Tailored Conversation

[Ram]

“Well, everything I touch feels fragile. I’ve seen, heard, and felt what it’s like to break things. And it’s good,” even when he didn’t do it on purpose, even for just the shortest of moments “But it’s often something that just… happens. And I wouldn’t want that to happen when I’m trying to fix things. Fix people. Somethings you can’t repair or replace easily.”

Ram sighed, trying to take her words to heart that he didn’t have to apologize but still feeling like she didn’t understand why he was do it. He even managed to do it when he laughed about feeling uncomfortable. Sighed again. “Would you feel comfortable if everything was made of sand ready to crumble at your fingertips?” Being uncomfortable kept him careful.

And there it was. The feeling. Wanting to leer and grin. To see if the thing would break. Wanting to describe the pain of war. Wanting her to feel it. Experience the horror.

What sound would she make? At seeing those dreams.

Ram took a deep breath. He wasn’t on the Battlefield. Sera wasn’t his enemy. And in the end you had to trust the people that stood beside you. Or you had already lost.

“Anyway,” he said as if coming to a conclusion more than changing the subject “I guess if I’m really wanting to be safe, I ought to be checked for dream poison too.” He rubbed his neck “We lost Ethan on the patrol. Can’t remember him disappearing. If you can do it, it’s better to check than not. Make sure nothings broke in my head. Not more than normal." he gave an almost joking half-smile.

[Seraphina]

A nod, “People certainly are hard to replace.” What would happen if she ever lost Rhodes? Whatever it was, it wasn’t something she wanted to dwell on right now. “I believe everything we do, or don’t want to do, take practice and time.” She could see why he would be concerned; he was a big guy. One that could probably do a lot of damage very easily.

The sighing wasn’t good in her mind. She wasn’t making the connections or helping. “No, I don’t think I would feel comfortable. And that must be a difficult thing to live with. A daily struggle that not many can understand.” Especially not her. And perhaps the best thing she could do, was stop trying to understand.

Eyes widen at the news, “Lost him?” well crap. That wasn’t good. And why was she just now hearing about it? “If you want me to check, I will.” The half joking smile was returned, “I’m also willing to enter into a Pledge. Letting someone into your Dreams is big, at least, to me it is. And I know it comes with rules and an understanding. I can tell you I’m not the type to poke around in someones Dreams, but I know sometimes words mean nothing. So if you want a Pledge, I’m ok with it.” But she was curious as to why he trusted her with it? They had never really talked, really didn’t have much of a relationship. So what made her special? But her Entitlement gave her the ability to heal…and destroy.

“Maybe there can be a classic movie night. All the classics from the80’s, cult classics. Get some junk food and drinks, sounds like a great time!”

[Ram]

Her heavenly words seemed to calm him a bit. And he nodded at her assessment of how he felt. However, he couldn't think of what else to say about it. It just... was.

"He was there and then when I checked again, he... wasn't. Not sure if he snuck off while I wasn't paying attention or...," he gave a short grunt "I wasn't in the best mental shape at the time. Not paying as much attention I maybe should have." Did he want to bring up the battlemind? "I can get tunnel vision sometimes," was probably best for now without going into all the details of what that meant and what brought it on.

"But the fact that I don't remember... yeah, I'd like to check to make sure it's not something more." Dream poison, erased memories, or something more. "A pledge would work for me," he confirmed "Wouldn't need secrecy. I mean, if you found something wrong, you would need to be able to tell people. Besides," he said with a smile that held little joy "don't normally have dreams that would be embarrassing." Just war.

His smile brightened when she brought up movie night "So long as there's a good selection. Had some trouble picking out a movie everyone wanted to see last time." Avoiding the stories that reminded them of their durance "But I'm sure one of those Netflix we could find something," he added helpfully. The marvels of technology.

[Seraphina]

The concern was obvious, but she knew there was nothing to gain by dwelling on it. “It’s hard to say when the Hedge is involved. But I don’t believe it was your fault, or anyones for that matter.” No need to point fingers when she didn’t know the facts. “Tunnel vision isn’t always a bad thing, it can sometimes mean the difference between living and dying. When it comes to the Hedge, it’s survival.” Plain and simple.

A nod, “We can take a look, try to figure it out. Maybe put your mind at ease.” And sometimes they all needed that. “The Pledge would be more than just secrecy, but also assurance that I’m not in there to cause harm. Plant false memories, or even alter current ones. There are some who will do that whenever they can, and I like to make sure others know I am not that person. Ones deepest fears can be found in Dreams, and boundaries need to be established and respected.” And with her Entitlement, she could do great damage. “So I can craft a Pledge on the day you decide we do this, if it’s agreeable, we’ll move forward.” She was careful. Dreams were delicate and private things.

Seeing his smile brighten made her smile wider, the Nix relaxing a little, “A good selection is always key to a successful movie night! And you’re right, Netflix certainly makes it easier, so I think we can find something! So I was thinking maybe pizza? Or burgers? Or both!” both could work!

[Ram]

"Yeah," Ram agreed about tunnel vision. "Learned it for a reason," he laughed with a sad air. Survival

He nodded at her suggestion of making the pledge on the day "Hey, since this might concern them, I might let Gerrit and Cassandra know what's going on. I'm sure they'd like to know what happened to Ethan too. And," he added "If you think having someone with more experience might help, you can invite them too." John maybe more than Rhodes but that would be kind of mean to say. However, defer to the experts when it came to their lane. And dreams were Seraphina's lane so he'd defer.

"Both," he agreed with a final smile. "I can always eat." Another habit from the battlefield. Consume rations when you could. Didn't know when the next break would come.

At a month. Thanks for the great scene