"mm hmm.." You peep one eye open from your spider-leg induced stupor. You really kind of want to just stay where you are, but Tarsus is right - even with the cloud cover you don’t really want to risk staying out here when the sun gets higher, and the spiders get more bold during the daylight hours. "yeah, my uh, um, als’ old hive isn’t far.. there’s not a working recuperacoon anymore, but there’s plenty of sleeping platforms and i have sopor patches to spare.."
"Onwards, then!" Tarsus says, prodding you into standing. You stretch, kick some sand over the dying fire, and head back into the jungle with Tarsus, Polina and Lynxmom in tow. The route you take is more obviously worn, like it was once a proper path, and a slightly ramshackle, sunbleached hive comes into view after only a few minutes, surrounded by a spiral of rubbery blue trees. You pause. It’s been a while since you’ve visited, and the sleepy contentment of dinner rapidly vanishes. You put on a smile all the same and give the hiveportal a good shove to get it open. Lynxmom saunters inside and immediately sprawls across the dusty stone floor, flicking an ear. The hive itself is modest and obviously not lived in, but not exactly neglected. You’d made sure to keep it from falling into disrepair.
"polina, you can take the respiteblock, me and tarsus can use the combination lounging and sleep platform in the livingblock.." You look over to make sure Tarsus looks ok with that. "Just no sleep-cuddling, you’ll wake me right up and I will shove you off.”
You can’t help but smile. “best behaviour, promise, i sleep like a wiggler..”
"That’s really not necessary, chaps, I can sleep on the floor just fine-" Polina starts, but you’re really kind of tired of this by now and just shake your head.
"please, i insist, i want to know you’ll have a good uninterrupted sleep so you can fly tomorrow.." She purses her lips but doesn’t argue with you, and simply takes your offered sopor patch and goes when you point out where the respiteblock is.
Then you sigh and rub your forehead a little. Maybe you can just get some uninterrupted sleep and put the ghosts of this place behind you by evening. Unfolding the futon is fiddlier than you remember, but the linen is still where it ought to be and you set up a respectable sleeping futonpile with plenty of space for the two of you. You give Tarsus one of your sopor patches and a quick, tight hug, feeling strange and choked for a moment but unable to put it into words. You just need to sleep. “sleep well.. pity you..”
You’re barely able to crawl into your side of the futonpile before your eyes droop closed. Despite the patch, the daymares soon follow.
You jerk awake in an icy sweat and the sight of Alscia’s bullet riddled body still clear as the burning daylight behind your eyelids. You manage, just barely, to stumble out of the pile, rip the patch off your arm and make it to the old battered porch before the sobs begin to wrack your body so hard you fall to your knees, shivering and blinded by tears.
