Leilani turns and sees that Aegir is still asleep. It’s unusual to see him sleeping with a top on because he complains about how hot it is in Veveras compared to the Academy. He always casts a wind spell to constantly circulate the air around him. 

This time, he casts it on the shirt-now-ice-block his mother created. When they returned from dinner last night, the nicked shirt had frozen into an ice brick and started frosting the nightstand it was sitting on. 

Looking up, Leilani sees the shirt suspending over him. He also added a continuous breeze to channel the cool air toward him throughout the night. Leilani on the other hand has to wear her winter gear and take out her comforter to sleep. 

Leilani quietly leaves the room with her workout clothes and changes in the much warmer bath area. She says good morning to Tala and Anani, who are already hard at work in the kitchen, and starts her jog down the main boulevard with all the stores and attractions. Due to how early it is, it's still quiet so she can easily jog without needing to dodge around people.

As she runs by the bakery, Leilani waves to Mama Jay, Papa Jay, and Annabelle. Jay is probably napping somewhere since he has never been a morning person. 

This route leads her by the coliseum. There are cleaning outside cleaning up the litter from yesterday's events. Then she pasts the giant building for Cloud’s End. She will need to go there later today for a job. By the time she reaches the pier, all the areas behind here will start filling up. She turns away from the pier to get onto the beach. She runs along the beach passing by the tradesmen work area before jogging back via the quiet residential area before returning to the hotel to get ready for her job for Cloud’s End.

When she returns, she sees that Aegir is still sleeping. Leilani quietly takes her stuff and changes in the bath area. She is dressed comfortably. She brings along her two bolas and walks back to Cloud’s End.

Cloud’s End is a grand building located just beyond the pier, and it towers above the shops but not higher than the coliseum that’s further behind. As Leilani enters, she’s greeted by Anise, the receptionist. 

Anise is surprised. “You’re early.” She looks around to make sure she didn’t miss Liel, Leilani’s partner for the Dreamer job. 

“I may have a client for you this afternoon. This ties to yesterday’s job. They are looking for an inheritance lawyer,” Leilani says in a bored tone. “Can I bring them by this afternoon?”

“You mean bring them by to make an appointment. They aren’t going to see anyone,” Anise clarifies.

“Tell that to them, not me. Any updates on the auction?”

“You know I’ll tell you right away if there is.” Anise smiled. 

“Thanks. Let Liel know I’ll be upstairs.”

“No need, I’ll just accompany you.” A tall, well-built but very sleep deprived man shows up next to Leilani. 

“I thought Kyle was sleeping through the night now.” Anise says as she hands him a medicine bag. 

“He was until he got sick. Katrina is also not feeling well, so it’s been rough being the only healthy parent.” Liel mumbles through his yawn. 

“Then let’s get this done quickly and get back. Which Dreamers are we assigned today, Anise?” Leilani asked in a chipper tone.

“2,3, and 8” Anise said as she checks the chart.

“UGH.” Leil and Leilani groan at the same time. 8 was always a rougher Dreamer to deal with. Though that is why they only had to deal with 3 dreamers out of the 12. 

Dreamer is a term the Cloud’s End employees use for the blessed ones that go to them for help. They are generally wealthy nobles who are chosen at Rotation’s End to speak with the Gods to get a wish granted. In addition to their generous donations to the temple, the wish also requires an additional donation directly to the Gods. Most would offer valuables, like family heirlooms, since the more valuable the offer, the more potent the wish becomes. 

That’s the extent to what the outsiders know. But to the chosen individuals who receive a wish, this blessing would still need the individual to do the work. The Gods will grant them immortality until their wish is completed and sometimes even drive their actions to help them complete their wish. But a punishment for these blessings are the nightmares they receive. The nightmares show alternative realities to what could happen.  

Number 2 had wished for death to everyone who had a hand in her Father’s untimely demise. Her wish allowed her to kill the vassals who actively schemed and executed the murder, but she then found out that her husband through a love marriage, also knew of the plot, but didn’t do anything to stop the murder. So she killed him with her own hands. Her two children had overhead the vassel’s plot too, but were too scared to tell anyone. They narrowly escaped with their lives after the first attack. 

Devastated, the woman, Elise, told the butler to turn her into Cloud’s End to protect her children. The price was her entire dowry and half of the children’s inheritance, given to Cloud’s End to “take care of her”. They keep her sedated and asleep in a luxurious room, but is basically a prison. 

Leilani and Leil walk into room #2. 

“Elise?” Leilani tentatively says. 

Elise is asleep with a giant smile on her face. Originally, Elise was worried she would feel irritation sleeping her entire life away, but after experiencing her dreams, she now actively wants to live in her dream world. Sometimes she wakes up and tells them about how beautiful her children are and how she’s helping them get ready to debut in society or mentions some nice restaurants she went to with her husband. The conversations are always brief because when she is fully awake, the blessing activates and she becomes violent. She’ll attack anyone to get out so she can go and kill her children.  

