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[sleepyhollowed]

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[braidmage]

[ Reynir listens with interests. Apparently, America was a much much bigger place than he'd realized. Or perhaps it merely has more variation than Iceland, because it wasn't an island? He doesn't really know how these things work. But he wasn't exaggerating about being excited learning about another place, and so he listens to Kieran with rapt interest.

When he asks about horses and prairies, Reynir gives a complicated little half-shrug. In some ways, it will be easier to just show Kieran, rather than tell him what Iceland looks like. But he also answers: ]

We have horses, they're just - smaller than this and sort of. Sturdier? There are open spaces, and trees and hills, just... different to this. It's hard to describe... here.

[ And Reynir beckons Kieran over towards him. They can come back here, after all, tonight or on some future night - traveling between the different areas is easy enough, with Reynir there...

...though it might be a bit of a shock for Kieran when the grassy area they are walking in suddenly stops, like the edge of a picture, an unnatural disjuncture between one place and another, and gives way to a vast expanse of flat water, under a huge cloud-filled starry sky. The dog trots past them, over that rift in space and onto the water, its paws sending out little circles of ripples. Reynir follows, completely blithe, walking on the surface of the water.

He makes it a pace or two before he remembers how terrified Carlisle had been of this place, and sure, some of that was down to that man's specific fear of open spaces - one Kieran doesn't seem to share - but Reynir turns to check on him all the same, offering: ]

I - can hold your hand, if you want, while we cross. If you're scared.

[ For Reynir, who doesn't have a macho bone in his body, it seems a simple enough thing to offer, not at all meant to be pitying or condescending. ]

[sleepyhollowed]

[As with most things he comes across, Kieran's initial reaction is to timidly stand back and observe. Watching both the dog and Reynir walk on water that's just suddenly appeared out of nowhere is enough to absorb in itself, let alone any social faux pas that may come with offering a hand.]

[So, Kieran hesitates for a few moments when Reynir says something, blinking as he continues to process all of these abrupt, whimsical changes. That's all it takes before he reaches out with his arm to take his red-headed buddy's offer. He'd been holding hands and arms plenty back in the waking world out of necessity. Here, though, it's a choice. Kieran could've said no if he wanted to, and just having the power to make that choice is more than enough to offset his prior misgivings.]

S-Sure! Let's go.

[braidmage]

[ Reynir takes Kieran’s hand, but he doesn’t lead him, the way people have been leading him around in the waking world. With the two of them touching, Reynir knows that Kieran won’t have to follow as exactly in his rippling footsteps in order to avoid falling in. As long as they stay in contact, he should be able to stay on the surface of the water just as easily. He doesn’t know why. He doesn’t know why half the things in the dreamspace work the way they do. He just knows this place, intuitively. He understands it, it’s magic, how to move in it.

So the two of them walk side by side over the water, Reynir seeming completely at his ease, the dog trotting along ahead of them. He does think to mention: ]

There’s usually barriers between different places, here. Mages like Onni or Lalli put them up around their areas, and I think some just happen naturally, but because of my magic, I can just walk through them. And if you’re close to me so can you!

[ The excitement in his voice is contagious, and it’s not long they’re moving over that strange, eerie in-between place before they move through another invisible barrier and are on solid land, once more. Volcanic land, cover in rolling green hills, the sky a bright blue filled with clouds. There are sheep dotting the hills around them, just as round and white and fluffy as the clouds in the sky. Reynir lets Kieran’s hand go and says, gesturing: ]

See? This is my home.

[sleepyhollowed]

[A natural worrier, Kieran's first thought regarding the barriers is whether or not it's a good idea for them to pass through them, but Reynir's innate optimism puts him at ease fairly quickly. His grip on his red-headed friend's hand smoothly transitions from uneasy to confident as he follows along.]

[Kieran's neck cranes in awe as he takes in the brilliant green of lush hills and the familiar puffs of sheep breaking the smooth landscape with random patterns and clusters as flocks travel together. Immediately, he feels at peace.]

Reynir, this is amazin'.

It ain't anythin' like what I was expectin' fer a place called Iceland.

[braidmage]

[ Reynir can hear that peace in Kieran's voice, see it in his body language. Who couldn't feel safe and comfortable, here? This place is partly constructed from Reynir's impressions of his home, how he felt about it. And it had been a safe place for him to grow up, tranquil and beautiful and nurturing. So it is that way, in this dream.

He laughs at Kieran's joke about Iceland, shaking his head: ]

Well, it is pretty cold, but there is a lot more than just ice! Here, let me show you!

[ And then the two of them are off, exploring the hills and rocks and little secret places, the landscape of Reynir's dream sanctuary. There is a lot to see, here, and he wants to make sure Kieran makes the most of it, during this brief time that he can. Even if the waking world poses a million challenges that will still need to be faced, Kieran won't be facing them alone. And he won't have to feel like he will never see clouds again, or sheep, or green or hills or any of that. Because Reynir can do this small, huge thing for him. ]