private psl

[silentscout]

[Maybe Lalli is spending too much time sleeping. Quarantine is long and boring, and he's not really interested in talking to people he can barely understand. It's hard to have a thoughtful conversation with someone when you only get maybe 1 or 2 words out of everything they say.

Maybe he should have tried to study another language, back before all of this. Even talking to Reynir right now would be better than a month of what sounds like buzzing bees. bouncing around him everywhere.

That's why he sleeps. At least in the dream world everyone can understand each other, and he can tell Reynir exactly how stupid his hair looks. Even Emil's blabbering is better when Lalli can understand what nonsense he's saying.

...he needs to find Onni too. Onni would know they're okay by now, the message about their (relatively) successful recovery was sent by short-wave radio as soon as they were all on board. But he wants to actually talk to Onni too.

That's why he follows the winding stone path sticking out of the waters during one dream of many in a month-long quarantine on a large boat. Normally stone paths like that lead to Onni's dream. But as Lalli follows it the stones start to change shape, gradually shifting from irregularly shaped stepping stones to something much more uniform and cut. It's more like what he would expect from a path in a city, and something Lalli doesn't associate with Onni at all.

Curious, Lalli continues down the path, using the strangely-cut stones to keep himself out of the waters. He's getting closer to someone else's dream, and he is alert, looking for any sign of who this might be or where they might be from. Maybe it's one of the Icelandic mages on the boat? He won't know until he gets into the dream and sees just who it is, though.]

Comments

[piercesshadows]

[Swans? First time he's heard of those birds playing psychopomp, and he makes a thoughtful sound.]

Why swans?

[Tied to a god? The underworld? A nature spirit? A ritual? The only swan-related stories Doumeki's aware of are the Ugly Duckling, Swan Lake, and the Swan Princess.]

Reincarnation is when a soul is sent to be reborn on earth.

[silentscout]

...the swan of Tuonela?

[Reincarnation sounds much better than sleeping in icy water for an eternity, though. Living again is nice.]

Does reincarnation happen to damaged souls too? Or are those souls culled while the pristine ones are reborn?

[piercesshadows]

[Here's a Look in lieu of asking the obvious question. What - or where - on earth is Tuonela?

That bit on damaged souls, though - Doumeki's mild grimace reveals just how distasteful he finds the concept. Is actual fragmentation involved?]

Even spirits who get sent to hell can have the chance to reincarnate after going through punishment and passing certain trials.

[silentscout]

[He sees that look, but the lack of an answer makes Lalli frown.]

It's not about 'hell', it's about those damaged by the Rash and the failed vaccine.

[Normally Lalli's expressions can be difficult to read, beyond 'vaguely annoyed', but Doumeki might be able to see that Lalli's true intent is to gather information and find out more. They're one in the same with how expressive they can be, so Doumeki has an edge in understanding him at least.]

[piercesshadows]

[Yep, he gets it. And as far as Doumeki can tell, any annoyance here has more to do with the two of them grappling with obviously disparate sets of information rather than anything personal.

...

Can he serve tea in a dream? He gestures to a side door at the far end of the hall: a staff room, so to speak, where they keep tea and snacks. Time to find out, because it looks like they're in for a long talk.]

In my world [is that accurate?] there is still a divide between physical and spiritual diseases. While factors like stress and grief affect human physiology, there is no record of a plague that can cause actual damage to the soul.

[Is this what his guest's referring to?]

...is that what happened with the Rash? Sounds like you also know people who can see spirits.

[If they're able to make that diagnosis at all.]

[silentscout]

[Tea should be possible, manifesting items in a dream is easy. In fact, the tea and snacks should be on the table already as soon as Doumeki opens the door and the two of them enter the room. Dream magic!

And what Doumeki is talking about is close enough to what Lalli means, so he'll nod as he listens to the answer.]

I can see spirits. I've seen them damaged. It's not the Rash that hurts them, but being forced to linger in this world for years and years while they wait for a mage to help them pass on.

[So stress and grief, albeit gained largely post-death.]

[piercesshadows]

[Dreams are ridiculous.

Doumeki looks at the set table in suspicion. He doesn't think his own subconscious will poison him, but isn't that too convenient? Anyway, he gestures for his guest to have a seat across him and pours for the both of them.]

That's not too different from what I exorcise.

[Fragments of resentment. Darkness. Mindless things driven by instinct.]

I don't see them often. When I do, they're amorphous.

[Doumeki plants the cup before the other guy... hn. They haven't introduced themselves. He's not in the habit of giving his name, but it's clear that the person he's talking to isn't a spirit. Knowing that he's talking to someone else with the Sight is probably what tips the scales for this decision.]

Doumeki.

[silentscout]

[Lalli sits down and accepts the drink. He doesn't often visit other people's dreams, but he knows enough about dream visits to know that a nonhostile dreamer offering a drink is fine. He'll hold the cup for a moment as he considers what he should answer.]

Being able to exorcise them without seeing them is unusual. Usually both go hand in hand. Maybe it's something special about your magic.

...Lalli.

[He doesn't give his last name, because he thinks Doumeki just gave his first name too. Then he lifts to cup to his mouth and takes a sip, and he stops mid-sip as he scrunches his eyebrows in a frown. It's not poison, but it's Different, and he says as much as soon as he swallows that sip.]

What is this? It tastes like leaf water.

why do you know what poison tastes like Lalli

[piercesshadows]

My bloodline.

[Should be self-explanatory. Except it isn't - not completely.]

My grandfather could see them. I can't. [There we go. And to further clarify:] It's not a common ability. Nor is it considered magic.

