Learning through a Dream (Silas)

[Lynsey]

It had been a long day, and Della was tired. She had classes and chores all day. Even her free time was spent getting ready for the next class or getting something for the next chore. She could hardly wait to be raised to Accepted. Yawning, Della reached for her necklace. She didn't know whl
y, but every time she wore the necklace she didn't feel so alone. she had it ever since she was a baby.

She fell asleep almost instantly. As she slept she slowly drifted off to sleep. Unaware of her necklace cooling against her skin.

**** Tel'aran'rhiod ****

Della walked the halls of the Tower. It had been a busy day, but now she felt as ease. Everything was so vivid in her dreams. Even her clothes felt real. Her Novice dress wasn't so snug. Why she still wore the dress was beyond her. As she thought this, her dress changed to a light blue with intricate bead work on the bodice.

She would often find herself wandering down a hall during the day, looking to see if it was the same as her dreams. Often they were, and that is how she rarely got lost. As she explored the Tower in her dreams.

She peeked around the corners. There were times when she thought she would see someone. And there were times when it seemed they saw her. She would often avoid going near the public areas for that reason. Of course this only happened more since she came to the Grey Tower.

As she walked down an unfamiliar hall, she felt like someone or something was watching her. She stopped and looked around slowly. She didn't see anyone or anything. But she dared not move.

"How did you get here?" demanded a voice.

[Silas]

Silas Malkom Though he lacked as much experience in using it as he liked, he had to admit that there was a certain sort of... charm, to Tel'aran'rhiod. He was apparently gifted at it- Illyria had mentioned something along those lines when they had visited together before- though his lack of practical knowledge concerning the subject prevented him from using said potential. And practical knowledge was absolutely essential to manipulating and surviving this World of Dreams- theory only took you so far, especially here. One had to experience for themselves in order to see just what one must do to master it.

He walked down the halls of the dream Tower, admiring the ever-shifting realm as he walked. He himself stayed relatively stable in his form- a long black coat, black trousers, a red silk shirt- though the edges of his coat would occasionally flicker and blur, as though he was somehow insubstantial or incorporeal. He frowned every time he saw that- it was something he needed to work on.

At least I'm not jumping into a Whitecloak uniform every time I blink anymore. Or worse. He supposed it could be worse- he could have appeared here naked, or inside a wall, or something else sufficiently hideous. Thankfully, he'd moved past that sort of thing... somewhat. The flicker of his insubstantial garb still grated on him as he struggled to maintain their tenuous integrity.

Suddenly, he stopped, sensing something. He looked around, confused, not sure of what it was he'd felt, if anything at all. Tel'aran'rhiod was a less-than-stable location, anyway- it could change according to the smallest whim.

But no, there it was again- that feeling that he was not alone here. And moreover, a sound to accompany it. Footsteps. Someone else was in this dream. Or perhaps, he was in theirs. It was hard to tell. He took a few steps forward down the hall, following the sound of the footsteps ahead. He rounded the corner, and found the source of the disturbance- a young girl, dressed in blue. Silas tilted his head- the girl seemed... lost. Like she didn't quite belong here. A common thing to feel in Tel'aran'rhiod, but still, Silas couldn't just let the girl flounder about. He stepped toward her.

"Excuse me, you there," he said, walking briskly toward her. "How did you get here? Do you know? Do you require assistance at all?"

[Lynsey]

When the man in the black coat started walking towards her, she began to feel nervous. She dress flickered different clothes as he questioned her. When he finally stopped, her dress became a Novice dress once more. She did not recognize this man. But he addressed her directly. So she knew he could see her.

"You can see me?" She said, as she reached out to touch the fabric of his sleeve. She did not know why, but he felt surreal. Did she imagine him the same way she imagined her dresses? Or the same way she could conjure up different sceneries? Or items that she may need at that point in time?

The fabric of his sleeve felt very real. She blinked and looked over the man carefully. He was really there. She thought of his questions, and very carefully thought of what she would say "What is it I should know?"

As she said this, her dressed became blue again, than it flickered to a deep crimson with long sleeves. She crossed her arms and took a step back from the man. A small part of her still wanted to run. She did not know who this man was. Was he friend or foe?

[Silas]

Silas sighed. This girl was definitely lost, one way or the other. The way she acted around him seemed more like a wild animal that had been cornered than the Novice she so obviously was. It was like she assumed that he was about to hurt her or something. Then again, given where they were, it wasn't that unfounded of an idea to be paranoid about attacks. The only thing predictable about the World of Dreams was its unpredictability.

Silas raised his hands in front of him in what he hoped was a non-threatening manner.

"All right, easy. I'm not going to hurt you, see? I'm not armed, I'm not coming after you, and I have no intention to hurt you. Okay? I'm just trying to help. You seem lost. And in this place, lost is a very bad thing to be."

Silas cleared his throat before continuing. "Anyway, to answer your questions, yes, I can see you. I imagine anyone else Walking the Dream could see you too. And what you should know, is that, firstly, I am Silas Malkom of the Green Ajah. And secondly, somehow, you have entered Tel'aran'rhiod, the World of Dreams. Is any of this making sense to you, Child?"

[Lynsey]

Della began to calm down as the man explained who he was, where they were and what he thought. She never felt lost, she was simply exploring. But should she tell him that? She looked at him, head tilted to the side slightly and nodded. Silas. Asha'man Silas. Captain General of the Green Ajah. She thought for a second. Her dresse changed to that of a Novice. No need to pretend that the dynamics didn't exist. She courtesy. "Sorry Asha'man Silas. I did not recognize you."

