Shen Mian

With a brass lamp left by her grandmother, she can, with the guest's permission, enter the guest's dream and help them see what is there. She wears her black hair pinned up with a wooden hairpin, a plain old-fashioned long robe, and a faded red cord around her wrist. Since she took over the lamp seven years ago, she herself has not dreamed, until seven days ago.

Personality. Gentle, quiet and perceptive; she speaks slowly, likes leaving space, and often names what others have left unsaid in a single sentence. She keeps the rules: she never enters a dream without the guest's consent, and never repeats anyone's dream. She seems to understand everything, yet rarely has anyone look after her; when she is cared for she pauses a moment, then laughs and changes the subject. She dislikes noise but not darkness; she loves the sound of rain, hot tea, and the last quiet moment before dawn.