#anywhere

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"Morning, sleepy head" A voice says as.. Katrina stirs awake to find herself in a rather lovely guest room with a king sized bed, pillows that look like low lying clouds and feel like heaven. There's a.. the woman still has horns

A tray of fantastic smelling breakfast.

"Who goes!" A gnome pops out from under the bed, and stands guard!

"Dame Lavender D'Lorean, , sworn knight of Baron Aiden ap Ailil who rules Silverwolf if you recall, Blink?" The satyr looks at him, "And we haven't forgotten about you messing up the oven"

He disappears back under the bed.

The nocker blinks. Her hair has changed color from last night - from orange to bright apple green.

"...the furk?"

"Some folks call me Dee, informally," Dame Lavender adds, "But I took lavender as a name to do the whole 'Garden of Silverwolf' angle credit. And yes, I still have horns and hooves. You are not dreaming, you are in the Dreaming. There's a large D on the last one, Katrina. " She brings the tray over

She pinches her arm.

The satyress sing songs "You're awaaaaakee" A smile though

"Listen, goat-legs, this was kind of cool last night but I would like to wake up, please?"

"You are awake, you are of both worlds now, the Dreaming, and what we call the Autumn world... and here's the irony, the Dreaming is just as real, but different. There's no red pill needed, Neo. Now enjoy some drink and food or you might Hurt Marigold's feelings"

She balls her hands up into fists. "I'm going to go home. Y'ain't going to stop me."

"Easy Tiger jaw," She answers, "I have a few more thorns that you do.." She puts the tray down gently "Look, you do have power now, gifts, but you're going to need an education in them. We're here to help"

"The various changelings come in Kiths, I'm a satyr, or satyress. .. a dream of passion. You are a Nocker, a dream of invention and the frustration and beauty that comes from it"

"Beauty, feh." An odd contradiction of a nockerism, as her spirals and hair grey a bit. How much damage did that teacher do?

"Shit.. . this is about that teacher right? Gwen told me.. mister.. ah I don't remember the name.. you really going to let that bastard win?"

"Bad BAD cold man. Blinky does not like him. Someone should break him into the slip bucket, but no - no, would poison all the good clay." Surprisingly ruthless attitude from the cheery little gnome.

"Sounds like an asshole.. mmmm " Dee ponders "I think maybe it's time to do something about that guy."

Katrina glowers, shrinking somewhat. She mutters something that could melt glass. "(&%$^ &^%$& &^##%"

Dee touches her jaw Did she just melt my fucking filling?

"Goat lady bothering rainbow?" Blinky asks solicitously. "Shoo! Shoo!"

"Should come to the Garden. Nice plants, nice sun. Good for gnomes, good for gnome-friends." He advises the Nocker still abed.

Then resolved, she decides it's worth the risk "You know what, go ahead and cuss... like the song says.."

"I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sit quietly
Agree politely"

And her reciting turns to song... not the greatest singer of her kind , but her hoof taps it.. and there's a magic to it..

"I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing
So I fell for everything" Energy, go ahead, cuss, rant, you're allowed to be angry about that jerk. You're allowed to complain about him.

"You held me down, but I got up (Hey!)
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up (Hey!)
Get ready 'cause I've had enough
I see it all, I see it now" Free to laugh, to cry...to say screw it and enjoy creation

"I got the eye of the tiger
A fighter
Dancing through the fire
'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar!" Or just enjoy singing as if you were yelling in his face

"&*^%$QUTT^&%!!!"

Tapping to the tune, hooves going SHe's gonna punch me in the face, but if it helps... shit, things we do for right of rescue

"Quit singing at me, y'behorned bessie!" Oh yes, one of those fists goes flying!

Thank goodness she's got her armor on, well at least a chain shirt.. too bad the girl's got a quicker hook than she realized...whap to the cheek, and "And you're gonna hear me ROOOAR..." SHe can't direct what passions come out, but so anger will have to do. But she keeps her guard up to catch the next blow on the forearm .. she's willing to take a few licks but she's not going to lean into them

"It ain't FAIR! That fartblowin' priggish snidehopper thinks he knows EVERYTHING, and everything I do is WRONG and UGLY and I can't even liek it no more!"

"What the fuck does he know, right? He's only got the job so he can shit on the art of others..." between lines... and always the hooves tapping

"Yeah, the fuck does he know!?"

"Lemme at 'em!" Blinky bounces on the bed, little fists up!

A soft tapping at the door, and Bluebell peers in... then promptly NOPES out.

"Not a damn thing..>" THe gift keeps flowing... the chill of banality slowly.. hopefully, lowering.. helping

"I'm gonna SHOW him!"

"That milksap mediocrity-sucking menace! That myopic misanthrope!"

"One patron, that's all you need, someone who can help support your art, real art, then you can show that son of a bitch UP"

"Yeah!"

"To hell with that anal retentive imagination crushing asshole!"

"Yes! Hell! Asshole! Crush!" Blinky repeats helpfully!

"And I think I know someone who could use your help and your art!"

"...yeah?"

'Yeah... you work with clay and ceramics mostly right? I know a guy who might want some some designs for bottles and stuff.. for fine wines. He doesn't just want to mass produce, he wants it to be high quality art. It's gonna need containers"

"Don't you usually use, like, glass?"

"Usually, and maybe he still will, but for the FIRST bottle? Why not your design in what you know best? You make the art, he decides if he's smart enough to incorporate it. " She ponders "Yeah it could work. Some old monstaries used to keep their wines in such things back in the day"

"Feeling better?" she also inquires cautiously

"There's these old greek winejugs... like, satyrs are greek?... anyhow, they got pointy bottoms, and they're painted..."