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Alexandras White Oak Traversing The Nightmare 240301
In the serene yet somber setting of Camp White Oak, Alexandra led a diverse group of students through a markedly intriguing lecture about traversing the nightmare realm—an extension of real-world experiences with distinctive qualities. Amidst the gentle chill and flowing mist, she explained the role of nightmare charms, demonstrating her own adorned ring, and covered the dual approach to entering the nightmare realm: either with one's physical body or through astral projection. The students, each carrying a mix of hesitance and curiosity in their own ways, listened intently, shared their limited experiences, and even made lighthearted comments as they prepared for what was to come. Olivia's tardy but timely arrival added to the group's dynamic, bringing a sense of completeness and readiness to delve into the practical aspect of the lesson.
The exploration into the nightmare proved to be both bewildering and enlightening for the students. Alexandra guided them through a vivid encounter with the immaterial, where personal auras manifested as visual phenomena—Caelum's unsettling crimson mist and Olivia's notable wings stood out. This realm, as Alexandra elucidated, served not only as a canvas for supernatural occurrences without the prying eyes of the uninitiated but also as a conduit for practical application like travel and espionage. Despite Viktorin's eager inquiries and the group's varied reactions to their newfound capabilities, the exercise concluded with a thorough understanding of the Nightmare's potential uses and limitations. Alexandra's mention of societal conflicts and the possibility of utilizing nightmare travel for convenient locomotion captured the group's interest, leaving them with much to ponder as they transitioned out of the lesson and back into their regular lives, with promises of future discussions on astral projection and deeper exploration of dream realms.
(Alexandra's [White Oak] Traversing the Nightmare)
[Mon Feb 26 2024]
At the Flag Pole and Bonfire for Camp White Oak
Standing tall and proud, a flag post shoots straight up into the air thirty feet, holding a flag bearing the White Oak symbol. During the day, a central bonfire waits to be lit for the night. This area serves as the general gathering place of the camp, located between two clearings for tents and a tent setup for showers. A path leads to the northeast and the obstacle course.
It is afternoon, about 25F(-3C) degrees, and there are a few dark grey stormclouds in the sky. Ankle high mist flows through the area.
Viktorin turns his attention towards Alexandra, listening quietly.
Gabriella is listening, even if she does send a text before pocketing it.
Caelum lifts his head from his backpack, but doesn't make any effort to stand up. Only his arm is propped up over the thing, with fingers set atop his eyes to shield them from the light above in his look at Alexandra when she begins the lecture. "I sure wouldn't want to be naked on street."
Gabriella chuckles at what Caelum says.
"So even if it is just to duck into the nightmare so you can get on a robe to keep from being oggled or a matter of life or death, you all need to learn that the Nightmare is an extension of your experience in this world," Alexandra continues when most of the students are fairly quiet regarding her introduction. She lifts up her hand to show her wedding ring and says, "This is my nightmare charm. They come in many forms. Often they include a sliver of bone from someone, so they are not always everyone's cup of tea." She keeps her hand out to let everyone look at the ring for a few moments longer. "You all got a charm? How many of you have been in the nightmare before?" she asks of the class curiously.
"I have a charm, but haven't use it yet" Gabriella tells Alexandra, not being totally straight with her answer.
Viktorin raises his hand, asking, "Don't most people fight over things in the nightmare? If so, I'm pretty sure I've been. Watched a giant salamander thing blast people apart, so that was cool."
Caelum brings his other hand to hold onto his cross hanging over his neck, pushing it forward slightly to make his point that is in fact prepared, then drops it. The hand though, moves on over to stifle a fatigued yawn with the back of his fingers. Preceding a quietly delivered reply; "I have."
Joel remains silent, his charm worn around his neck, head tilted to the side at Viktorin's description.
Viktorin turns his face towards Joel and informs them, "It was orange. And it had wings too. And I'm pretty sure it was belching fire or something. Pretty cool."
Alexandra says "We can wait for Liv before I continue, but not sure where she is going... Maybe to the market to get a charm."
"Well, we're all going to get into the nightmare today. Not right this second though," Alexandra says to the class, starting to walk around the unlit bonfire slowly. "Lots of fighting happens in the Nightmare, but it can also be used for simple travel, getting into your house when you lock yourself out, or, my personal favorite, dreaming. But that's Wednesday's lesson," she says to the group as she walks around the stack of wood. "There are two ways to enter the nightmare, purposefully. One of them is with your body. This is what most people who do it are familiar with. The other way is without your body, and I refer to this as Astral Projection. Your body sleeps, your spirit is untethered, and you can float around in the nightmare without carrying a bunch of stuff," she explains, having paused the lecture just long enough for Olivia to arrive for the main start of the lecture.
Joel nods slowly, arms wrapped around him as he cleary finds himelf not quite prepared for the temperature. "But... that's different from dreaming?" He asks for clarification. "You remain aware of everything?"
Caelum simply stares at Alexandra with his hand shielding his eyes still. The perplexed look of his eyes, and the whole knit brows, makes it obvious he has very little, if at all, idea of what she's talking about. He does give Olivia a small, greeting wave though, in brief pause of the lecture, with his attention back upon Alexandra soon after to watch in kept silence.
"Hey, sorry--car trouble," Olivia explains as she rushes in from who knows where to take a place amongst the other students. She flashes Gabriella a grateful smile as she palms that charm and loops it around her neck or wrist, whichever it is best suited for. She returns the greeting wave from Caelum with a brief flash of a smile and raises her hand briefly to ask, "The body way is with mirrors and stuff, right? If we keep our mirrors covered, is that enough to keep people from creeping in that way?"
"Astral Projection is also how most of the society conflict stuff happens, but you get to take your stuff with you for that, so it is somewhat different," Alexandra explains to the class as she stops walking to look over to Joel. "Astral projection is the interim step toward dreaming," she explains gently. "We'll cover it more specifically on Wednesday," she promises with a nod.
"So entering the Nightmare with your body. This is useful if you want to actually exit the Nightmare somewhere else, physically," she continues, nodding toward Olivia a couple of times. "And how you exit usually involves a mirror, thank you, Miss Myers. But not always," she says, hinting at some more complex nuances that could be involved. "Let's start with how the nightmare looks and feels. It is very much like a dark reflection of the physical world. Weird things can happen there. I've seen floating hands clawing through ripples of space. There are also layers of the Nightmare, so for combat purposes, there is a deeper layer to drag people onto, though it requires you expend your own energy to do. But for now, let's say you want to get into your house because you locked yourself out," she says, motioning around as if to include everyone in the fact this has likely happened to each of them. "You slip into the nightmare, push through a couple walls or doors, and you find yourself in your bathroom, then you step out through the mirror," she says to everyone before clenching her left hand with her wedding ring. "Who is ready to try it?"
