Fastball o/` The Way o/`

[Rezantis]

"Oh."

Rez blinks.

"Well, meet you in Montgomery on the night of the 22nd?  Any preferences as to where?"

[Brian]

"There's a bar near the airport.  It's called 'Coreena's'.  We'll meet there," Victor replies.

[Rezantis]

"Alright.  10pm, Coreena's bar in Montgomery?"

[Brian]

"Correct.  From there I can guide you to Lazarus's retreat.  I'm sure that he's gotten there by now."

[Rezantis]

"Sounds like a plan.  Hm.  So, Ezmereth . . ." Rez turns back to the titan, "the ORacle said that if we go into the dreams of these guardian spirits, we could be in there for years - or seconds.  Any hints as to what it entails . . . and what happens to our bodies while we're in there?"

[Brian]

"The dreams of the Guardian Spirits are vast," Ezmereth replies slowly.  "But when you are there, you will see what is wrong, and you must make it right.  Your own bodies will vanish into the earth itself ... until you complete your challenge.  If you fail, you will vanish for quite some time...."

[Bjorn]

"So," Bjorn inquires slowly, "do we physically enter the dream?  Or are our bodies left behind?  And, perhaps specifically, what about the things that we carry?"

[Brian]

"You take nothing with you -- as you are born into this world shall you enter the dream.  You cannot force a thing not of the dream to be there.  You lack that power, yet.  And you cannot enter the dream, unless you are already there.  There is already another you, in the dream.  And you must take that other self into the you that is here to pass the trial."

[Rezantis]

"So, don't fail, you won't like it.  Hm.  Can you tell us precisely where on Gibraltar we need to meet you, and, well, how long it'll take to put us into the dream?  It kinda makes a difference in that if all we need to do is get there, it's easier, whereas if we're going to need time . . . we need to deal with whatever Seventh Cabal operatives are in the area, first."

[Huitzil]

"  'Take the other self that is... ' Wait, do you mean that doing that is part of what we have to do to get intoOuruboros,or do we have to do that now?

"Because, and forgive me, but there's a lot of just contest, and trial, and linking, and I'm getting a mite confused."

[Brian]

"I cannot -- that's the oracle's task.  But the location she gave should be as specific as you need.  And ... it should take only a moment for it to begin," Ezmereth says to Nathan.  Turning to Paul he adds, "All will become clear in time."

[Rezantis]

"After a faction has gone into the dreams of all three spirits . . . not that I understand precisely what we're meant to do in there . . . they need to see the fourth heart, which the Brothers of Morpheus guard the location to.  Does that mean the Brothers of Morpheus are pretty much adjudicating the contest, or are Pax Arcana and Seventh Cabal capable of smashing through them?"

[Huitzil]

"I'd prefer it if that time happened in a few seconds from now, because you explain it to me.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm on board for this. I want to get rid of these Arcana and Cabal guys, I want to do whatever there can be to get my life back, and if we save the dreams of the planet in doing it, so much the better. But I'd really like to have all the information going in, and you're not, you're just not giving me anything here."

[Brian]

Ezmereth stares at Paul blankly for a long moment.  Then, he calmly packs the bowl of his pipe, and offers it to Paul.  "Perhaps this will help," he says.

[Huitzil]

Paul takes a good, long look at the pipe, and then puts out his hand in denial. "Nah, the world is tripping enough as it is."