A New Friend
Lathna: Hi, Pia. Do you wanna come play?
Pia: Sorry, Lathna. I have to go to rehearsal...
Lathna: Hey, Ulthar... Was that really just a dream?
Yukata Lathna: Pia? No...! NO! Did I do this?!
Yukata Lathna: No... NO! NOOOOO!!!
Lathna: Akasha said that dreams are what your soul sees when it exits your body.
Lathna: If that really was another world... Then I did something horrible to Pia.
Curran: What's the matter, sour grapes? Keep making that face and it'll stick that way.
Lathna: Curran...
Curran: All by yourself again, huh? I haven't seen Pia around lately.
Lathna: Curran... I... I...
Curran: So you think your soul went to another world called the Dreamlands, and while you were there, you attacked Pia.
Lathna: I just know Pia hates me now because of what happened there. She has to.
Curran: You weren't the one who attacked her. The thing lying dormant within you did. Besides, it really might have been just a dream.
Lathna: But it felt so real.
Curran: All right. Let's assume that it WAS real. What are you going to do about it?
Lathna: ...I just won't go near Pia anymore. That'd be for the best.
Curran: It's great how conscientious you are. But is that really what you want?
Lathna: I can play by myself. And I know I have you and Ulthar...
Lathna: But... But I really want...to be friends with Pia.
Lathna: I wanna be with her forever! And if I did something awful to her, I wanna say I'm sorry!
Curran: Okey-doke, little miss. If that's what you want, I'll give you a helping hand.
Lathna: Curran...
Three days later, Curran told me to change into my yukata and come to the courtyard in the evening.
Yukata Lathna: What are we going to do now, Curran?
Curran: You two weren't able to enjoy the festival all the way through, right? So now, you're gonna get a do-over.
Curran: Er, just without the food carts and stuff. But I've got these for you instead!
Yukata Lathna: What are these...tube-looking things?
Curran: They're handheld pyroblossoms Su Fang made. Apparently, they bloom just as beautifully as the big boys they set off at a regular show.
Curran: I've called Pia over. Once she gets here, you two can play with these and have a nice, long chat.
Curran: We humans make each other happy by sharing our experiences. Sharing a sentimental moment is especially likely to make someone forget the bad times.
Curran: Think of that pyroblossom as a beacon of hope—a burst of passionate flame that'll shine some light on the special friendship you two share.
Yukata Lathna: And then things will be okay...? Even after what I did?
Curran: You didn't hurt her, Lathna. It really was just a dream, I promise.
Yukata Lathna: How can you be so sure?
Curran: I did a little research, but I think it's best if we let our expert here explain it.
Akasha: My deepest apologies. The spell I used is the reason why you dreamt about the Dreamlands.
Yukata Lathna: Oh... Do you mean the one you said would keep away nightmares?
Akasha: I am ashamed to say, but I accidentally used the wrong spell. Catastrophically so.
Akasha: The spell I used instead was one that calls forth the fears within someone and forces them to have nightmares.
Curran: So this freaky-deaky magic combined with the scary story Akasha told you earlier is the whole reason you dreamt all that.
Yukata Lathna: Then it really WAS just my fears showing up in a dream.
Yukata Lathna: But that doesn't explain why Pia won't play with me anymore.
Curran: That's somethin' you've gotta ask her. But there's one thing we can say for sure.
Curran: You two CAN be great friends. From now until forever.
After a little while, Pia came out to the courtyard dressed in her yukata. Though things were still awkward between us, we lit the handheld fireworks. The sparkling flames were as beautiful as stars glimmering in the darkest night sky...
Yukata Lathna: My firework's all burnt out.
Pia: Mine too. All that's left are these scented pyroblossoms...
Yukata Lathna: Then let's play with those. If that's okay.
Pia: Sure...
Yukata Lathna: ......
Pia: Hey, Lathna? I have something to tell you.
Pia: I knew that you were called a heretic before you came here.
