<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: andale mono;">Day 84, the Riedran Embassy</span></span></div><br/>While he was perfectly awake, the strange dreamy quality and fuzziness to reality made it hard to focus on one thing, and Rachel was really taking advantage of that to distract him.  The outsiders arguing over him was surreal, though, and they only just separated when a giant dream-rhino exploded the room!  The name of it was on the tip of his tongue, but he certainly didn’t have time to start looking through the index of his Tome of Horrors.  Whatever it was, it was huge and probably deceptively magical.  His allies managed to block it and whisk him away, but that didn’t mean much when it could literally crash through reality and make it fall somewhere else.  Either it or just an environmental holocaust of energy continued to explode all around them, as Kleris tried to wrap his mind around reality and catch his footing to make a plan.  School was so much simpler for theory and planning, but these field trips were definite trials by fire.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Physical distance means nothing in this realm!" Horishkad shouted as he ripped off one of the tusks with his pincers. "You must <em>will</em> the beast away from you! Imagine it as your most hated, unwanted enemy!"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>Trying to imagine the beast falling into a bottomless pit, he focused on it appearing right where it was charging and crashing to.  With the aid of his practiced magic to bring it to shape and substance, it certainly did create a great toothy maw in the stone floor of the city, ready to consume the creature.  While it did bring a moment’s respite as they continued flying away, the nightmare creature came exploding from the ceiling before them from a similar pit, as if it had simply clipped around the plane to land in their path!<br/><br/>Scrabbling to one side, they flew through a manor of screaming, though seemingly less-substantial drow as the nightmare roared and continued its destructive pursuit.  This time, taking Horishkad’s advice to mind, he tried to focus on his most hated enemy.  Someone with a personal, emotional tie that he could really grasp, pummel, or banish with his dream-feelings.  He tried to picture the sinister First Primarch Arisad, the man that threatened him, his father, and friends, that had sent soldiers and mages after him to capture and kill, and wove his memories and magic on the surface of the beast to project his image to really sell it.  Dreams often had a way of embodying the idea of someone in an otherwise strange body or form.  However, as the emotions really flowed, Kleris found himself surprised to see Carson smirking back at him in that superior way, like he’d finally found a way to best his rival Kleris.  The adrenaline and earlier arousal from Rachel had synced with old feelings from their duels, and Kleris found himself yelling back at the nightmare beast, “Oh screw you, Carson!  Have to summon a freaking huge tusk-monster to fight me?  Go, go eat a dick, and don’t come back till you can be civil!”<br/><br/>It was strange, the danger felt so close and real, yet having that familiarity with at least the idea attached to the beast made him able to summon feelings and thoughts of being able to overpower or at least yell at it and expect it to respond.  Indeed, the nightmare must have found it disconcerting as well, for it shook and skid to a halt, and the dream-drow around them, either as bystanders or just decorative ideas of what Kleris expected to see in a drow city, also slowed and lowered their screaming to look around, bemused.<br/><br/>“Now right now, you’re in<em>my</em>dream, and you look like Carson, despite filling out all the seemingly empty space around you.  So that makes you my dream-Carson, and dream-Carson had better listen to me as well as not-dream-Carson.”  Dream-logic was odd to say out loud, but for some reason it felt like it carried merit.  “We can fight or fuck or whatever back in the material world, but no summoning giant monsters to pulp each other into jelly.  I know I summoned an evil pony once, but all it did was nibble and trip you.  So, go away now!”<br/><br/>The dream-Carson stood there, looking less smug and more confused now, wondering how he somehow lost another duel on some bullshit retroactive ruling suddenly declared by his opponent and rival.  Still trying to work it out in his mind, he turned to go, the huge beast under the illusion crushing a few confused dream-drow as it was erased from Kleris’ dreamspace.  As he turned back to Rachel and Horishkad to verify if that really happened, he saw the “world” had again fallen back to a more neutral gray void of just the three of them.  Noticing his father’s letter still lying there, he picked it up, at which point a light was piercing the “sky,” revealing Retario standing by his sleeping body.  Nodding to his companions and extricating himself from Rachel’s grip, Kleris decided to fall “up” and right at his body, and suddenly sitting upright in the physical world, dizzy with vertigo and suddenly unfamiliar gravity.<br/><br/>[Will save vs morphic plane + 6<em>spiked pit</em>= 5+13 = 18, fail<br/>Disguise + 2<em>silent image</em>+ 2 Carson rivalry = 10+16 = 26, pass<br/>Diplomacy + 6<em>dispel magic</em>= 6+22 = 28, pass]<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"I won't ask unless you wish to speak of it. I can tell you've had a long day."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>“It--it was strange, a dream I suppose, though probably with more real consequences.  I’ll have to take some time to sort it all outKleris didn’t need to be carried out, but he was tired and suddenly clumsy with only constant, single-direction gravity.  The dream must have felt longer than he remembered.  But he appreciated having Retario’s arm to hold for stability, and slowly realized the scene they were making as they finally made their way back to Redhurst.  A little embarrassed, but also taking a little pride in the jealousy of the other girls, he led her escort to the dorm to finally rest.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"I take it they're good friends of yours. While I wouldn't mind staying here until you return to health, I am not familiar with school etiquette on this matter. Would it be best if I stayed or went?"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>Patting Rensha and Zull’s hands reassuringly, Kleris put on a smile for Retario, “They’re my best friends, and room-mates actually.  I’ll be in very good hands here, uncle.  I think you can go, and we can talk later about out trip.  But really, thank you, it was very--educational and valuable.”<br/><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: andale mono;">Day 85, Race of Eight Winds Prelude</span></span></div><br/><em>Ladies, Gentlemen, and Folks of Tertiary Identities, An Event of Dashing and Daring Magnificence Approaches the Morrow!</em><br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Sounds real cool!  Never heard of it though. Hope it's not too expensive."<br/><br/>"Yeah it would be great if--”</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>“I’m feeling much better now!  Yesterday was a very long walk, and even longer talk, but I just needed a night’s rest.  We’re definitely going tomorrow!”<br/><br/><strong>Helping Hand:</strong>Looking to make some extra cash for crafting projects, Kleris volunteers his services.  It turns out the school has a pegasus in the race, and it needs to be brushed down and have its stable cleaned.  It’s hot, grubby work being this close to the “action,” and while the pay isn’t good, the school is a bit more generous with components for academic projects.<br/>[Profession [5+1]3 = 18 gp of components]<br/><br/><strong>Relationship:</strong>Kleris felt like he hadn’t been able to see Lillin as much recently, and missed hanging out with the tiefling.  While a certain fiendish slut could be a bit much, Lillin was much more easy-going and friendly, instead of manipulative and predatory.  She’d been discouraged about her art project before, but had since improved upon it.  He went to see if she was involved with anything new or just wanted to talk and eat.<br/>