Come As You Are // Open Post

[therealbrianna]

P.Y.T. [ Pretty Young Thing ]

(Taken during THAT mission that we do not speak of.)

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[therealbrianna]

[ Brianna spots them and she can hear her parents' voices.

Mom and dad?, she thinks to herself. What could this contain? Might as well.

She reaches for the one that's wrapped around her own thread the most. ]

[takeitinstride]

[The threads and the darkness around them melt away, placing both Brianna and Liandrin on the other side of an observation window. They're standing beside the Lopezes: younger, soft with exhaustion, but happy.

Her mother is touching the window, her fingers grazing over one particular child in a crib.

Isn't she beautiful, honey?

Yes. Yes she is.

They watch as they turn to each other and smile. Brianna's father threads one arm over his wife's shoulders and pulls her closer.

The dream fades away, bringing them back to center of the Tapestry.]

Your parents really love you.

[therealbrianna]

[ That scene touches Brianna more than it should have. She loves her parents, of course. She loves them so much. After all, she is who she is today because of them. They supported her decision to join Netsach, plus most of the other decisions she's made before that.

But to actually see this, her parents reacting to her birth. It's something else. And her mom... She's never seen her mom so happy.

Her pride tells her 'Of course they should, I'm their firstborn! Plus I'm their favorite.' The vision tells her otherwise. She can't explain it. A single tear drops down to her cheek and she doesn't even bother to wipe it away.

She suddenly feels a bit guilty because of how little time she's made for them recently. She hopes they understand.

Maybe it's high time she talks to them more. She avoids talking to her parents about her day. She thinks they'll freak out or suddenly become stricter because of the nature of her activities.

I should probably trust them more.

As the dream starts fading away, she wipes the wet line on her cheek. ]

Yeah, even more than I thought... [ Her voice trails off. ]

[takeitinstride]

[A quiet nod.]

As I said: secrets. [She turns away from Brianna to give the girl time to compose herself properly.] Seeking too many out, though, comes at a price.

[therealbrianna]

[ She runs her hands down her clothes to straighten them out. Kind of a habit. When she's done, she manages a small, soft cough. ]

Yes ma'am Lia, I understand. I know better than to take advantage of this.

[ A pause, then: ]

Thank you for that, ma'am.

[takeitinstride]

You're welcome. Just remember: diving too deep and too often will make the dreams bleed into reality for you.

[She cocks her head for a moment, as if she's listening to distant music.]

I'll bring us back now.

[therealbrianna]

[ She tries to remember everything Ma'am Lia has told her: instructions, things to remember, warnings and the like. ]

Okay ma'am.
[ She pauses. ]

Ma'am Lia, I can't thank you enough.

[takeitinstride]

You have a gift. It deserves to be used.

[With moderation, of course. But she doesn't need to keep saying that, right?

She breathes out, and before Brianna knows it, they're both back in their own bodies, back on the floor of the Hallow.

Liandrin is already pushing herself up, smoothing out her skirts, fixing her hair. She is used to this.

She had a feeling, though, that it was going to be a little more difficult for Brianna. Dreamwalking was exhausting, especially when one was doing it consciously for the first time.

It also happens to be a little past midnight now. They had been in for hours.]

[therealbrianna]

[ Hearing that makes Brianna's face light up. She obviously enjoys feeling special. ]

Yes ma'am, I realize that. Thank you again.

[ It takes Brianna longer to get up. She stays on the floor for a good 5 seconds, trying to get up. She tries several times before finally siting up, tucking a strand of her behind her ear. At least doing that didn't require that much effort. Finally, she is composed and standing. ]

[takeitinstride]

[Which gave Liandrin more than enough time to whip up some tea. She hands it over to Brianna with a smile.]

This might help. I hope your parents don't mind you going home a little late.

[therealbrianna]

[ Brianna accepts Lia's offer with a small laugh and a smile. ]

Oh yeah that's okay. I don't think they'd mind, especially when they find out that I've been with you all this time anyway.

[ She takes a sip of the tea. ] Ohmigod, yum!! [ She interjects with a huge smile. ]

[takeitinstride]

You like tea? I can pack some for you.

[It's been a while since she's done that for anyone that didn't happen to be a Malice King.]

[therealbrianna]

[ She thinks about it for a split second, smiling. ]

Yes, [ she nods ]that would be nice. I'm sure my parents would appreciate it as well.

[takeitinstride]

Very well.

[She's turning towards the back of the room, where she set up a small table. The tea packs itself in two convenient tins, which float right over to Brianna.]

Please greet them for me, and inform them that, with your consent, you and I will spend every weeknight training in this fashion.

[therealbrianna]

[ Brianna looks on in awe as the cans float over to her. She opens her palms as they land snuggly on them.

Smiling, she thanks Lia. ]

Yes ma'am, I will!

[ Given the success of their first training session, she is incredibly chipper. Tired, but chipper. ]