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I can hardly believe my luck! Another free trip to Penacony so soon after the last one would be awesome enough, but to not have to spend any vacation days for it? Jackpot! Heh, the Master Diviner's jaw almost hit the floor when the general showed her the official diplomatic missive to the Xianzhou Luofu from The Family containing an invite to the “Speed Cup” Spheroid Racing Tournament. I don't know why he picked me to drive, but I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth! Especially since he even got the Artisanship Commission to make me such an amazing car!
And the best part? I don't even have to do the boring meetings an envoy would usually be subject to; I just get to race in this sweet car! With a lucky streak this long maybe I should buy a lottery ticket or enter a high stakes card match to really take advantage of it! Well, no time now, looks like my next race is up. Better get in my car before I get another text from Lady Fu.
“Oh, and with skills like yours, you'll crush the finals. Do it for both of us!”
I turn and leave after handing the keys for Thirteen Orphans to the trailblazer. The Family said they could make arrangements to send the car back to the Artisanship Commission after the finals, so it's probably fine to let them drive it for now, especially since I don't really want to file the exit paperwork anyway. It's pretty amazing how they can transfer real things into and out of the dreamscape. I pull out my phone to check my messages and, unsurprisingly, there's a bunch from Lady Fu. I contemplate letting her dangle just a bit longer but… nah, she must be really desperate if she's texted me this many times. She's not the type to text frivolously, so I suppose I better see what's up. I pull up the latest one.
FX: Are you almost done with the latest round?
QQ: Yeah, I'm done. Got eliminated in the final qualifier match unfortunately
FX: Normally I'd offer consolation, but with Mingyue, Sanjin, and Jingzhai all out with the flu I'm admittedly happy you lost.
FX: We are horrendously short staffed, please hurry back.
QQ: Heh, won't the staff still be short with just you and me?
QQ: [Victory]
FX: [Upset]
FX: Just get back here.
QQ: On my way boss!
QQ: [Dash]
I close my phone and start to walk back. I figure there's probably no harm in taking the scenic route and so I treat myself to a short walk through Golden Hour. I didn't really get to enjoy it to the fullest last time because of that weird Pepeshi incident, after all.
I do a little gambling in Aideen Park. Unfortunately it's mostly slot machines, which are basically all luck based. Gambling is much more fun when it's a combination of luck and skill. Getting bored with those, I keep wondering until I hit Oti Mall where I'm greeted by a strange voice.
“Greetings, dear guest! I am Dr. Edward, and I run the Dreamscape Sales Store!
It's a giant eyeball built into a wall! Will the wonders of Penacony never cease? His voice sounds friendly and inviting enough, so I go ahead and head over to chat.
“Hello, Dr. Edward. My name is Qingque. It's nice to meet you.”
The eye flickers around in what might be seen as a bowing motion? It's kinda hard to tell with an eyeball.
“Miss Qingque, it is a pleasure to meet you. I hope your stay in Penacony has been a pleasant one. Might I be able to interest you in sampling some dream bubbles?”
“What are those?” I ask with interest.
“Small self-contained dreams you can experience. Simply place it on your forehead and immerse yourself in a pre-generated dream! We have dozens of genres to choose from in order to create an entertaining experience tailored specifically to you!”
Neat. It kind of sounds like a butterfly immersia, but starring me. I suppose I did get some per diem spending money allocated for my trip, rather use it than lose it!
“Sure, Dr. Edward! I'll give it a try. Got any action/mystery dreams?”
The dream ends up being a spy thriller that ends in a high octane car chase and shootout. It was pretty fun, but I'll admit all the bouncing around has me feeling a bit dizzy afterward.
“Would you like to do another, Ms. Qingque?”
I take a minute to get my bearings and look around. The mall is fairly empty and there's no line for Dr. Edward, so I probably could. But I'm not sure I want anything that immersive again. Instead there's a strange phone along the wall that catches my eye.
“What's that, Dr. Edward?”
“Ooo, that, Ms. Qingque, is a dreampeek phone. Pick up the receiver and it’ll automatically search your contacts for a sleeping friend and allow you to listen in on their dreams.”
I pull out my phone and take a look. I check the Luofu local time and see it's actually pretty late back home. There's also no new messages from Lady Fu. Hmm…that means she's probably asleep…maybe I could…
I pull off the receiver and hear a robotic voice. “Good evening, esteemed guest! Would you be interested in making a Dreampeek Call today?”
