Curiosity killed the cat (Dreamer)

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

Dreamer watched curiously as Casalynn performed her magic, not knowing she was the one doing it. He had felt a weird force, presence, that he hadn't felt before. It was much like when Merlin performed his magic, it had a different feel to it. He was sure that this wasn't Merlin, but it wasn't him, he peered in closely over Casalynn's shoulder.

Then he saw it, a sprinkle of water from a puddle shoot like a fountain. It wasn't a spectacular thing, but Dreamer didn't know that, it was amazing in his eyes. He watched , his eyes glued to the puddle until it finally dropped, the magic ending. Then he looked from the puddle, and then Casalynn, and back again over and over for a minute.

Then, without warning, He smiled and hugged Casalynn tightly from behind, binding her arms to her side. He was so happy, he had finally found another mage he could talk to. All he had was Merlin, and he was not only ranking above him, he was always busy. Now, here was Casalynn, his trusted friend, showing him she was a mage.

Some god above must really have liked him.

[Casalynn Laymont]

Out of all the reactions that she had played out in her head, what Dreamer than expressed was entirely different. She had not ever imagined he would take to it this way and he didn't even seem to be the slightest bit bemused or angry as she had invisioned. She felt him hug her tightly and all previous doubts and worries immediatly dissappeared and she was incredibly glad that she had done it in the end. She only regretted not doing it earlier, but everything was out in the open now and she felt relieved; like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She could well and truly be herself now.

After Dreamer had released his rather tight grip, Casalynn lowered her hood and stood up so her knee's weren't loosely resting on the floor. She smiled now, overwhelmed and incredibly happy with the overall outcome. This trip had been incredibly fruitful. She had got one thing off her chest that she had been meaning to do for some time now, she had also witnessed some more of Dreamer's magic as he had said yeterday and finally she had also got to know Dreamer a little better than she had formerly.

"Your okay with it then I take it." She smiled and then notioned over to the basket of food and wine that Dreamer had brought. She felt it was just as well that they might as well sit and eat for a while before carrying out the ride that would take them back to Camelot. Plus her hunger and thirst were rapidly beginning to catch up on her, it would also give them a chance to sit and talk for a while. "Hungry?"

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

"you could say that" he said, amused by her obvious comment. She had no idea the relief he felt. Knowing that she had magic, elemental magic it seemed, was interesting and wonderful at the same time. He had never spoken, without the other person looking at him like an idiot, to an elemental mage.

He looked over at the food, after she indicated towards it, and smiled "Sure" he said. He went over and grabbed the bag, bringing it back to where they had originally been sitting. Dreamer sat back down, looking up at her and smiling, and took down his jacket to lay down. Then he laid the pack down beside it and brought out the bread and wine.

Dreamer didn't realize, which showed how humorous his lack of romantic knowledge was, that the meal was meant for a romantic picnic. The merchant had misunderstood Dreamer when he had said Casalynn and him were going out into the forest. It was a mistake of communication, a funny mistake of communication.

Dreamer uncorked the wine bottle, and seeing no glasses, took a swig from the bottle. He took only a small amount, he had never been good with alcohol, but he needed something to clear his throat.

[Casalynn Laymont]

Casalynn followed suit of Dreamer, taking off her cloak to lay it on the floor so that she could sit on it. The previous night it had been raining fairly heavily, so the ground was less than pleasing to sit on and she didn't fancy going home with a large, wet, muddy splodge on her clothes. She didn't mind much about her cloak as they always had a way of getting mucky. She laid it precariously on the ground and then took a seat, sitting opposite to Dreamer so that it was easier to converse with him. Her eyes followed his hands as he uncovered the contents of the food basket and her stomach let off another quiet involuntary growl that was hopefully too silent for Dreamer to here.

When she saw what the contents of the said food basket was, an immediate smile appeared on her face as she had not known the purpose of this picnic had been a romantic one. Saying that, it seemed Dreamer had not known either. There were no complaints from her though as she didn't mind it in the slightest; she was just looking forward to settling her continous complaining stomach.