Viktorin waves cheerily towards Olivia, and then flickers his gaze back towards Alexandra.
Joel glances over at Olivia with a faint smile of his own, before refocusing on Gabriella, clearing his throat and saying "Well... I guess I am. Not quite sure what to do though..."
With a little sigh, Caelum starts to climb to his feet. The backpack is slung over his shoulder, and he stifles another distracted yawn while looking down at his phone. All while walking backwards, slowly, then simply out of sight without any show or flourish. Gone, but is he?
Gabriella doesn't step forward to try first.
"Let's start with follow the leader Nightmare steps," Alexandra says, holding her hand out. "Everyone grab my hand or arm, and hold on," she says obviously ready for her arm to be touched and allowing it. (Simply use 'follow alexandra' for this portion of the demonstration.)
Viktorin raises his hand. "Where's there a mirror nearby?"
Joel straightens up, reaching out to take a careful grip on Alexandra's arm.
Alexandra steps through into the Nightmare, pulling the students along with her, though Caelum is already in the nightmare on his own. "You are now, physically, in the Nightmare," she says, motioning around as she pulls her arm back from the holds of her students. "You can now step through walls and doors to see what is on the other side. Go ahead and push through one of the gates into the tent areas to see how it feels," she says, pointing to the east or the west.
Alexandra says "Then come right back."
"Whoa, you have wings!" Gabriella claims, stepping towards Olivia.
"I'll pass from wandering, nothing good happens when I do." Caelum rolls a shoulder, while staring across at Viktorin, Olivia, Gabriella - everyone, really. A small smirk has him nod towards Olivia, though, "Nice wings, Liv."
"Each of you should feel a little bit of resistance as you push through the physical constructs," Alexandra says to the class, nodding as Gabriella talks toward Olivia. "Those are called Nightmare manifestations, or some times, auras. They are an outward representation of your inner self, if you will," she explains to the students, letting them get used to the nightmare a bit.
"Wild. Yeah, this is definitely a really gross feeling. Is it... like okay to be doing this?" Olivia asks Alexandra, whirling about for a moment as if to catch sight of these wings Gabriella points out. She cracks a grin and bows her head toward Caelum. "Thanks you two. I got them for my birthday, I guess."
Viktorin wanders forward, hobbling all the while. He shifts through a tent and then reenters back through, reemerging. With a shrug, he mutters, "Feels weird. And cold."
Joel dubiously pushes his hand through a wall, stepping back. "It's like walking through custard or something" he murmurs faintly, before blinking as people draw attention to Olivia's wings, staring at them in wonder for a moment.
"Cooler than this, for sure." Caelum mumbles under his breath, casting his glance aside to wave a hand around himself to dispel that slowly thickening mist of blood. "I got it for my.. death day?" Grimness aside, he cracks another grin to his own joke.
Viktorin glances over his shoulder, noting his cloak. Muttering confusedly, he asks, "What's with this thing." Of course, this is followed by a jerk of his thumb backwards towards the cloak that hangs from his form.
"I mean yours isn't so bad. Nothing worse than what we deal with on a monthly basis," Olivia joins in the jokefest at the expense of Caelum's own aura as she makes a show of looking through her purse. "I think I've got something that can help you there..." She peeks back up without pulling anything out and says, "Yeah, mine and Caelum's makes sense, but what about you, Professor, or Vik?"
Alexandra just has a wildly serpentine shadow that moves on its own even when she is not. She nods to the comments about going through objects. "You can walk through people too. I suspect that is where the sensation known as 'someone stepping on your grave' comes from where I am from," she comments, not delving too much into some of the side chatter.
"Now, some times, you will pop into the nightmare, thinking you know where you want to go, only to realize that you cannot go there. Say if someone has used a ritual to ward against nightmare intrusions on the property you want to go to. Some times, you will need to wander around until you find a bathroom to slip out of. Or if someone is kind enough to put a mirror out, you can use it," she says, letting the students look at all the different manifestations as she talks.
"Being able to go through walls and doors is very helpful to get out, but some times, you can still get physically locked into the bathroom, so be aware of that," she points out to the others before motioning to the north. "My nightmare manifestation is ... in flux. It is tied to White Oak. And one day, it may solidify into something more specific," she states simply regarding her own aura.
"Yeah?" Caelum tips a brow, stepping closer to stand beside Olivia, try to steal a peek at her purse. "What do you got?" Though, he's distracted, and hoists his backpack a little higher while turning himself and his attention to Viktorin and Alexandra. "Grim." That's all he comments on, noting the writhing, serpentine shadow underneath her. "Looking good, though."
Olivia is absolutely going to attempt to walk through someone here and now--@carl better hope he's intangible!
Olivia is absolutely going to attempt to walk through someone here and now--@cael better hope he's intangible! (fix)
Caelum is most definitely not intangible, being a physical manifestation within the immaterial. Should Olivia go through, she'd only run into the chest of what is the equivalent of a cold, unbudging wall in flesh that'd smirk down at her, no fangs barred. Do they seem sharper, maybe longer, here in the distortion? Hard to tell, but his amusement is apparent.
Viktorin watches the scene unfold, helplessly snorting and giggling at the same time.
Too late! One can't blame a girl for trying the extents of her wraithlike abilities, nor the sound of echoing 'Oof' that comes from barreling straight into the unyielding young man. "Sorry," she comes around to saying, "But someone didn't specify! Very solid stance," she remarks of Caelum through a squint, and Olivia's hand makes a little wave as if it might catch some of that misty, crimson aura surrounding him.
Gabriella doesn't quite hold a chuckle.
Joel watches the various nightmare manifestations wih wide eyes, but does let out a quick, surprised laugh at the collision.
"Don't try it again, I'll bite." Caelum warns Olivia, unclear whether he's joking or not - maybe. The fog of crimson parts way at her hand, but what she'd wave through, it fills in quickly to fall in a cascade of red. Color of blood simply drifting in a downward path like misty rainfall.
"Experimentation is good. I know as an Astrally Projected being, you can actually hear what is said in the physical world. I have not done a lot of experiments with my physical body hearing that way though," Alexandra says, managing to bite her lower lip to keep from laughing at Olivia's mishap. "The most important part of this space however is...... You do not have to worry about being seen doing supernatural things in it. Anyone that is in here, shy of a mishap that will likely land someone in an asylum, should be very aware of what they are doing here. If you throw a fireball, someone in the nightmare is not gonna freak out. If you take a bullet to the shoulder and heal ten minutes later, no freaking out. If you transform into a werewolf or caribou, no freaking out. Other than, who the hell shifts into a caribou," she explains to the class, hoping that at the very least they take this part of the lesson to heart.
