I’m going to answer the obvious question first. Yes, it’s tagged “dream”, but I was wide awake, aware, and in the middle of… something.
Excuse me, I have a smug smirk still attached to my face, gimme a moment to hide it again.
Okay. So, I found myself with a split awareness again. Just three places. Here, the City, and the Terrace. So I’m doing pretty well, being in three places at once. There’s nothing pressing. Everything is balanced. I’m perfectly fine.
You know what that means.
Time to push my luck.
In the City, I told the server (Who is apparently my personal server now. When I show up, she is to drop whatever she’s doing and attend me. I’ve never had that before. Aftermath of the Coffee Soiree, I guess.) that I might be literally fading in and out, and I would like privacy. She nodded and produced a curtain that closed off my booth. I’m gonna get spoiled, I’m sure.
In the Terrace, I start playing around with the winds. (Cuz, you know, everything else has been wiped clean off!) Ke shows up. I tell kir I’m not in the mood for any trials, because I’m trying to get a handle on an ability. Ke nods, and says ke’s just here for supervision, and to make sure nothing interrupts me on the terrace. I ask about the wing, ke shows me it has healed up just fine.
In the Waking, things are same as they ever was.
I split myself a fourth time, and place the fourth ‘shard’ at my lair. Snake looks over from the fire and says, “Took you long enough.” I tease him about his vanity. He harrumphs and says he has a reputation to protect, and so he must always look his best. I mutter something about him being confused for a peacock and get razzed in response.
I meant to only keep it at four splits. Because what I’m doing in the Waking does require more attention than the other three put together. I’m not trying to do any workings, I’m just practicing. I’m prepared to collapse myself back into the Waking at a moment’s notice.
What do they say about “best laid plans”? Yea.
A fifth shard is standing in the Boneyard. Ravenwoman is nearby, standing still and watching me with interest. I apologize about the intrusion, and start to explain I didn’t mean to come here. “No, Girl. You need to be here right now. Just stay a while. You’ll be okay.” She hands me a skull and tells me to call the Purging Fire while holding it. Eh? Well, fuck.
I now find myself stable at five concurrent awarenesses. Each one experiencing a different environment, each one aware of the others, and each one at peace. I also note I am at my limit, if I try to split off any further, I’ll become unstable, vulnerable, and place myself in mortal danger. (Did I mention I was pushing my luck?)
Snake eyes me in the Lair. “Well, you’re doing fine, but you’re not doing anything except your task in the Waking. Do something!” I start to speak but he cuts me off. “Something other than teasing me about my choice of fashion.” Aw, shucks. Well, since I’m playing with winds on the Terrace, I’ll play with the hearthfire at the Lair.
I feel something wrong in the cafe. One eye blink later, I’m looking across the table at Roger. He has a new ring, it seems, and it’s irritating him. “Hello Weaver. I know you wanted some privacy, but so do I. I have… a problem… and well… not many people I can talk to about it.” Oh, Roger, you have no fucking idea. The server places a thick mocha in front of me and glares at Roger. She starts to chide him, but I intervene.
“Just make sure no one else bothers me please.” She nods and gives Roger stink-eye as she leaves. “I don’t know how much I can do, Roger. I’m not all here, and just sipping this coffee might be too much.” He nods in understanding.
He holds out his left hand. There is a dark colored ring on the middle finger. “This ring was left for me. I think I’ve been tagged with something. Since you fixed the server’s ring, I was thinking maybe you could help me with this.”
I don’t take his hand, I just study it from across the table. “Sorry, Roger. I can’t tell if that’s metal or stone. It’s well-made, that’s for sure. I can also feel something on it that I know I won’t be able to budge. You didn’t get someone else’s ring, did you?”
He shakes his head. “No, it was left for me. The sealed envelope had my name on it.” I just nod absentmindedly.
Keep in mind, while I’m talking to Roger in the cafe, I’m also playing on the wind at the Terrace, fire sculpting at the Lair, doing shit in the Boneyard, AND doing shit in the Waking as well. Five different experiences, five different awarenesses, and I’m doing just fine.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Roger. I find I’m very much the neophyte here. You’ll have to find someone experienced with minerals to tell you more about that ring. I was able to fix the server’s ring because it has a very basic working on it. This… This is quite beyond me, even if I was all here.” I sip my mocha, and find I’m still stable.
He withdraws his hand, and mopes, but he doesn’t leave. I am annoyed. Greatly annoyed. “Roger.” He looks up at me with friendly hope. “Have you ever seen me pissed off?” He shakes his head in the negative. “Have you heard stories of when Weaver is pissed off?” He thinks, and nods slightly. “Would you like to add to them?” He blanches slightly, excuses himself, and leaves the booth quickly.
On the Terrace, the winds whip viciously around me. Ke looks up and asks, “Do I know who just pissed you off?” I snort, but say nothing. “Or should I just look for the pieces?” I laugh wholeheartedly, and the wind howls with me.
In the Boneyard, a skull suddenly implodes. “Shit.” I look over the pieces in my hand. “I didn’t mean to do that.” Ravenwoman knocks the pieces out of my hands and hands me another skull. She says nothing, but merely smirks. I nod at my teacher, and start the lessons of the Purging Fire anew.
At the lair, the fire suddenly condenses into a baseball sized globe of plasma. Snake looks it over with interest. “Nice. But how are you going to release that?” I don’t answer him, but instead gradually allow the fireball to expand and resume its place in the firepit. Snake nods with satisfaction. “You can be taught.” I side-eye him, and we both laugh.
I sigh deeply in the Waking, smile to myself, and continue on with the task at hand.
I finish off my mocha in the cafe and call the server. I ask her a few questions about the Coffee Soiree and the aftermath. She said the cafe is now very busy and very popular. They’ve had to add to the staff, and several other socialites are trying to make it their lounging spot now. But the cafe’s owner is adamant about keeping the ambiance “blue collar” friendly. I’ve never met the owner, but the way the server describes him makes me confident the cafe will never achieve snobtastic status.
Which is good.
Because this coffee is awesome.
I thank her for attending me and bid her farewell. One by one, I collapse my split awarenesses back into the Waking. First I leave the cafe, then the Terrace, then the lair, and lastly the Boneyard.
I continue on with my task in the Waking, with no wear and no headache. It was a fun little exercise.
I’ll have to try that again.