She reached for a bread roll and refrained from eating it for a second so that she could start a conversation. "Have you got any plans for the rest of the day?" She questioned, taking the bread roll and breaking a small peice off before popping it in her mouth. She always prided herself in being polite and remembering her manners and eating was only apart of that. After chewing and swallowing the mouthful of bread she proceeded to carry on eating and awaited Dreamer's reply.

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

"Nope" Dreamer said, setting down the wine bottle and grabbing a roll for himself. "Its just me plus you today" Dreamer said before taking a larger bite from the roll. Unlike Casalynn, Dreamer had not learned the proper rules of etiquette. He took a straight bite from the roll, failing to rip it off and eat slowly, he practically scarfed down his first one and grabbed for another.

"Do you have anything to do today?" he asked, "I don't want to feel bad for stealing you away from any important business". He didn't want to be an inconvenience to any important events or duties Casalynn may have to attend. It hadn't crossed his mind that she was a noble, and he was a tavern entertainer. Then again, it also didnt cross his mind that he was the youngest Magician at the Mage guild, and was almost ready for Mage status.

He was a little oblivious to those fine details.

[Casalynn Laymont]

Casalynn was glad to hear that Dreamer had no later obligations to attend to and neither did she. Apart from a little visit to Flora since she had fallen ill but that was it. She could take care of that later so her time was not limited here in the forest. She had promised to look after her until she was better although it was normally the other way round. Flora had been there for her the night she had nearly lost her life and she went to get Prince Arthur, speaking up when the other servants were too afraid too. Flora wasn't just her servant but she was also her friend and since the soon demise of Baldrick she was a free women.

"Do you have anything to do today? ... I don't want to feel bad for stealing you away from any important business".

Casalynn shook her head. She had no important business to carry out only errands in which she wanted and chose to undertake. She waited until she had finished her mouthful before talking, deeming it too rude to start speaking when she still had half a bread roll in her mouth. "Nope. My calender is fairly empty for the day. I only have to check on Flora to see if her condition is getting any better or if it's detriorating." She spoke with a slight pause. "Maybe pick up some fruit on the way back; she's developed quite an obsession for grapes" She laughed before making for another bread roll.

"That's if you don't mind us making a short detour when were making our way back" She said with a smile deciding to ask him for confirmation.

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

Dreamer was a little surprised when Casalynn asked him if they could make a little detour to grab grapes when they were heading back. That would mean that he, Dreamer, was going to go visit her home. He didn't actually think he'd ever see the place, hed never actually been to a nobles home before.

"Um..Sure" he said, still taken back by the question. In an attempt to change conversation he said, "So...have you ever visited the guild?", he of course meant the mage guild.

[Casalynn Laymont]

Casalynn was glad that Dreamer didn't mind them stopping for a bit on the way back. Flora would be most grateful if she picked her up a few things, and after maybe Dreamer wouldn't mind meeting her too. Flora had always liked meeting new people and she was also a frequent flyer in the Ram, so Dreamer may already now vaguely who she was. She decided to drop the topic for the time being, as Dreamer offerred a rapid subject change one of which she was eager to find more about. She was grateful for the bouts of information concerning magic that Dreamer had given her so far and finding out more about the Magic guild was easily accepted.

"I'm guessing you mean the magic guild? Nope. I've head of it... vaguely. I don't know much about it though, never entered my mind of ever visiting there." She said honestly wondering if Dreamer had ever encountered the place as so far he had failed to mention much of it. It made her think if that was the place that he had been recieving so much information and guidance from. Maybe he had joined it.

"Why, have you?" She asked, before occupying herself and picking up the wine bottle Dreamer had now placed on the ground to eat some of the bread rolls. She took a small elegant sip, drinking from the bottle like Dreamer had done. She didn't mind doing this as it was still a way that helped in quenching her thirst. She wanted to know more about the guild in which Dreamer spoke of and set down the wine bottle once more to concentrate on Dreamer, still nibbling on the edge of her bread roll.