Viktorin admits to Alexandra, "I don't think anyone could freak out from my ick-touch anyways, because uh... I don't think anyone can -physically- see what happens when I do it." He bobs his head in affirmation to his own words, but he also adds, "But uh, making shadows do weird things can probably freak someone out, but that's gonna happen if I'm fighting anyways, so... uh. Might be that whatever's happening is far more distracting than the subtle."
"I would haul away so fast if someone turned into a caribou, not having that on my plate." Then, as if that brings another question to mind, he raises a brow and asks; "So what happens if I grab someone and," Caelum makes an idle gesture, as if grabbing someone and lifting them up. He bites the air, to examplify, brows raised at Alexandra. "That's going to work?"
Olivia definitely finds something to snicker about when it comes to the selection of caribou as a particular shifting form, but she supposes, "Inuit druids probably do. I guess we don't get many of them on the east coast though." She gives Caelum his bloody space, purposefully pulling up her shoulders as if to follow Wu Tang's sage advice. "Oh yeah, we should probably know what to expect from our abilities here. Anything we can do in the real world works here?" she asks Alexandra.
Gabriella lets her curiosity get ahead of her, and while Olivia is talking with Alexandra, Gabriella creeps from behind and touches on one of her wings to feel its feathers.
"If both of you are physically on the nightmare, yes. You cannot affect the physical from the Nightmare," Alexandra says to Caelum, shaking her head slowly. "But you could step out of a mirror, trance someone, bite them, and then get back into the nightmare before they saw you. But that might also get you into some sort of trouble potentially too," she offers as an alternative to accomplishing what Caelum might be after with a shrug of her shoulders.
"All of your abilities should function in the Nightmare. Healing, fireballs, animated dolls. But you won't be able to get information from your phone for example. It requires cell signal, which is limited to the physical plane of existence," she explains toward Olivia with a small nod. She motions to the north again and says, "There is a shower and bathroom and a mirror in the shower tent. So we can all get out from there. Why don't each of you try it, then come out to the bonfire area once you're physical again?"
"Right, right." Caelum muses quietly. There doesn't seem to be much else on his mind, and he slowly files away from the group on his own - headfirst into a door, and elsewhere. "See you in the real world."
Olivia is not sure if her wings can be touched at all, honestly, but she isn't natively going to pull them back from a poke or pet, least of all if Gabriella is being sneaky about it. "That does stink about the cell signal. Anyway, see you all on the other side."
Viktorin asks Alexandra, "Which one's the shower tent? And will we be like werewolves or shapeshifters and like... uh. Pop out naked or something. Can I take the cool cloak with me? How do you go deeper in this place, like... uh. Deeper in the nightmare? How far can you go? What's there?" Quickly the questions come forth, like verbal vomit, or a waterfall, endlessly being ushered forth between the Czech's lips. Helplessly he chatters away in some new-found interrogation of the professor.
Viktorin blinks at the two word response and hobbles himself towards the tent, almost whimsically.
Alexandra says "Can you all hear me?"
"I do miss the wings," Olivia admits as she looks back over her shoulder toward the tent behind her. With a sigh she supposes, "Ah well. Wild! I haven't really played around with that. I wish I knew about that last week!"
Viktorin hobbles forth, before closing the door behind himself.
"Deep nightmare is a different lesson. Obviously, no, you can't take your aura with you. It is only visible in the nightmare and to certain very in-tuned individuals," Alexandra says to Viktorin once they are back at the bonfire in the physical world. "Obviously, if you physically take your body into the nightmare, whatever you have on you goes with you, so no naked shenanigans unless you go in naked, like when I got dropped out of my place onto Main Street the other day," she says, shaking her head over it still.
"I don't really see much use in it." Caelum admits over his shoulder at Olivia, prying his attention from his phone. He stands aside again, turning back to the bonfire, to others. "It's a neat trick to go through doors, but that's really it. Faster to break the door, usually."
Viktorin shrugs towards Caelum, admitting to them, "It might be more stealthy. And I like when things are more quietly done, so I may use it. Plus, you can generally take some time to listen to people without them knowing. You can probably learn interesting things."
"What happened last week?" Gabriella asks Olivia cluelessly.
"Not all of us are door breakers, my guy. I'd like to see you try it in a pair of heels," Olivia points out to Caelum before thoughtfully fingering the pendant hanging there about her neck. It's a thoughtful gesture, inwardly directed, before she points out, "It'd be real gross to go to the nightmare for that kind of thing. It already feels odd." As for Gabriella's question, she just makes a snicker and says, "You didn't get kicked out of your room or the halls or anything randomly last week? Like I'd come to from playing Nintendo or reading and be out in the middle of campus."
"Most societal conflict takes place in the nightmare," Alexandra explains to Caelum as if that helps find usefulness all unto itself.
"But also, it can be used as a method of travel. While you are in the nightmare, if you walk around for a while, doors will open into various Dreamworlds. If you think about a destination you want to go to when you step through, you can travel via the dream and nightmare to the destination you want to arrive at. Way cheaper than a plane ticket. Doesn't require training in building bridge paths, can be done by naturals, and as long as you can find a mirror at the other end, it is perfectly viable to get from one side of the world to the other in about half an hour," she explains with a grin toward Caelum before shrugging her shoulders.
"Also, you can use it to travel around Haven. Say if you get dumped into the woods naked with your charm. You can step into a dream, step out at a specific intersection in Haven, then get back to your house. Like when a werewolf breaks down your gate during the full moon," she adds with obvious mild irritation about that situation as well from first hand experience.
"Yeah" Gabriella agrees with Olivia as she says that heel-wearers don't break doors, even if she probably was never seen wearing high heels. "Kicked out?" she then asks Olivia, "-by whom?"
Joel blinks "That sounds pretty damn useful actually..." he does glance over toward Olivia and Gabriella's conversation, still idly fidgeting with his charm.
Briefly engrossed in his phone, Caelum seems distracted to say the least. His expression, with whatever he's reading, is troubled with knit brows and a stern look. "I could break a wall even in heels, sounds like a you problem." He still takes heed of the challenge, not at all minding it in the slightest - and still doesn't seem like he puts much value in the value of Nightmare travel. "I don't know how to do any of that," Caelum answers in reply to Alexandra, "Pathing is easier."
