Saving Nothing [open]

[Ievantes]

The first square was seeming unusually quiet at the moment- a sort of a stark, nagging quiet, that makes one feel as though something very bad is about to happen. This was all the more to the fear of that poor little goblin, who had at one moment been playing a game of ‘catch the daisy’ with all the other goblins, and at the next been tumbling through the sky, only to land most ungraciously (though, oddly enough, without any real harm) on the cold marble floors of the first square.
Stricken quite suddenly with this unusual, and admittedly somewhat terrifying situation, the poor, pot-bellied little beastie did what any self-respecting goblin would do; he sat down on that very spot, still holding his daisy, and began to wail. It was an especially loud and piercing sort of wail, which only goblins have the vocal capacity to accomplish. The great marble pillars shook with the volume, and the echo filled the entire capacity of the first square. It might have caused some real damage, too, had it not been that Ievantes showed up- stepping out from behind a pillar as if he had been hiding there all along, swathed in a massive trailing cape of iridescent black feathers.
Ievantes slunk over to the lost young goblin, swinging his hips like a cat on the prown, and stood over the little fellow as if he were contemplating whether or not to smite it. Placated by his keeper’s presence, the goblin stared back up, large eyes glassy, awaiting judgment. After a few moments staring, finally, Ievantes smiled, and bent over to pick up his frightened charge.

[Cade West]

Cade West had drifted off to sleep, something he rarely did these days. Usually he'd be up studying or working on some sort of project, or hanging out at the Weeping Goat. But tonight, all he had ahead of him was a peaceful slumber in the Dream World. Though he had been at Somnium for his fourth year now, he still wasn't used to this entire universe devoted to dreams. In his dreams he was a bluejay, a light-hearted creature, but has Cade's cunning wit to stay away from nefarious creatures like goblins or trolls who couldn't wait to gobble him up. Cade sighed as he could sense himself drifted between the two world, slowly feeling his body become that of a pudgy bird.

A stretch of his wings, he was finally in the dream world. Usually he spent his time on Square Two, but tonight he would head over to the first square and see what was going on there. His eyes caught sight of a man, who looked almost around his age, herding around goblins and other creatures. Natural instinct told him to stay away, but right now he was too curious to stay away. Fluttering down he landed by Ievantes, though he didn't know his name, and chirped, "Hey there. I'm Cade, I don't think I've ever seen you around here."

[Ievantes]

Ievantes turned – first his eyes, and then his body – to the blue jay, observing the other mildly and without intention, until the little green creature, at first confused by his keeper’s distraction, finally had the sense to look where Ievantes was looking. It squeaked in delight, then, having paused only briefly to force his daisy into Ievantes’ hand, began squirming most viciously in an attempt to free himself from Ievantes’ grasp in hopes of pursuing the pretty blue birdie. His keeper yielded immediately, allowing the goblin to fall the last half-meter to the floor (interestingly, it didn’t seem to be near as great of a drop as it should have been, considering how much taller Ievantes was than the goblin) where he promptly began dashing towards the blue jay.
The goblin stopped in his tracks however, just a few steps after he had begun, when he heard Ievantes’ voice –a sober baritone, and a chiding, sing-song tenor, both at the same time- behind him.

Be gentle with him. He doesn’t look it, but he’s a person, too.

Ievantes’ gaze, first blue, then stormy grey, was fixed on Cade as he said this, making it very difficult indeed to tell if he were speaking to Cade or to the goblin. Nevertheless, the goblin heeded him, nodding his affirmation and then proceeding again towards Cade- this time, walking in exaggerated tiptoes, his hands held out to the side as if to show how very careful he was being. Ievantes smiled what appeared to be an approving smile, but his eyes remained on the blue jay, once again muddying the perception of who the expression may have been meant for. At long last, he responded, more or less, to Cade’s original statement.

I’m a fancy. People see me because they want to see me. This was followed by a far-too-knowing grin. Or was it simple amiability? Predation? Did you know that you want to see me?

