The Preserve, Wednesday Afternoon

[glacial_queen]

There was considerably less excitement and enthusiasm from Karla today. The dark circles under her eyes and the way she was clutching her mug of coffee for dear life might have suggested one reason for her subdued nature. She was also a little put out by the reports of napping on the radio. It didn’t seem fair that other people could just fall asleep at the drop of a hat, while the one time she’d closed her eyes, she’d had a dream so horrifying that she couldn’t fall back asleep. Looking gloomily out at the folks who’d shown up today, Karla really wished that she’d had a chance to nap before the Reserves started. Merlin also looked as if he hadn’t been sleeping well. He seemed distracted, though he had plenty of energy to twitch and fidget.

“Hey, everyone, thanks for coming,” she said when the mingling and grabbing of snacks came to a natural lull. She wasn’t really up for shouting over folks today. “So, our meeting today is going to be a little different than what we’re used to. Rather than practice a skill or something, we’re going to sit in a circle and talk about our feelings.” That got a ghost of a smile out of her, especially as she glanced at Arthur if he is there. “Since Monday evening, some folks around Fandom have been having odd feelings. Not Hormone-Week feelings, thank the Darkness, but kind of creepy, ominous feelings. Some people have compared it to feeling like a storm is coming. I myself compared it to feeling like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Ordinarily, most people would dismiss feelings like that out of hand. But we’re not most people. We’re the Magic Reserves. Dreams and feelings and portents mean a bit more to us than to the normal person. And while it’s possible that the weird breakfast thingies falling from the sky” Pop Tarts still didn’t deserve the title of pastry “just has us all on edge from the sugar overload, I don’t think so.”

She’d paused to give Merlin a chance to say something, but he was still fiddling with his tea cup, eyes firmly fixed on Arthur. So she took another long sip of her coffee and continued. “Even if you’ve never had a precognitive dream or episode or ‘funny feeling’ before, that doesn’t discount you now. I’m sure I don’t have to tell any of you that Fandom is a funny place.” She gave them all a wry grin. “It could be awakening powers that have been dormant within you all along. Or it might kindly be giving us all a head’s up before it unleashes something upon us. The important thing is not to discount anything. We don’t know what we’re up against, but hopefully by talking things through, we’ll get a better idea of the big picture.”

“So today, let’s talk. First, we can share any odd dreams we’ve had in the past few days, especially any dreams that were exceptionally vivid or real-feeling. Dreams that didn’t feel like dreams. Also, any visions you might have had or even just vague feelings. Just remember, you don’t have to share if you aren’t comfortable doing so. Dreams, visions, and feelings are awfully personal. But if you have anything you think might be related to whatever-this-is, I urge you to speak up.”

“Secondly, if we do assume that something bad is on the way, what can we do to prepare? Are there magical items we should stockpile to make your spell-casting easier? Are there ways we can protect the dorms, the school, the town? Is there some kind of signal we can use to alert everyone? Acknowledging that we don’t know what kind of threat we’re facing—if any at all—let’s brainstorm ways that we can be as effective as possible when it comes to protecting our own.”

[OCD coming up]

Comments

Arrive and mingle

[glacial_queen]

There's less food out than usual, but plenty of coffee and strong teas.

Re: Arrive and mingle

[bitchprince]

Lovely. All that Arthur needed. More superstitious nonsense about bad feelings.

Still, he was there, attempting to stay awake. Near the back, of course.

Re: Arrive and mingle

[trigons_child]

Raven was there, looking weary as well after her dream last night.

Re: Arrive and mingle

[oops-mbad.livejournal.com]

Diana had missed last week due to unplanned closetness. But she was there now, Samuel in her arms.

Re: Arrive and mingle

[life_inshadow]

Tara wasn't having any oddities sleeping, but she took tea anyhow and looked around. She didn't need to sense auras to know so many of those here were tired and on edge.

Re: Arrive and mingle

[puppy_fair]

Zack was clinging to a cup of coffee as though it was a lifeline, yes.

Dreams. Yeah, those were ringing a bell. He tried not to look as bothered by them as he actually was. He was failing kind of miserably at it.

Re: Arrive and mingle

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah was here, still yawning. Eyes open, though.

Re: Arrive and mingle

[thatsamilkshake]

Weird as it felt to be here in this week's state of... whatever they were in a state of with Merlin and Arthur, Francine was. Weird island was a little more important than weird relationships. Or something.

She found herself a place where she could be out of the way if people didn't want to talk to her, and started taking notes on what people had seen and heard.

