( OPEN ) MISSION 3.1 | time shifts, dreams fade, ripples blur the illusion

[soups]

CHARACTERS: Jiang Yanli & You
LOCATION: Jiang Yanli's Dreamscape
DATE: Throughout the mission
CONTENT: Having fallen into a deep sleep, Jiang Yanli's dreams and memories play out for others to see and take part in
WARNINGS: Possible violence, mentions of death, canon spoilers guaranteed to be mentioned. Look below for specific warnings for each memory.

⇢ LOTUS PIER: relatively tame, more nostalgic and wistful than traumatic
⇢ JIN CLAN CHAMBERS: a little more psychologically complicated; involves issues of loss of child (abstract) and abandoned motherhood
⇢ NIGHTLESS CITY: obvious death and undead yanli. totally lost in the dream sauce here. injury is highly likely.

If you want to talk out another memory to enjoy, PM me or hit me up at haseul!

Comments

[droide]

[ Elthree will refrain from making her usual sarcastic remarks about how dumb it is to name your planet what essentially amounts to "dirt," because this woman seems kind and gentle, and she doesn't want to rock the boat-- literally or figuratively. ]

I haven't, no. But I've heard of it. I think it's somewhere outside my galaxy.

[soups]

❰ the boat bobs in place, floating very slowly on its own in the direction of the slight ripples in the lake. she pulls the paddles back in and hugs her knees, rolled up sleeves sinking down her arms to touch the bottom of the boat, slightly damp now. it's been a while since she's worn robes, and there is something comforting about the return to tradition. ❱

I'd never considered anything so vast as a galaxy before I was brought to the Ximilia -- and now I've seen several. ❰ which is still surreal. it probably won't ever fully feel normal. much like there's nothing much normal about talking to moving metal in a boat (at least not for her). if this wasn't a dream, perhaps she'd be more nervous about it, at least internally. ❱ Is that who you are? The Ximilia?

❰ which likely sounds like an ignorant question. but the spaceship that has consumed her emotional state colliding with her tradition and nostalgia as a symbol of her war of identity? sounds very thematic and plausible in her dream. ❱

[droide]

I. [ What. ] No, I'm a droid.

[ Given the fact that there isn't a shred of technology visible in or around this lake, combined with what this woman just said, Elthree probably shouldn't be as surprised as she is to hear that question, but... Some things just catch you unprepared. ]

The Ximilia station is much, much too large to fit in a small wooden boat. And it isn't, as far as I'm aware, sentient in and of iteself.

[ She pauses, then offers: ] My name is L3-37.

[soups]

❰ a droid...the whole concept is totally lost on jiang yanli, who still has a very limited scope of technology. the ship got a blender and she still hasn't been brave enough to experiment with it. it also wouldn't be a surprise to her to learn that a large spaceship could shift and change, becoming some humanoid-ish being.

it's a dream, anyway. nothing feels so far-fetched, right now. ❱

L3-37...it is a pleasure to be acquainted with you. ❰ even robots deserve polite greetings. ❱ I have not before met a 'droid,' or any piece of advanced technology that could be a conversational partner. I apologize for any potential ignorance, but you're quite miraculous.

[droide]

[ You know, you would think that Elthree would get used to people being confused and amazed by droids' existence, after the past few weeks with the Ximilia crew. But droids are so ingrained in her galaxy's culture and history, it still kind of takes her by surprise. ]

I'll answer any questions you have. --Provided they're not too personal, of course.

[ She may as well take every opportunity she can to educate people on the need for equality between droids and organics. Maybe they'll have an easier time listening than the people she's used to. ]

[soups]

❰ as interesting as the 'droid' is, asking what and how someone is isn't her business. it would be impolite to turn this into such an inquisitive meeting, especially when the atmosphere is intended for relaxing. ❱

Oh no, I don't mean to pry. Nor do I understand enough about beings made of metal to know what to ask.

❰ one thing she has absorbed, being around people more knowledgeable about technology than she is, is that sometimes when it interacts with water...bad things happen. someone on board one experimented with what could and couldn't go into the toaster, and liquid turned out to be one of them. ❱ ...But is it dangerous, to be so close to a vast lake? I wouldn't want my dream to hurt you, in the case the boat became somehow upset.

[droide]

[ Well, that's a relief. Just because she's had to explain her existence to people here, doesn't mean she enjoys it. The concern is a nice touch, also. One that Elthree doesn't get often. It's clear this woman is the sort of gentle, caring person who would get taken advantage of so easily if she were back in the Outer Rim. ]

Not as much as you might think. I'm fairly water-tight. The worst that would happen is I'd sink to the bottom and have to walk out the long way, or be fished out. I'd need a nice, long oil bath afterward, to get clean, but I honestly could use one of those anyway.

[ Her attempt at a joke, even if it may not go over as well as she plans. ]

[soups]

❰ that this is a joke goes completely over jiang yanli's head, mildly concerned as she considers the picture. well...no one would know better how a droid worked than a droid. it still doesn't prevent the instinctual worry that comes with someone -- something? -- sinking to the bottom of the lake. ❱

As long as you'll be alright. ❰ instead of continuing to talk about hypothetical robot drowning, she searches for another topic of conversation while rotating her boat with a single paddle. hmm...it spins and makes a light noise as a cluster of lotus hit the side of the boat, damp leaves sticking to the wood in places. it makes them much easier to scoop up, which she does now. only a large flower -- the pods will wait. ❱ Are you familiar with these? I've yet to see them in any other world I've been to. It is truly a shame.

[droide]

[ Elthree looks around and sees a paddle of her own lying on the floor of her boat. She takes it and does her best to draw up alongside the woman's boat, to get a better look at the flower in her hands. ]

No, I'm not. It... reminds me of a glandis flower, but those are a darker purple.

[soups]

❰ with a jostle of her hands, large beads of water drip from the flower and back either into the lake or her boat. she's already damp all over, so there's no fuss to be had. jiang yanli wishes that she could make some of these things solid and real so that they could be made keepsakes — not that the flower wouldn't die anyways, but she would have it to herself for longer than she could ever reasonably be in a dream. ❱

These are what my clan are known for...there are some days where the whole of the water looks white and pink for how many blooms there are. I'm glad we're in the early season; I think I could be overcome, otherwise. ❰ with one more shake jiang yanli leans over to set the large bloom into the other boat, her own tipping slightly as she shifts her weight to one side. it requires a stretch, but her seat is quickly righted again. ❱ They make lovely decorations, and their pods make for delicious soups and snacks.