It was disorienting to 'jack in' and for a moment both Calligenia and Aisha may have thought the shadowy landscape was just the beginnings of some vision, but no. The pair find themselves together, standing on an empty street in the shadows of one of the many buildings here. It's too dark to see the colors, but each can tell that the other is dressed in very traditional garb of this desert city – loose flowing clothing made of zolk. Each even seems to be wearing a veil.

Not only are they clothed traditionally, both of them can feel the fairly significant weight of ear clips and other jewelry lining each of their ears from the base all the way to the tips. It's probably a good thing that no one else is on this street, otherwise someone might accuse them of being 'street courtesans'.

The quietness also gives them something else to ponder, just where is their bodyguard, the buck called Layth?

"I can barely hold my ears up," Aisha complains. "This… I wasn't expecting it to be so real."

The chocolate doe next to her doesn't seem bothered by the jewelry, since her ears are down normally anyway. "This seems a little familiar," Calligenia notes. "I think we are near the Street of Dreams."

The splash of something wet behind them some dozen feet sure sounds real, too. Nothing like the emptying of a chamber pot into the street. It has such a distinctive, squelchy, sound.

"They're all streets of dreams… this is a dream… but not ours. Or… mine or yours, I mean… " Aisha notes, hugging herself.

"You can even smell things," Calligenia notes, sounding impressed. "This is powerful magic."

"We need to find Layth," Aisha claims, without offering how to find him.

Nor is it all a happy dream, it seems. At least if the soft sounds of some woman crying somewhere up the street is any indication of the state of things in this shadowy city.

Calli looks around and frowns. "We cannot just… stomp around," she says. "We have to be demure." Still, she tries listening for the largest gathering of people nearby.

There are sounds of people within the buildings that line the street. Not surprising since many look like they're homes. The most noticeable sound of life, though, is the woman crying in the distance.

"Let's go see the crying woman," Calligenia says, and doesn't wait for Aisha to argue as she heads towards the noise.

"Wait! It could be a trap," Aisha hisses, then looks around and hurries after the Amazonian.

Being demure in the dark is hard. There are things stepped on that, well … it's probably better to not know what that was, really. It takes a bit of searching … and to Aisha's unease having to go further into the darker side streets, away from the more populated areas. A few lefts and rights later, they spot the outline of the weeping woman. Even veiled, the shape is definitely Khatta. She's sitting on the door stoop and hugging her knees to her chest as she rocks back and forth.

"Aisha, you must talk," Calli whispers. "I do not speak the cat language well."

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Aisha steps up, and asks, "Forgive our intrusion, but what sorrows you so? Do you need some help?"

The woman's head jerks upright from the surprise of being spoken to. "Oh, please forgive me," she says as she wipes at her eyes. "I did not mean to disturb my neighbors." There's a pause as she tries to collect herself before continuing, "And many thank yous and wishes that the djinn do not trouble you, but you should not worry yourself over my … concerns. I have already involved someone I had no right to. I should not endanger anyone else."

The two does look at one another, and Calli nods for Aisha to go on. "We must all try to help one another, for that is the way to social harmony," she explains to the woman. "Please tell us what is wrong?"

"Oh, if only more felt that way this would not have happened at all," the Khatta says as she hugs her legs tighter to her chest. "My … well, he would have been my husband, but he … the vile vices have taken root in his mind. He cares for nothing but his own pleasures. Drink, spices, nothing is off limits. I refused to continue to help him pay for these habits. I do not wish to see him sink further into the pits. I hoped this would help him see … but all he found was anger. He took our child. Our child. He plans to sell our child so he can further his … needs. I tried to stop him and he hit me. He is not a man anymore; he is just a monster."

"Where?" Calligenia demands, while Aisha seems shocked that someone would sell their own child…

"I cannot say. In my weakness I have already send an old friend to help. I shouldn't have involved him but," the woman says, "I had to ask. I knew he would not refuse to help. He was always like that. It was wrong for me to use him like that but … " She hugs her legs again. "I am horrible too."

"Which way did he go?" Calli asks, a bit more insistently.

The woman sits there, rocking back and forth. She won't bring herself to even look at Calligenia.