Hoping her apology would suffice, she began to think of what he said more carefully. Though it did seem strange to be dreaming of someone she had never met before. World of Dreams? She looked around with new eyes.

"I wish I could say it did. But, it does not. What do you mean it's the World of Dreams? I've had dreams like this since I was a child." She grinned and thought of a tulip. It appeared. She looked at Asha'man Silas, "It has to be a dream, why else would that appear at my thought?"

She banished the tulip with a second thought. She watched Asha'man Silas carefully. Wondering if he could do the same, or even take something she thought of from here. She grinned and gave a side long glance. A rose appeared in Asha'man Silas' pocket

[Silas]

Silas quirked an eyebrow at Della's summoning of the tulip in her hands, and the subsequent banishment of it- the girl had skill, it seemed, which, if she were telling the truth, was only logical, considering how long she'd been Dreamwalking. He started at a sudden small weight in his coat pocket, glancing aside at the Novice as he went to check whatever had been deposited. He again raised an eyebrow as he pulled out the rose, looking at Della's almost-smug grin in a new light.

Well. That's interesting. He glanced back to the rose, before turning to her once again.

"Well, that's exactly my point. You can manipulate this world like a dream because it is a dream. Everyone's dream. Yours, mine, the Amyrlin's, the M'hael's... it's a bit difficult to describe, but think of this as an alternate reality that you can only access while you sleep. Everyone's consciousness comes here while they sleep, regardless of origin or talents or what have you, but there are some who can do something more- those with the power to recognize Tel'aran'rhiod as it is, to remain... awake, as it were, when they enter the World of Dreams. My wife and I both have the ability to do this, just as you appear to. We can access this world at will, completely lucid, completely aware. And that awareness gives us power here."

He concentrated, and the rose in his hand suddenly turned into an ashandarei, the only remnant of the flower being the rose-thorn etchings along the haft and blade. He smiled at the girl, twirling the weapon nonchalantly before dismissing it.

"Like so," he said, still smiling. "It's fortunate that I found you when I did- while I am impressed at your degree of skill, both your lack of knowledge about this world, and your general... lack of finesse," he said, eyeing her still-shifting clothing, "means that you have never been formally educated about your gift. And that, Child, is extraordinarily dangerous."

[Lynsey]

There was a lot to take it, just with those few words. It was interesting to think that something like this exists. It was difficult for Della to wrap her head around the thought of there being a whole new world in her Dreams. How was that even possible? What was the Creator thinking when he created this place? It made Della wonder what else she didn't know. It seemed to her that she knew very little. She wondered if there was any other places like this. Would it be to soon to ask about the other realities?

"So does this world have any real effect on our bodies in the real world?" she asked, eyeing the ashandarei. She never encountered a situation where she could be hurt or harmed. Even accidently. Not that she expected Asha'man Silas to ever be so reckless. She relaxed as the item disappeared. Her dress became solid once again, though it had a faint blue hue to it.

"Given that you have the gift, would you be willing to mentor me? So I don't do something that I shouldn't?" she asked, she knew that the feel of her Dreams had felt different since she had come to the Grey Tower. She didn't quite understand where the new feeling came from. But now she did, it was because there was other people who could interact with her. "I understand if you cant, I imagine you are quite busy."

Della chewed on her lip, she really hoped that Asha'man Silas would. Her world was growing much bigger than she would like, and it was all happening so quickly. How was she ever going to be able to keep up?

[Silas]

Silas noted the girl's sudden hesitation as he explained what he knew about Tel'aran'rhiod- it appeared that his assumption was correct, and that she knew next to nothing about manipulating the World of Dreams. She probably had no idea how she even got here, short of falling asleep. He sighed. This has to take priority. It's not as though I'm precisely as busy as she assumes I am, anyway- my tenure in the Green hasn't exactly been challenging thus far. He nodded, almost to himself.

"Yes, you are correct- that is part of the danger of Tel'aran'rhiod. Anything that happens to us here, happens to us in reality, depending on how connected we are to the World. For the two of us, we are currently in a significant amount of danger- if you were to injure me, or even kill me, the same would happen to my body. That is why coming here without teaching is so dangerous- you could conjure up a nightmare you cannot control, or wander into something or someone that might wish you harm, unaware of what their actions will bring."

He paused, sighed, then continued on. "I don't mean to scare you, Child, but Tel'aran'rhiod is not a toy. It is not a playground. It can be an incredibly useful tool, but one has to know how to use it, first. And whether you are willing or not, it is my duty to teach you how to use this gift of ours."

Silas concentrated, and the hallway around them faded as it responded to Silas' need, reforming into a nearly-bare classroom, nothing in it but two chairs and a mirror.

He was nostalgic like that.

He turned to the Novice, crossing his arms. "Your first lesson begins now. Are you prepared?"

[Lynsey]

The danger was real. Now that she knew that anything she did could be changed by another. It felt very real to her. She listened as Silas explained to her what was what. She wasn't surprised or shocked when her surroundings changed, but it did unnerve her. As it made her realize that if Asha'man Silas was not in front f her, she would be cared. It just showed how easy it was to change. Was there a controlling power? Or did it depend on who was stronger? She thought to herself.

"Yes" responded Della. It was a straight forward answer to a straight forward question. She gestured to the chairs with a questioning look. Even though she didn't intend for it to happen, a pillow appeared the chair she intended to sit on.