“M-my brother Lorian, yes,” Lothric says, looking between the two of them, wanting to answer them both at once. “Here on the steps and over there learning from his teacher, too… I-I think this is his dream, and that is certainly his memory. I have not seen a dog… goodness, are you quite alright?”
This last question is addressed to Lorian, who’s quietly put his head in his hands and suddenly seems preoccupied with some internal struggle. It’s always fallen to him to stay alert to protect his brother. He can’t afford to rest and indulge in a sense of peace like the spell wants him to. Maybe no one’s explicitly trying to kill them anymore, but this city has them by the neck, and what if… something happens, something… like this… the more he questions where he is and reaches for answers, the harder the purple fog works to take them away. And the spell is stronger than he is, stronger than anyone. Before long, he’s gone from the steps and back in the memory, reliving it obliviously. Focusing on getting the movements of the drill correct feels good, feels like he’s making progress towards something. He can’t shake an odd sense that he misses his mentor a lot and hasn’t seen him in years, but he doesn’t understand why that should be the case at all, and the sense is too subtle to really get his attention.
Lothric watches the memory, the ocean that swallowed his brother, play out in thoughtful horror, absently steering a hand to his chin.
He turns to Tris like he’s just seen a ghost and smiles politely. He doesn’t want to risk losing her too. It would be very lonely, sitting on the steps alone. He wants to ask her if she’s dreaming, but… perhaps not all at once… “What kind of dog are you looking for?” he asks.
“You’re taller than I remember,” she mused, but treated it like nothing of importance. It didn’t feel important right now. Maybe when she woke she’d realize exactly how strange this was.
The realization that they were dreaming would have hit her soon, anyway, but the admission they were probably in Lorian’s dream was more than enough for her to face up to reality. She paused, feeling more firmly for her sibling in her mind. There was a presence, but not response. This really was just a dream, wasn’t it? That’s right, they weren’t here. Yet, even this much was a comfort. It was difficult, when a part of you was just ripped away.
As the larger twin fades out, Tris begins to take on a stern expression. Right, this was just a dream. She was wandering around in someone else’s memories. A part of her wanted to ease back into Discipline cottage, to pretend her siblings were with her, but that wouldn’t do.
“This most certainly is his dream. I wonder how I ended up wandering over here. Probably because I chased Little Bear,” she mused aloud before finally looking to Lothric. “It’s not my first run in with a dreamlike state. I’m not going to fade back into it, if that’s what you’re wondering. I can keep a certain amount of awareness.”
Why was she always like this?
“...And I think that would be the dog.” She pointed to the large, bear like dog running around the courtyard, trying to get someone’s attention. “I should probably get him out of here before he disturbs your brother. He’s very friendly, but I don’t think he’s supposed to be in this dream.” There’s a certain amount of wicked amusement to her tone.