Yukata Lathna: Does that mean...you knew before we even met?
Pia: Yes. But I knew the moment I talked to you that you weren't bad!
Pia: With the way you treated your cat and my mouse, it was obvious how nice you are. But even still, I...
Pia: I had a horrible dream. One where you...attacked me.
Yukata Lathna: ......
Pia: I knew you were a good person...but that made me think that maybe deep down, I was actually still afraid of you.
Pia: I was so angry at myself over it, I started avoiding you. I'm so, so sorry, Lathna!
Yukata Lathna: Don't cry, Pia! Besides, I... I...
Yukata Lathna: Sometimes I turn into something that isn't me... So that dream you had might really happen!
Pia: Do you want to hurt me right now?
Yukata Lathna: NO! Of course not!
Pia: Then you're just as good as I thought you were. I want to keep being your friend.
Yukata Lathna: Me too... I want to be your friend too. Forever and ever! Is...that okay with you?
Pia: Yeah! We're gonna be together even when we're both old ladies!
Yukata Lathna: Thank you, Pia!
Akasha: Oh, Master Heinwald. What brings you here?
Heinwald: I heard what happened from Curran, and have been mulling over the information we've gathered through this incident.
Akasha: What do you make of it all?
Heinwald: That spell you say you cast by accident was not a means of giving someone nightmares. It was a tracking spell that locates the soul of its target.
Heinwald: I believe you told little Lathna of the Dreamlands to awaken the overseer of those lands who sleeps within her.
Akasha: You think I used that to tie a leash around Lathna and observe her? Whyever would I do a thing like that?
Heinwald: You were after the Great Ones who lie hidden there. Ancient gods are more than enough to pique your interest.
Akasha: It is an honor to see how well you know me, Master Heinwald.
Heinwald: I myself am none too thrilled by our intimate acquaintance. Now, regarding your scheme...Nyarlathotep proved an effective guide into the dream world.
Heinwald: But there was something that you hadn't predicted, wasn't there?
Akasha: Indeed. I did not think it possible to enter the Dreamlands while awake. Nor that the Faceless One would bring little Pia along.
Yukata Lathna: ...Huh? This doesn't look like the fairgrounds.
Pia: That's strange. I thought this was where we came in.
Pia: What's a staircase doing out here? And—EEK!
Yukata Lathna: Let's go back the way we came. Okay, Pia? ...Pia?
Akasha: I haven't the faintest idea what Nyarlathotep hoped to do by bringing the little girl along.
Heinwald: Perhaps the Nyarlathotep we know was just as surprised as we are.
Akasha: What do you mean?
Heinwald: Nyarlathotep has a thousand forms. Now, that may only mean the utilization of multiple physical appearances...
Heinwald: But it could also mean a multitude of personalities and consciousnesses.
Heinwald: And bear in mind, a single vessel might contain more than one.
Akasha: You don't mean that Lathna has someone within her that even we are not aware of!
Heinwald: It is only a hypothesis as of now. But if this being really is within Lathna...
Heinwald: ...Then they may already be aware that they are Nyarlathotep.
I got to play with Pia today. I'm so glad that we're getting along again. I thank the Outer Gods for giving me such a dear friend. Oh, but what fun I had. I enjoyed seeing the
bewilderment that form took as the Lord of the Abyss dug at its weaknesses. I'm so glad I brought Pia with me.
Lord of the Great Abyss: I ought to ask you the same thing. It seems you have been visiting the Dreamlands often of late. What are you plotting?
Lathna?: We are the Black and White. The Criminal and the Innocent. It has been centuries since We last crossed the threshold into these lands.
It was not We, nor she who crossed into the Dreamlands. It was I. But alas, my plan with the rats was laid bare. What a pity. Even so, I found something wonderful all the same. And though I can't come out very often... I will take everything—everything!—and make it one. Until then, I hope you will wait for me...
M Y D E A R F R I E N D.
|