“Don’t worry about it.” I sink into my cloud chair. “I need your help. Have you seen the movie Catwoman?”
He plops onto the therapy couch. “It’s crap.”
Pom appears next to me, and I idly fluff his fur. “I don’t need your skills as a movie critic. I’m going into the dream of someone who saw this movie, and I need details.”
“I think it had like a three point three out of ten on IMDb,” he says, looking askance at Pom. “Halle Berry, the star of the film, was dishonored with a Razzie award for her performance.”
“Okay, so it sounds like you at least know the actress who was in it.” I lean forward. “What does she look like?”
He regards me thoughtfully. “A bit like you, actually.”
Pom turns a curious light orange as I place him on my lap and tell Felix, “How about you picture her in your mind, so I can see for myself?”
I give him a moment before shooting him with a burst of power.
An attractive woman appears next to Pom. She’s wearing the kind of leather suit that vampire addicts often wear back on Gomorrah. Must be the infamous catsuit.
Pom wrinkles his furry nose. “She doesn’t look at all like Bailey.”
I wistfully file away those perfect cheekbones into memory. “Yeah, she’s way prettier.”
“If you really need the plot, ask Ariel,” Felix says, oblivious. “She loves anything to do with Batman and wouldn’t have missed that movie no matter how bad it was.”
“Good idea,” I say. “Stay here and talk to Pom. I’ll be back.”
Before either of them can say anything, I return to the tower to see if Ariel is sleeping.
I’m in luck—she’s here.
I touch her forehead and enter her dream.
An orc is throwing a giant fist at Ariel’s jaw. She dodges it, pulls a huge knife from somewhere, and spears his fist in a swift motion. The orc roars and tries to kick her—but she dodges that too.
Wow. Ariel is very good at this, even adjusting for the embellishment so common in dreams. I might visit her dreams later to learn some of her fighting tricks. For now, I need to pick her brain, so I gently help her defeat the orc, and when he falls down, I step in front of her.
“Bailey.” Ariel sheathes her knife. “What are you doing here?”
I smile. “And where is here?”
Ariel strains to answer but doesn’t come up with anything.
“It’s common not to question the location of a dream,” I say.
She examines the dead orc. “This is a dream?”
“Orcs don’t come to Earth.” I make the dead body disappear. “Also, why would one attack you?”
“Right, it is a dream.” Her perfectly smooth forehead creases. “Is it time for my therapy?”
“No, I need you for something.” I guide her to my cloud office, where Felix and Pom are floating in the air over a game of checkers.
“Oh, hey, Felix. And Pomsie!” Ariel snatches my furry symbiont from the air, grinning like a five-year-old opening a present. “I missed you.”
Pom turns the deep purple of happiness in her arms.
Whew. At least it’s not coral pink. It would be a bit awkward, though understandable, if he got turned on by Ariel. I guess their love is platonic, at least on Pom’s side. They met after I’d decided Ariel might benefit from something akin to pet therapy, and they got along so well that I eventually had to ask Pom to avoid her sessions, lest she do nothing but pet him nonstop.
“Did Ariel tell you?” Felix’s unibrow dances a jig on his forehead.
“Tell her what?” Ariel clutches Pom tighter.
“Catwoman.” Felix looks from me to her. “Bailey wanted to know the plot of that atrocity.”
“I didn’t get a chance to explain.” I plop into my chair. “Have you seen that movie?”
She squeezes Pom again. If he weren’t a dream creature, her enthusiastic smooshing might’ve broken his back by now. “Felix knows I have.”
“Told you.” Felix grins at me. “Probably liked it, too.”
“I did not.” Done with squeezing, she gently scratches Pom’s belly, which promptly turns blue.
“You liked Batman and Robin.” Felix sprawls on the therapy couch. “That isn’t much better.”
“Liked is a strong word.” She gives Pom the under-the-chin scratch that cats like so much. “In my defense, it had Batman in it. And George Clooney. And—”
“Guys, I need the plot of Catwoman for an important job,” I say. “Please.”
Ariel casts a warning glare at Felix and launches into a summary of the movie.
“Thanks,” I say when she’s done. “Now I can leave you all to hang out here as I take care of my business, or I can let you wake up. Whichever you prefer.”
“I’ll stay,” Felix says.
“Me too.” Ariel rubs her cheek against Pom’s fur.
“And me,” Pom purrs.
Felix motions to the cloud and the ocean below. “How will this work?”.
“When I’m done with my business, I’ll wake myself up,” I say. “And because I pulled you in, you’ll disappear from here at that point, which means waking up.”