Viktorin nods immediately towards Alexandra, already clearly pondering uses for this newfound experience. Turning his eyes towards Caelum, he asks curiously, "How do you do that. The Pathing? I wanna learn. I wanna zoom about like a stag on crack. Just start appearing everywhere."
"Hm, yeah, how... I mean, what do you mean? You can enter the world of dreams by walking around in the nightmare?" Gabriella asks Alexandra, trying to understand.
"So, to recap, lots of reasons and uses for going into the Nightmare with your body. From travel to getting into places to spying to fighting all out without worrying about normies," Alexandra starts with the closing comments, before glancing over toward Caelum. "And if you've never learned to build bridges?" she asks, gesturing to herself with a shrug. "So you've all been into the nightmare, first hand, seen what it is like, learned a bit of how to move around. That's going to be about it for today's lesson," she says to the class before winking at Gabriella. "Wednesday, I'll be covering Astral Projection a bit more, and that's where I'll answer more specific questions about dreams. Because that is the main way I recommend people do experience dreaming. It's easier to get in and out of the dream, and you don't end up standing out in the nightmare when you're ready to try to actually get rest."
"Sweet. I am... sadly scheduled for a shift during your class on Wednesday; should I compare notes with someone, Professor, or is there a make-up option later this week maybe?" Olivia asks Alexandra.
"Right." Caelum nods, once, twice, then in kept distraction, hoists his backpack a little higher. "Looking forward to that next lesson, maybe I'll get to dream -something- for once when I'm asleep. Thanks for the lesson, Mrs. Harris." Then, haflway towards the parking lot, he spares a look at others. "Who needs a ride back to campus? I dash in five."
"Ah- OK, cool" Gabriella replies to Alexandra, nodding and seeming to be looking forward to that. "Oh, yes, is there a make up option?" she then adds, putting weigth to Olivia's request.
"Message me about make up options. I can try to catch you during my office hours. But understand, at seventeen hundred, I go home to my husband," Alexandra says to the girls with a small smirk on her lips. "Gotta keep the house in working order, after all," she explains, folding her hands together behind her back once more.
"What a tradwife." Caelum says that, though under his breath, still maybe a little too loud. Just where has he been picking up these words? Curse the Devil's box, corrupting the youth. He's filing out, tipping a two-digit wave over his shoulder at others while keeping his eyes glued to his phone. "Text me if you need me."
Gabriella chuckles and tells Alexandra "Lucky husband."
Viktorin glances over his shoulder, watching the Camaro drive off. Turning his gaze towards Alexandra, he asks, "Professor, can I badger you with more questions, during your office hours?"
Joel blinks as he glances up "Oh...right, forgot I didn't drive here" he murmurs, brfore shrugging faintly. "Oh well, sure I'll find my way back..."
"He knows he is. He also knows what he will lose if he cheats or steps out on me," Alexandra says, slipping a hand into her leg bag to produce a knife, which she deftly flips around in her hand. "If I am in my office, feel free to stop by and badger. That is literally why I sit in there between classes," she explains to Viktorin with a nod.
Viktorin blinks at Alexandra, watching her procure her knife. Admittedly, he informs her, "I always preferred knives. Might have a shorter reach, but no one ever really wants to fight a dude with a knife. Takes one nick for someone's life to end."
"We can all walk back together" Gabriella offers to Joel, apparently knowing the way back. To Olivia, she adds, "if it was tomorrow instead of wednesday, would it work for you?"
"I prefer breaking out ice magic in the Wilds, but that's not always an option here. The knife though, works everywhere just fine," Alexandra says to Viktorin with a wink and a nod before flipping the knife back around to deposit back into the leg bag. "I should be available in office tomorrow at some point," she tells Gabriella with a nod.
Viktorin admits to Alexandra, "I dunno any magic. I don't think it'd be easy for me to use it anyhow, because of how I fight. But I do wanna learn something, watching people summon salamanders and shoot out death rays is pretty neat."
Gabriella smiles at learning at Alexandra's availability, but then looks at Olivia enquiringly, not really wanting to put Alexandra through needing to do the same lesson three times instead off 'just' two.
"That sounds like arcanists with their arcane assistants. I could help with that to some degree," Alexandra says to Viktorin with a shrug. "I can only do the ice magic in the Wilds. I'll be trying to learn to do it in the Other soon. The gate for that is right across the road, but be sure you have a compass with you to get back," she says, gesturing to the south west a bit.
Joel nods a little at Gabriella "Sounds good to me, if I'm not in the way..."
"You're not in the way..." Gabriella promises, but then asks Joel "..are you in much of an hurry?"
Alexandra lifts a hand to bring the lesson to a close with a wave. "Enjoy the rest of your day," she says before putting her hands back together behind her back. She looks around the camp as if there might be some things she needs to handle here.
Viktorin bobs his head towards Alexandra, listening to her for a moment, before chattering away about his own experiences, informing her, "Well... I think I'm leaning towards uh... using my abilities whilst I fight... like the ones from my blood. Like, manipulating shadows... or the other thing which is pretty interesting." His eyes glimmer with interest as he expresses his thoughts, "I'm currently working on building my strength... I'm pretty sure demigods can like, toss cars and shit if they get super strong."
"Thanks teach- oh, can you give me your phone number?" Gabriella asks Alexandra.
Joel tilts his head "Not really, I don't have anything else to do right now..."
"Oh, cool, yeah- OK!" Gabriella tells Alexandra, reaching for her phone to fire up a match.
"Well then- drive save, careful with this aweful mist..." Gabriella tells Alexandra, smiling a bit.
Alexandra says "This is normal mist for this part of the forest. It should be clear in town."
Viktorin glances towards Gabriella, "I'll go with you guys, I don't wanna be ambushed by werewolves again."
"Oh? Well... I mean, drive safe anyway, right?" Gabriella tells Alexandra, then nods to Viktorin, telling him "Sure, you're more than welcome. But I thought it were.. were wolves that did that to you?" she asks with a frown in her expression, and a vague gesture towards Viktorin's leg.
Viktorin shakes his head towards Gabriella, informing them, "Nope. A werewolf attacked me the other day, but uh. He had his dues come in later. Pig-people beat the shit out of me, but that was a mistake on my part. I thought one of the guys with me needed help, and I ran over, and they tore my leg open."
"Ah, that's what I thought" Gabriella relaxes and nods, realizing she isn't getting confused. "Yeah, that wolf- or, like, some wolf did attack Joel here too... I think is the one that was arrested and is now locked up in the clinic or something?" She shrugs a bit, and admits, "I'm not really into people transforming into animals."
