Gwendolyn laid back, relaxing in the spa as her maids attended to her. She didn’t trust the rabble of the establishment to touch her and not ruin her fragile complexion. She peeled the cucumber off of her eye to take a look at where everyone was for this intricate operation.



    The target was in the sauna, enjoying a nice steam. Two guards in suits stood outside of the doorway, ensuring that nobody disturbed their master. She was a high-level adviser for the Golden Army, second only to the adviser to the commander himself. The goal was to knock her out, and convince her to recommend pulling the fleet out of the Crescent Isles.



    The glass vials in her robe rustled slighly as she looked around, trying to find Cirice. They had entered seperately to avoid suspicion, but her nearsightedness was really keeping her from picking up the lavender woman from the one or two other patrons milling about. Hopefully the plan would still be in effect. Distract the guards, knock out the adviser, plant the idea, and leave before they woke up. Easy enough, she thought. What was the worst that could happen? Gwendolyn had even checked in under a false name so as to not be tracked in case this all went sideways.
Maids Attending:
Millicent (Captains Badge), Priscilla, Mori, Bernadette

Cirice loved a good trip to the spa. It was a nice and easy way to relax after spending so much time on the road fighting monsters and going on adventures. But this trip to the spa wasn’t just a mini-vacation, its a secret mission! One she gets to do with her new friend Lady Gwen!

Lounging in the pool nearest to the sauna, she kept an eye on the pair of guards watching the door. It would be no problem getting past them, she’d just need to get them out of the way to make room for Gwen as well. It isn’t peak time for people to be enjoying the spa so herself and Gwen and the maids make up most of the clientele outside of their target and her guards. Perfect. Less witnesses to have to mess with the memory of.

She yawns, stretching her arms above her head and signaling to Gwen and her maids she’s about to head to work and walks over to speak to the guards.

“Hello, I’d like to use the sauna.” She says with a large, innocent smile.

“You’ll have to wait. Private use right now.” One of the guards says with barely a glance at her.

“Private? This is a public spa, they wouldn’t let me rent out anything privately!” she blinks and gives the guard a flutter of her lashes, “Please let me in, I don’t have much time and the sauna is the best paaart.”

Magic laces her words and she reaches out and touches his arm gently^1,2, “Pleeeease?”

The runes on her arms glow faintly violet and the guard’s expression gets distant. “Yeah I suppose…” He starts but the other stops him.

“Oy Jerry. No We got orders. You’d best turn around little miss and wait your turn.” He grabs her shoulder to turn her around roughly and the runes flare once more, a pulse of magic exploding from her body and enveloping both men in soft violet light³.

“Come on sir, I promise I’ll be a good girl and cause no harm. You both should go take a break, forget this happened and come back in an hour.”

“You know Jerry… I think I’d like a Blixt^TM, wouldn’t you? I don’t think she’ll mind. Let’s go.” The guard asks, dazed. Jerry nods with the same plastered expression and the pair let Cirice go and walk away. As they leave she sets a hand on each of their shoulders and one final pulse of magic erases her from their minds⁴.

---

1 Smooth Talking
2 Be Jolly
3 Fae Aura
4 Fade from Memory

    She watch idly as the guards walked past her and her accoutrement. Her maid had tapped her on the shoulder to indicate that it was time to get into action. Standing, and gathering her towels, she walked over to Cirice and gave her a approving nod.



    “Nice work, was that all charm or something a little extra?” Gwen said slyly, before examining the exterior of the sauna. “Alright, I think I can stand up here and reach the vent”



    The bamboo grate separating the sauna air from the spa at large was positioned high up on the ceiling where it met with a chimney hole leading to the outside. A small pop dislodged it quietly enough that the two could peek inside.



    The steam made things hard to make out, but a quick sniff of Seeing Salts (eagle eye potion) made things easier at least. Inside, a skinny Sun Elf woman could be seen relaxing with a seaweed covering over her eyes. Honestly, it was the perfect opportunity.



    “Ready?” She asked, one final confirmation before committing to what was essentially espionage. Two potions handed to her by her followers were mixed together, before wrapping them in a towel and dropping them through the grate. The towel softened the landing, but allowed the sleeping smoke to billow forth regardless. (Sleeping Poison/Miasmic Catalyst) A few moments to ensure the gas had settled and they could make their move.

(Formatting Pending getting home)

“Thank you,” Cirice smiles at Gwen as the pair convene in front of the sauna. “A little magic, just enough to make them pliable, they won’t remember a thing.” She winks.

Watching Gwen open the grate she joins her to look in on their target enjoying the sauna alone and unaware of the situation unfolding outside. Really this was almost too easy. She nods as Gwen asks if she’s ready, best not to waste any time. The potions go into the room, filling it with a sleeping mist and Cirice watches a small curl of the dangerous combination come out of the grate and dissipate in the air. It takes just a few moments for the target to fall asleep and the smoke to settle and the pair check to ensure their target is truly knocked out before slipping inside.

