#dreaming

"Okay" Zane admits once the dinos have moved on "I might have slipped there"

"You caught yourself."

"Just.. becareful. " Earl says "Sure, I doubt taht Chimera would mean any harm to us. But what others know can be tricked or forced out of them"

"Never give information away. What seems a small thing may prove large - a destination, aye. A name."

"I thought you would not mind being named akin to Bacchus."

"Nah, I actually kind of liked it" he says with a smile "Dionysius IS a big one for us Satyrs. Pan too."

"So..thanks" he says

"Well, alright then."

"And of course, Dionysius was the god of uncivilization. I rather do approve of that."

"You drink tea, love victorian novels, and guide a library. Aren't you like.. super civilized?" ZAne says

"Aye. But I am more than tea and books."

"Sluagh are nightmares, Master Zane. We know the forest primeval, we know the shadows of the depths, we know the places mortals fear to tread."

"So you're civilized on your terms?" Zane says, not mocking, but trying to parse

"Aye."

"And the thing is, much of civilization is a polite fiction."

"Sluagh do like things which are polite."

"I really should talk to Symon more" he muses as the terrain shifts and the sound of a river rushing does come within ear shot.

"Symon is a delight." She agrees.

"Well, he's really knowledgeable about anatomy and more"

And they come into view of a river to the side, silver flecks on the surface.

"Ah.. the river we wish not to swim."

"But it has a dock, which means a ship settles here from time to time" Zane says "Should we take it?"

Earl glances as the trod does lead to the dock or straight by land

"Ah!"

"Worth investigating, agreed."

As they close, Zara sees a bell hanging.

She kenns the bell.

It's chimerical, but this is the dreaming.. she has the feeling it sends it's ring along the river

"Zane, if you would do the honors?"

He rings the bell.

And.. it's actually rather quiet, not unpleasant to Zara's delicate ears at all

More like a soft chime, but yes, it travels over the river surface...and then in the distance, the toot of a boat echoes in repsonse

"I wonder what the fare shall be..."

"Two coins?" Earl says

"That would be Charon."

"And if our ferryman is Charon, we have bigger problems."

"Maybe he moonlights?" Earl says

"No Charon, thank you" Zane says agreeing with the bigger problems bit

And then the paddlewheel boat comes into view, giving another too

"It's... cute.." Torn.

"You don't like?" Earl says

"It's cute!"

Apparently, that is the conflict.

The name of the ship is the Comet. Odd name for a paddle wheel boat

"If it would please you, young lady, " A voice with a touch of age and smoke speaks "One can change the veneer. I once carried a group of mourners on this ship. I did not attend of the funeral, but I sent them a letter saying I approved of it"

And a man walks out, smoking lightly

She tilts her head.

He looks..familiar.. in fact, oh.. Zara knows this man, more often portrayed in all white!

Blink.. blink...