Cures for Insomnia

[astalakio]

Johann remained respectfully quiet (but not silent, as the clank-clank-clank of his walking couldn't be helped) whilst the necromancer talked. He was perhaps as curious about this aspect of the paranormal as the Princess was, not least of all because he himself was technically less than alive. He nodded his dome every now and then to show that he was both listening and understanding.

When their host dissappeared momentarily into his room to, Johann presumed, tidy things up a bit, he turned his dome a fraction toward Nuala.
"Fascinating, do you not think, Princess? We both have lived many days and sleepless nights in our world of the paranormal, and yet there is so much we still do not know und fully understand."
His metallic mandibles clicked thoughtfully and a puff of air puffed from the sides of his dome.

The door was soon opened to the two guests and Johann stepped aside to allow Nuala to enter, before going in himself.
He moved slowly in his new environment, observing everything. This was a room much more suited for living in than his own quarters. Even with the darkened colour-scheme, it seemed somehow more inviting. It was, in Johann's opinion, more like a dark haven than a room.

He murmured approvingly. The room wasn't, in truth, to his own favour, but it was important to be polite.
"I like how you have arranged your quarters." He noted awkwardly, which seemed to be his version of 'Nice place ya got here'.

[olive]

Nuala’s face grew thoughtful as she listened to his abilities and skills. It made enough sense to her that raising the dead would take such a toll upon one’s own life. It also accounted for the agent’s decayed appearance. At the shrunked head, the princes jumped slightly. It was more of surprise that of disgust, it was not an all too unfamiliar sight to her. Before she met Abraham, she had been on her share of outings into the troll market; it was a place full of such objects. She would see shruken heads and shriveled hands and feet on display, and instantly she would feel pangs of sorrow for the poor individual to whom they once belonged. She hoped that Agatha was not a product of Mr. Müller’s actions.

She then watched as the Necromancer disappeared into a dark place, and she halted her steps and held her hands infront of her, arms resting at her side. She turned her head as she sensed that Dr. Krauss wished to continue speaking with her while they waited.

“It is very interesting, Doctor,” she replied with a sweet, knowing smile. “It is my opinion that one would go mad if he knew everything; which is why there is such a fine line between genius and insanity” she laughed at her own opinion.

This evening Mr. Müller’s must have had more energy than he let on, for it seemed only mere moments that the princess and the ghost were standing in the hallway. Nuala nodded in thanks to Dr. Krauss before she crossed the threshold of the door way.

“Thank you, Mr. Müller. “ She responded. After glancing around the room, her eyes settled on the couch as the only acceptable place to sit. She moved gracefully to it, and sat on the far left hand side, allowing for the gentlemen to join her.

As she spied the television, she tilted her head to the side and smiled a private smile. She did not entirely understand the humans’ fascination from watching endless hours of moving pictured from these contraptions.

[gyakusatsu]

Christoph Muller was a man that normally kept to himself and was supremely unaccustomed to receiving compliments. As such, the stupid grin that crept onto his face after having received even Krauss' awkward compliment should hardly have surprised anyone who knew him.

"Danke herr Krauss. I know it's not exactly what some might consider elegant but it's home..."

His one good eye followed Nuala to the couch and he hesitated a moment before following suit and sitting beside her. He had grabbed a few charms out of a drawer and held in his hands a dreamcatcher, some kind of silver amulet, and a signet ring.

"Now then Princess...
What would you like me to explain first? Or perhaps you'd like to browse a little more...
I do have a rather vast collection."

[astalakio]

Johann joined Nuala on the couch, all the while glancing about, observing. The mist in his dome seemed to shift from place to place like the movement of an eye, though that might have been a trick of the less then industrial light in the room.

He hesitated a moment before sitting down. The couch was reasonably wide so that even his unnatural form wouldn't be too much of an inconveniance. The Doctor then waited quietly and watched the transaction between his host and fellow guest. There was no cure for Johann's particular brand of insomnia, but he was, as he had expressed, quite interested in what Mr. Müller's role in the paranormal scheme of things entailed.

Some of the artifacts Müller presented looked vaguley familiar. Krauss had, in his time, had his hands on many a paranormal charm and artifact, and after so many years in the field, he had come to recognise these things like an antique fanatic might recognise relics from the past. The field of aiding sleep was hardly one that he had dabbled in, however, and if that was the purpose of these bits and pieces, it wasn't surprising that he didn't fully recognise them.

[olive]

Nuala smiled lightly and nodded her head at Muller. “Yes, I think explanations would be helpful.“

Her golden eyes carefully considered the dream catcher. I was very pretty. The intricate weave of the threads inside the hoop reminded her of a spider’s web, though not as perfect. To Nuala, the natural world could produce more beautiful things than that of humans, or even those tied to the earth as she. She reached out slowly, and touched one of the feathers.

