khuioduan | [Video] - Middle of the night...

[That makes Padparadscha laugh even harder, a rolling, jovial thing.] Androids are the ones built of metal and wire, right? Not quite. I am of the earth.

[It's useful to note the mention of the throat lump, too, even if it sounds strange - and even if they're quite sure they've seen young humans without anything of the sort even if they've called themselves male. But for now, it seems like it may be convenient to make their position clearer.]

I could try to explain my lack of understanding of living things in words, but I think this might be easier.

[After another moment or two, the video feed on the yimo comes on, revealing Padparadscha's upper half. Their skin is white as porcelain, to the point of almost appearing artificial, and their shirt is open to reveal a chest bare of any kind of lumps or human features at all, but full of various holes plugged with what appears to be pink-orange gemstone. Their eyes and hair are the same colour, and though their hair falls around their face naturally enough, it's clear it lacks "strands" so much as being made up of thin slivers of gem that skitter and skim along each other as they move. They might be human-shaped, but it's quite clear they're not human, probably some kind of rock, and visibly genderless.]

Well, the last one I met was, yes. [ The metal part, at least. She's not so sure about the wires. ]

Of...the earth?

[ From the way "earth" is said, the word is referring to the ground and not the planet. So...a golem? Before the ninja can ask, Padparadscha is proving her right with the "demonstration", but it's not that that makes the ninja's eyes widen in surprise. ]

Oh! [ She turns on the video on her end, revealing her reddened cheeks. ] I just thought you were having trouble because... But it's... [ Okay, enough stammering. ] You...don't have a gender, do you? [ She facepalms out of embarrassment. ] I hope I'm not insulting you by my reaction--I've never met anyone like you before.

[ And instead of hurling insults, the ninja is accepting and even admiring the colors and the way they shimmer in the light.

She overcomes her embarrassment to offer a friendly smile. ] Well, now that I know why you're having trouble, maybe we can come up with a different method for you to figure it out.

[ Yep. Still going to help. ]

Did you do it back in Keeliai?

And can you really say this is the same as a person's memories, since we both feel they're their actual experiences?

[ Do try that experiment please. ]

So, do you think they're contacting the Dreaming somehow, and the Dreaming is cutting them off? Or the other way around?

I did it a few times in Keeliai, sometimes to converse with the essence directly, once or twice to see memories. It's a complex connection, not without risk...I don't think attempting it at a distance would be wise.

[The last thing she needed was to lose her consciousness somewhere it couldn't be found.]

I wish I knew the answer to that, Sheena. The planes are complex and messing with them is dangerous.

[Part of the reason she avoided the tower.]

[Sheena's embarrassed reaction just gets another laugh out of Padparadscha, this one a bit softer in mind of not embarrassing her too much more.]

I've been here for a few months now, so I've seen all sorts of reactions to me by now. But no, my people don't have gender. We have no need to make more of ourselves like living things do.

[Which is Padparadscha's primary understanding of what gender is "for", based on what they've seen of living things.]

I feel as if it's something born of experience, so if nothing comes to you, then it's not a problem. The time it takes will most likely pass in the blink of an eye to me.

Sure! My turn to be your listening ear, now!

... could you give me a few minutes, though?

[ To wash her face and brush her teeth again and dress into something more presentable. Just in case she runs into any more cute guys driven awake by the visions. You know. ]

[ Thank you. She's embarrassed enough as it is--and also smart enough to know Padparadscha isn't egging it on with her laughter.

But embarrassment gives way easily to concern. ]

All sorts of reactions? Has anyone tried to harm you or anything? [ Meet Sheena Fujibayashi, Protector of Everyone. Still, she can't help a friendly chuckle at the way Padparadscha describes procreation. ] That's one way of putting it, I guess.

[ Well, that's the primary reason, so they're not too far off. ]

So, no more of you are "made" in any way?

[ That's sad to the ninja. ]

Hmmm. You never know, it just might come to me when I least expect it. But, I'm curious. Are you immortal?

Guess it is.

Sure. No problem.

[ And Sheena will just put on a long robe to cover her pajamas and make it to the common room. Cute guys are the farthest thing on her mind right now. ]

[ She can't see it, but Sheena is running a hand over her face before looking out a window for several long moments. ]

Is it complex for us because we're not of this world? I mean, the Dreaming brought us here, so it would stand to reason that those born here would have an easier time making those connections.

[ And following almost immediately. ]

And probably the only way to find out is to "mess with the planes" and find out. So there goes that idea.

Edited 2018-07-18 05:07 (UTC)

[It was entirely possible that the population knew the Dreaming better than they did, even if their connection wasn't the same, it didn't mean they didn't have one.]

There are three planes on my world. Life, Death, and Soul. There are three planes here. Life, Death and Dreaming, but I can still access the Soul plane. I imagine it isn't unlike how you can summon those spirits here, Konryu seems to be a convergence of worlds.

[If that were true, perhaps the Death plane hadn't been involved at all...but she still wasn't convinced.]

If you are curious about the plane, those in the Aisling Tower seem more inclined to play with such things.