“Sure!” I go ahead and deposit a few credits and listen to it ring a few times.
“The dreampeek call connected. You are about to hear Fu Xuan's dream.”
The world around me goes black for several seconds and I feel a sensation of falling. When I come to, I look around and I'm standing in what must be the most luxurious home I've ever seen. Everything from the furniture to the murals is of exquisite craftsmanship. I had no idea Lady Fu dreamed of such splendor!
Before I can fully appreciate the finer details, a familiar voice startles me out of my reverie.
“Ah, Qingque, there you are! Today's a busy day, please prepare my startaro bubble tea and bring it to my study.”
I look up and there's Fu Xuan! But…this is weird, why is she talking to me? I thought this was supposed to just be a peek into her dream. I stand there kind of dumbfounded for a second and she continues.
“And put on your uniform!”
I…huh? I look down and I'm wearing the same thing I normally do. But this is my uniform? Before I can say anything else she turns and exits the room, leaving me standing there alone. This is too weird, I need to get out of here. I try to hang up the dreampeek call; it's probably the same as exiting the dreamscape, right?
Nothing–why isn't this working? In a panic I look around the room and see a closet. Wait, how do I know this is a closet? No time for that, I dart inside and shut the door behind me. I sharply whisper for help, hoping that my pleas are heard.
“Dr. Edward? Dr. Edward! Can you hear me? I'm stuck, please help!”
To my relief a floating eye appears next to me, the same as on the wall I just left behind at Oti Mall.
“Ms. Qingque! Hello again. Are you having troubles?”
I vigorously nod. “How do I hang up? I gotta get out of here.”
The eye chuckles. “The same way you would leave the dreamscape.”
“I tried that! It's not working.”
“Hmmm” the eye looks around a little. “Allow me to scan, this will take only a moment.” The eye closes and vibrates slightly for a few seconds before popping open. “Ah, found the issue! This person happened to be dreaming about you at the moment you entered her dream. And thus your dreamscape-self and the self in the receiver's emoscape fused as one, effectively making you a part of her dream.”
Wha!? Lady Fu was dreaming about me!? That's…ok, not the time, Qingque. “Is this normal!?” I managed to sputter out hoping Dr. Edward doesn't notice my face blushing.
“Oh it's not unheard of” he says cheerfully, making no indication of if he's noticed anything is amiss.
“Well…so how do I get out of here then?” I ask, trying to stay composed. “I'm not trapped here forever, am I!?” I can't help but gasp.
Dr. Edward chuckles. “Oh no, nothing like that. Simply tell the dreamer you're visiting from Penacony and got stuck. This will collapse their emoscape, safely ejecting you back to Oti Mall.”
Uh oh. I can't let Lady Fu know I'm still messing around in Penacony! She'd be so mad…ugh, so much for my lucky streak. “What if…let's say…I didn't want the dreamer to know I'm here. Is there another way out?” I say trying to sound nonchalant.
“Oh of course!” Dr. Edward replies cheerfully. “We could forcefully eject you from the dream. That does come with some risk though. Effectively shattering your consciousness and ripping it out of an emoscape can lead to severe mental trauma. Do you happen to have a good dream nurse?”
“Eep!” I squeal in terror. Nope, no way, I don't need any mental trauma today. Well, no more than usual anyway. “Is–is there a third option!?” I ask, trying my best to mask my panic.
“But of course, Ms. Qingque. You can simply play the dream out. All dreams must eventually end, after which the emoscape will naturally collapse with the dreamer none the wiser you were ever here.”
Ugh. So I have three choices. Either tell Lady Fu I'm slacking off and have her scold me, rip my brain apart, or go fetch her tea. Seems pretty obvious which one to go with.
“Ok, thanks, Dr. Edward. I guess I'll just play along with the dream for now” I say without enthusiasm. So much for a relaxing and work-free vacation.
“Very well, please call if you need anything else, Ms. Qingque, and have a very pleasant dream!” And with that the eye vanishes, leaving me alone in the closet.
I can't help but sigh. Alright, might as well get this over with. Wait, Lady Fu said to get into uniform. I somehow instinctively know it's hanging in the back of this closet. That must be knowledge from the dream Qingque that apparently merged into my mind. Ok, time to get changed.
