((I prefer to look on the adorable side because if I don't I'll cry))
"I don't have much of a preference." Celeste said, reaching out to pet Pluto, who huffed happily. She was fine with him laying down, glad he was doing something at least close to resting. "Not when it comes to age." She watched Pluto, who drifted off with her scratching behind his ears, a soft and fond smile on her face.
(ah. True)
Soren nodded. "Anything you would prefer they did or didn't have or behave like?" He asked, still looking at the ceiling. He yawned again, covering his mouth with his hand. Mmph. Don't close my eyes, or I'll fall asleep. He thought tiredly.
“Not…too many questions. On bad days, it’ll-cause panic attacks.” Celeste admittedly quietly, glancing over at Soren. It didn’t take a genius to realize he was struggling to stay awake, and she sighed inaudibly.
Soren gave an exaggerated nod, trying to use the motion to keep himself awake. He sat up with a sigh. "If I lay down, I'm going to fall asleep." He explained, rubbing his face with his hands. "But i will find you a therapist in the morning that fits the credentials."
“Thank you. But Soren, I don’t mind if you fall asleep.” Celeste said softly, raising an eyebrow at the King. “It’s really all right. Plus…even asleep, the company is still there, which makes it easier to be less…worried. I’m not planning on sleeping any more tonight anyway, so don’t worry.”
"Okay." He replied, laying back down and yawning again. "The guards won't gossip." He said. "And…" His eyes popped open again. "Hang on. If…your nightmare was about a man, and men have done some… terrible things to you…why are you even okay with me being in here?" He blinked sleepily, looking about as threatening and dangerous as a puppy, which probably would make Mikhail sigh and shake his head.
“Because like I said, I won’t be sleeping. That means I’m always aware of what’s going on around me.” Celeste said, the corner of her mouth quirking up into a slight smile at his sleepy state. “And besides….you’re different. You’ve done nothing but respect my boundaries, and you just feel…safe, if that makes any sense. Besides, Pluto likes you, so…”
Soren nodded. "Ohh." He said. "And if the wolf likes me, i must be okay." He grinned. "But wolves like deer, too. To eat." He shrugged slightly, yawning again. The meds were really kicking in and trying to drag him back to sleep, and making him a little loopy, as well. His dark hair was messy and stuck up on his head.
Celeste raised an eyebrow at that, slightly confused but also finding the whole thing slightly amusing. "They do. Creatures need to eat, after all." She said with a nod, continuing to scratch behind Pluto's ears. She hummed softly to herself, a slow and soothing tune that her mother used to sing to her. A lullaby.
Soren nodded, eyes flickering closed. He yawned again, rolling onto his side with his arms curled up. "Gonna put me to sleep if you keep that up." He mumbled sleepily, eyes opened slightly to look over at her.
"Maybe that's the point. You need to sleep, Soren." Celeste said, pausing her humming only to speak before resuming her humming. She stretched her free hand up, stretching her arm out before dropping it back onto her lap as the humming changed to soft singing.
"Mm." Soren grumbled, eyes flickering shut again. Within a few minutes, he had fallen asleep. In his sleep, the near permanent worry line between his eyebrows smoothed out, and he looked far younger than he did awake. He looked less like his worries weighed him down, more like the 24 year old he was.
"Blessed dreams, Soren." Celeste whispered, smiling at his sleeping form before returning to singing in her mother's tongue. Carefully, she shifted Pluto's head so she could stand, picking up a book from the stack on the desk on the wall and settling back down to read, still singing. She'd be in for a long night, but that was something she was used to. She'd be fine.
((Skip on ahead now?))
Soren kept sleeping, curled up a bit on his side.
(Sure. Do you want to go to that morning, or to a few days later for the Dragon Festival?)
((Which do you think would be better? Soren's reaction to waking up in her bed, despite nothing happening at all, might be fun.))
(oof yes let's do that XD)
Celeste blinked a few times, sitting up from where she'd been leaning against the headboard of the bed, registering the sunlight filtering in through the window. She had managed a light doze a few hours ago, so she wasn't as tired as she could be, though she had managed to read three different books in the time it took for dawn to break.
Rubbing at her eyes and blissfully unaware of the bedhead she still sported from when she had slept, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, standing and stretching her arms high enough for her sleeping shirt to rise, showing just a sliver of skin, and a glimpse of some of the scars on her back. It's not too late. Soren needs as much sleep as he can get, so I'll let him sleep.
Soren was still asleep. He had slept through the night without waking up. He shifted slightly, eyes flickering open slightly. "Mmph." He blinked again, rubbing his eyes with his hands, then sat up. He looked around. "Wait…this isn't my room." He said slowly, voice drowsy. "This is…" He looked at Celeste. "Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sleep in here all night."
"'S alright." Celeste assured, her voice slurred by non-use as she continued stretching. "Least you slept. 'N' I promise I didn't cast any-any witchy shit on you." She had, in fact, momentarily forgotten the word 'spell', focused on the crackling of her joints from sitting in the same position so long, and the pleasant burn in her muscles as she stretched them.
"Okay." He replied simply, stretching and yawning slightly. "Thanks." He chuckled softly. He kept stretching, still a little embarrassed that he had slept in her bed. "Mmph. Therapist." He commented. "I'll take care of that later." He swung his legs down to the side of the bed.
"Like I said, as long as it's not an inconvenience." