Get Some Sleep

At present, it was a wonder Blue was standing. For days now, she'd been subjected to the whims of the Codex Crystal with an almost constant stream of information. It was as though the crystal was rearranging Blue's mind to house it all, far too much for one person to think about all of the time. It made it hard to determine what was reality when she could see so many memories at the same time. She was starting to think it would make her go mad.

She wasn't going to complain. This was for the greater good, and she'd always said she believed in doing the right thing. She'd been drafted into this war but if she didn't play along, a lot of innocent people would be the ones suffering for it. Keeping her focus strong was the only coping skill she could employ. Alcohol was right out, since she was already dizzy and nauseous.

Plus, she knew all this stuff now. Like, lots of stuff, more stuff than she could have before comprehended. That was saying something, since Blue was possessed of a remarkable memory and a thirst for knowledge. She knew all about the crystals and their first owners, and the Library of Skye, where nelfkins had worked as librarians. She knew about her people, everything that had been lost. She knew about everyone else too, the fairies and the elves, the humans, the dwarves, even the wild beasts.

This Leffi, who had owned the Codex once, was a rather worldly person. Blue had traveled a lot and read whatever she could get her hands on, but Leffi was on another level. The elf had traveled the realm for the express purpose of learning. She'd immersed herself in other cultures. She'd lived a full life, for what time she'd had.

Next to this person, Blue felt terribly inadequate. Her ears drooped as she walked, so she pulled up her hood to hide them. The hood also helped to block out the bright sun, which was starting to give her a headache on top of it all.

She glanced curiously over at Alaster, who hadn't said anything to her since her conversation with Skye. The fairy, it turned out, had been looking at her, but he turned bright red and quickly looked away, muttering under her breath, so Blue took pity on him and didn't ask about it. It was nice that he was paying attention, anyway. She'd been starting to think that no one would notice her rather uncharacteristic lethargy.

When they finally stopped for the night to rest, Blue eagerly broke off from the group for a little quiet in the woods. Her ears were ringing and she was, frankly, exhausted. She was less dizzy now than she had been, so that was something, but she felt like she could sleep for days. She was kind of afraid to go to sleep, actually, because what if she just couldn't wake up again until she was sufficiently recovered? And Jill knew how long that would take. Yeah, probably days.

If she was unconscious for days, it was hard to fucking tell what trouble this bunch would get themselves into. No, that simply was not an option.

“Nelfkin? The hell are you doing out here?” Alaster's voice interrupted Blue's thoughts and she scowled at him. Hadn't it been obvious that she wanted to be alone? “Look, are you alright? Not that I care, I just... You looked like you could use a drink.”

“Booze isn't the answer to everything,” she snapped as she turned around to look at him. She blinked when she saw that he was offering her his water canteen. “Oh. Actually, that probably would help. Uh, thanks Al.”

“Yes, you're welcome,” Alaster sneered, but he handed over his canteen. He was frowning, as per usual. Another time, Blue might have found it endearing. Right now, she was just too tired.

She made a decision and took a seat on the ground, too tired to stay upright at this point. Patting the forest floor next to her, she said, “Come over here and talk to me. I don't think it's a good idea for me to go to sleep right now and if someone doesn't talk to me, I might just pass out anyway.”

“What?” Alaster panicked, his brow creasing in concern. “Why can't you go to sleep? Is it that damn crystal's fault?”

Blue cracked a smile. “Yours messed with your head, didn't it?”

“Indeed. It was horrible.” Alaster lowered himself to the ground and sat cross-legged. “However, you look more like you just got the shit kicked out of your mind by an evil warlock. Trust me, I know the look when I see it.”

Blue shook her head. “I suppose I can see the similarities, but it's not quite like what happened to you with Detraf, it's not an attack, it's just... It's too much, all at once. I know all of these things that I'm pretty sure I shouldn't know, and frankly, I don't know what to do with it all. My mind is just tired from thinking about all of this new stuff. I'm afraid that if I go to sleep, it'll be a while before I wake up again.”

“Oh.” Alaster picked at an invisible thread on the sleeve of his tunic. Looking at him a little closer, Blue noticed the dark circles beneath his eyes that were even more prominent than usual. He looked as tired as she felt.

“You idiot, you're not sleeping, are you?”

He blinked at her in surprise. “What? Of course I'm sleeping. ...Sometimes.”

“Sometimes? Like when? Like when you pass out from sheer exhaustion because a mortal body can only go without sleep for so long?” Blue jabbed him in the shoulder disapprovingly, and then drank the last of the water in the canteen before handing it back to him. “Cain't say I blame you. Who knows if that bastard could catch you like that again? If it was me, I doubt I'd be able to sleep at all.”

Her companion's complexion was quite pale now, more so than usual. Alaster swallowed and looked away from her.

“Then you understand,” he said.

“Understanding it don't mean I approve.” Blue jabbed his shoulder again. “You have to sleep. Don't be stupid.”

“So do you,” Alaster pointed out. “Look, go to sleep. If you don't wake up in the morning, I'll, I dunno, visit your dreams and make you wake up.”

“You do not know that you could actually do that,” said Blue.

“It worked with Artemis,” Alaster defended.

“Jill, I can't believe you.”

“Shut up and sleep, woman. If you pass out tomorrow, I'm sure as hell not carrying you.”

Blue burst out laughing at the thought of Alaster carrying her. Alaster gave her a dirty look and it only made her laugh harder. She reached out and patted his knee comfortingly.

“Sorry, Al, it's just, well, you're not the strongest fella here, are you?” she said as her laughter faded to chuckles. “Okay, I'll sleep so you don't have to carry me.”

“I said I wasn't going to carry you,” Alaster grumbled.

“Yeah, you always say one thing when you mean the exact opposite. I've got you figured out now.” Blue grinned at the fairy, then settled down on the ground to use her pack as a headrest. “You get some sleep too, Al. If anything's going to happen, you might as well face it. Don't let the fucker have the satisfaction of making you afraid.”

Her eyelids were already drooping. She was so tired. Maybe she'd wake up on the morrow refreshed, and able to actually use the Codex Crystal for a change.

“Sure, nelfkin,” Alaster replied. He reclined against a tree, looking like he had no intention of closing his eyes unless he absolutely had to. “Shut up and go to sleep already.”

–

“What do you think they're doing over there?” asked Artemis. The rest of the group had made a campfire and now they were playing a card game with a deck of cards that Sir Gwuryn carried. He called the game 'gin rummy,' and was presently in the lead.

Fae cast a glance over at Alaster and Blue. “Oh, they're just talking. They've been doing that lately, isn't it nice? I think they've decided to be friends.”

“Bizarre,” said Kniles, arching an eyebrow.

“I think they're cute friends!” said Zi with a broad smile, which melted into a frown as she examined her hand of cards.

“They're making out,” said Gwuryn.

“What? No they're not. I can see them, they're literally right there.” Kniles scratched his head in confusion.

“Maybe they're not making out yet,” said Gwuryn. “I give it a week, tops. Rummy on the board.”

“Damn it,” cursed Shadow and she commenced to gnawing on the edges of her cards in agitation.

“I don't understand,” said Zi, blinking.

Artemis sighed and rolled her eyes. “The nelfkin and the fairy are falling in love. It's so cliché.”

“You guys!” Fae scolded them. “I think it's cute, leave them alone.”

“If anyone is interested, I'm open to falling madly in love with any of you charming ladies,” Gwuryn offered cheerfully.

“Somehow, I find it within my power to resist that tempting offer,” replied Artemis before laying down all of her cards and winning the hand.

- Rachel