Fandom High Dormitories

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]

Karla was feeling moody. Maybe it was knowing that shes was moving out of that cabins and back to the dorms with a roommate she didn't know. Maybe it was homesickness, stirred by her booth at the Multi-Cultural Fair. Maybe it was knowing this next week was going to be filled with a lot of anxiety that few people could actually know about. Whatever it was, she was a mess of different emotions, most of them unpleasant.

And so, she did what any Kaeleeran Queen would do: she found a garden and started working on it. Queens needed a connection with the land; it soothed them, help them think, and, in return, they made the land healthier and stronger. It was a nice trade-off.

Today, however, Karla wasn't concerned about making the land better. She just wanted somewhere peaceful to work while she sorted through her odd jumble of emotions. So she spent the afternoon weeding, thinning, watering, and just basically getting good and mucky.


[Establishy but open]