Joel shakes his head faintly "Yeah, I take back what I said earlier, I don't think I'm gonna get used to this place any time soon" he murmurs, as he makes to follow Gabriella and Viktorin.
Alexandra says "Class is dismissed by the way. I have something I need to handle elsewhere."
The exploration into the nightmare proved to be both bewildering and enlightening for the students. Alexandra guided them through a vivid encounter with the immaterial, where personal auras manifested as visual phenomena—Caelum's unsettling crimson mist and Olivia's notable wings stood out. This realm, as Alexandra elucidated, served not only as a canvas for supernatural occurrences without the prying eyes of the uninitiated but also as a conduit for practical application like travel and espionage. Despite Viktorin's eager inquiries and the group's varied reactions to their newfound capabilities, the exercise concluded with a thorough understanding of the Nightmare's potential uses and limitations. Alexandra's mention of societal conflicts and the possibility of utilizing nightmare travel for convenient locomotion captured the group's interest, leaving them with much to ponder as they transitioned out of the lesson and back into their regular lives, with promises of future discussions on astral projection and deeper exploration of dream realms.
(Alexandra's [White Oak] Traversing the Nightmare)
[Mon Feb 26 2024]
At the Flag Pole and Bonfire for Camp White Oak
Standing tall and proud, a flag post shoots straight up into the air thirty feet, holding a flag bearing the White Oak symbol. During the day, a central bonfire waits to be lit for the night. This area serves as the general gathering place of the camp, located between two clearings for tents and a tent setup for showers. A path leads to the northeast and the obstacle course.
It is afternoon, about 25F(-3C) degrees, and there are a few dark grey stormclouds in the sky. Ankle high mist flows through the area.
Viktorin turns his attention towards Alexandra, listening quietly.
Gabriella is listening, even if she does send a text before pocketing it.
Caelum lifts his head from his backpack, but doesn't make any effort to stand up. Only his arm is propped up over the thing, with fingers set atop his eyes to shield them from the light above in his look at Alexandra when she begins the lecture. "I sure wouldn't want to be naked on street."
Gabriella chuckles at what Caelum says.
"So even if it is just to duck into the nightmare so you can get on a robe to keep from being oggled or a matter of life or death, you all need to learn that the Nightmare is an extension of your experience in this world," Alexandra continues when most of the students are fairly quiet regarding her introduction. She lifts up her hand to show her wedding ring and says, "This is my nightmare charm. They come in many forms. Often they include a sliver of bone from someone, so they are not always everyone's cup of tea." She keeps her hand out to let everyone look at the ring for a few moments longer. "You all got a charm? How many of you have been in the nightmare before?" she asks of the class curiously.
"I have a charm, but haven't use it yet" Gabriella tells Alexandra, not being totally straight with her answer.
Viktorin raises his hand, asking, "Don't most people fight over things in the nightmare? If so, I'm pretty sure I've been. Watched a giant salamander thing blast people apart, so that was cool."
Caelum brings his other hand to hold onto his cross hanging over his neck, pushing it forward slightly to make his point that is in fact prepared, then drops it. The hand though, moves on over to stifle a fatigued yawn with the back of his fingers. Preceding a quietly delivered reply; "I have."
Joel remains silent, his charm worn around his neck, head tilted to the side at Viktorin's description.
Viktorin turns his face towards Joel and informs them, "It was orange. And it had wings too. And I'm pretty sure it was belching fire or something. Pretty cool."
Alexandra says "We can wait for Liv before I continue, but not sure where she is going... Maybe to the market to get a charm."
"Well, we're all going to get into the nightmare today. Not right this second though," Alexandra says to the class, starting to walk around the unlit bonfire slowly. "Lots of fighting happens in the Nightmare, but it can also be used for simple travel, getting into your house when you lock yourself out, or, my personal favorite, dreaming. But that's Wednesday's lesson," she says to the group as she walks around the stack of wood. "There are two ways to enter the nightmare, purposefully. One of them is with your body. This is what most people who do it are familiar with. The other way is without your body, and I refer to this as Astral Projection. Your body sleeps, your spirit is untethered, and you can float around in the nightmare without carrying a bunch of stuff," she explains, having paused the lecture just long enough for Olivia to arrive for the main start of the lecture.
Joel nods slowly, arms wrapped around him as he cleary finds himelf not quite prepared for the temperature. "But... that's different from dreaming?" He asks for clarification. "You remain aware of everything?"
Caelum simply stares at Alexandra with his hand shielding his eyes still. The perplexed look of his eyes, and the whole knit brows, makes it obvious he has very little, if at all, idea of what she's talking about. He does give Olivia a small, greeting wave though, in brief pause of the lecture, with his attention back upon Alexandra soon after to watch in kept silence.
"Hey, sorry--car trouble," Olivia explains as she rushes in from who knows where to take a place amongst the other students. She flashes Gabriella a grateful smile as she palms that charm and loops it around her neck or wrist, whichever it is best suited for. She returns the greeting wave from Caelum with a brief flash of a smile and raises her hand briefly to ask, "The body way is with mirrors and stuff, right? If we keep our mirrors covered, is that enough to keep people from creeping in that way?"
"Astral Projection is also how most of the society conflict stuff happens, but you get to take your stuff with you for that, so it is somewhat different," Alexandra explains to the class as she stops walking to look over to Joel. "Astral projection is the interim step toward dreaming," she explains gently. "We'll cover it more specifically on Wednesday," she promises with a nod.
"So entering the Nightmare with your body. This is useful if you want to actually exit the Nightmare somewhere else, physically," she continues, nodding toward Olivia a couple of times. "And how you exit usually involves a mirror, thank you, Miss Myers. But not always," she says, hinting at some more complex nuances that could be involved. "Let's start with how the nightmare looks and feels. It is very much like a dark reflection of the physical world. Weird things can happen there. I've seen floating hands clawing through ripples of space. There are also layers of the Nightmare, so for combat purposes, there is a deeper layer to drag people onto, though it requires you expend your own energy to do. But for now, let's say you want to get into your house because you locked yourself out," she says, motioning around as if to include everyone in the fact this has likely happened to each of them. "You slip into the nightmare, push through a couple walls or doors, and you find yourself in your bathroom, then you step out through the mirror," she says to everyone before clenching her left hand with her wedding ring. "Who is ready to try it?"
Viktorin waves cheerily towards Olivia, and then flickers his gaze back towards Alexandra.