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

Dreamers eyes opened in a little more shock, she had never thought about the mage guild? It was strange to him, probably because the guild was why he settled in Camelot, but he thought anyone with magic would join the guild. It never occurred to him that there would be people with magic who wouldn't join.

Dreamer's look of shock fell away into a smile as she asked him if he was apart of the guild. "Yes, i am apart of the guild, i am..." Dreamer was going to tell his status in the guild, to impress her, when a thought ran threw his mind. People already resented him for being so high up in the guild, for progressing so quickly, he didn't want Casalynn to feel that way towards him.

"Im..uh..."he tried thinking of something to catch himself, "Very pleased with the guild" he said. He then took a bite out of his roll to shut himself up, his eyes staring at the bread.

[Casalynn Laymont]

Casalynn's previous questions that had circled her head were now answered upon hearing that Dreamer was in fact apart of the guild. That would explain his experience with magic, how he had the abilty to control it with such precision and know so much about the subject. Those such facts opened her eyes to maybe joining, as Dreamer had achieved so maybe this was possible for here. She doubted that very much and thought self-teaching would be just as effective; she didn't know how she would take to being part of a group controlled closely by King Uther and prefered to be on no records that the guild was most likely to keep.

"Yes, i am apart of the guild, i am... Im..uh... Very pleased with the guild"

Casalynn was slightly confused when he stumbled over his words, looking as though he was holding something back and replacing it with something else that had popped into his head. Cass thought maybe she was just misinterpreting things and shrugged it off thinking nothing of it. It seemed that Dreamer was incredibly happy with the Guild and she soon began to wonder of his input and rank that he held there. She had never met anyone before that was a member of the guild so in truth she knew very little of it through experience.

"What do you do in the Guild? Who's in charge of it?" She asked, accidentally spurting off questions which she had a habit of doing lately.

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

Dreamer was relieved when Casalynn changed the subject, not noticing his hesitancy. His smile became broad as he thought about how to answer her question correctly. He had never really payed attention to the political basis of the guild, or who ran i, but he did know what he did.

"I usually spend my time studying, including practicing, but the guild may also receive missions per say that one can go out and assist others with" he said. "Who leads the guild, for all i know that would be the Mages" he finished. Mage was the highest ranking status one could gain in the Mage guild. It signified both masterful ability and control coupled with experience and wisdom. At least, that's how it had been explained to Dreamer, by an old coot who he suspected didn't want Dreamer rising to the status so soon.

Mages don't often rise to such status without gaining a few wrinkles.

[Casalynn Laymont]

Studying and missions? She had not thought doing such things would have been possible in the guild, as she had originally thought it would just be a place of learning to harness your magic and become accustomed to the sort of things you were capable of. It made her wonder about the whereabouts of this such place, as she had never encountered it before after the several years she had been living in Camelot. Maybe Dreamer would agree to taking her there sometime, without her having the obligation to join. Then again, she knew King Uther wanted all mage's to sign up at the guild or he would suspect them of plotting against him. Plus the guild gave the king a chance to catalogue and register all those who could perform magic, but maybe there was more to it than she was seeing.

Casalynn had mainly had her fill of bread and wine now, and retrieved one of the napkins that lined the edges of the baskets. She wiped her hands and then her mouth of crumbs and then disposed of the napkin and placed it in her cloak pocket. She also wiped her clothing to free herself from bit's of bread that had began to build up on her lap.

"Missions? I had no idea that would be apart of the guild. Have you done any before?" She asked, trying to put a curb to her questions; she had many. She found that everytime Dreamer released a small amount of information, her mind would work over time and she would immediatly think up a handful of questions that she wanted to ask him. In her attempt not to swamp him, she tried to keep them all to herself in hope that they would be answered later. Were these Missions dangerous? What sort of things were involved in these missions? Why were these missions undertaken by the mages and not the soldiers of Camelot? It seemed more questions were being raised than answers, although she knew she had plenty of time with Dreamer to settle them all. It didn't look as though he grew tired of her questions, in fact he seemed more than happy to answer them, which she was eternally grateful for.