"Tell us who your friend was, at least?" Aisha asks, in a more soothing voice, and places a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"An old slave I've known for years. Quiet, but always willing to help someone. People used to make fun of him by calling him The Lion. They thought it an insult because he's just a Lapi, but he ad thick fur and the coloring looked like a lion's mane," the woman admits. "But the joke was on them because he grew up to be as strong as a lion, and as fierce … when he needed to be. I … ran into him tonight. He was out walking alone and … he seemed angry. In my weakness I told him everything. I told myself it was so he could vent his anger but … I was being selfish and making excuses. He could be hurt badly by that … that sand-cretin and his 'friends' and I sent him to their … club."

"What club would that be?" Aisha asks. "Layth… we know him. He is our… " Here she pauses, and says, "good friend."

"No club a pair of ladies should be going to. The so-called 'Den-Of-Delights'," the woman practically hisses as she bares sharp-looking teeth. "It … sinks its fangs into the skins of its guests. It entices them with drugs and drinks. It rots souls down on the Tarik Reves-Casses"

"Thank you, madam," Aisha says. "I have no worries. Your child will be returned soon," the doe promises… then asks, "What street are we on now by the way?"

"This is Tarik Senne-Floure," the Khatta says. "A name kinder than it is, may that change soon."

Aisha looks up to get her bearing from the Procession, and hurries off while Calli blinks and follows.

The streets become dirtier as the does move through them. Apparently Aisha knows where the place is, but presumably has never been there. No respectable lady would ever go into the part of town where that street resides. The buildings around them become grungier and it seems like the shadows they case become longer. Windows are closed with wooden shutters and only the barest streams of light seem to make it through the cracks. There is raucous ahead as they near the supposed destination. "Dagh take all of you, he's just a bunny!" a voice shouts. "Can't any of you stop a dagh-ridden Lapi? They're nothing. All they do is hump everything in is … " This is followed by a loud sound of wood splintering.

"That sounds like them!" Aisha says, before realizing she's running towards a fight. Calli reaches for her weapon… which isn't there, of course!

When the does come around the corner they're greeted with what practically looks like a battlefield! Well, on a smaller scale. A crumbling building with a crooked sign is at the end of the street. Its doors now hang halfway off their hinges. Strewn around the outside entryway are numerous bodies of Khatta and Khattah. They vary in side from scrawny to muscular. Some show signs of long-term drug use, including dull fur and bare patches of leathery skin. All of them seem to be groaning in pain at points. One rolls to its side and spits blood … as well as a few broken teeth. There's another crash as one of the shuttered windows explodes outward in a splintering of old wood as a Khatta in a tattered guards uniform sails through it.

"In there!" Aisha says, pointing to the now opened window. She hurries up to it… and timidly peeks inside. Calli quickly checks the bodies for useful weapons.

"I have asked politely several times," comes an all too familiar, calm, voice from somewhere inside that scummy bar. "Hand over the child. This is pointless and should end. I do not wish to hurt any of you." Given the damage to those outside, well … that last part might not be entirely true.

Various weapons are certainly available, from small curved daggers to a couple large and nasty-looking scimitars. Even some of the feline's claws look torn enough that Calli could rip one out and use it if she wanted to.

The Amazonian grabs a scimitar and a dagger, and heads over to Aisha and looks into the window as well.

The inside of the bar is dimply lit with oil lamps and there is a smokey haze in the air. Tables are overturned, chairs have been broken into pieces. At the far end, leaning back against the bar is a ratty-looking tiger-striped Khatta. He was probably once very handsome, given his musculature and size … but drink and drugs have not been kind. His fur is worn and patchy; his left eye twitches … and he's missing a chunk out of one of his ears. "I'm warning you," he yells and points a dagger at an approaching Lapi, "Don't take another step closer. I'm this child's father, I can do what I want." And sure enough in his free arm he seems to be clutching a wrapped up baby. The Lapi is recognizable by size and shape. It's got to be Layth. His colors though … are all lost in a smear of dirt, soot, and blood. Some white shows … but not much. It's hard to say how much of the blood is his, but given the shredded state of his clothes it is a good bet that some of it must be.

"I know when this is," Calligenia whispers sadly. "I drove him to this. I… I don't know if I can help him," she admits, suddenly seeming weak.

