15587/Wayne Up In the Morning

Wayne Up In the Morning
Date of Scene:	10 August 2023
Location:	Library - Wayne Manor
Synopsis:	Phoebe and Talia talk about Phoebe's spate of unpleasant dreams.
Cast of Characters:	Talia al Ghul, Phoebe Beacon

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Talia al Ghul has posed:
It was very, very early in the morning. Or what might not qualify as it by the standards of some. By Bat-Standards it was technically that - accursed bright shiny ball in sky coming up that was not accompanied by soothing darkness. On this time of not-quite horrific brightness, Talia Al Ghul would sit in the library.
    Not a hair out of place, wearing a robe, and just sipping over on a small pot of tea and listening to some music playing on an old vinyl player.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    By Bat standards, especially when you were only coming in at the tail end of some bad fights around five in the morning, it was disgustingly early morning.

    Which is why Talia's peaceful retreat in the library of Stately Wayne Manor is interrupted first by a pane of what looks like sparking, rose-gold glass appearing about eight feet in the air and behind a couch arriving, rattling, and then dumping out a pajama-clad, bonnet-wearing Phoebe Beacon ungracefully to the floor, preceeded thankfully by a pillow that at least helps her not get anything broken!

    The portal then closes, and with a gasp, Phoebe sits up, dark eyes blinking.

    She's clad in a pair of soft pajama shorts with little skulls and bats on them, and a very worn T-shirt advertising 'GEEKWEEK '21' and the silk bonnet is blue, with a pattern of rubber duckies on it, meant to protect her hair. She seems UTTERLY BEWILDERED.

    "... hoookaaaaaay so now sleep teleportation with/in/ the manor is a thing."

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would glance over at Phoebe for just a moment as she would glance over at the portal that the girl had just fallen out of, then over at her. "Do I want to know or is this something that I shall doubt what limited sanity I had upon hearing? Were you kidnapped and taken to Otherworld? The Yellow Brick Road? Or was there some sort of trickster entity with a penchant for puns and exploding carrots on the other end?" Her queries actually rather sincere. Since those were all completely resaonable possibilities that were potential explanations and could have occurred.
    "If this sort of thing isn't natural, perhaps you might want to start seeing a specialist over them. because imagine if you had teleported somewhere where others would actually have seen you in this state." She means like Tim or Jason. Or someone that would never let her live it down.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Tim would be worried because there are supposed to be wards that stop this sort of thing.

    Jason? He'd probably just laugh.

    Phoebe winces as she cracks her neck, feeling the muscles fall back into place, and then she looks over at Talia.

    "I had a nightmare." she explains. "I used to get them a lot when I first started out. What prompted me to move in with Tim in the first place." she explains, hopping over the couch and taking a seat, fishing up one of the throw blankets that they (meaning she, really, since she has a tendency to fall asleep in the library) keeps around, and uses it to cover her legs and her feet, with the irregular white splotches on her toes and the tops.

    She did give A Look to Talia regarding the trickster with the exploding carrots, but decides THAT wasn't worth explaining.

    "They've gotten really bad as of late, and this is the third time I've portaled in fear during a night-terror."

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would nod gently and frown. Musing to sit back. "I'm somewhat of a traditionalist. Dreams have litlte meaning, they're just your subconscious minds way of processing things. Occasionally overloading and deleting data, the same way one might when they meditate. Just rather more explosively at times. But.. Magially, they can often be cues for things or indications of a greater disturbance presence." She's not mentioning things like fate, warnings, or other sorts of things that it might indicate.
    "The saying goes once is an accident, twice a coincidence, three times a pattern. So something is amiss that requires investigation and possible intervention." Talia takes things analytically. Then goes to absentmindedly take out another teacup to pass over.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "For a normal person, maybe. My nightmares though?" she looks over to Talia, and then shakes her head. "With my life I can't discount them as just little meaning and processes. Especially not what I was seeing." Phoebe frowns, and watches as the teacup is filled, and passed over. She holds it with her hand on the bottom, and then her fingers curled, nestling the cup in support.

    "I was dreaming of the Desert... but not just any part of it. An endless expanse of red sand, in the middle of a sandstorm."

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would nod and frown, "I understand. Forgive me; I'm only familiar with magic from a purely academic point of view. So thank you for the correction." She would take a sip over of her tea, listening attentively over. "How much detail is there of the dream? I'm sorry, that was phrased purely. How.. Evocative of it? How realistic did it feel? How deep were the sensory experiences?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "It's... I'm sorry Talia, I didn't mean to sound rude... I'm just so... so tired." Phoebe raises one hand to scratch at her cheek a m oment as she squeezes her eyes shut. "Ordinarily I'd agree and say a dream is just a dream, even in nightmares..." she breathes out, and she closes her eyes. "I can hear the roar of the winds. Feel the burning of the sand beneath my bare feet. The sting of the sand as it strikes my skin, the taste of the wind as I yell into the storm. Smell the desert. And then inevitably I hear a voice, but I can't make out what it's saying. It's... garbled. Like it's coming from an old speaker and the wires aren't connected. The voice is very deep... like rocks grinding at the bottom of a dry well."