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

"Ive been on one but....It would seem I'm not as talented as everyone presumes" he said. He remembered that mission, it had been a fine day, and then everything happened all at once. As soon as he walked into the guild he had been confronted by knight who requested him specifically to help his party to slay a monster. The monster had been a giant lizard that caught the group off guard, and they payed a heave price that day.

Other knights had lost their lives, and in the end, Dreamer was forced to end the battle himself. It was the first time he had used offensive based magics. He had always believed that white magic played an important supportive and defensive role, he didn't know it had power to kill to. It was awkward, one that could do the greatest good healing, had just as equal power to destroy.

Since then Dreamer had only dabbled slightly into the offensive magics, as he is forced to so that he may advance. Each day he tries a small scale spell, working himself up to make the spell stronger, to make himself stronger. Offensive magic was more draining than anything else, and he didn't want to waste himself in the middle of a battle.

[Casalynn Laymont]

Casalynn studied his reaction to her question, she could see that he was deep in thought and maybe there was something behind his response that she wasn't quite getting. She simply shrugged it off, not wanting to subject him to questions that he was rather more reluctant to answer; she was happy with whatever information he was willing to release. "Don't put yourself down. I think your talented... I know your talented. You healed me, that's fair talent in my eyes" She smiled, offering words of comfort. For now, she deemed the 'interrogation' to be over, she didn't want this whole evening to be a probe session where she weadled information from him. Plus she couldn't think of anything else to ask him; her questions were beginning to thin. This was a rare first for her, it normally took a long time to calm down her inquisitive and curious nature.

"It still amazes me though, how there are different kinds of magic. I always thought Magic was a set thing but it's not. You sing and I used incantations it's quite strange" She revelled, casting her mind back to when she had first released Dreamer's magical ability. It was unlike anything she had ever thought and it enlightened her; maybe one day she would learn to control it as well as he had. "But I don't remember how I learnt my magic. I've never learnt spells or anything before. I don't know where I've got it from, it just comes out of nowhere." Her sentence trailed off softly and slowly. "But what about you? You must know where you got your magic from right?" She asked, unknowingly trying to remove some of the heat from herself.

She had never actually told anyone that before. This was the closest thing she had ever said to saying the past 15 and a half years of her life had been erased completely from her memory and she had no way of ever getting them back. Her parents, her family, her old home, gone completely. It wasn't like she missed it though, she had never experienced what it was like to be loved so this was a feeling she didn't mind being absent. She kept herself going thinking one day these memories would return yet in a selfish kind of way she hoped they wouldn't. She had already figured out who she was and who she was meant to be and had no intention to find out who her old self was. She was happy here, right now and didn't want that to change in the slightest.

Casalynn felt a strong wispy wind pick up, lifting the dead and fallen leaves from underfoot. They began circling the air, picked up and elevated due to the deteriorating weather. She began to feel what was the first signs of heavy rainfall drop on her cheeks and sliding down her face. More rain great. The wind whipped past her, picking up her cloak influencing it to stray and float in the direction of the wind brushing the hood off her head as it travelled through the forest. "Brr, couldn't change the weather could you? It's freezing" She joked, felling several more light rain droplets hit her head and dampen her flailing hair.

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

...But what about you? You must know where you got your magic from right?

Dreamer smiled, grateful for the change in conversation. He shook his head as a reply to her question. "I don't know how, and as far as i can tell, no one really knows where there magic came from". Dreamer glanced up at the sky as he continued, "... I believe those of us who have the gift, who are born with it, don't necessarily have to learn... Train, yes..." He looked back at Casalynn with a smile, "But our hearts already know what they can achieve, and i believe our magic comes from our hearts".

The wind began to pick up at that moment, and a chilly breeze started to set in as small drops of rain began to fall. It hit Casalynn first, and then Dreamer. She asked him if he could stop it from freezing, and his first thought was to use body heat, a trick he read from a book. That, of course, caused him to blush as he began to pull off his jacket. He tugged it off and extended it to Casalynn for her to take.