"You haven't earned the right to that title," Layth says softly as he continues towards the Khatta. "You're no father; you're just a boy with a knife. A father protects his children. A father would die for his child."

"What? You have to; I can't fight! I could never fight… " Aisha claims. "I just talk. But… but we know he comes back, right?"

"Screw you, Lapi," The Khatta snarls and lunges for him with the dagger!

Calli says, "We don't know what becomes of the child… " She raises up the curved dagger… but it's hardly a throwing dagger. "Why must your blades be so fancy instead of practical?" she complains.

Layth catches the Khatta's forearm as it comes down in a drunken attempt to stab Layth. There he holds it as he looks back into the worn feline's eyes. "You are no father. You're just a boy with a broken soul," Layth says, sounding sad. "Life is a precious thing. It is short. There is never enough time in it to tell those you love how much they matter. And yet … there are people like you who would throw even them away. She loved you. She sacrificed for you. All you have done is take. You are broken inside. And … now you are on the outside too." With most of his fur slicked from blood, the flexing ripple of the muscles in his right arm can be seen. The sickening sound of snapping bone comes all too quickly as Layth twists his arm … and in doing so snaps the bones in the forearm of the Khatta.

Aisha squeaks and tries to cover her face, but Calli bumps into her to keep her from retreating. "We have to watch. This is what he went through as a child, himself."

The Khatta would have fallen to the floor from the pain of that … except Layth continues to hold him up by his broken arm. He reaches over with his left arm and gently takes the wrapped bundle. His right hand releases and the Khatta drops to his knees, screaming and clutching at his broken arm. "Wounds heal. Perhaps when that one heals the ones in your soul will as well. It is a small hope, but one nonetheless," he says. "And remember … if you ever hurt her again or try to harm this child … I will kill you. You will have proven you are nothing more than an animal by not learning anything." Layth turns and holds the bundle to his chest as he makes his way towards the door. His gait is slow and measured. He could be moving thus as a sign of confidence, but Calligenia is well-trained to recognize it's because his legs are barely holding him up. Had there been even one more that was actually capable of fighting … well it's likely Layth would have died here.

"Now we can help," Calligenia says, and goes to open the door after dropping the weapons.

Aisha wipes at her eyes and follows along.

Once Layth exits the club he stumbles and very nearly hits the ground. It's the door frame of the battered building that keeps him upright. It's there that he spots Aisha and Calligenia finally and a look of realization comes over him. "The old stories about not being able to feel pain in a dream are a lie," he says to them and even forces a smile. "I am sorry I am not more presentable to be seen with you."

"Here, let me… " Aisha says, reaching for the infant, while Calli gets under Layth's shoulder to act as a crutch.

"I am sorry that I drove you to anger, Layth," the Amazonian apologizes. "But not for the outcome."

Layth lets Aisha take the bundle, which turns out to be a small Khatta girl with a tawny coat, save for the faint stripes that betray who her father was. She is, surprisingly, asleep. "It is a good thing that those who drink can not hit well. Their claws still hurt, though," the buck admits as he leans heavily on Calligenia. "And seeing this again shows me how much of a fool I was to come here alone."

"Anger makes fools of us all," Calligenia says. "I was a fool too. I still am, sometimes. But at least now we have the company of other fools, right?"

"Coochie coochie!" Aisha says to the kitten, even though it's still asleep. She looks up, and says, "What? I'm not foolish too, am I, Layth?"

"Pride makes us fools too," Calli tells Aisha. "We have all of us tried to handle problems on our own that we could not handle by ourselves."

"You posed for pet food advertisements," Layth points out as the trio limp back down the streets, leaving the bar and its drunken (and now battered) patrons behind them.

"The money was good, and nobody back home will know," Aisha claims, hugging the kitten close.

"It did make Aisha's fur more glossy, too," Calligenia notes with a grin.

"You do not think I will bring pictures back?" Layth asks. It's funny how in a dream distances once way can seem long, while following them back seem considerably shorter. Just ahead is the Khatta on her stoop. Her knees are still pulled to her chest and her face is buried in them. She may be asleep. It's hard to tell at the current distance.

