Video | un: traveler

[brilliantdiamond]

[Although the video quality on magi-comms isn't great, there's enough detail to show a young man with blonde hair and cat ears, looking a bit tired as he speaks into the device.]

Has anyone ever had a reoccurring dream? Or a dream that feels so real, you can't tell if it was just a dream or a memory?

Or maybe I should be asking... how do you make them stop?



[Note: Aether is experiencing a gradual canon update! Comments will include spoilers for the Genshin Impact 3.0 Archon quest!]

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Video | un: wenlan

[fullgrownturnip]

[A young man appears on the screen. He has floppy black rabbit ears on either side of his head. He's also had kizuna changes it seems.]

I don't know how to make them stop but I remember having dreams like this for a long time. For me it was because I had lost my memory but was remembering those moments again.

[brilliantdiamond]

[Ah, a fellow Kizuna-haver turned into a cute and cuddly animal. The rabbit ears are pretty endearing.]

You lost your memory? Was that something that happened here, or back in your home world?

[fullgrownturnip]

My world. An incident happened when I was small which left me with a terrible fever. When the fever broke I'd lost all my memories.

[He smiles a little.]

There was a struggle in my world at the time so the people caring for me at the time let me forget to protect me.

[brilliantdiamond]

Forgetting everything when you're only a child... that must have been difficult.

[Hopefully he was young enough that it didn't impact him greatly. But while the situation is quite different, it may still be helpful to hear another experience.]

How did you figure out they were memories, and not just vivid dreams?

[fullgrownturnip]

I met some of the people in my dreams including a family member who it turned out to have not died. In talking with him I was able to remember. To realize the dreams were memories.

[Sizhui pauses then, considering a moment.]

I don't know if it's at all the same as your situation. But maybe they are memories as well? For you?

un: crimsononi

[oneandoni]

I've had the same dream a couple of times, but that's about it.

[he squints down at the screen, frowning in concern] Is that why you look so exhausted?

[brilliantdiamond]

...yeah. Sorry for not saying anything earlier. But I don't think I realized how bad it was until I woke up this morning.

[Perhaps it's only because he's talking to Itto, but his voice sounds even more tired than before. Was he trying to hide it?]

I've had reoccurring nightmares before, but they were always obviously just dreams. This time... they feel too vivid for that. I can remember almost every detail, as if I spent a whole day in my own head.

[oneandoni]

Are you sure it ain't just vivid dreams, though? Those can happen, right?

[he doesn't sound disbelieving, though; if Aether thinks it isn't a dream, then it isn't one, simple as that]

How long has it been happening?

[brilliantdiamond]

If it was a dream, I'd be able to wake myself up. But I can't do that in these dreams -- it doesn't even occur to me in them.

And maybe that wouldn't be weird for anyone else, but I've gotten pretty good at that otherwise.

[Of course, he doesn't know whether Itto sleeps lightly enough to notice that Aether does force himself awake every so often in the middle of the night, even when they're sleeping together. It's become less common since Lumine came back.]

But it's been happening every night for the last week. The dreams are always about the same thing: I'm attending a festival in Sumeru to celebrate the Dendro Archon's birthday. And I remember everything that happens that day, from the moment I wake up, until I go to sleep.

But-- I don't have any memories of going to Sumeru. I still don't even remember meeting you in Liyue.

[oneandoni]

So that's what's you're doing at night. [sometimes he sleeps lightly, but he always figured that Aether did too. You know, traveler and all] Is something like that supposed to be weird?

[both eyebrows shoot up as Aether begins explaining his dream, though; was that where he went after they parted ways in Liyue?]

That's . . . uh, yeah, that's kind of real specific. You don't remember running into me in Liyue either, right?

un: white heron

[mistsplitter]

I can't say I have in a very long while.

[ When she was much younger, a little less mature, and in grief, then yes. But she doesn't elaborate any further. ]

I wish I knew how to make them stop, but perhaps talking about these dreams would help?

[brilliantdiamond]

Maybe... it's not a bad dream at all, so I don't mind. It's just strange.

