isn't within your power to send us back as you wish. Is that correct?"

---

Dreaming Together With You - A Fading Memory Experiment - On Hiatus

I've been a bit slack about keeping up to date on this sorry. I'll aim to have something out in the next few days

Dreaming Together With You - A Fading Memory Experiment - On Hiatus

Rowan Moore

Interacting with: Audrey: @Gisk and Rulania: @Fading Memory

---

Rowan stared at the palace's interior with sheer awe. Blending natural growth into architecture and the building's structure was an astonishing feat. The reality that plant life in this world may be far different from the real world had not set in for her.

She appreciated the spectacle with a growing urge to study it down to the smallest leaf and seed. The growth of vines may even be similar to the ones that saw fit to restrict her hand movements. Surely it would only be a matter of asking around to remove them from her person.

"I'm lucky to say I see it all too." Rowan replied to Audrey, but keeping her eyes pinned to the ceiling of verdant green. "I have a few ideas for the greenhouse back home."

Rowan felt more drawn toward the great doors as she could now hear an addition to the song. Voices. The same tune had been playing since their arrival in Yo'Bikur repeating more than a few times, but only now did voices begin to blend in. It told her better than Eckehart's directions that their destination was just on the other side.

Once the doors where open, it took a while for Rowan to take in the scene. The circle of elders brought the centre of focus onto the duo in the middle. The princess which Eckehart had mentioned and another which she could gather a being some sort of family member. Likely brother. Rowan furrowed her brow slightly in confusion. Eckehart seemed to only mention a princess from her recollection and even now it was only the princess who ran forward to greet them. It was an interesting footnote in this meeting but didn't invite scepticism to her mind. As the princess approached, Rowan bowed her head in acknowledgement of the brother before returning her attention to Rulania.

"I'm Rowan." She said concisely with a smile. Although she stayed back, perfectly willing to let Audrey do the hand-shaking, hugs, and what not.

---

Dreaming Together With You - A Fading Memory Experiment - On Hiatus

Hi, sorry for the late update. Going to post either today or tomorrow

Dreaming Together With You - A Fading Memory Experiment - On Hiatus

I'm good to move on

My apologies for not make a recent post. I had already positioned Rowan to move forward alongside Freya in my last post and didn't see her making any significant comments about what was happening around her. Aside from listening to the questions going to Eckehart and returning a smile to Ambrose (silently judging about the Fin-it thing lol)

Dreaming Together With You - A Fading Memory Experiment - On Hiatus

Rowan Moore

Interacting with: Ambrose: @psych0pomp Audrey: @Gisk Eckhart and Freyja: @Fading Memory

---

As Ambrose had suggested, Eckhart confirmed that the object Rowan held was a moonstone. She took another careful look at inspecting it from every angle. She had no idea what this etched stone was before it was explained. So how did Ambrose know? Rowan didn't have him pinned as someone knowledgeable in stonework. Perhaps she underestimated him, but there was no way she would admit to that.

"...that moonstone is the symbol of one such group of like minded individuals. They are wise in their own way, and their matron's power comes from her home world and not of the Song itself. She must have divined your presence in some way, take it as compliment and invitation."

It was a compliment indeed. Rowan gazed at the moonstone one last time before slipping it into one of her belt pouches.

Rowan bowed her head with a smile to Eckhart in thanks. She had many more questions to ask and to say to the man. But he seemed occupied fielding the group's questions as it was. Which left her mind to wonder about the explanation he gave.

The people in this land seemed transfixed by this song, even Rowan was following its tune without fully realising it. Did it carry some religious significance in Yo'Bikur? It clearly carried some divine power with its ebbs and flows. So would a group that doesn't draw power from the song be considered heretical? From the way Eckhart regarded them, this clearly wasn't the case. In fact, assuming Rowan was being mistaken for one of these individuals, the unusual reverence from the crowd would mean they are highly regarded.

If this moonstone gift was to double as an invite, it was one she would be eager to accept when the time arose.

And what did he mean by home world?

'Questions for another time...'

"As for his trinket... That is, I believe, a child's toy meant to be given to good friends..."

Rowan was taken out of her pondering when she heard Ambrose had been given a kids toy. She couldn't help but giggle to herself.

"Well when you go to partake in the sacred soup, make sure to grab the kiddie meal eh Ambrose?" While Rowan spoke in a joking tone, it didn't carry any mean-spirited intent.

---

Rowan followed the etchings on the bridge. The deer she had seen earlier instantly caught her attention. The flicker she had seen earlier that day must have been some way of her peering through the veil into this world. Then the snake rose from a waterfall which she couldn't help but associate with the lake. And finally, a light peering from a mountain. That was happening now. All these events grew more recent chronologically as they drew closer to their destination and the tune became louder in her head.

