When Anwyn's eyes flew open, she saw ...
... only the familliar surroundings of Leaves, with Ceroill and Oberon looking at her. "I'M ... NOT ... BLIND", she exclaimed in surprise, trying to catch her breath, "and how'd it get so DAMN cold in here".
Ceroill looked back at her, a bit concerned. "Blind?" True with Oberon's help he had seen a flare in her aura, but was it something she had seen? He got up and wrapped a shawl around her shoulders. "Here, dos this help some?" He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Tell me what happened, if you can, Anwyn. What did you see? What did it feel like?" He only knew he'd never had such a profound event himself. His curiosity was huge, but he was also patient.
Finally satisfied that she'd taken no damage other than a moment of fright, Anwyn began to grin. A giggle slipped out from between her lips, followed by another. "It was like toboganning down a steep hill -- alot of hard work to get where I wanted to go, and then a scary-exciting out-of-control thrill-ride". She giggled again, amazed and pleased at her own daring and accomplishment. THIS time, she'd succeeded at making a vision come when SHE wanted it to come.
"I saw a glimpse of SOMETHING in the mirror ... a face and a place ... the light lit things up, but it got too bright to see ... it was BLUE light, like the blue colour of the freaky jewel that girl used to heal Amadaine's wing last year ... ", she told Ceroill and Oberon proudly. She didn't mention her headache and stomache, since she'd decided to ignore them.
[OOC: Anwyn is refering to Katie Ridenow, whose name she's forgotten]
Then another thought crossed Anwyn's mind, and she suddenly stopped grinning. "Now all I have to do is to walk around Thendara until I find that house ... the answer is THERE ... so when I find MacConal, I can tell him that I don't NEED his help today afterall, and that should make him happy ... he thinks I'm a pest. And THEN I have to sneak back onto the Base, so that Kay won't know that I went out".
Ceroill sighed. "Anwyn, please, try not to rush into this. I'm not an expert in this, but I think that you should be cautious with these things. I'm glad for you that something has happened, something dramatic, and I know you're excited. But please, don't go just wandering blithely around the city, Anwyn. If you like, I could try sending a message to the girl who did the healing on Amadine, and see if she'll come here to talk to you about this. I think you've gone beyond my ability to help you, dear."
Anwyn stared at him in surprise. "So now you want me to get into MORE trouble ?", she said, with a frown. "I'd be in THREE times as much trouble as I'd be if Kay catches me sneaking back onto the Base. She doesn't know about the other visions that I had last year, or or about how I've been trying to DELIBERATELY call them up. And she told me to stay away from anyone who was connected with the Castle or the Tower (unless she explicitly gave me permission to do so) -- even her own breda Melissa".
Feeling that her teenage sense of dignity had been insulted, Anwyn addded insistently, "And I DON'T need a babysitter. I am NOT a CHILD ! And I am NOT reckless, stupid or naive. I'm a millitary brat, so I can take care of MYSELF when I have to. And I wouldn't be just wandering --- I'd be searching. I SAW the house where I need to go. And I AM going to find it, even if neither of you wants to come with me and help me look", she continued. That was one of the biggest problems with being a short teenager -- when you were small and cute, adults were so much less likely to take you seriously.
Another thought then occurred to her, "And if seeing visions was dangerous, then I don't think that YOU would have helped me do it", she argued.
Ceroill was once more very glad he'd remained single. He sighed again as he poured some more tea. "Anwyn, it's in the nature of older folk to worry about the younger folk. And while you are, as you put it, a 'military brat', and can take care of yourself in a wide variety of circumstances, I hardly think you really imagine you can take on any and everything you might run into in the city."
Just for a moment, Anwyn pictured herself trying to fight EVERYONE in the city. It was so totally absurd that she couldn't help giggling. Then she frowned again, "Cetainly not all at once", she pointed out, "that wouldn't be good tactics. And anyways, I can't imagine anything that I could do to get EVERYONE in the city mad at me. Afterall, it's not as if my visions could hurt anyone. Nobody else can even SEE them".
He sat and sipped a bit. "The seeing of visions in itself may not be dangerous, Anwyn, however, I repeat that my experience stops at this point, and I am not eager to push you farther into an area that I'm not familiar with myself. I was simply recommending that from this point you consult someone more knowledgable with your needs and level of ability." He sipped for a minute again. "I regret if you find my concerns insulting, and can only hope that your youthful temper will fade enough to forgive me for being old."
Old ? He thought he was OLD ? That was kinda funny, so Anwyn giggled again. "You're not THAT old", she said mischievously, "you just ACT like it sometimes". Then she shrugged, refilled her own cup, and added, "And anyways, it's not like I'm likely to experiment on my own again. This was too different from the times that I let it come on its own. Eventually Kay will stop acting like such a worry-wart. And THEN I can go ask those ladies about how I can do it better".
Then she frowned again, and insisted "But I have to do THIS before I do THAT. 'Cause I won't be ABLE to find out more about how to call visions, if I get my butt kicked off this planet."
Then carefully, she folded up the shawl and set her cup down. "If you don't want to come, or can't leave your shop alone for so long, I don't mind. But you're welcome to join me".
She paused, consulted her timepiece, then grinned like a cat about to pounce on a mouse. "A certain pair of lads should be getting off-shift soon. MacConal won't be happy to be pestered AGAIN so soon, but I'm sure I could make him and MacIverson help me look".
She then grinned at Oberon, "And even if YOU tell Kay what i'm doing, then at least I won't get into trouble until LATER. And if she leaves the Base to come make me go back before I find it, then at least I'll have gotten her to take a break from being a hermit", she told him, "so it'll have been worth it ... mostly .. I hope".
Then another thought occurred to her, and she turned back to Ceroill, "Would you please ask Oberon if he's told Kay that I snuck into town?", she requested. Afterall, Anwyn thought to herself, if I'm going to get into trouble anyways, then I don't want for it to be a SURPRISE.
Oberon looked directly at Anwyn and seemed to shake his head in a very human-like manner. Anwyn giggled, "Ok. Never mind. It just occurred to me that there are also OTHER ways that she might have found out whether I'm gone or not. So I guess I'll have to take my chances".