[Perhaps he's splitting hairs. Regardless, to him there's a difference between his use of spiritual power and how Yuuko, Watanuki and even someone like Fai influenced reality.

He won't try to pronounce Lalli's name just yet - Doumeki's more accustomed to reading English rather than speaking it - although he nods and picks up a packet of senbei.]

Tea. Steeped from tea leaves.

[Scandinavia isn't the kind of climate where those thrive. If Lalli hasn't heard of countries east of the area, international trade is obviously cut off.]

Magic~

[silentscout]

[Ah. Bloodlines. Lalli should have guessed that, as his own magic comes from his bloodline as well. It's why he studied under his grandmother and cousin mostly, rather than other trained adults.]

Tea is worse than coffee.

[He's saying that like someone who already has a low opinion of coffee. Admittedly, the coffee from his time is hardly comparable to the coffee of Doumeki's time, but still.]

How do you drink this stuff?

/stare

[piercesshadows]

[More for him, then. He shrugs as he munches on senbei.]

Drank it since childhood. [The corners of Doumeki's mouth lift in a faint smirk.] You can say it's an acquired taste.

[Heh.]

If neither work for you, what does? Water? Juice?

[silentscout]

...you have juice?

[Now that gets his attention. He's had juice before, but that is a rare treat for him. And suddenly he sounds a bit more cooperative, sadly enough. It's easy to bribe Lalli with sweet things.]

[piercesshadows]

[Huh.

Reminds him of a kid.

Doumeki turns out of habit, reaching for the nearby mini fridge, when a carton of peach juice materializes next to his hand. Convenient. This, he hands to Lalli.]

Here.

[silentscout]

[Honestly, Doumeki isn't wrong. Lalli may be 20, but he acts like a young teenager sometimes.

Lalli takes the carton of juice and looks it over. Apple and grape juice are familiar to him, but what is this fruit on the label? He regards it suspiciously for a moment before he opens it and takes a tentative sip from it.

Then, a moment later, his eyes light up and he is drinking a much larger gulp.]

[piercesshadows]

[Right. Peach might not be native to Scandinavia.

Satisfied with his guest's enjoyment, Doumeki sips his tea. Thinks there's a likeness between Lalli and Mokona with how they appreciate decent flavor with gusto.]

There's more if you want.

[...actually, no, not just Mokona. Tsuyuri lights up like that when she's presented with Watanuki's cooking.]

[silentscout]

[Suddenly Lalli is much more cooperative, albeit with some rudeness. Because as soon as that juice box is empty, he's going right to the mini-fridge to get a second carton without even asking Doumeki for it. After all, Doumeki already gave permission, so it's fine.]

...it's good.

[Yep. His complaints are long, and his praise is short.]

[piercesshadows]

[Not worth even scolding the kid for (and Lalli will get his adult cred back if he proves himself), and Doumeki lets him be with a side-eyed look.]

You talked about exorcism. [Getting back on track. Doumeki would like to know if this dream has another meaning to it on the outset, or if this is one of those coincidences that'll only make sense down the line.] I take that it happens more frequently in your world?

[silentscout]

[Lalli will get his adult cred back someday. Just not today.]

For some people, yes. There's Cleansers who clear out Trolls and help souls pass on, so they can make the land livable again.

[piercesshadows]

[Is it just him, or does that entire routine sound like the weekly garbage collection?]

Who employs them? [Is that a public service job or a voluntary arrangement?] And where do you fit in that operation?

[silentscout]

The military?

[That's how it is in Finland, and he's assuming it's the same in other countries too.]

I'm a scout. I go looking for Troll nests so the others know where to go to destroy them.

[piercesshadows]

[...]

That bad, huh.

[There was a time when onmyouji were given political ranks in the imperial court. However, including exorcists in the military speaks of a more aggressive approach.

That says a lot, if what's left of their population is three hundred thousand people and the ability to see spirits has become commonplace. Moreso if there's the threat of physical injury on top of spiritual harm.]

How do you destroy a troll? Doesn't sound like a one-person job.

[silentscout]

Kill it. Fire, stabbing, shooting. It depends on how big it is.

[It's still strange to him that Doumeki hasn't heard of Trolls at all. They're so pervasive to everyday life, how could somebody not know about them?]

You really haven't seen one before?

[piercesshadows]

[Sounds closer to traditional hunting than exorcism.]

No. They're not native here.

[And because this is a dream of a professor in the folklore department, he can reach to the side and retrieve a book. It's his memory of one of his grandfather's texts, ordinarily kept safe in the storeroom. Even here, its age shows, owing to the number of times Doumeki used it as reference material in the waking world, and he opens it to one of the illustrations: an ink painting of a formless ayakashi, a shadowy cloud with too many eyes.]

These are the ones I dispel.

[silentscout]

[Lalli peers at the book, but his expression quickly shifts to shock. A shadowy cloud with too many eyes, there's only one monster that Lalli knows of like that.]

A kade?

[If Doumeki looks up the word later, he'll find that it is the name of a specific kind of evil witch in Finnish mythology that uses eye-magic. Definitely someone to run away from really fast.]

You know how to fight them?

[piercesshadows]

[(Doumeki will be pleasantly surprised later. Miasmas aren't witches, but they do cause harm, illnesses, accidents and bad luck.)]

...so you have these, too. [He's still unaware of the differences they're operating on.] Yes, to an extent. I can purify them if they're on their own. However, should they be attached to a human or a pure soul, a ritual has to be performed to separate the two.

[Otherwise, he risks harming the victim.]