"Aud, do you believe in destiny?" She picked up her voice a bit to welcome others into the conversation. "These stones have been here a long time. But if I didn't know any better..."

Eckehart pauses here, and faces the group.

"Are there any other questions before we make audience with the princess? She has been waiting for you, all of you, for a very long time."

Question answered I suppose

"...If what I'm hearing is Rulania, and you're saying it is, then I just want to cross as fast as possible." Freyja says quietly, a small blush filling her cheeks. "If she's been waiting on us, then I'm ready."...Ever hasty, that Freyja.

Rowan came up and stood beside Freyja, if a little further back. "I'm ready as well. I assume it is rude to keep royalty waiting."

Dreaming Together With You - A Fading Memory Experiment - On Hiatus

I'm enjoying it so far. I like the detail put into everything

If anything I think things might be developing a bit quickly atm. It kind of has a cycle of big setting change to one post cycle to another big setting change. But that's just me and I'm sure things will slow down after the intro stuff

Dreaming Together With You - A Fading Memory Experiment - On Hiatus

Rowan Moore

---

The talking between her friends and acquaintances fell into the background of Rowan's mind. The scale of change to herself was enough, but the surrounding environment was equally alien to her if not more so. The mix of strange colours and odd amalgamations sent her mind racing to find reason in all of it. Why were the islands floating? Why was that tune still ringing in her ears? And the dragon flew above the grand city before them. Such a landmark of fantastical creatures that never existed for a simple reason, the environment could not accommodate it. Rowan gazed upon it all like she would a distant lightning storm back in New Hope. There was beauty and danger alike that brought her awe.

But her passive ogling eventually turned to calculated surveying and then finally to movement. Her two feet were planted firmly on the ground. A brief raise of her heels offered no more and no less resistance than as if she were back in New Hope. That was a base of reality she could centre herself in. Furthering that, the grass was mostly the same colour. Grass was green for a reason, the fact that it wasn't sporadic rainbows of colour meant there was some reason for that. While these basic realities were a meagre comfort in the vast span of fantasy in front of her, they still provided some comfort nonetheless.

'This place may be strange. But it follows some logic, therefore it can be understood.' Such a sentiment soothed Rowan's anxieties for a moment.

Then her attention followed straight to the dragon. It looked beautiful dancing above the city before finding its resting place. Such behaviour could only bring the assumption that this one had some peaceful relation to the people of the city. But it got her wondering, if the world she left behind wasn't able to accommodate something like a dragon, what sort of environment could? What sort of other dangers could be lurking in this new world. It didn't pass her notice that the dragon sported impressive claws and presumably sharp teeth. Much like the grass being green, the dragon had those for a reason too.

"Y-You're all freaks!- You're blue- she's a deer!- Paper boy paper boy-"

Odaya's sudden outburst was enough to break Rowan from toiling on her thoughts further. She could finally take in the appearance of her company and found there was some truth to it. Rowan herself allows herself a light-hearted giggle at this. Odaya was correct, there were some crazy-looking figures which helped release the tension. But it was more because she found Odaya's expressiveness endearing and didn't want to see her laughing alone.

As for the following conversations in the group, Rowan kept to being a passive observer and seldom made an impact on their discussions. Although she took particular note of Freyja was hearing a song. Perhaps it was similar to what Rowan was hearing just with a voice this time.

'Why does she hear a voice?'

---

At some point in the journey, Rowan became aware of the special consideration from the crowd. Although their behaviour seemed respectful, she would be lying if she said it was adding to her sense of angst about the situation. Compared to the spectacle the others displayed in their new forms, Rowan's was quite understated. So it left her wondering what had got the crowd to pay her any particular mind.

Rowan eased the feelings with the practised response of a short head bow. She sure hoped that was the correct thing to do. A nervous chuckle escaped her every now and again.

Someone grabbed her hand from the crowd and Rowan stumbled a bit in shock. Then just like that, the hand let go leaving something weighty in her hand. "Oh, excuse me, you dropped someth..." Quickly turning to the crowd, however, offered no answers as to who had done this. No one was quickly retreating, nor was there a hand which remained outstretched. Just the same unrecognisable faces of an equal suspect.

What was left in her hand was a beautiful polished stone marked with moon and stars. In other circumstances, Rowan could mistake it for a nice display piece at a gift shop of some sort. But who would go out of their way to place the rock in her hand in such an abrupt and mysterious way? What type of object necessitated such a means of transferal? And who wouldn't want to be seen after doing such a thing?

"Hey, does anyone know what this is?" Rowan said toward the group, trying her best not to draw the crowd's attention to the stone in the process.

---

Dreaming Together With You - A Fading Memory Experiment - On Hiatus

I'll try to have my post out tonight

Edit: all posted. Sleep time now