[center][color=007fff][h3]Abel Fulgurate[/h3][/color][/center]

“I'm dreaming,” Abel suddenly told himself.  And so he was.

Possessed of a newfound self-awareness, he looked around.  In less than a second he laid eyes on a scene that caused him to jump in surprise and fear.  It was to his fortune that he jumped backward rather than forward, as a forward jump would have sent him hurtling into open space and an ensuing long, protracted fall to his death.  Of course, that would probably just wake him up given what he knew of dreams, but regardless he didn't see this course of events as particularly favorable.  Once the beating in his chest subsided, soothed as if a sore moistened by a comfortable wet towelette thanks to his realization, he could clearly see why he didn't want to end the dream just yet.  

Before him lay a breathtaking view.  He sat on a colossal stony crag extending out from a high-altitude cliff face.  Behind him stood a towering redwood forest—a seemingly infinite grove of giants.  So vibrant was the red of their bark and so gorgeous the green of their great crowns that they looked straight out of a fairy tale to the amazed guardian.  On the other hand, there lay before him a huge and wondrous valley.  For a moment Abel mused whether it might have been cut by the steady movement of ancient glaciers across the landscape, though soonafter he remembered that he was in a dream.  [i]Why do I need to keep reminding myself all the time?[/i]  Yet, taking in this scenery, it wasn't hard to see why losing oneself was so easy.  Trees, grassy meadows, and glittering rivers formed a mosaic down in the valley.

This was all, Abel thought, just stupendous, and obviously too good to be true.  Where were the floods?  The thunderstorms, and the earthquakes?  Why weren't the creatures of Grimm tearing him apart or throwing him from his rocky perch to properly acquaint him with the rich valley soil?  Abel expected some horrific behemoth to emerge from behind one of the snow-capped mountains in the distance any second, but he was glad it did not.  Questions swirled in his mind.  [i]How did I get here?  Why am I dreaming about this?  Will I remember when I wake up?[/i]  He saw no trace of darkness in this temperate paradise.  When he breathed in, the air felt crisp, fresh, and above all, free.  All of a sudden, the guardian found himself shivering.  Something wet rolled down his cheek, causing Abel to stir.  [i]What the hell?  No way I'm crying about some nice land in a dream.[/i]  He looked out again at the valley, and found the sun, previously high in the cloudy white sky, beginning to droop.  As the sun slid toward the horizon, the landscape changed; the decline of a day was echoed by the earth as a decline in the year.  The leaves of trees became vivid yellows, reds, and oranges.  Abel watched the grass turn a radiant gold, like hair.  He made no motion as the sun drifted toward the horizon and everything began to grow dark, savoring as much as he could the last moments of his splendid vision.

[center]-=-=-[/center]

“Urgh.”  Abel groaned into his sheet, lying face down.  “I'm awake.”  And so he was.

Though he was not as awake as he could have been.  Like a giant, muscular slug he oozed out of the bed and onto the floor, the experience restoring just enough consciousness so that he could rise to his feet.  On autopilot he navigated his way to the bathroom, where he doused himself with water.  His electric aura stirred sleepily, sending voltaic tickles across his skin.  “Ooh.”  This morning, he felt oddly at peace, though he had no idea why.  Once he regained his vision, he leaned back through the door to see if his teammates were present.  Only one bed seemed to be occupied: Shiro's.  Though he looked more like a burrito than anything else, the sleeping faunus was clearly identifiable by his furry ears.  Abel expected that his teammate could sleep through practically anything, but he made sure not to test the theory as he went about his business.  A visit to the toilet, a sojourn in the shower, an application of deodorant, and a quick update to his stubble later, Abel was back in the room and getting dressed to go to breakfast.

At that moment his scroll, laying on his little desk, vibrated.  Abel made no bones about nabbing it quickly and opening it up to see what news had come his way.  Memories of the night before popped up in the guardian's mind as he found out that the message was from Krysanthe.  The seven-man pizza party had been pretty darn subdued, if Abel remembered it correctly, but he'd enjoyed it well enough.  His eyes scanned Krysanthe's message.  

[quote][b]To:[/b] Abel
[b]From:[/b] Krysthane
[b]Subject:[/b] Re: Hang out? 

[color=007fff]For some reason, I'm itching to take a hike through the Emerald Forest.  Haven't been since the start of the school year, and it's pretty cool.  Lots of nature to go through.  Maybe that's something you might enjoy too?[/color]
[/quote]

Hoping that he didn't make it obvious that he'd very much like her to go with him, Abel held his breath and hit send.