Leil gives a quick examination to see if he needs to change the dosage of any pills. Leilani loads the tranquilizer and readies for Elise to wake up. 

Leil takes some waking salts and wafts it under her nose. 

“Hmm, is it time already? I need to get dressed, we have a date tonight,” Elise mumbles. 

“Take this and you can go back to getting ready,” Leil says in a gentle, hushed tone so she doesn’t fully wake up. 

She takes the 15 separate pills and drifts back to sleep. Most pills are various vitamins and minerals, but 2 of them are heavy duty sleeping pills, one to put her to sleep and another that should keep her asleep until the next sol. 

Most of their Dreamers are like Elise. In the excitement and desire to get their wish granted, they slip up on their words and end up with catastrophic results. Then to protect their loved ones, they need to turn over a substantial amount of wealth to Cloud’s End to take care of the 

Leilani looks at Elise, thinking about how easy it would be if she could get her revenge completed by getting her wish granted. But without a noble surname and a lot of money to throw at the Temple every rotation, she would never get chosen. No commoner since the founding of this nation by Petro the first over 1500 rotations ago have been chosen to speak with the Gods. 

Room 3 is similarly simple. There is no need for Leilani to utilize her tranquilizer gun. 

Leil pauses in front of room 8, labeled “Kasim Von Bagh”. Leil presses his ears against the door to see if he can hear anything. He has already pulverized the pills and mixed them into water. Leilani has the tranquilizer pointed in front with her finger on the trigger. 

Leil looks back and tilts his head. Leilani nods, and Leil quickly opens the door. 

Waiting, the man inside lunges outs. Leilani shoots 3 darts, 2 at his core and one on his right arm. She rushes forward to sweep his feet from behind so he falls backwards back into his room. She then shoots 2 more darts, one on each leg. Leilani takes a few steps back, takes out her bola and waits for him to get onto his knees before she throws the bolas to restrain him again. 

Kasim yells angrily in an ancient language. But his speech slowly slurs as the tranquilizers kick in, and he slowly drifts back to sleep. 

“You are always the best handler to work with,” Leil compliments. He gets down and tilts Kasim’s head back and slowly feeds him the medicine. 

Leilani looks around the room. This room has stuff museums would commit a crime to have on display. 

Kasim has been here in Cloud’s End for over 800 rotations. His wish had something to do with maintaining the purity of the bloodline. According to the books, he made this wish because his favorite daughter, who he had appointed as his successor, didn’t want a marriage with the royal family and instead chose to stay unmarried and adopt a successor from a vassal family. Once this happened, he started attacking everyone, not only his family and vassals, but their residents as well. Due to this danger, the family sedated him and contacted Clouds End to align on payment. Even though his daughter is long gone, due to his wish, it is unlikely he would ever die unless his entire line dies, or if every citizen in his home nation is killed. 

“Phew! Can you help me set him back onto the bed?” Leil asks.

Leilani takes her bola off him and together they drag him back into his bed. They check the condition of the magic circles before leaving.

They pause as Kasim murmurs something and smiles. They relax and head back to Anise.

“Have a good day, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Leil says to Anise as she hands back the medicine bag. 

“I’ll see you after lunch,” Leilani says casually and walks out. 

Leilani walks back. Aegir should be at the dock, so she will be having lunch alone. She doesn’t know if she wants to try a new place or eat back at the hotel. She decides to stop by Mama and Papa Jay’s Enzuccio Bakery to get more melon bread.

She spots Mama Jay handing out some bread to Samuel, the town drunk. He’s a jovial drunk that everyone pities. A few rotations ago, he was on his way to being a cardinal at the Main Temple, not an easy feat for someone from the slums like him. But one day, he turned to alcohol, and since then, he has been kicked out of the church. He goes around living off the generosity of others. 

“Hi Samuel, did you hear any new revelations from the Gods recently?”“Oh Lei-(hiccup)-lani! Excuse me.” Samuel obviously looks disheveled, but doesn’t reek of alcohol like most alcoholics. “Nothing new, they are just excited for Rotation’s End. 

Leilani politely smiles. “Good to know they also like the holidays like we mortals do. Make sure to drink more water! It’s not good for you to drink alcohol all the time.” 

Samuel chuckles. “The Gods are strong drinkers, I can’t do much if I want to stay with them.”

Mama Jay and Leilani look at him sympathetically. He still talks about the Gods all the time even though he isn’t part of the Temple anymore. Mama Jay hands her a melon bread. Leilani gives her a peck on the cheek and slips some money into Mama Jay’s pocket. 

“Leilani!” 

Leilani backs away before Mama Jay can hand back the money, smiles, and jogs back to the hotel.  

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