I keep dreaming about the same day. I'm in Sumeru, and I'm attending a festival I've never heard of, with someone I've never met before. But every time, the day goes a little differently, so it doesn't make sense for it to be a memory.

[mistsplitter]

How long have you been dreaming of this?

[ She's no scientist or psychiatrist but she can at least listen! ]

[brilliantdiamond]

Every night for the past week.

At first I thought it was just some kind of fluke, but... then, in one of my dreams, I was becoming aware that I was repeating the same events over again. I had an unsettling feeling of deja vu that I couldn't shake.

And after that, every time the festival repeated itself-- I'd wake up and I'd feel exhausted.

[Which is where the concern lies, of course. Even if they were memories, why would they be making him more tired?]

[mistsplitter]

That is concerning. Are you very tired now?

[ Ah... she has to find a way to help! ]

While I may not be able to do much, perhaps a pot of tea would help.

video; un: illumine-ate

[auraofstars]

You too, huh? Do you want to talk about it?

[brilliantdiamond]

["You too"... that could mean a lot of things, but regardless, he's not planning on hiding any of this from her. If they are memories, then they might be able to draw conclusions from one another.]

[He just hopes she doesn't feel as awful as he does right now.]

I do. Are you downstairs right now?

[auraofstars]

Yeah. Come and have a sit-down with me and let's talk about it. I'll make some tea.

[ And sure enough, she's got a kettle of water on the stove by the time he arrives. ]

Is it Sumeru?

[brilliantdiamond]

[When he comes down, he greets her with a smile -- but Lumine would recognize how Aether looks when he's running on very little sleep. Which is odd, because he's definitely been sleeping at regular hours.]

Yeah, actually. I take it you know about the Sabzeruz Festival, then?

[auraofstars]

The festival to celebrate Lesser Lord Kusanali's birthday. But the sages won't let Nilou dance, and it keeps happening over and over.

[ They sit together and she laces her fingers through his, resting her head on his shoulder and sighing. ]

I keep worrying I'm going to hear that chime any moment now.

text; un: radianthowl

[re_sonate]

[oh maaaan reoccurring dreams and nightmares are pretty much what makes up Luke's sleep that he's so used to it at this point. it seems like his own mind likes to cycle through three nightmares, so the only anticipation is which one the night will bring.

the ones that feel too real, however... those ones are what terrify him the most, the ones that leave him gasping for air and drenched in sweat as he tries to gather his bearings from waking up so violently]

both... i dunno how to make them stop, but if you find a way, wanna let me know? i've been trying to figure it out for a while.

[a peaceful night's sleep for once would be nice, after all]

[brilliantdiamond]

[Ahh... reading that makes him wonder if perhaps this person's dreams are similar to ones Aether used to have before. The nightmares.]

Of course. Even if I can't find my own answers, it'd be nice to help someone else.

I've been asking around, and I know there's a flower that can be brewed into a tea that's supposed to suppress dreams. But it's pretty hard to find, so I've never had a chance to try it myself.

[re_sonate]

[this is the first that he's heard of this flower or tea, and judging by what Aether says, he supposes he shouldn't be too surprised]

Do you know where it might be found?

[Luke can't lie to himself and pretend he isn't interested. he's used to his nightmares now at this point, but a night of dreamless sleep is almost too alluring. he does have to wonder what it's like]

[brilliantdiamond]

They grow on the trunk of a tree called a Yumenu tree, which only grows in the forests near Mt. Fuji. The area is unpopulated and pretty dangerous. I've tried asking around before, but usually the only way to get it is to commission someone to collect it for you. And not many people are willing to go out there.

If I find a way to get my hands on some, I'd be happy to share? I know how hard it is to deal with nightmares, after all.

[And perhaps it says something about Aether that he feels far more inclined to make the journey to Chubu for someone else's sake than for his own.]

[re_sonate]

[oh no it's stupid idea time. Luke considers this for a moment; he never thought he could have a dreamless sleep at all that the idea seems a little too enticing. and if there aren't that many people who can go cultivate them, then...]

and if someone were to go looking for it, do you know how to get there?

[not that he's asking Aether to come with him, but if he knows how to get there, then Luke could probably figure out the rest]