[center][color=f6989d][h1]Arae[/h1][/color]

[img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/357353496057610242/531937501057777664/sym1A1.png?width=240&height=301[/img]
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Arae flew and flew, thinking about what Orvus had said. The things he had said to have done to Phystene and Ashalla were horrifying, but she couldn’t bring herself to hate him for it, nor did she want to. Orvus needed a helping hand to guide him through his trouble, even if he didn’t want it. Arae only wished she knew how. For now, though, she knew she had other matters to attend to. 

Firstly, meet up with the others who were already siding against him, and hopefully convince them to at least be lenient with him. Arae recalled the names of her siblings: Phystene, Ashalla, Kalmar… and there was K’nell now. Arae gave it a quick thought as to who should be the one she would visit next, and ultimately decided it to be K’nell. She hadn’t actually met him before, and figured it would be a good time as any to learn what kind of being he was. Plus, she reasoned, he might be easier to convince than the others, considering Serenis’ earlier words regarding most of the others’ roles being the polar opposite of Orvus’. Arae began to compose her words to K’nell, greeting him via divine message, “[color=f6989d]Hello, K’nell. My name is Arae. Could you spare some time to talk? It’s about Orvus.[/color]”

It started as a trickle, but all of a sudden a great pull appeared in Arae’s mind. It felt of sleep, and while it could be easily swatted away, it remained tempting and cozy. Arae wasn’t sure what to make of it, but decided to go with it and see where it led her, though not without at least finding a place to rest first. Settling onto her currently bare island, Dragon’s Crown, Arae curled up in a circle and closed her eyes, letting her mind be taken by sleep. 

[hr]
Gentle musical notes roused Arae’s ears and slowly her eyelids fluttered open. A great blue sky hung over her, beating a gentle blanket of sunlight over her. Plush grass cushioned underneath her, and reeds swayed in a light spring breeze. Sitting up she noticed she was, quite suddenly, a mouse, and before her eyes was a great big stump, a gentlemanly fox sitting atop it playing a mahogany violin, his sweet music filling the air. This was very much unexpected to Arae, but she supposed that anything could happen in dreams. Leaping off the grass cushion and making her way on top of the stump, Arae walked up to the fox, wondering if this would be K’nell’s medium for this dream. “[color=f6989d]...K’nell?[/color]” Arae asked, making the assumption that it was. 

The fox continued his song, the notes vibrating and bouncing off the endless blades of grass and right back at the duo as some single handed orchestra of simplicity and contentment. While the song continued, a voice suddenly swirled around Arae and the fox, grainy and mysterious, “Yes?”

Arae’s head swiveled from side to side, trying to locate the source of the voice before quickly realizing that it was pointless and gave up on it. Instead, she went on to say, “[color=f6989d]Thank you for having me here…. wherever this is… K’nell, where am I, exactly? Is this a dream? This is very pleasant, but also very peculiar.[/color]” 

The fox abruptly stopped playing the violin, and yet the music continued. It turned its head to Arae, great smiling crescents gleaming off his eyes. The same grainy voice hung in the air between the two animals, “You are on a stump, in a field, in a dream, with me.”

Arae simply continued to stare at the fox while hearing the answer that barely answered anything, her mind in blank confusion. She then shook her head to clear her mind, deciding to ignore this entire exchange and move on to her original objective. Gathering her thoughts, Arae asked K’nell, “[color=f6989d]K’nell, I’ve heard from Orvus that you forced him into a dream in which he was a mortal farmer with a loving family, and then punished him by removing him from that pleasant dream. I may not know what’s happened since then, but from what I’ve seen of him, he’s in a terrible state of mind. He’s constantly depressed and won’t leave his Sphere. I just want to know: why did you do that? Why did you show him that dream and then take it away?[/color]” 

There was an unsettling silence as the fox stared at the mouse, and then all at once the voice returned, “Orvus was presented choices; the choice to sleep, the choice to stay and the choice to leave.” He paused, “There is no ill will in a dream, just a reflection of the truth. What the viewer does with it is not my domain.”

“I find it unbecoming to speak of another being’s dreams, it is their most private scenarios. Their most secret possibilities.”  The voice clung to the air like the cloudy whites in the sky.

Arae wanted to press further about the issue, but the words wouldn’t come out past the confusion she was now feeling. Between the conflicting stories, K’nell’s words of privacy, and her own conscience, Arae wasn’t sure what she should think. If Orvus was given those choices, then presumably he had chosen to leave… right? Why would Orvus be in such pain, then? Why had he said he wanted to stay? Who was really right, here? After mulling it over for a while, Arae ultimately came to the conclusion that it was completely unfathomable and gave up trying to understand it. Whatever Orvus’ choice was that time was his, and Arae had no choice but to accept that. 

“[color=f6989d]I’m sorry, it’s just… I don’t want to see our siblings act like this,[/color]” Arae said. “[color=f6989d]Orvus needs help, but so many of our siblings are already siding against him. While I understand why they’re doing what they’re doing, considering what Orvus has said he has done to Ashalla and Phystene, I wish they could not be so quick to cast judgement on him, especially when so little time has passed since we were just brought into this world.[/color]”

The fox blinked and then started playing his violin, and only after a few seconds did the voice reappear, “You cannot control the actions of another. You can either accept them for who they are and that they will act in ways you disapprove of, or you can present them with choices and consequences. Either way, they will have the freedom to choose their own path, same as we choose ours.”

Arae pondered this reasoning for a brief moment, knowing it to be true, even if her heart was not quite satisfied with it. She sighed, then looked down at the rings in the stump as she said, “[color=f6989d]I suppose…[/color]” Looking back up at the fox, Arae decided to ask, “[color=f6989d]I may just be overthinking this, but… if the worst comes to worst, and our siblings decide to take action against Orvus, could you give him your aid?[/color]” 

“First Orvus has a choice to make,” The voice swirled, “As do all the others.” There was a pause as the fox placed his violin down and turned to face Arae directly, “As do you.”

“[color=f6989d]...I see,[/color]” Arae said, not actually seeing it. She thought that perhaps she wouldn’t until the right time came and the decision was in front of her. She only hoped she would make a choice she wouldn’t regret. She bowed at the fox, or at least she made an attempt to, finding it quite difficult to perform the gesture in her current form. “[color=f6989d]Thank you for having me here, K’nell. This talk has given me much to think about,[/color]” Arae said. “[color=f6989d]Um… how do I leave?[/color]” 

“I hope all turns out well,” the grainy voice spun as a great cheshire smile grew on the fox. As the voice spoke the volume of the music increased, the notes speeding up their melody and then all at once, Arae’s eyes opened. She blinked, then looked down at herself, finding herself back in her own dragon form. Now she had to think: what was she going to do next?

[hider=summary]
Arae decides to go meet K’nell.

K’nell pulls her into a dream

They talk about Orvus and dreams

The conversation turns into talks about choices

Arae wakes up.
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