Joel glances over at Olivia with a faint smile of his own, before refocusing on Gabriella, clearing his throat and saying "Well... I guess I am. Not quite sure what to do though..."
With a little sigh, Caelum starts to climb to his feet. The backpack is slung over his shoulder, and he stifles another distracted yawn while looking down at his phone. All while walking backwards, slowly, then simply out of sight without any show or flourish. Gone, but is he?
Gabriella doesn't step forward to try first.
"Let's start with follow the leader Nightmare steps," Alexandra says, holding her hand out. "Everyone grab my hand or arm, and hold on," she says obviously ready for her arm to be touched and allowing it. (Simply use 'follow alexandra' for this portion of the demonstration.)
Viktorin raises his hand. "Where's there a mirror nearby?"
Joel straightens up, reaching out to take a careful grip on Alexandra's arm.
Alexandra steps through into the Nightmare, pulling the students along with her, though Caelum is already in the nightmare on his own. "You are now, physically, in the Nightmare," she says, motioning around as she pulls her arm back from the holds of her students. "You can now step through walls and doors to see what is on the other side. Go ahead and push through one of the gates into the tent areas to see how it feels," she says, pointing to the east or the west.
Alexandra says "Then come right back."
"Whoa, you have wings!" Gabriella claims, stepping towards Olivia.
"I'll pass from wandering, nothing good happens when I do." Caelum rolls a shoulder, while staring across at Viktorin, Olivia, Gabriella - everyone, really. A small smirk has him nod towards Olivia, though, "Nice wings, Liv."
"Each of you should feel a little bit of resistance as you push through the physical constructs," Alexandra says to the class, nodding as Gabriella talks toward Olivia. "Those are called Nightmare manifestations, or some times, auras. They are an outward representation of your inner self, if you will," she explains to the students, letting them get used to the nightmare a bit.
"Wild. Yeah, this is definitely a really gross feeling. Is it... like okay to be doing this?" Olivia asks Alexandra, whirling about for a moment as if to catch sight of these wings Gabriella points out. She cracks a grin and bows her head toward Caelum. "Thanks you two. I got them for my birthday, I guess."
Viktorin wanders forward, hobbling all the while. He shifts through a tent and then reenters back through, reemerging. With a shrug, he mutters, "Feels weird. And cold."
Joel dubiously pushes his hand through a wall, stepping back. "It's like walking through custard or something" he murmurs faintly, before blinking as people draw attention to Olivia's wings, staring at them in wonder for a moment.
"Cooler than this, for sure." Caelum mumbles under his breath, casting his glance aside to wave a hand around himself to dispel that slowly thickening mist of blood. "I got it for my.. death day?" Grimness aside, he cracks another grin to his own joke.
Viktorin glances over his shoulder, noting his cloak. Muttering confusedly, he asks, "What's with this thing." Of course, this is followed by a jerk of his thumb backwards towards the cloak that hangs from his form.
"I mean yours isn't so bad. Nothing worse than what we deal with on a monthly basis," Olivia joins in the jokefest at the expense of Caelum's own aura as she makes a show of looking through her purse. "I think I've got something that can help you there..." She peeks back up without pulling anything out and says, "Yeah, mine and Caelum's makes sense, but what about you, Professor, or Vik?"
Alexandra just has a wildly serpentine shadow that moves on its own even when she is not. She nods to the comments about going through objects. "You can walk through people too. I suspect that is where the sensation known as 'someone stepping on your grave' comes from where I am from," she comments, not delving too much into some of the side chatter.
"Now, some times, you will pop into the nightmare, thinking you know where you want to go, only to realize that you cannot go there. Say if someone has used a ritual to ward against nightmare intrusions on the property you want to go to. Some times, you will need to wander around until you find a bathroom to slip out of. Or if someone is kind enough to put a mirror out, you can use it," she says, letting the students look at all the different manifestations as she talks.
"Being able to go through walls and doors is very helpful to get out, but some times, you can still get physically locked into the bathroom, so be aware of that," she points out to the others before motioning to the north. "My nightmare manifestation is ... in flux. It is tied to White Oak. And one day, it may solidify into something more specific," she states simply regarding her own aura.
"Yeah?" Caelum tips a brow, stepping closer to stand beside Olivia, try to steal a peek at her purse. "What do you got?" Though, he's distracted, and hoists his backpack a little higher while turning himself and his attention to Viktorin and Alexandra. "Grim." That's all he comments on, noting the writhing, serpentine shadow underneath her. "Looking good, though."
Olivia is absolutely going to attempt to walk through someone here and now--@carl better hope he's intangible!
Olivia is absolutely going to attempt to walk through someone here and now--@cael better hope he's intangible! (fix)
Caelum is most definitely not intangible, being a physical manifestation within the immaterial. Should Olivia go through, she'd only run into the chest of what is the equivalent of a cold, unbudging wall in flesh that'd smirk down at her, no fangs barred. Do they seem sharper, maybe longer, here in the distortion? Hard to tell, but his amusement is apparent.
Viktorin watches the scene unfold, helplessly snorting and giggling at the same time.
Too late! One can't blame a girl for trying the extents of her wraithlike abilities, nor the sound of echoing 'Oof' that comes from barreling straight into the unyielding young man. "Sorry," she comes around to saying, "But someone didn't specify! Very solid stance," she remarks of Caelum through a squint, and Olivia's hand makes a little wave as if it might catch some of that misty, crimson aura surrounding him.
Gabriella doesn't quite hold a chuckle.
Joel watches the various nightmare manifestations wih wide eyes, but does let out a quick, surprised laugh at the collision.
"Don't try it again, I'll bite." Caelum warns Olivia, unclear whether he's joking or not - maybe. The fog of crimson parts way at her hand, but what she'd wave through, it fills in quickly to fall in a cascade of red. Color of blood simply drifting in a downward path like misty rainfall.
"Experimentation is good. I know as an Astrally Projected being, you can actually hear what is said in the physical world. I have not done a lot of experiments with my physical body hearing that way though," Alexandra says, managing to bite her lower lip to keep from laughing at Olivia's mishap. "The most important part of this space however is...... You do not have to worry about being seen doing supernatural things in it. Anyone that is in here, shy of a mishap that will likely land someone in an asylum, should be very aware of what they are doing here. If you throw a fireball, someone in the nightmare is not gonna freak out. If you take a bullet to the shoulder and heal ten minutes later, no freaking out. If you transform into a werewolf or caribou, no freaking out. Other than, who the hell shifts into a caribou," she explains to the class, hoping that at the very least they take this part of the lesson to heart.
