songerein | Open | Do not fear difficulty.

Who: Trahearne & you!
Which: Journal post/open log
Where: Tree of Stories
What: Now that the Story Eater is taken care of, it's time to look into the next order of business: staying in Songerein.
Warnings: N/A as of now

> JOURNAL: A Query

Sender: Trahearne
To: All
Subject: Regarding Mirrors.

I am presently researching stories involving mirrors. If there are any tales from your culture that prominently feature magical mirrors, I would be interested in hearing about them. Thank you.

> ACTION: The Tree of Stories

[ If you are looking for Trahearne, you will...not find him at the archives, strangely enough.

For these past few days, he has holed himself up in the Tree of Stories, leaving only to get food and to feed his pets. He is scouring every inch of the multiple floors and countless shelves for stories involving magical mirrors, taking into account what others have told him, and what he has discovered on his own. Before long he's surrounded by stacks and stacks of books; he quickly skims through them, then places them in one of many of the other stacks, catergorizing them in a way only he understands. He seems totally lost in his work, oblivious to others talking or making noise.

Towards the latter half of his time spent researching here, he's starting to look...well. Wilted. There really is no better way to put it. His leaves seem to lack their particular shine, and the ones on his head seem to droop lower than they normally do. How long has it been since he went outside...?

Feel free to help him research, or perhaps test out a promising story with him, or even just tell him to take a break. Good luck with that last one, though. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Off the top of my head, Snow White features one for a little bit. Have you heard of it?

I can't say I have. Would you care to tell me a bit more about it?

To make a long story short, the Evil Queen has a magic mirror, and every day she says "Mirror mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"

And every day the mirror goes "You, my queen." But then one day, it tells her she's no longer the fairest, but that her stepdaughter, princess Snow White, is the fairest. This pretty much kicks off the plot 'cause the Queen wanted her dead after that.

[ Hmm... Not quite what he's looking for, but it's an interesting tale nonetheless. He supposes evil megalomaniacs need this sort of ego stroking. ]

Interesting. Would you consider this mirror sentient, then? I don't think I've ever heard of a mirror having the capability of speech.

Maybe? The story doesn't really explain it, just standard "evil magic stepmother" stuff. It doesn't even show up again after it tells the Queen she got tricked.

See, she told this hunter "Kill Snow White and as proof, show me her heart." But the guy couldn't go through with it, and instead gave the Queen a pig's heart. When the Queen did the whole Mirror Mirror routine and it said Snow White was the fairest, it told her about the fake heart thing. After that, the story ditches it altogether.

I see.

[ Well, he doesn't exactly expect an inanimate object to be more than a plot device to a greater story, and it doesn't exactly fit the bill, but his curiosity is sated nonetheless. ]

Thank you, Mei. That's a fascinating story, but it isn't quite the sort of mirror I'm looking for. I appreciate your contribution, nonetheless. I've learned something new today.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

But why did you want to know in the first place?

You look pretty fair to me already.

[ A light joke, just in case she's stepping on toes. ]

[ Trahearne does chuckle at that, though that doesn't exactly come across in his writing. ]

I appreciate that.

[ It's genuine, though! ]

There are plans in motion right now to find ways to tether our spirits, or what fragment of our spirits exist here, to Songerein. Part of that involves strengthening the mirror in the observatory, and part of my job is to track down a mirror from a story that is potentially powerful enough to reflect dreams. Your help is still appreciated nonetheless, however. There are lot of stories about mirrors.

The only other story I can think of is Alice and The Looking Glass. I'm pretty sure that's a mirror. But I only know the title, not that whole story.

This isn't going to effect the people who actually need to go home, right?

That's all right. A copy of it must exist in the Tree of Stories - the title is enough. I'll look into it. Thank you. But no. This is more for those who have built lives here they wish to keep, or for those who no longer have a connection to their home worlds and do not want to risk the chances of "waking up." You have nothing to worry about if you're looking forward to staying.

It's the opposite, really. I want to go home. But I don't want to lose the friends I've made here either.

[ Ahh. That's the tricky part, isn't it. ]

I can't offer any advice on that front, but I know there are those who have gone and then come back, like Eustace. You might want to ask him if he retained his memories. But you have nothing to fear, Mei - even if you do go, you will still be a friend to me.

Thanks, Trahearne. That really means a lot to me. All of you mean so much to me, and I'd like to think you all made me a better person.

I'm glad. What are friends for, if not to help us grow?

Then does that mean I've helped you grow too?

I would say you have. When I think of how I might be able to help those close to me and those who rely on me, I believe I can be a better person. People like you keep me focused.

[ That's "I think of you as a little sister and I'm better for it" in Trahearne speak. ]

[ Please picture Mei on her (wrecked) bed, shoving her face into the pillow as she blushes intensely.

Eventually - ]

I'll be sure to remember that. It's a promise.

Open | Do not fear difficulty.

sender : mei lee

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I MEANT LEAVING INSTEAD OF STAYING BUT IT'S FINE, WE ROLL WITH IT,

lol no worries

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