“It is from the Ojibwa…who are native to this place,” She sounded unsure and simultaneously saddened by her comment. The few snippets of information she garnered from the object informed her of the nature between the native peoples of the Americas, and the settlers who would rename this land and shape it for their own purposes. In the same moment, she was reminded of how detached she was from the history of the Humans. Her father had been more knowledgeable on human society, though not by much.

She released the feather and sat back into the couch and allowed Muller to continue with the explanations. She did not wish to steal the spotlight.

[gyakusatsu]

Muller smiled at the Princess. His was a soft, kind grin despite has cadaverous pallor.

"That's very good your Highness, I got this from one of their spiritual leaders a while back. Unfortunately, their numbers have dwindled significantly and I'm wholly unsure as to how many there may be remaining."
He, like Nuala, felt a tinge of sadness in reflection of the fate of the Native Americans. He shrugged off the unpleasant sadness and moved on to his explanation.
"As you may be aware, this is a Dream catcher, Its said to catch all unpleasant dreams in it's net while good ones are permitted passage. You may trust me when I say this is no cheap imitation."
His soft, benevolent smile again.

He then held up the amulet.
"This one is rather special and a bit old."
The amulet had a kind of seal carved into one side and the other held embedded in the silver a small blue stone.
"The symbol is the Seal of Solomon and the stone is Lapiz Lazuli. Solomon is renowned for conquering demons and djinn. The amulet itself is a general guard against any negative energiesor entities, and its rather powerful"

He grinned at his own explanation, a little proud of his insight and possession of the item.

[astalakio]

Johann inspected the dreamcatcher whilst the other two participants talked about it. They both seemed to be sad about it, about the original owners of products like this one. Native Americans, apparently. Johann didn't quite feel the connection to the Earth and old spiritualists that the other two did. He was a modern thinker, and significantly human in the manner that he would happily redesign an element of nature if it benefitted the grander scheme.

He did, however, recognise that his friends would probably not share this view, and decided to keep quiet.

They moved on, and Muller began to describe various bits and pieces from his collection.
It was all ireffutably intriguing, but Krauss noticed a distinct lack of and paranormal-based technological apparatus.
Of course these ancient relics could have the effect desired, but Johann couldn't help but feel he was in the presence of two people who underestimated scientific advancements in paranormal areas. He personally found that an advanced or innovative bit of tech could come in just as handy as an old bit of wood and feathers.

This was something else he remained silent about.

Instead, he nodded quietly every now and then, his metallic mandibles clicking in a steady rhythm as he listened, regardless of his opinions.

[olive]

Nuala tucked a stray strand of hair behind her delicately pointed ear as she examined the amulet through her eyes. A small part of her wanted to hold it, to feel the cool metal against her bare palm and sense the information. This was a desire she ignore, and placated her senses by placing her hand against the maroon material of the sofa. She took a slow breath; as she exhaled the tilted her head to the side and her eyed settled upon the blue stone.

“Can this amulet guard against negative within one’s own mind? These nightmares are all from the thoughts of my brother…due to our psychic connection.” She chuckled bitterly and turned her eyes to Dr. Krauss. Though he had no eyes, she could sense he too was regarding the objects. His wordlessness unnerved her slightly and she began to worry that this endeavor was boring to him.

“I am willing to try almost anything…so long as there are no nasty side effects.” She pause and glanced between the two agents. “Is there anything you might suggest, Dr. Krauss? Any thoughts on my predicament.” She knew she was beginning to sound desperate, but set her embarrassment to the side for now. She could forgot her sense of pride for one night, especially if it meant a full night’s sleep.

[gyakusatsu]

Muller regarded the Princess with concern, the desperation in her voice was apparent and he felt truly empathetic toward her plight. His concern likely made his weary eyes seem all the more tired and pained.

He bowed his head in thought and contemplated the princesses words before getting back up off the couch and looking through his relics with renewed vigor.

The various trinkets scattered throughout his room were almost innumerable. It seemed that anywhere he looked, he had stored at least a dozen magical items...

Finally he returns to the couch, empty handed...

He waits for Krauss to finish his commentary before finally making a statement of his own...

"Well... I do happen to know one spell..."

[olive]

Dr. Krauss seemed to perk up a moment, as though he had forgotten something. To this sudden movement, Nuala looked up at Doctor in curiosity.

“Is something the matter, Dr. Krauss?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Fogive me, your highness, but I just remembered that I was in the middle of an experiment…silly me.” The ghostly man bowed, before turning on his heels and metallically stomped to Muller’s door. More fluidly than expected, he opened the door and made his leave.

“Good Night, Dr. Krauss.” Nuala called after him. She shortly turned her attention to Muller, and shrugged. “I suppose it must be very important.” She laughed and shrugged. “I suppose it must be very important.” She laughed away the awkward tension that filled the room with the departure of the senior agent.

Suddenly alone, Nuala began to question the propriety of the whole situation. However, she felt it would embarrass Mr. Muller if she were to call attention to it.

“So… Mr. Muller, you said you might know a spell? What sort of spell is it?”


[[[[ I apologize for the brevity, I've had a long day cleaning up my apartment]]]]