Viktorin admits to Alexandra, "I don't think anyone could freak out from my ick-touch anyways, because uh... I don't think anyone can -physically- see what happens when I do it." He bobs his head in affirmation to his own words, but he also adds, "But uh, making shadows do weird things can probably freak someone out, but that's gonna happen if I'm fighting anyways, so... uh. Might be that whatever's happening is far more distracting than the subtle."
"I would haul away so fast if someone turned into a caribou, not having that on my plate." Then, as if that brings another question to mind, he raises a brow and asks; "So what happens if I grab someone and," Caelum makes an idle gesture, as if grabbing someone and lifting them up. He bites the air, to examplify, brows raised at Alexandra. "That's going to work?"
Olivia definitely finds something to snicker about when it comes to the selection of caribou as a particular shifting form, but she supposes, "Inuit druids probably do. I guess we don't get many of them on the east coast though." She gives Caelum his bloody space, purposefully pulling up her shoulders as if to follow Wu Tang's sage advice. "Oh yeah, we should probably know what to expect from our abilities here. Anything we can do in the real world works here?" she asks Alexandra.
Gabriella lets her curiosity get ahead of her, and while Olivia is talking with Alexandra, Gabriella creeps from behind and touches on one of her wings to feel its feathers.
"If both of you are physically on the nightmare, yes. You cannot affect the physical from the Nightmare," Alexandra says to Caelum, shaking her head slowly. "But you could step out of a mirror, trance someone, bite them, and then get back into the nightmare before they saw you. But that might also get you into some sort of trouble potentially too," she offers as an alternative to accomplishing what Caelum might be after with a shrug of her shoulders.
"All of your abilities should function in the Nightmare. Healing, fireballs, animated dolls. But you won't be able to get information from your phone for example. It requires cell signal, which is limited to the physical plane of existence," she explains toward Olivia with a small nod. She motions to the north again and says, "There is a shower and bathroom and a mirror in the shower tent. So we can all get out from there. Why don't each of you try it, then come out to the bonfire area once you're physical again?"
"Right, right." Caelum muses quietly. There doesn't seem to be much else on his mind, and he slowly files away from the group on his own - headfirst into a door, and elsewhere. "See you in the real world."
Olivia is not sure if her wings can be touched at all, honestly, but she isn't natively going to pull them back from a poke or pet, least of all if Gabriella is being sneaky about it. "That does stink about the cell signal. Anyway, see you all on the other side."
Viktorin asks Alexandra, "Which one's the shower tent? And will we be like werewolves or shapeshifters and like... uh. Pop out naked or something. Can I take the cool cloak with me? How do you go deeper in this place, like... uh. Deeper in the nightmare? How far can you go? What's there?" Quickly the questions come forth, like verbal vomit, or a waterfall, endlessly being ushered forth between the Czech's lips. Helplessly he chatters away in some new-found interrogation of the professor.
Viktorin blinks at the two word response and hobbles himself towards the tent, almost whimsically.
Alexandra says "Can you all hear me?"
"I do miss the wings," Olivia admits as she looks back over her shoulder toward the tent behind her. With a sigh she supposes, "Ah well. Wild! I haven't really played around with that. I wish I knew about that last week!"
Viktorin hobbles forth, before closing the door behind himself.
"Deep nightmare is a different lesson. Obviously, no, you can't take your aura with you. It is only visible in the nightmare and to certain very in-tuned individuals," Alexandra says to Viktorin once they are back at the bonfire in the physical world. "Obviously, if you physically take your body into the nightmare, whatever you have on you goes with you, so no naked shenanigans unless you go in naked, like when I got dropped out of my place onto Main Street the other day," she says, shaking her head over it still.
"I don't really see much use in it." Caelum admits over his shoulder at Olivia, prying his attention from his phone. He stands aside again, turning back to the bonfire, to others. "It's a neat trick to go through doors, but that's really it. Faster to break the door, usually."
Viktorin shrugs towards Caelum, admitting to them, "It might be more stealthy. And I like when things are more quietly done, so I may use it. Plus, you can generally take some time to listen to people without them knowing. You can probably learn interesting things."
"What happened last week?" Gabriella asks Olivia cluelessly.
"Not all of us are door breakers, my guy. I'd like to see you try it in a pair of heels," Olivia points out to Caelum before thoughtfully fingering the pendant hanging there about her neck. It's a thoughtful gesture, inwardly directed, before she points out, "It'd be real gross to go to the nightmare for that kind of thing. It already feels odd." As for Gabriella's question, she just makes a snicker and says, "You didn't get kicked out of your room or the halls or anything randomly last week? Like I'd come to from playing Nintendo or reading and be out in the middle of campus."
"Most societal conflict takes place in the nightmare," Alexandra explains to Caelum as if that helps find usefulness all unto itself.
"But also, it can be used as a method of travel. While you are in the nightmare, if you walk around for a while, doors will open into various Dreamworlds. If you think about a destination you want to go to when you step through, you can travel via the dream and nightmare to the destination you want to arrive at. Way cheaper than a plane ticket. Doesn't require training in building bridge paths, can be done by naturals, and as long as you can find a mirror at the other end, it is perfectly viable to get from one side of the world to the other in about half an hour," she explains with a grin toward Caelum before shrugging her shoulders.
"Also, you can use it to travel around Haven. Say if you get dumped into the woods naked with your charm. You can step into a dream, step out at a specific intersection in Haven, then get back to your house. Like when a werewolf breaks down your gate during the full moon," she adds with obvious mild irritation about that situation as well from first hand experience.
"Yeah" Gabriella agrees with Olivia as she says that heel-wearers don't break doors, even if she probably was never seen wearing high heels. "Kicked out?" she then asks Olivia, "-by whom?"
Joel blinks "That sounds pretty damn useful actually..." he does glance over toward Olivia and Gabriella's conversation, still idly fidgeting with his charm.
Briefly engrossed in his phone, Caelum seems distracted to say the least. His expression, with whatever he's reading, is troubled with knit brows and a stern look. "I could break a wall even in heels, sounds like a you problem." He still takes heed of the challenge, not at all minding it in the slightest - and still doesn't seem like he puts much value in the value of Nightmare travel. "I don't know how to do any of that," Caelum answers in reply to Alexandra, "Pathing is easier."
Viktorin nods immediately towards Alexandra, already clearly pondering uses for this newfound experience. Turning his eyes towards Caelum, he asks curiously, "How do you do that. The Pathing? I wanna learn. I wanna zoom about like a stag on crack. Just start appearing everywhere."