“A maid outfit!?” I say after I step out of the closet and look at myself in the mirror. “She thinks of me as her maid!?” I can't believe it! Should I take this as an insult? I feel like I should feel insulted. For all that talk of me being ‘a talented diviner’ who ‘just doesn't live up to my potential’ and yet in her dreams I'm her maid ? Humph!
Well, whatever. Just gotta get her the tea and hopefully we can end this silly dream and get me back to Penacony. Once again the knowledge of dream Qingque allows me to know how to make my way through the house and enter the kitchen where I can brew the startaro just right. Good thing too, because in reality I am a terrible cook.
I carry the tea on a tray into her study, where she's bent over her desk working on some sort of important document. I clear my throat and try to speak in my most reverent and respectful voice.
“M-master Diviner, I have your startaro bubble tea.”
Lady Fu swivels around in her chair with her eyes squinted in frustration, but they quickly soften as she reaches for the cup. “Really, Qingque. Wearing your old uniform, using my old title…it seems someone was bitten by the nostalgia bug today” she says with a chuckle.
Old title? I guess she's dreaming about being the Arbiter-General. Heh, that certainly sounds like something she'd do.
“Well, I suppose I can't blame you, given today is a special day. However, we sadly have no time to indulge the past as we have a busy present.” She takes a sip of her tea and passes me a paper. “Here's a list of everything that needs doing before the dignitaries arrive tonight. Maybe we can talk tonight after they leave.” She lightly shakes the cup to swirl around the bubbles. “Thank you, that will be all for now.”
I take the paper and respectfully bow. “Very well, Lady Fu” I say as I slowly back out of the room and quietly close the door. Well crap, looks like this is going to be a lot more work than a simple tea delivery. Maybe I should reconsider the “ripping my consciousness asunder” plan?
After polishing the silver, sweeping and mopping the floors, dusting the cabinets, making several trays of hors d'oeuvres, and wiping down and setting the tables, I feel like I finally understand what hell must be like. Lady Fu's such a taskmaster that even in her dreams I think I'd rather be back at the Commission. It's a small mercy that dream Qingque seems to know what she's doing because I sure don't. But I finish just as Lady Fu marches out of her office dressed in fancy Arbiter-General regalia. I feel my mouth drop agape. She looks really good dressed like that. I've never seen general Jing Yuan dressed like that, that's for sure. Has she always been this beautiful, or is that simply a glow-up from the dream? Wait, what am I saying!?
Before long the first guests arrive. They're all generic, faceless stand-ins. Why couldn't she dream of a generic maid too!? Why'd she have to pick me!?
The party goes on what feels like forever with me bobbing between nondescript guests and refreshing drinks and swapping out plates of finger foods. Luckily the drone of the conversations blend into a quiet buzzing sound so at least I don't have to be bored of whatever fanciful politics Lady Fu dreams of.
Finally the guests are gone and Lady Fu collapses into her giant easy chair back in her study. I feel like I should be exhausted too, but somehow I feel completely fine. I guess among other things, dream Qingque is indefatigable as well.
She looks up at me standing next to her chair with a smile. “I'm relieved everything went so well this evening. As usual, thank you so much for your talent and dedication. I couldn't do it without you. You may go now, if you like. You've earned it.”
I turn toward the door excitedly. This must be close to the end of the dream! I'm almost out of here! But when I turn back to Lady Fu, looking so calm here in the dream, I get an idea. Maybe I could use this as an opportunity to pick up some interesting intel, straight from her unconscious mind. After all, this is the best chance to "talk" to her with her guard down, right? Heh, I smile a little–I'm like a spy in an immersia I saw, slipping into the target's dreams to steal their secrets while they're completely unaware. Is it a little nefarious? Maybe, but it's not like I'm going after any classified government intel or anything and she did make me do a lot of extra work so…
“Lady Fu, before I go, you look tense. Would you like a massage?” I ask with as much innocence as possible. I hope it's innocuous enough that it doesn't tip her off that she's sharing this dream with an intruder.
She smiles. “That would be lovely, Qingque. You're always taking such good care of me. I truly don't deserve you.”