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would nod, "I'm sure that there's more to it. You're completely right. It's definitely seems like something magical. I can give general advise but it's purely from the perspective of someone that has only observed magic, that cannot perform it. That has only seen and studied it externally." She would nod thoughtfully. "Interesting. Many.. Forgive me for not having a better term, but.. Manifestations don't feel so real."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "That's what led me to believe it wasn't just a nightmare." Phoebe frowns, and then she sips the tea.

    "I only started having them recently. I'm not sure if it's a warning, or a call, but this was the first time I was frightened enough to portal myself out. The other two night-time portals..."

    She pauses a moment, her nose wrinkling.

    "I portaled to some place that was 'safer'. This time it was to the library."

    PRegnant Pause.

    "I'm such a nerd."

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would nod over at Phoebe for a few moments, considering lightly. "Do you recall if all of the dreams had the same.. General events?" She would ask. "Were they close to the same? All identical? Or were there extensive variations?" She would frown over. "And something that frightens you that much you did so subconsciously.." Talia would muse over.
    And then as Phoebe goes 'I'm such a nerd' Talia would add.. "And was one of the phrases used 'the spice must flow'?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "No. All the dreams for those events were different." Phoebe admits, and she tilts her head back, and she gives a small smile before she mumbles the Litany of Fear.

    Of course, she does so in perfect Egyptian Arabic.

    "I really doubt I'm in any way some chosen one, Talia. I give off much more a 'at risk of falling to my inner demons' vibe."

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would nod thoughtfully, "Interesting." She would tap at her cheek lightly and consider. "All right. To cover our bases.. You should talk to someone more knowledgable than myself on magic and investigate this further. I believe you have your own contacts, as well as I can suggest some others. But to cover our tracks in case it is something rather.. NOrmal.. Might I suggest talking to someone you trust over your fears? So we don't vastly overcomplicate something. I might suggest Alfred."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I... don't think that'd be a good idea. First thing they're going to jump to is--" she brings up one hand and puppets "'the reason you're so upset is because you broke up with your boyfriend and your abandonment complex is giving you bad dreams'." and she looks over to Talia, and gives a shrug.

    "I did speak to one of the psychs at Gotham U about it. Have been, off and on. It helps to get an outside opinion sometimes, because although you, me, Alfred, my brothers and Bruce -- we're all crazy enough that punting outselves out of a perfectly good airplane is something we do on the regular and not for fun." she gives a smile, and she gives a nod. "I can see who I can dig up."

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would nod thoughtfully. "I might suggest Detective Chimp. Yes, I know that name does not necessarily inspire great confidence, but he is an incredibly intelligent individual. There's also a woman on the Avengers.. You can tell her by having bright purple hair. She has a bit of a reputation. From her files she seems like a possible candidate." She's keeping things limited for now with her suggestions to people that would be as far as she was concerned ones that Phoebe be able to approach in costume.
    "And I wouldn't call it punting out of airplanes. More like a controlled extraction."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Oh, I know Detective Chimp well. He and I have worked together a couple of times." Phoebe rolls her shoulder, and then wrinkles her nose slightly "Ah, I'm not really... close with any of the avengers... not any more."

    And she fiddles uncomfortably with a bit of blanket, and then she exhales.

    "Yeah, the issue with having been kicked out of the Big Supernatural Stuff Group is my options for social calls are low." she jokes at her own expense, giving a small smile, and then bows her head. "I'll think of something. I always do." she states gently. "Thanks for the talk, Talia. How are *you* doing? ANything exciting planned for Damian's birthday?"

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would laugh, "If I see him I believe I will give him a cupcake. I feel like he's allowed to celebrate it as he wishes. Whether or not that involves me is his decision. I'll see him soon enough, but leave him to his won devices." The Bat-Stab does not want his mom getting in the way of things after all. He has enough knives as it is for her to ge thim another one.
    "I do know a few that are.. of other sources and natures. And if need be I can simply call in a few favors to get someone to help you wtih it if you wish. Ultimately it is your decision." She understands the separation and 'social calls'. "And a pleasure. I'm sorry I couldn't help more."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "You didn't sling a throwing knife into my lung while I fell out of a portal. I'm counting it as a win." Phoebe stretches her arms up, and rolls her shoulder again.

    "Thank you, Talia. I mean it."

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would nod, "Oh, I wouldn't wish to do something like bring a blade into the library. It violates principles." Phoebe is given a quick hug before Talia releases her. "And make sure you can get some proper sleep."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    ALARM.

    Phoebe stiffens in Talia's grasp, he rhands comign down to her sides as she tries to fight her own fight-or-flight responses that occasionally result in either judo throws, floor sweeps, or fire.

    Thankfully, this time, there is nothing other than the stiffening of Phoebe's back.

    "I will. Once I can relax again." she breathes out. "I'll just be late for lunch." she murmurs, and gives a yawn, making her way out of the library.