[ voice ]

[ilda]

[ Minutes ago, there had been a scream as Ilda jolted awake. And in the dark of the night she'd panicked, the sight of the not-quite-familiar room making her think that she was still in the jungle, with the inky mass of... something trailing menacingly right behind her.

She'd stumbled out of bed and out of the room, her new roommates momentarily forgotten.

When she'd finally sent out a message, she was up on the roof, hugging her knees, tears streaming down her face. ]

H-Help.

Comments

voice

[rutility]

[This sounds like the girl who caused the tremors downtown several days ago. Rutile is not confident about their chances of calming her, but that won't stop them from trying. Their words are steady and calm.]

Are you in immediate danger?

voice

[ilda]

[ By the time Ilda responds to Rutile, she’s sufficiently calmed down, having already talked to Padparadscha and a few other friends. She’s still not sure what’s going on, but at least she’s no longer distressed — things tend to happen when she’s overly emotional. ]

I’m so sorry! I just had a terrible dream and I thought it was real because it felt so real, and I panicked because I thought someone I knew really died...

I’m okay now, though. Sort of. Just hanging out here on the roof. One of my new roommates came to talk to me. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who had the dream.

voice

[rutility]

[ Padparadscha has a way of calming even the most dire situations. Their talent for it is irreplaceable. Rutile's tone relaxes when they find Ilda is in no danger from others. ]

Good that they reached you so fast. It's been an active night; there have been many conversations outside my door about the dreams, many of them shared.

Do you plan on coming down any time soon? I'd like to take some notes on what you've seen.

voice

[ilda]

So it's not just us? [ If she thought having the exact same dream with Padparadscha was weird, that certainly made things a whole lot weirder. ]

I... I'll be down in a while. Can you give me a few minutes?

voice

[rutility]

Certainly, take the time you need. I'll be in my room for the next few hours, I imagine - I'm trying to collect other accounts now.

[ Their words are matter-of-fact, but their tone is gentle. ]

I don't know the significance of it yet, but no, we're hardly alone.

[ Strange, that it takes so unusual an event for Rutile to finally feel connected to others here. ]