<TIAMAT> *Jarod has no luck finding either Jansk, Jimsey or Teal after he left Jukka and Hatani, so he resigns himself to picking up the search in the morning.

<TIAMAT> *Late that evening -- or perhaps early the next morning -- he finds himself in the now-familiar dream world, standing, in fact, under the now-familiar lamp post that appears to be in the middle of nowhere. He blinks in the light a few times, turning a slow circle to see where the boy is. "I know you're here somewhere ..." His voice is stronger than it was last time, though still slightly echoey.

<JETMODE> *Oddly enough, though, the boy is NOT present, nor are the spirits who keep attempting to devour him. The path continues on, though, and it seems to get lighter a bit farther up the street.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod frowns and peers up the path. After another glance around to make sure he really is alone, he starts for the light.

<JETMODE> *The path continues, winding and dark, for some time, but just as it seems like a lost cause, light flares around Jarod, then fades very slightly to reveal a very peculiar scene.

<JETMODE> *He's standing in a sunlit garden, along with the hazily semi-transparent spirits of several people -- including Cassie and Cecil. The spirits are chatting pleasantly with each other, as if nothing at all is wrong, and some are even handing around drinks and refreshments.

<JETMODE> *The garden itself is strangely still -- no bugs, no beasts, no birds. The plant life looks normal at first, but on a second glance it appears oddly warped -- mutated in some places. Some plants are thriving next to the wilted stalks of others, some are unusually large, some small. None of the spirits seem to care much, though.

<JETMODE> *Look far enough, and the scene turns gray at the edges, as though it's a small bubble against the darkness outside.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod stiffens a little, looking around the garden slowly and cautiously. He spots Cassie and does a slight double-take and takes a step or two toward her. "Cassie?"

<JETMODE> *She doesn't notice him, continuing her animated conversation with Dame Amelia.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod's pace quickens a bit and a concerned look crosses his features as he approaches her. "Cassie? Cassie, it's me! *assuming this doesn't work, of course, he tries some form of telepathy to get her attention.

<JETMODE> *Even this gets no response from Cassie -- but that shouldn't be any kind of surprise, as Cassie's mind isn't present anywhere near the spirit. It's almost like the bounce of an echo.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod tries a couple different things, all yielding similar results. He sighs in frustration and looks around again, studying the garden a little more closely -- and looking, both with his eyes and his mind, for the boy.

<JETMODE> *Toward the back of the garden, where its edges begin to fade to gray, there's a small and ornate chair. Seated on it, hands folded in his lap, is the boy. His bandana is nowhere in sight, and his third eye is open, the other two shut as if in repose. The open eye appears to be watching the proceedings with a bland lack of interest.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod spots the boy and watches him curiously for a moment before approaching, slowly and cautiously, trying to avoid making contact with the eye -- though it seems to draw his own eyes to it, whenever he glances away.

<JETMODE> *The eye stares at him blandly as he approaches, and the boy's mouth moves, though he gives no other sign that he's awake. "You really shouldn't be here."

<TIAMAT> *Jarod pauses, frowning a bit. "Neither should they. *he glances back over toward all the shadows.

<JETMODE> *The eye blinks, and the boy's mouth smiles. "But they aren't here."

<TIAMAT> *Jarod, softly: Too true... *he turns back to the boy, staring at his third eye hard. "Then where are they?

<JETMODE> *The smile broadens. "That would be telling, wouldn't it?"

<TIAMAT> *Jarod, a little sharply: I need to know! *he pauses, takes a deep breath. "What have you done to them?

<JETMODE> *The boy's body gives a slight shake, and the eye narrows. "Nosy, aren't you? You'll wake him, and he'll send you away."

<TIAMAT> *Jarod arches an eyebrow. "Maybe it would be best if he was awake. ... Just who are you, anyway? Why have you done this?

<JETMODE> *Again with the smile. "I'm him. He's me. We're the same being, merely unsynchronized. He's too young, you see."

<JETMODE> *The eye roves around the garden for a moment. "As to the why, well. We were told to."

<TIAMAT> *Jarod folds his arms. "Told? By whom?

<JETMODE> *The boy gives a violent jerk, and the eye flickers once. "That, I'm afraid is not information I can give you -- not without compromising our current position. And I have a vested interest in whether he gets to eat."

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: But you can't keep doing this! *he unfolds his arms and half-turns back to the shadows, watching them for a moment, before looking back at the boy. "You can't keep them like this.

<JETMODE> *The mouth turns down in a frown, and the eye drifts almost completely closed, as if bored by the argument. "That isn't our decision."

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: Hey! *takes a half-step toward the boy, then hesitates, unsure what to do. He scowls in frustration. "You can't just...do NOTHING--"

<JETMODE> *At Jarod's approach, the boy's eyes suddenly snap open, and the third eye closes, vanishing as if it had never been there. He stares at Jarod. "I.. told you.. to leave me alone."

<TIAMAT> *Jarod glares at the boy. "Not until you release them. I don't want to be here any more than you want me to be, but this -- *he motions back toward the shadows* -- isn't right!"

<JETMODE> <boy> *angrily* It's not your business! Go AWAY!

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: It IS my business! Cassie -- the fox girl -- is a friend of mine, and I'm not going to sit back and do nothing while she's like this!

<JETMODE> *The sky goes dark, suddenly roiling with clouds. There's a crack of thunder as the boy pushes himself to his feet, fists clenched. "I ... don't get .. to CHOOSE!" With this statement, Jarod is very abruptly bowled over by a storm of emotions, pushing him far away from the boy's mind and firmly back into his own.

<TIAMAT> *At which point he wakes with a start -- not quite screaming like the previous nightmares have ended with, but a rather loud yelp indeed. He's not quite as frantic as he has been in the past, either, though his eyes still dart around the room a little wildly.

<JETMODE> *Kender is already awake, amazingly enough, and the smell of breakfast drifts in from the kitchen.

<JETMODE> <Kender> *over his shoulder* You awake?

<TIAMAT> *Jarod glances around and takes a deep breath. "I...guess.

<JETMODE> <Kender> *ambles in, looking at him curiously* Another nightmare?

<TIAMAT> *Jarod nods a little. "This one...wasn't quite as bad as the last. I...talked to the boy whose dream I'm sharing.

<JETMODE> <Kender> *blinks* What did he say?

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: Not a whole lot, unfortunately...though I know for sure now that he's connected to Cassie's...eh, condition. She was there, along with everyone else Teal's been getting reports about.

<JETMODE> *Kender suddenly dashes back to the kitchen to check the food. "Think you ought to tell him or something?" he calls.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod stands up with a stretch, following Kender, albeit a little slower. "I actually was going to try to find him last night, but he wasn't around -- so yeah, I'll talk to him today."

<JETMODE> <Kender> *a little absently* 'Kay. I'm gonna be busy, though.. two of the mares are about to foal -- if they don't, we might have to force the issue.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: ... Sounds exciting. How's your girlfriend? Haven't seen her for a while.

<JETMODE> <Kender> Whisper's okay. She's been around.. guess you've been other places. *pauses* It's ready!

<TIAMAT> *Jarod peers over Kender's shoulder. "What izzit?

<JETMODE> <Kender> Eggs and bacon. *shrugs* I figured we'd better use 'em before they go bad.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod grins. "Sounds good to me. Let's eat!"