Nightmares Reimagined

[Thalia]

Her head tilted, and she did not reject the addition to her person as the poppy bloomed behind her ear. The Watcher was gone a moment later, whipping the air up as he did so, presumably so that those who remained could not possibly miss the grandeur of his departure. It half made her smile. Afterwards her gaze crossed to the rapidly depleted dreamers, most of whom had escaped the moment the Watcher released his hold on them. There had been plenty she recognised, and their absence now stung a little as she sought and failed to find the familiar faces that made meaning of her life. Mara remained though, and it softened the blow of sadness, if she suspected her sister’s curiosity was piqued more by the troubled boy who remained in their world.

“If he took our heads he would have no one to boss around.” When next the dreaming boy blinked, he would find Nimeda sat at the fire with him. Darkness and isolation surrounded, but it was the restful kind. She tinkered with the flames, made them spark into whimsical shapes. Her chin rested on her knees. “I can give you peaceful dreams if you ever wish them. Mara’s pets avoid me, even when I reach out to them, and you would not be so difficult to hide. Although you could just ask their Mistress.” Her gaze flicked to the woman in question, and a fond smile softened her features.