"Hm, yeah, how... I mean, what do you mean? You can enter the world of dreams by walking around in the nightmare?" Gabriella asks Alexandra, trying to understand.
"So, to recap, lots of reasons and uses for going into the Nightmare with your body. From travel to getting into places to spying to fighting all out without worrying about normies," Alexandra starts with the closing comments, before glancing over toward Caelum. "And if you've never learned to build bridges?" she asks, gesturing to herself with a shrug. "So you've all been into the nightmare, first hand, seen what it is like, learned a bit of how to move around. That's going to be about it for today's lesson," she says to the class before winking at Gabriella. "Wednesday, I'll be covering Astral Projection a bit more, and that's where I'll answer more specific questions about dreams. Because that is the main way I recommend people do experience dreaming. It's easier to get in and out of the dream, and you don't end up standing out in the nightmare when you're ready to try to actually get rest."
"Sweet. I am... sadly scheduled for a shift during your class on Wednesday; should I compare notes with someone, Professor, or is there a make-up option later this week maybe?" Olivia asks Alexandra.
"Right." Caelum nods, once, twice, then in kept distraction, hoists his backpack a little higher. "Looking forward to that next lesson, maybe I'll get to dream -something- for once when I'm asleep. Thanks for the lesson, Mrs. Harris." Then, haflway towards the parking lot, he spares a look at others. "Who needs a ride back to campus? I dash in five."
"Ah- OK, cool" Gabriella replies to Alexandra, nodding and seeming to be looking forward to that. "Oh, yes, is there a make up option?" she then adds, putting weigth to Olivia's request.
"Message me about make up options. I can try to catch you during my office hours. But understand, at seventeen hundred, I go home to my husband," Alexandra says to the girls with a small smirk on her lips. "Gotta keep the house in working order, after all," she explains, folding her hands together behind her back once more.
"What a tradwife." Caelum says that, though under his breath, still maybe a little too loud. Just where has he been picking up these words? Curse the Devil's box, corrupting the youth. He's filing out, tipping a two-digit wave over his shoulder at others while keeping his eyes glued to his phone. "Text me if you need me."
Gabriella chuckles and tells Alexandra "Lucky husband."
Viktorin glances over his shoulder, watching the Camaro drive off. Turning his gaze towards Alexandra, he asks, "Professor, can I badger you with more questions, during your office hours?"
Joel blinks as he glances up "Oh...right, forgot I didn't drive here" he murmurs, brfore shrugging faintly. "Oh well, sure I'll find my way back..."
"He knows he is. He also knows what he will lose if he cheats or steps out on me," Alexandra says, slipping a hand into her leg bag to produce a knife, which she deftly flips around in her hand. "If I am in my office, feel free to stop by and badger. That is literally why I sit in there between classes," she explains to Viktorin with a nod.
Viktorin blinks at Alexandra, watching her procure her knife. Admittedly, he informs her, "I always preferred knives. Might have a shorter reach, but no one ever really wants to fight a dude with a knife. Takes one nick for someone's life to end."
"We can all walk back together" Gabriella offers to Joel, apparently knowing the way back. To Olivia, she adds, "if it was tomorrow instead of wednesday, would it work for you?"
"I prefer breaking out ice magic in the Wilds, but that's not always an option here. The knife though, works everywhere just fine," Alexandra says to Viktorin with a wink and a nod before flipping the knife back around to deposit back into the leg bag. "I should be available in office tomorrow at some point," she tells Gabriella with a nod.
Viktorin admits to Alexandra, "I dunno any magic. I don't think it'd be easy for me to use it anyhow, because of how I fight. But I do wanna learn something, watching people summon salamanders and shoot out death rays is pretty neat."
Gabriella smiles at learning at Alexandra's availability, but then looks at Olivia enquiringly, not really wanting to put Alexandra through needing to do the same lesson three times instead off 'just' two.
"That sounds like arcanists with their arcane assistants. I could help with that to some degree," Alexandra says to Viktorin with a shrug. "I can only do the ice magic in the Wilds. I'll be trying to learn to do it in the Other soon. The gate for that is right across the road, but be sure you have a compass with you to get back," she says, gesturing to the south west a bit.
Joel nods a little at Gabriella "Sounds good to me, if I'm not in the way..."
"You're not in the way..." Gabriella promises, but then asks Joel "..are you in much of an hurry?"
Alexandra lifts a hand to bring the lesson to a close with a wave. "Enjoy the rest of your day," she says before putting her hands back together behind her back. She looks around the camp as if there might be some things she needs to handle here.
Viktorin bobs his head towards Alexandra, listening to her for a moment, before chattering away about his own experiences, informing her, "Well... I think I'm leaning towards uh... using my abilities whilst I fight... like the ones from my blood. Like, manipulating shadows... or the other thing which is pretty interesting." His eyes glimmer with interest as he expresses his thoughts, "I'm currently working on building my strength... I'm pretty sure demigods can like, toss cars and shit if they get super strong."
"Thanks teach- oh, can you give me your phone number?" Gabriella asks Alexandra.
Joel tilts his head "Not really, I don't have anything else to do right now..."
"Oh, cool, yeah- OK!" Gabriella tells Alexandra, reaching for her phone to fire up a match.
"Well then- drive save, careful with this aweful mist..." Gabriella tells Alexandra, smiling a bit.
Alexandra says "This is normal mist for this part of the forest. It should be clear in town."
Viktorin glances towards Gabriella, "I'll go with you guys, I don't wanna be ambushed by werewolves again."
"Oh? Well... I mean, drive safe anyway, right?" Gabriella tells Alexandra, then nods to Viktorin, telling him "Sure, you're more than welcome. But I thought it were.. were wolves that did that to you?" she asks with a frown in her expression, and a vague gesture towards Viktorin's leg.
Viktorin shakes his head towards Gabriella, informing them, "Nope. A werewolf attacked me the other day, but uh. He had his dues come in later. Pig-people beat the shit out of me, but that was a mistake on my part. I thought one of the guys with me needed help, and I ran over, and they tore my leg open."
"Ah, that's what I thought" Gabriella relaxes and nods, realizing she isn't getting confused. "Yeah, that wolf- or, like, some wolf did attack Joel here too... I think is the one that was arrested and is now locked up in the clinic or something?" She shrugs a bit, and admits, "I'm not really into people transforming into animals."
Joel shakes his head faintly "Yeah, I take back what I said earlier, I don't think I'm gonna get used to this place any time soon" he murmurs, as he makes to follow Gabriella and Viktorin.
Alexandra says "Class is dismissed by the way. I have something I need to handle elsewhere."