[Cade West]

Cade noticed the goblin attempting to reach out for him, he squawked, doing his best to avoid the goblin's vicious hands. Though he knew that he could wake up and make all of this go away, he knew that he had to be brave. He knew goblins were incapable of flying, so he just fluttered his wings and and gracefully soared into the sky. Cade breathed easy for a moment, it seemed like this other creature has calmed the beast enough to where he could flutter down safely.

He slowly approached the dream being, keeping a close eye on the goblin to make sure nothing drastic happened. "A fancy, that sounds cool!" Even though he was eighteen by now, the Dream World still unlocked the child-like curiosity within him. But, why did he want to see this being? "No, I didn't know that I wanted to see you, I don't believe I've ever even met you."

[Ievantes]

”It’s very possible to want to see something you’ve never seen before…” Ievantes replied reasonably, ”… after all, that’s precisely what a fancy is.”

Ievantes chuckled – a warm, light sound – before he kneeled down beside Cade. The goblin behind him whined in frustration at his lost effort, as he now had to turn around and start tiptoeing even more slowly and more laboriously than before back towards Ievantes and that lovely, lovely blue bird. Sadly, before the goblin ever made it very close to Cade, Ievantes swept the little ghoulie up into his arms. The goblin squeaked in surprise, and then in delight, for it thought that Ievantes’ arms were very warm and very comfortable indeed, and suddenly the goblin found that it was most pleasant to simply look at the pretty blue jay from where he was, rather than giving chase.
Ievantes didn't smile though- he just watched the goblin for a moment, before he let his eyes fall down to Cade.

I know that I almost always want to see you, he said, Because you’re a good person. I like good people.

[Cade West]

Cade fluttered his wings and landed on the ground, keeping a safe distance from the goblin that was now snug in in Ievantes arms. He sat there and pondered, probably looking strange; a bluebird pondering. He pondered what the dream being said, that maybe deep down inside he was looking for someone like him to talk to. After all, recently he had been feeling quite lonely inside. Maybe now was his chance to finally talk to someone. "Precisely." He replied, a glint in his beady, birdy eyes.

"Well, I like good people too, its nice to finally have someone to talk to. I'm usually a loner..." He stared down at his birdy feet, wondering why a loner like himself was a bird; a creature of flight thats calls were social to all creatures. "So...what do you do, and why can we only see you when we want to?" It was a puzzling matter to him, why could some creatures just hide away until they were wanted or called upon. Maybe thats how he felt inside...but then why wasn't his dream form a fancy?

[Ievantes]

A small smile drifted across Ievantes’ face as he regarded the self-proclaimed ‘loner’ in front of him, vaguely charmed by a number of aspects of the Somnium Student’s personality. His favourite thing about Cade, Ievantes decided, was his openness- his willingness to see and be seen. It was, in fact, Ievantes’ suspicion that Cade was capable of seeing more than most. This was, overall, a good thing, Ievantes was certain, though he wasn’t certain that he wanted to be one of those things that Cade saw. Ievantes didn’t know if he had anything to hide or not.

“That’s simply what a fancy is. If you saw me when you didn’t want to see me, then I would be a nightmare. ”
Ievantes paused for a moment, as if stricken by a new thought.
”I suppose I am a nightmare sometimes, then…” He said, before turning a knowing smile towards his goblin charge, ”Aren’t I?”

The green-skinned little critter smiled sheepishly, remembering more than a few instances of himself doing things that he had wished Ievantes had not caught him doing. Few ghoulies could live comfortably knowing that they had disappointed their beloved illusionary shepherd. But, at this particular moment, Ievantes did not seem particularly bothered by any of his charges’ mischief, and indeed, seemed to have it entirely out of his mind. Instead, the ever-changing being gazed thoughtfully at Cade, as if the blue jay were a painting rather than a person. Then, Ievantes stood up, still carrying his little goblin friend, and began strolling through the maze of marble pillars.

“I’m honored to be a fancy of yours, though.” Ievantes continued at last. ”It would seem that a ‘loner’ tends to have the most fancies of any, and yet, tends to actualize the fewest. 'Tis a miracle then, when two such people, who can be of some use to each other, come together. It is rare, and all the more precious.”