nighttime wanderings of a girl trapped in dreams
It had been a long night fleeing the Thunder Plains with the wind in their face. Small feet delicately poked at the ground beneath the bed, searching in the dark for a comfy pair of purple slippers. Dreams had been coming more frequently now, dreams she did not understand completely. The clouds were beginning to clear letting glimpses of moonlight in but it did not soothe her. As she peeked out into the hallway, the hushed voices of adults still awake echoed softly.
"Thinking of getting any rest tonight?"
"No, they're probably still on our a**."
It was a rare moment of down time for the two loudest members of the team, the teen could hear and it comforted her a little to know they weren't so reckless and clueless all the time. But she hoped a break in the chase would come soon to give their pilot a chance to recharge. There wasn't a high level of danger at the moment but after a recent encounter with the governmental agents, it sounded like Cian was on edge and determined to put distance between the Triple Point and the Absolute Zero.
But Naomi was certain neither man would be much help deciphering her dream, their wisdom lie elsewhere and so she tiptoed further down the hall. The young mage was certain Eric would know more about this, he had collections of information about strange things such as this. By now she was old enough and smart enough to know he did not know everything but Naomi still felt he was wiser than he let on. The thief had an enigmatic way about him that no one seemed to understand.
"Crr, ed'c ymnekrd. Drao fuh'd veht ic. Oui'na ugyo." *Shh, it's alright. They won't find us. You're okay.
"P-p-pid, ed fyc cu lmuca, E fyc clynatttt-" *B-b-but, it was so close, I was scaredddd-
The voices of the Al Bhed passengers were muffed through the closed door and she did not understand the words. But the tones, Naomi understood those clearly. The adults around here didn't give her enough credit, in her opinion. Amie was crying, most likely wrapped around Eric's body in a desperate snakelike fashion while the group's leader held her gently and whispered words of comfort only a fellow victim of persecution could understand. It had to be scary, the black mage reflected, to wake up each day afraid you wouldn't be where you'd fallen asleep. It felt wrong to intrude on a moment like this, even if she had her own unanswered questions, and so she sleepily began to walk back towards her room.
"Naomi? You're still awake?" A smooth voice cut through the air with a hint of concern but somehow Ilex seemed not very surprised by her night owl behavior. It was becoming apparent to the rest of the crew that despite her youthful appearance and age, the girl was fiercely trying to keep up with the rest of them. And that meant her bedtime as well.
"J-just heading to bed. Sorry if I woke you." He'd appeared practically out of nowhere! Hugging her moogle closer to her chest, Naomi tried to calm the startled pace of her heart. Something about Ilex seemed to drift and float in and out of the spotlight and this ability proved useful for sneaking up on people as he had done. Bowing her head in apology, the quiet spoken girl honestly thought her timid footsteps had roused the blonde man from his sleep.
"Quite alright. Sleep well." A perfectly groomed eyebrow raised in amusement at her awkwardness. He offered a smile to let her know he wasn't bothered and moved aside to let her pass. Ilex did not move from his position in the hallways other than that, he still had a little more eavesdropping to do. Especially on the heathen blondes nearby. Naomi wasn't the only one interested in 'learning' Eric's wisdom...
Padding her way to her room, she glanced at one of the many closed doors, pondering if it would be alright to slip inside and ask for some comfort. Her dream had not been terrifying but it had been unsettling, to continue having these similar dreams and being unable to escape them. She longed to go back to the dreams of the serene and graceful woman she'd seen in the temple, her elegant face and innocent eyes. The mysteries surrounding the identity of the stone maiden back home had brought forth the most magnificent dreams she'd ever had and now they were replaced with a monstrously large winged beast.
"What kind of bird has wings like a bat anyway?" Naomi muttered to herself, passing by the living room area. Maybe the dreams didn't mean anything. Maybe it was all her overactive imagination. Her parents had warned her about keeping away from ancient ruins and silly dreams, perhaps they had known how affected she would be by them.
"Wings like a bat? On a bird?" Peering up from behind that slightly suspicious journal of hers, a purple head of hair paused her drawing. The black mage eyes her nervously from the doorway. If she said anymore, Taika might keep her up longer asking questions about the beast in order to sketch it in her travel log. The gun mage seemed very keen on capturing as many images as possible and Naomi was still slightly afraid to see how the researcher had sketched her.
"N-nothing. Good night!" Taika gave her a mix between a frown and a pout as she fled down the hall and through the closed door. The room was mostly dark but she could make out the form of a curled body lightly breathing. Shy steps in his direction, she tried hard not to make any loud noises as the beserker's instincts were dangerous. Should she alarm him awake, she'd most likely end up slammed against the wall with a claw holding her neck against it. A small soft hand wrapped around his right shoulder and shook him delicately, waiting for those dark eyes to open.
"... Naomi?" He sounded groggy, having been woken just after finally fading to sleep. A long arm reached up and wrapped around her in a dazed embrace with the warm affection of a protective brother.
"I-I had a strange dream." Normally she tried harder to sound strong and independent (if one acted that way, they'd eventually feel it too, right?) but around Desta, her guard lowered and the uncomfortable feelings she'd been cooping up spilled out. Wordlessly, his arm dragged her down closer to his side and she was soon tangled alongside him in his trademark ribbon.
"Tell me about it tomorrow. You can sleep here tonight..." His voice was softer than a mumble now, exhausted from the panicked events of the day but his arm was strong and comforting. Despite the frosty exterior he projected with his emotional indifference, the warmth in his actions came through to express the fondness and platonic attachment between them. It was nice, Naomi thought, to have someone she could be around and feel okay even just sitting in silence. It was rare to feel safe on this journey with the unpredictable obstacles and companions around her.
Wrapping the blanket around herself, she drifted away, no longer unnerved by the beast that awaited her.
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-so touched, there's no words to say-