I walk behind her and put my hands on her shoulders and start rubbing. I can feel the tightness in them. Silly Lady Fu, even in her dreams she is terrible at relaxing. After a few minutes, I can feel the tension melt away. She lays back in her chair and starts to fall asleep. I feel the dream start to shake; this must be the start of the emoscape's collapse that Dr. Edward mentioned! That means I don't have long to make my move. I have to know: does she think so little of me that she dreams of me being her maid? Am I pathetic enough in her mind that this is the best thing she could imagine?
“So, Lady Fu, what did you mean today is a special day for nostalgia?” I ask while working out another knot in her shoulder.
“Why, it's been one century since I became Arbiter-General! And since you started working for me, of course.”
“As your maid, you mean?” I ask with a slight bristle to my voice, but luckily she is relaxed enough she doesn't seem to notice.
“Well yes, normally only cloud knights are allowed to work for the Arbiter-General. And, despite your best efforts, you simply didn't have the aptitude.” She giggles and adds “Remember how you tried to pass the combat tests with jade tiles? So very ridiculous.”
Hmm. Well I guess that makes sense, but that doesn't explain why it's so important to her unconscious mind that I follow her to the Seat of Divine Foresight. I'm going to need to get a little deeper. “Ah ha ha, yeah, pretty silly of me.” There's another quake, stronger this time. I don't have a lot of time left.
“I'm just grateful you were willing to serve as a maid instead of a knight.”
There's the opening I've been looking for! “But why pick me? Surely there's better knights out there. And maids too.”
She smiles gently and looks up, into my eyes. “Most certainly there are. The Xianzhou has no shortage of valiant warriors or competent domestic assistants. However, all these others are missing the most important quality: none of them are you.” My heart starts to race as she lifts her hand up to her shoulder and rests it on top of mine.
The dream quakes become increasingly violent. My head starts to spin as everything goes dark. As I feel the familiar sensation of falling I hear her voice one more time, echoing as if in the distance.
“And I need you in my life.”
When I come to, I'm sitting in Oti Mall, my ears ringing with the music of Dr. Edward's shop again. I look up and there's the dreampeek phone back on its receiver. Did I hear that last bit right? ‘I need you in my life’? What could she possibly mean by that?
“Ms. Qingque! Welcome back to Penacony. I hope your trip through the emoscape wasn't an unpleasant one” comes the familiar friendly voice of Dr. Edward behind me. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Ms. Qingque?”
I slowly stand up, realizing I'm panting and try to slow my breathing and still my racing heart. That…was just a dream. People have weird dreams all the time. Like once I dreamed about playing tiles with a talking fish and my brother while some cloud knights did a tap dance. Dreams are just random assortments of thought your brain haphazardly throws together; there's no sense to try to read any deeper meaning into them. Clearly Lady Fu is just desperate to have some extra help and I happened to be the last person she talked to before falling asleep. Yeah, that's definitely all there is to it.
But still…what if…what if she really does need me? Maybe...no, I need to stop letting my mind wander too much. Keep it together, Qingque, and focus on what's in front of you. At the very least I did promise I'd help her out and it sounds like she's desperate. I turn to the giant eye. “Can you book me the next flight to the Xianzhou Luofu?”
“Of course!” Dr. Edward laughs. “In addition to a licensed purveyor of dream bubbles, I am also a certified concierge. Please present your dream pass and I can make all the arrangements.”
I open the dreampass app and hold up my phone. Dr. Edward scans it for a few seconds and I hear the ding of a text message.
“There you are, Ms. Qingque. I have sent you the itinerary. Your flight leaves in 15 minutes, so you should probably hurry.”
“15 minutes!? That's cutting it awfully close!” I shout. “Alright, gotta run, thanks Doc!”
“No problem, I hope your stay was a pleasant one and we look forward to seeing you again!”
I sit up with a start in the dream pool. I don't even have time to dry myself off–hopefully the staff won't be too bothered by a few puddles. I grab my bag and sprint down to the lobby to the landing docks. I have a flight to catch! I don't know for sure how much I should read into that dream. My head tells me it's nothing and I should probably listen to it. After all, I like to think I'm pretty smart and got a lot of things figured out. But at the same time, I can't completely ignore that my heart tells me maybe there's something more...
At the very least, I know right now I have to get on that ship.
Someone very important needs me.