"She should take the child and leave the city," Aisha says. "Her parents may not understand."

"We could give her a weapon," Calli suggests.

"Her brother runs a caravan company. It isn't much but she could get passage to other cities through him," Layth notes as they approach.

"Did she?" Aisha asks. "This… already happened, didn't it?"

"She arranged it. I was to go with them as a new guard for the company," Layth notes quietly. "They offered when they learned I was no longer officially considered owned."

When the Khatta woman looks up again, her features have changed. She's now a Savanite, and a very young one.

"You… won't leave us now though, will you?" Aisha asks, sounding worried.

"Right now I can barely walk," Layth points out in an attempt to dismiss the suggestion. "And I could hardly leave either of you if the marriage occurs, now could I?" He looks up and is about to tell the Khatta that her child is back … and ends up just staring for a moment when he realizes who he's looking at. "This is not how I wanted you to see me again," he admits. Given he's in tattered clothing and covered in blood, well…

"You offered to be my father," Fallen-Star speaks, since it's a dream or sorts. "It is good to know how far you will go for someone else's child."

Layth shrugs a little at that as he pushes himself up enough so that he's no longer leaning on Calligenia. "She was a friend and she needed help. Anyone would have done the same," he claims.

"A Silent-One of my era would not have acted," Fallen-Star claims. Calli sits next to her.

"You would not have?" Layth asks Fallen-Star.

"I would not be in a position to help," the Silent-One claims. "I have no status or authority. To intervene at all would have been considered a crime."

"Well, what I did was a crime too. It was just in a part of town that no one actually enforces the laws in," Layth admits as he leans heavily against the wall (and leaves a bloody smear on it). "And … Aisha, Calligenia, this is Fallen-Star. The … not so spectral version."

"Do… do I give her back the kitten?" Aisha asks, uncertain what to do since Fallen-Star is not the mother.

"I thought you could not speak, but it is good to know that you will if able," Calligenia says.

"Probably? It is hard to say in these places. I do not understand why the machines mix together memories sometimes," Layth admits. He motions towards Calligenia and says, "This is the one who would be your mother. I think it would also mean you might be heir to a throne. I am not certain."

Aisha offers the bundled kitten to the… slightly older kitten, who does take it and smiles at the baby. "Throne?" she then asks Layth.

"Ruler. Head of a clan," Layth tries to explain. "I am not sure what in your culture would be a good reference. This all depends on if Calligenia is fertile enough to conceive, of course."

"I will one day lead Clan Hydron, which leads the great city of Dianus," Calligenia explains. "You may be groomed to lead as well, unless you choose a different path."

"You'd be like an Archon," Aisha says. She at least did some research between modeling for billboards.

"I do not know if that would be best for me," Fallen-Star says demurely.

"As ridiculously early as it is to ask this … what would you pursue?" Layth asks.

"It not something to worry about now," Calligenia says. "You will have plenty of siblings after all."

"I… don't know?" Fallen-Star says, looking at the kitten. "I have never been given a choice before, and I do not know how much I will even remember of my former life to color my decisions."

"They tie up their men and use them for breeding," Layth claims, probably feeling brave enough that since he's hurt, he's not likely to get elbowed.

"You'll be happy, that much I can promise," Aisha says.

"We do not tie them up," Calligenia corrects.

"Good, because I plan to tie you up," Layth claims. "Now … trying to be serious about this … you really wish to try this and be born again as one of us?" he asks Fallen-Star.

"I would like a real family that… does not sell me because I am not a son," Fallen-Star says, and sniffles.

"Well, why don't we all go inside this house. It will hopefully be empty. You can all then get to know each other better. It'll make Calligenia feel better about that you will have to possess her body while conception is attempted," Layth notes and motions towards the door into the small home that they have been standing in front of.

"I thought it was up to you to make me feel better while I am being host?" Calligenia says to Layth… almost flirtingly.

"Well, then I suppose I cannot have the mechanical doctor transfer the essence," Layth says as if he was actually considering that as an option.

Aisha just mutters as she follows into the house. "I want to have fun too… "

"You will," Layth claims as the last one to enter. Perhaps to be polite … or perhaps because he is still sore beyond belief. "You've shown me how to manage two at once… "