Novia once again finds herself in the Astral Plane, but this time, with a new burning question for Saturn that weighs heavy on her shoulders. She knows if she wants to be able to talk to Basil alone— and without a certain tabaxi ruining it— that she needs to learn how to do whatever the hells Saturn does to bring her here. She knew she forgot something and specifically went back to sleep after her trance just to ask Saturn about it.
She picks a direction and starts walking, knowing she'll eventually reach her destination no matter what way she went. Her socked feet muffle each of her steps on the smooth, shiny floor. It’s so incredible that something that looks so simple as a floor of glass can keep something like the trench locked away. Eventually, she finally sees her destination. It looks the same as last time but Novia swears she sees even more pillows and blankets added to it. In the center, sits Saturn in comfortable loose pajamas. They’re gently cradling their cat plush, Infra, as pointed dark nails attempt to braid its fur. Void looks up at the sound of footsteps.
“Novia! I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon. What can I do for you?” Saturn says, setting aside Infra to give Novia their full attention.
“Hey again,” Novia says softly, “I have an important request, if you don’t mind”
Saturn tilts their head slightly, “What can I do for you?”
“I need to talk to Basil, privately, and I can’t when there’s a cat constantly hovering over her shoulder all hours of the day.” Novia sighs, just reflecting on how annoying Neo has been recently makes her want to… want to… she doesn’t know yet but for Omne’s sake would it kill him to let her talk to Basil for one second?! They’re roommates and now she barely even sees Basil in her room anymore. And who knows how much of it is Neo and how much of it is Basil avoiding her. All she wants is to set the record straight and actually talk to Basil. Why is that so difficult?!
“You want to drag her to the Astral Plane for a chat?” Saturn asks with a smile, softening their voice as they look at Novia’s pained expression.
“Yeah… Yeah I think that’s the only way I’m going to get some privacy. Especially since I don’t want Neo to know my… involvement… with you.”
Saturn dramatically drapes them self across Novia’s shoulder, “Oh you wound me little star. Keeping me a secret from your friends,” Saturn says with a giggle. Novia laughs too and void looks pleased at their results.
After their giggles die down, Saturn straights, “Alright, I’ll teach you how to pull people to the Astral Plane. People call it a lot of things but my favorite is Dream Catching. It’s got charm to it.”
“Dream Catching… sounds interesting. How do I do it?” Novia asks, leaning slightly forward into Saturn’s space.
Void sits up straight and crosses their legs, the tip of their tail idly swinging. They rest their hands on their knees and take a deep breath.
“Follow what I do,” they whisper, afraid to break the peaceful atmosphere.
Novia copies their posture and closes her eyes, breathing in the crisp fresh air for the Astral Plane.
“Feel the Ethereal Floor under you, not physically, but just it’s presence.”
Novia’s mind reaches out and feels the sturdy presence of the floor. Despite it looking like glass, it certainly isn’t made of glass. It feels more like…
“The Arcane.” Novia breathes out a whisper. The floor is made of the Arcane. Intricate weaves of complex magic stitched together so beautifully and delicately Novia wouldn’t even know where to begin finding the beginning.
“Now go farther, dip into the Abyssal Trench, feel the threads that connect us all.
Novia internally tilts her head at that but does as void says, reaching out deeper, below the floor and into the Trench and struggles to find what Saturn is talking about.
“What threads Saturn? I didn’t even know magic could be felt this way before. It’s… very overwhelming.” Novia says, resisting the urge to peak her eye open to look at Saturn.
“This is the basis of all magic little star. It’s just so tightly woven no one bothers trying to figure it out, or even has the time to do so. To understand would take lifetimes that people just don’t have. They can use it yes, but they never truly question where it comes from or how it works.” Saturn whispers, sounding a bit wistful.
“How about just starting with feeling the thread that connects us together. That might be a little easier then my usual way. We already have a connection so it’s easier to call upon me and vis versa compared to someone you don’t know well.”
Novia nods although she knows Saturn can’t see it, “Alright, yeah, I can try that.”
She focuses on Saturn’s presence beside her, feels their connection and their companionship in these rough times. That solid, stable support she’s gotten from Saturn that she hasn’t had since she last saw her parents. Even with her eyes closed, its almost like she can see the bright golden line connecting her to her half sibling.
“I think I feel it.” Novia says shakily, trying to talk and concentrate on the thread is tough.
“Good. Keep focusing on it. I’m going to leave for a second while you keep going and then I want you to tug on it when it feels ready. Got it?”
Novia hears shuffling but doesn’t take her attention away from the thread, “Wait, what do you mean by when it feels ready?” she asks slightly frantic, but receives no answer in return. Saturn already left.
She breathes and continues to do as Saturn told her. She feels the connection get farther but never thinning or breaking. Then she feels a presence. Like someone’s picked up the voice call but hasn’t said anything yet, waiting for you to say something first.
She pulls, tugging at the connection between her and Saturn. Golden thread braiding together but with some stray threads, broken and black. It reminds Novia a bit of the threads she saw Mercury pull out of the bead. She’s too busy tugging on the connection to concentrate on how the thread looks but eventually she hears a sound next to her and she opens her eyes.
She sees Saturn, looking slightly ruffled but in tact, and more importantly, in the Astral Plane. Novia huffs out a breath in exhaustion and amazement. She can’t believe she actually did it.
“I’m here in one piece! Nicely done little star.” Saturn throws a soft smile towards Novia before plopping down on the comfortable bedding.
Novia joins void and finally relaxes all her muscles. She’ll no doubt wake up sore tomorrow but it would be worth it if she could talk to Basil privately— and maybe one day she’ll get good enough at it to give Neo a small fright during his dreams.
“Thank you Saturn, truly. This means the universe to me.”
“Oh course darling. Anything you need, I’m here.”