“Nice job!” Cirice congratulates Gwen in a hushed tone, “That was masterful Lady Gwen. Now let’s cast the spell together.”

She sits down on one side of the sleeping Sun elf and lays a hand gently on her shoulder before reaching out to take Gwen’s hand as well. With a deep breath the runes on her arms begin to glow and she closes her eye, slipping into the dream of their target without waking her¹.

---

1 Cyran's Dream Walker

    “Thanks!” She returns with a cheery grin. It really was too easy she thought as they walked in and saw the snoozing advisor. “Ladies, please ensure we are not disturbed for the time being” She instructs her cohort, who take places outside the door after it shuts behind her.



    She took a seat on the opposite side of Cirice, taking her hand and placing her own on the womans shoulders. A deep breath found her slipping deep into her own slumber as her own spell took effect…



    “Mithrael!” He said, as Gwendolyn woke with a start. She was dressed in an admiralty clerks uniform, and sat in some sort of office. The window opened to reveal a sunny dockyard with palm trees and sand just outside, as well as a humongous warship just sitting on the sand. “Mithrael!” The voice shouts once more, disembodied from any actual mouth, it seemed like the source was always just out of view. A harried young sun elf woman sat at the desk with sweat dripping down her face and onto the papers she was working on. “Mithrael! I need all nine-thousand reports before you can go home Mithrael!”



    Right, that’s right this was a dream! It was weird seeing something that your deepest mind conjures up and not have it related to you. Gwendolyn has had similar dreams before, and they were none too pleasant. Hopefully they could complete the task without her wigging out on them.

Cirice found herself on a beach dressed in an unfamiliar uniform and staring up at a massive ship. The ship was washed up on the sand but stood tall and proud and unbothered by its predicament. This isn’t her first time delving into the world of other’s dreams and she knows that things are subject to change with the whims of the dreamer, and more importantly, with the whims of the spellcaster.

Now she needs to just find Lady Gwen.

There’s a shouting coming from somewhere, an unfamiliar name being yelled in a commanding voice. She follows the sound curiously, wandering into a small office building to see Gwen inside dressed in a similar uniform and the shouting sun elf. She catches the end of her shouting and looks puzzled.

“Ma’am?” Cirice asks, giving a pseudo-salute to the elf. “Nine thousand, ma’am? Doesn’t that seem a bit… Much?”

She gives the angry elf a warm smile. “Really you should relax. You’re overworked and overworking your people. I'm sure Mithrael could use a break.”

She comes over and joins Gwen at the desk. "We all could I think, perhaps we go get a drink, all of us?"

The woman seemed almost irritated as she looked back up to Cirice. Only a moment of worry passed over Gwen before the scene began to melt together. All of the desks and the warm ocean air transposition as though she were coming up for air after sitting under water. The irate elf’s pen melted and became a mug, and the desk she sat at became a bar table as the scene around the three swirled into place.



The bar was empty, but the sounds around them indicated that it was packed and bustling. Almost eerily, disembodied voices jeered and ordered drinks and argued with each other. It was a sailors bar, somewhere the woman didn’t quite fit in in her officers uniform. The whole thing was unsettling, but success of the mission relied on acting as though everything were calm and natural.



Gwendolyn sat on one corner of the round table,, leg tucked up on her knee. A mug of ale manifested itself in her hand contrary to her wishes, not even logically possible as her hand was in such a position that all fluid would have poured out. She brought it to her mouth in an attempt to look natural, but drinking was like trying to swallow a mist.



“She’s right, ma’am. You’re too wound up. Just relax, and enjoy the present.”

“Yeah! The present! Drink up and relax!” Cirice adds as the scene changes, “It may not be easy, but its the secret to a long life! Balance between work and pleasure! Surely as a sun elf you don’t want to die young of overwork!” She giggles and raises her own mug in a toast.

It was eerie, but a lot less so than Veliky’s dream, especially shince the trio were all alone. “You know what? We should dance! That will raise the mood! We’re not in polite society, no need to be so uptight!” She takes the sun elf’s free hand and drags her to her feet as a playful tune starts playing and voices join in singing along from nowhere. She winks in Gwen’s direction as they begin to dance.

“I know you love to drink and party when no one is watching! Let loose, its just us here! Perhaps you could indulge fully, go wild!” She laughs, spinning the elf away from Gwen a few feet¹, “After all… You’ve got quite the taste for debauchery.”

Her words are tinged with magic as she purrs into the officer’s ear², “Drink, party, let loose.”

Its a command and the magic takes hold and the elf takes a big swig of her drink with gusto and a laugh. “I suppose it can’t hurt being true to myself a little!”

---

1 Smooth Talking
2 Fae Aura

The scene began melting a slight bit as the woman reveled in her newfound freedom. Cirice was quite the natural manipulator it seemed, something to maybe keep an eye out for. She seemed to have the woman handled, and off guard quite well, so that left the easy part to Gwen. Figuring out how to get her to think she had the idea to withdraw the fleet from around the Crescent Isles. It was an interesting problem, she thought, Gwen didn’t have a whole lot of magical means to force the issue. Not to mention all her potions didn’t come with her into the dream, and probably wouldnt work on the woman if she didnt spell out the effects anyway.