Re: Arrive and mingle

[stylin-wizard.livejournal.com]

Alex wasn't having any trouble sleeping or strange dreams, but she'd heard a bit about people falling asleep on the radio and she'd noticed Jo dozing off in Mythbusting class yesterday.

Something odd was definitely going on. She helped herself to a cup of coffee, not that she needed the caffeine boost. It was kind of comforting to have it in hand.

Re: Arrive and mingle

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

Savannah was holding onto the largest cup of coffee she could get and there were dark circles under her eyes.

Re: Arrive and mingle

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Leda was late in arriving and seemed a bit disoriented. And not in her usual way either.

Re: Arrive and mingle

[finding-x-dream.livejournal.com]

So she hadn't imagined it. Good to know.

Agnes took a strong cuppa and sipped at it thoughtfully.

Share!

[glacial_queen]

Dreams? Visions? Feelings? Theories?

Could it be bunnies, do you think?

Re: Share!

[trigons_child]

"I have shared these strange feelings," Raven admitted. "The first was Monday. I felt a strange surge of hope and desperation, one that seemed to come from all around me. I do not know where it came from, but there was some familiarity, as if I had touched the person or persons who were experiencing it before."

She clasped her hands together and gathered herself before continuing. "Yesterday, I fell asleep in the middle of the day, which is unusual for me. I dreamed I was healing someone. I could not see who it was, but he was badly injured and had been bitten by something -- there were two deep puncture marks in his neck. The healing was difficult, as I was very weary from healing many others."

There was hesitation in her voice as she went on, as if she was loathe to reveal this part. "And last night I dreamed I was walking the grounds of the school at night. I encountered someone I know, but she was changed. Her nature was very dark and sinister. And she...she attempted to lure me into her new life." She did not share how tempted she was, and how she had used her gifts to harm instead of heal.

"It all seemed so very real."

Re: Share!

[glacial_queen]

"Like so many others, Monday began it for me. I felt so strange. Frightened. I wove a tangled web of visions to try to get an idea what was going on. I don't believe that Fate and Destiny are immutable," she said, with a small smile for the folks from class, "but I believe that looking into the future can give us signs. So we can choose the future we want to work towards. But I didn't get anything useful. Just images I can't comprehend the meaning of," she said, before describing them.

"Then, last night, I had a dream. It started off fun, but became something much darker." She detailed that dream, too, though without actually saying Ender's name.

Re: Share!

[life_inshadow]

"Monday night," Tara said, remembering. "I w-was writing a letter home and it -- it felt like the island's energy flickered. Just for a second, though, not -- not what the rest of you are saying."

Re: Share!

[puppy_fair]

"Dreams," Zack shared, not quite able to make eye contact with anyone in the crowd. "At the worst times, in the weirdest places. I wasn't even tired, and I just... drifted."

His coffee was fascinating.

"I dreamed that I was hurting people, or talking about it. Most of the time, I wasn't making sense."

Re: Share!

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah didn't say anything. At least not at first. Just looked down.

Re: Share!

[thatsamilkshake]

After Francine had heard a few people's stories, she started to feel guilty for not saying anything herself, even if raising her hand to talk here felt like she was interfering in somebody else's world where she didn't belong.

"I, um," she said diffidently, "Felt something too. Just on Monday. For a second I even thought I saw something." Which she hadn't told Merlin at the time, having already decided she imagined that, so she shot him a nervous glance now.

Re: Share!

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

Savannah was finding the ground very, very interesting.

"I dreamt I lost my magic," she said finally. "It was just... gone. I don't know why."

Re: Share!

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

I dreamt I was having sex with the Vacation teacher. Yyyeah. Leda didn't think she'd be sharing that one.

"I passed out during photography class I think. And...I had a weird dream, but I can't remember anything about it. Just....weird." she said evasively.

Re: Share!

[oops-mbad.livejournal.com]

"Um, I fell out of the closet a week late on Monday?" Diana said, just hearing about the weird dreams.

Ounce of Prevention

[glacial_queen]

How should we prepare? Whether you're leaning towards more martial preparations or supportive ones or anything in between, here's where you offer them up.

Talk to the Leaders.

[glacial_queen]

They're around, if not all together here.

Re: Talk to the Leaders.

[glacial_queen]

Karla was here, and wishing for a nap.

Soon she will learn the maxim 'Be careful what you wish for.'

OOC

[glacial_queen]

Has the BDE eaten everyone?

Re: OOC

[thatsamilkshake]

*is et*

Yes.

*throws girl in anyway, since for once, she actually has something to say*