At the Edge of the Ocean

There are dunes, and grass, and paths. Winding paths.
 
This is not like the Garden of Destiny. Nor is it like the Garden of Dream, if you're Lilly Kane.
 
But beyond the dunes is the sea, and this is not the faded nocolor sand that some (three in particular, or four if you're feeling inclusive) might find all too sadly familiar. No. The sand is deep yellow, finely grained; the sea is a deep blue, several shades darker than the sky. The sun is high overhead and yet it's not too hot -- it might be spring.
 
The breeze is light, and warm.
 
There is no one in sight.

Far from here, Lilly dreams on

Lilly’s running still, Roland’s laughter growing fainter in her ears, and then suddenly the path is starting to look familiar.

a path of stones, set in sandy soil...

She slows, glancing around. She knows this place.

a sunken garden set in the hollow of rolling dunes. On either side, cattails wave in a breeze that carries a hint of salt.

It’s her garden in the Dreaming, but... there’s someone in it she doesn’t know. A girl with short blonde hair whose back is to her. And then the girl turns, and Lilly realizes suddenly that she does know her. She knows her very well indeed.

The girl grins.

“Let me see if I get this right... ‘What up, sai?’”

Lilly grins back.

“You got it, Lilly-sai.” The other-Lilly is older, but the smile is the same as the one Lilly can feel on her own face.

“I have something for you,” other-Lilly says. She walks over to Lilly, and hands her... a garishly pink pen.

“Holy shit, my secret message pen? Um, it’s awesome to see it again but how is this helping with the wolf and the crazy?”

Other-Lilly laughs.

“Read the message and find out, duh.”

Lilly sticks her tongue out at herself and does just that, twisting open the secret compartment in the cap to find a slip of paper addressed to her. She unfolds and reads it... and starts to smile. Maybe the message will get lost in translation outside the Dreaming, but here and now she understands it perfectly. She understands something else, too.

It’s going to be okay.

She can’t hear the voices any more... and she can’t hear Roland’s laughter any more either, but that at least she knows she’ll be happy to remember. Well. Happy and a little sad, maybe.

The other-Lilly is watching her.

“Everything shiny now?”

“Totally shiny,” Lilly says, smiling.

“Awesome,” other-Lilly replies. “Well, then. I know you’re probably anxious to get back, but they serve some seriously excellent margaritas in this place and I’ve been dying to talk to you. Got a minute?”

Lilly beams. “Abso-fucking-lutely. If you can’t take time for yourself, who can you take time for?”

Two identical bursts of laughter echo through the Garden as two rather large margaritas appear by the small pond. They have to be large. There’s a lot to talk about. 

fluffy lilly/alain for gen

It only takes a second for Alain to realize what's woken him up. Lilly's tossing and turning in her sleep and he leans over her, tense and worried.

"s'hard, Kaylee," Lillly mumbles. "penguin... no toes... don't have flipper polish..."

The worry dissolves into a spurt of laughter he can't quite suppress in time and Lilly stirs, blinking up at him.

"maybe jus' glitter?" she suggests sleepily. Alain laughs and kisses her forehead.

"Would 'ee even glitter folken while sleeping then?"

Lilly smiles.

"Course. S'harder for them to run away then."

Alain snorts, amused. Lilly eyes him speculatively.

"You'd probably wake up if I tried to glitter you in your sleep, huh? Because of the whole gunslinger reflex thing?"

"Yes," Alain says immediately. Lilly sighs and snuggles up against him, closing her eyes.

"Bummer. You'd be so cute all sparkly."

Alain just shakes his head and wraps his arms around her. Not for the first time, he's grateful Cort taught him to sleep lightly. Cort probably did not have stealth glitter attacks in mind during that lesson, but still. Grateful. Very, very, grateful.