Looking around the empty barscape, there was a door on the slowly melting wall behind her. Opening it revealed only an endless abyss of blackness, but each thought that came to the front of Gwendolyns mind could be seen floating within. The ones more present drifted closer to the door, even the one where she wondered why her own thoughts were affecting things. She pushed that one away as she tried to think of solutions…



A small closet drifted closer, attaching itself to the doorframe without a sound. Stepping inside, and closing the door, She reopened it and stepped back out almost immediately. A completely different outfit found itself on her when she looked down, one more peasanty than she would normally go for. Regardless, Gwen steeled herself and sauntered over to the couple dancing. She swigged at an empty glass as she approached, and put on her best disappointed face.



With a Crescentian Accent, she spoke in slurred words. “Awww, weer out of Ale. Damn those Capitol scum and their boats, keeping all the good booze to themselves and out of Starlight.” It was spoken towards them, but not at them. An attempt at being a bystander in a dream where no-one else but them stood, she prayed the woman thought she was drunk enough not to notice. The confusion room inched closer to the doorway. “Weer runnin out of tiiime”

Cirice, feigning drunk ans she spins the officer in a dance looks at Gwen with exaggerated horror.

“Out of ale? We can’t have fun without ale! Can you believe it, love?” She asks, pulling the officer back in close, “But we’ve juuuust gotten started! Will you let our fun be ruined like this? Can’t you do anything?”

“Huh? We can’t already be out of ale… They said the embargo wouldn’t…” The inebriated officer burps, “Do that yet… S’not supposed to… For months...”

“How can you let loose and party if the alcohol’s run dry? How can your men? Morale is loooow.”

A look of drunken concern crosses the elf’s features. “S’gone on a long time… S’pose they did what they needed. Showed that uppity princess that she can’t do shit without the king’s permission…” She sneers, “Maybe she’ll feel more… Maybe she’ll fall in line now…”

“The pink-haired bitch?” Cirice asks with a laugh, “yeah I think you showed her. She thinks she’s so high and mighty, so high society but no one can feel that way when they’ve got supplies cut off.. Not for long anyway. Was that you’re plan? Brilliant!”

Cirice gives Gwen a wink, it looks like their plan is working!

    Excellent. Everything was falling into line. Cirice had the officer twisted around her gloved fingers. Whether or not this would translate to action in the real world only time would tell. Gwendolyn winked back at Cirice and continued back to the bar with an exaggerated drunken stumble. The woman was quite the party animal apparently, something to keep in mind if they ever wanted to use this asset in the future. Dream delving was certainly a dangerous art for the victim, Gwendolyn had no idea how to defend against it in the event it were ever used against herself. Something to look into for sure.



    The music, along with Cirice and the officer behind her, all began to fade into a sort of blur. Perfect timing, the spells effects were ending. She could only hope she did not awaken to knives at their throats. She blinked, once, twice, and then she was back in the sauna. Cirice and the woman stirred slightly, and Millicent perked up a bit to her master’s awakening.



“Finally”

“Shut up, let’s go. No problems I assume?”

“Guards haven’t showed back up”

“Good, get the girls. We’re leaving.”

“What happens now?”

“Not sure, kind of a wait and see situation. Now move. Mori, stay outside the sauna and make sure Cirice gets out alright. After that, meet us outside.”



    With that, Mori the cat maid gave a small salute, and went back to relaxing in one of the pools outside of the sauna. Gwendolyn and the rest of her escort one by one changed into street clothes and left. It would be weeks before they would know if the plan was successful, but the people of the Crescent Isles would certainly be grateful.

Cirice awoke alone in the bathhouse’s sauna, curled up against the sleeping form of their target as she starts to stir. She starts trying to free herself from the grasp of the other elf but she quickly realizes that will only get her caught. In a stroke of desperation, she blinks out of the sauna and back into the farthest pool, plopping into the water with a loud splash¹. She holds her breath and peeks up from the water and sees one of Gwen’s maids in another of the pools giving her a surprised look. Good. It looks like Gwen and the rest got out without issue. Now all she has to do is play oblivious until she can escape.

Easy peasy.

She takes her time to languidly soak in the waters of the pool, watching as the sun elf leaves the sauna in bleary confusion, clearly searching for her missing guards. Stepping out of the water she goes and gets dressed and slips out into the night air. This part of Sol City is where all of high society congregates and she watches the passersby with interest. Perhaps she’ll find someone she knows, or someone interesting. Perhaps she’ll find Gwen again, dressed in fancy clothes and heading to some party for nobles like herself. Perhaps one day Gwen could come and celebrate their achievement at her home and they could toast to the Crescent Isles freedom from the embargo.

---

1 blink