Ignorance Is Bliss ~ Ignorance Is Bliss ~
She lounged, for there is no other word, in a place not of the corporeal world, but not detached from it either. Like a one-way window, she studied the human world at her will and remained forever hidden to them.
It was her curse, and it was her gift. Flicking a wispy fold of a pale white gauzy material back over her legs, Adrasteia was forced to admit she was bored. She hadn’t agreed to that when she’d become a muse, nor the absolute isolation, yet she was bound to a single person and could only stray so far before some invisible restraint halted her. Her temper, always short, flared, and gone were the wisps of white. Cloaked in a deep, blood red, Adrasteia glanced toward her human, still bend over some ridiculous, boring piece of writing, and glared disdainfully around her. She, used to only the finest and most beautiful of everything, was stuck in some dingy old library where booths were half-covered in peeling green carpet and chipped butter-yellow paint. To amuse herself, she started humming a song, but even that wasn’t allowed, for the human only pushed the song from her mind. For all the twinkling stars in the milky black sky, why didn’t they give up their boring activities and pursue something more enjoyable. The human was only giving herself a headache, and she knew the human had enough of those. Brittany. Not just the human, but Brittany. Thank the divine winds Adrasteia had been able to influence the mother enough to gift the child with a worthy name. It was too bad all the silly chit could think of was that it meant From Britain. As if. Looking out the narrow window, for Adrasteia could only occasionally actually see through things, she sighed. The human was wasting a beautiful day, wrapped up in her books and classes. The delicate paleness of the blue sky, and the wisps of the white clouds, called to her. Bid her dance on the sparkling snow and thank the white-gold sun for her warming rays. Speaking of which, Adrasteia pulled a fistful of thick, silky white-gold hair over her shoulder and frowned, her tongue caught between her teeth. There. She tossed the now-black locks over her slim, translucently glowing shoulder and once again considered her surroundings. Dull. The human scowled and looked around. Bor-ring. A heavy sigh as she bent back over her book. Too dry, Adrasteia communicated, floating down to rest extremely long-fingered and delicate looking hands on Brittany’s tense back. Brittany yawned and looked longingly out the window. Turned the page. Adrasteia, if she’d been able, would have choked the human. She wished she’d never been stuck with such a strong-minded, stubborn, opinionated charge. They were too much alike for any good to come of it. The red cloth faded to a deep, mourning blue, and Adrasteia went back to her lounging with a lusty sigh. It was probably best she couldn’t reach the human just then. No doubt she’d just want to write another sketch, or another of those dragoners, and Adrasteia was getting tired of watching the characters develop only so far before being cut off. She turned to watch when she felt a burst of joy from the human, and watched as she let some little bug with red wing-covers and two tiny black spots crawl on her hand. The human obviously took pleasure in seeing the tiny creature, though Adrasteia couldn’t understand why. It was just an insignificant little bug, after all. Her mood continued to darken, as she had to listen to another boring lecture, watch the human hand in another constraining essay, and then wait as the human talked unnecessarily and dawdled around the house. If she was not appreciated, she would just not provide any inspiration for the next few days, and then see what would happen if she offered some insightful and tantalizing tidbit for writing. She imagined moodily that someone like Aristotle or Socrates, or maybe that Shakespeare, would have been much easier to get along with. Though they had been so old-fashioned at the time. At least the human was more open to new and radical ideas. When she found time to actually listen. At night, now that was Adrasteia’s favourite time. The human would eventually fall asleep, and Adrasteia could spend hours absolutely flooding her mind with ideas, ideals, desires, and scenarios. She could spin a romance, or drop her into the middle of a fantasy, and not have to worry about competing with books and professors and gabbing friends. She was in charge. And she had a wonderful idea. Though she rarely did it, Adrasteia, on occasion, gave herself a set form and entered the human’s dreams. And this was such a fun one to watch, especially once the human started thinking up things as well, and especially since that day had been painfully dull. Looking around, Adrasteia nodded at the surroundings of the dream, which were deliciously crisp and clear. Thanks be to the girl’s vivid imagination and coloured dreams. She couldn’t stand black and white. “Are you coming?” Brittany asked fearfully. “We can’t stay here. Not in the dark.” “Of course,” Adrasteia answered, equally soft, thrilled at the interaction and more than willing to play a part. “As long as no one realizes where we’ve been, we’ll be fine,” Brittany was saying. “And if someone knew?” A deep voice asked from behind them, and Adrasteia jumped and let out a gasp of surprise. Brittany kept going. “You’ve been bending the rules, Adrasteia.” The man loomed and Adrasteia waved mockingly. “Everyone enters their charges dreams from time to time,” she replied, still within the dream and eager to get back to it. The surroundings began to go black as Brittany’s dream halted and she started to wake. “No!” Adrasteia shouted angrily, trying to leave her awakening charges already whirling mind. The man held her back. “I have to go! What will she do without a muse?” Adrasteia begged, pulling futilely on the thick arm. “An essence, almost like a telepathic connection, will exist. You will still be able to help her.” “What are you doing to me?” Adrasteia asked, not fearfully, but angrily. No one interfered with her charge. The man smiled. “You have another calling, now. Be happy.” And he shot forward and shoved.