Reclaiming Pack

[Thalia]

Nimeda

Nimeda didn’t rush the decision to trust. Not intending harm was not always the same as not causing any, and she couldn’t promise safety, only the sincerity of her help She didn’t smile when the woman reached out and took her hands either. Her mood was unusually sombre, quiet in a soul-weary way. This place made her feel sad.

The world around them blurred almost immediately as warm hands anchored in hers. It was a wild passage, frightening when it was unexpected; an unmaking in a way most dreamers fought instinctively. Jon had been the one to exclaim how dangerous it was, back when he’d try to teach her about rules. But Need was what had brought Nimeda to the Vanagandr once before, and the woman would not be wandering this desolate place without good reason. That seemed path enough to trust.

When the spinning stopped, they were in the gloom of an interior space. Light from frosted glass caught cool shadows, and made the woman’s eyes almost luminous gold. Nimeda’s chin tilted up to take it in, at least a little curious. It was still cold. She did not think they had moved far. The environment around them morphed between abandoned desks and something shinier, like it remembered a purpose faded to dust. There were no incidental dreamers here, just the memories.

She stepped back when it was done. Her arm was oozing fresh blood, and for a moment she could feel the sharpness of the pain – her own guide for the moment, since she supposed her own waking body was in the same trouble that propelled the woman to help Tristan. Another kin appeared before Nimeda’s lips parted to speak, though what she’d been about to say she didn’t really know. Comfort maybe. Some found the passage exhilarating, others terrifying. Instead she only turned her eyes away, distracted herself quietly while they spoke.