[ Ilda arrives in the common room around five minutes later. She still looks sleepy, but even so she's in a dress. ]

Big sister! [ You get a hug as soon as she sees you, Sheena. With no preamble whatsoever. ]

No, but I'd have little to worry about from something like that anyway. [Padparadscha almost seems amused at the implication, especially since they're not only stone in appearance. Corundum is only outstripped in hardness by diamond itself, so anything of flesh and bone doesn't present much of a threat to them.]

We are formed, but it's a rare thing. Often a hundred or more years pass between the emergence of new gems. As you suspect, though, we have no concept of death in the way living things do. We continue to exist, regardless of other things.

[They can be taken away and ground into dust, but even that isn't true "death" to them. And if the dust can be gathered together again, they can be reborn, even if it takes time.]

[Man, this keeps happening. Zephyr looks half-awake in his answer.]

You might have to be a little more specific, there's a lot going on there. You got another one too, huh?

[Pause, yawning.]

Need company or something?

[ Then again, it's also entirely possible that they had no clue about it, or as the case on her world, only a small percentage knew the truth about something so vital. The rest just taking it for granted. ]

So is Dreaming the same thing as Soul? They both come from your innermost being.

[ An unseen nod. ]

It's probably because I came from a different place where my powers had been cut off that I noticed the connection to my Summons almost immediately when they returned. Which--like the Dreaming and the Soul--are a part of our innermost selves.

Maybe I should go to the Tower and ask them about this.

[ Though "playing" is out of the question. There may be problems she can't fix. ]

On my world, dreams originate in the soul, so perhaps they have similarities, but the Soul plane is more passive than what I've observed the Dreaming to be like.

[And with so many different worlds, it was impossible to judge how it would appear to to others]

The Tower is a place to start at least.

[ And you get a quizzical expression when Sheena catches sight of you. ]

Thanks for coming.

The hug is returned without question, though Sheena has one as soon as she steps back. ]

Ilda? Why the hell are you wearing a dress at this time of night?

I see. Still, be careful. [ Don't underestimate people, Padparadscha. They can usually find a way to destroy something or someone they don't know or understand. Or prevent them from returning. ]

Hmmm. But... [ And she shakes her head. ] But, if you're long-lived, wouldn't that actually be considered more "the next generation" than a rarity?

And no concept of death... [ She shakes her head, uncertain. ] I'm not sure if that would be a good thing or a bad thing for those of flesh and blood.

[ Welcome to the half-awake club. ]

Do I really need to be more specific? [ She's not sure if he's asking what she had dreamed. ] "Too"? So, I take it I'm not the only one tonight?

A friend's already coming over. [ She looks at him quizzically. ] Have we met?

[It's difficult to underestimate the ingenuity of potential enemies after 3700 years of fighting, but Padparadscha doesn't feel the need to make that obvious.]

We all live in the same place and learn the same things, and filter out into the same roles. A "generation" sounds more like what living things do.

It doesn't sound as if death is looked upon well by the living, in any case.

[Through another yawn.]

Why are we having these dreams, why are some of them the same, why do they keep coming back...

Nah, you're not the only one. Me, too.

[He seems remarkably blasé about this.]

[Her question makes him sharpen up a little. Now that she mentions it there is some vague familiarity about her, even if he can't quite put a name to her. Which probably means...]

Dunno, but you might have met my partner Allen. Liafyse sound familiar?

[ It can still happen, though. People do tend to be predictable in being unpredictable.

Sheena chuckles. ]

I hate to tell you this, but that's kind of what living beings do, too. So, we sound like we have more things alike than different.

[ She shakes her head. ]

For most of the living, no. Death is not something they want. For some, they see it as a reward.

[ Ilda laughs and actually twirls. It's a yellow summer dress with a loose skirt. ]

Do you like it?

I'm just making sure that I look presentable! You know, in case... people show up.

[ She says people very knowingly. Like she means one person in particular. ]

Yeah, it does like to take action every now and then, doesn't it?

[ Hard to tell in text, but that's something Sheena isn't really too happy about. Which brings her to her next question. ]

Yeah, I guess it is. But you said they like "playing" with it. They're not going to have me go into it, are they?

[ Oh. ]

When you mean "the same", do you mean why are more than one person having the same dream? I'm not sure, but it wouldn't be the first time the Dreaming has shared dreams with people.

[ Sheena, on the other hand, is frustrated and irritated--and it shows.

Her question had stemmed from him--a perfect stranger to her--asking if she wanted company.

She shakes her head. ]

I'm sorry, but neither of those names ring a bell. [ So, she opts for the obvious. ] Do you look at Xa-Xa? Or know someone named Zelos?

Yeah, that's what I meant. Why are some of us having the same dream and some of us not.

[Her answer is both helpful and not at all.]

...good to know, I guess.

[Zephyr thinks about that, frowning faintly.]

I don't pay attention to Xa Xa. Zelos...

[Memory stirs. Or a memory of a memory; Allen and Sara and Lippy, talking, Allen all expansive gestures and Sara giggling as she described events past.]

[Zephyr's eyes look very distant.]

Red hair, pretty face, flirts a lot? Kind of obnoxious if you're a guy?

[Video] - Middle of the night...

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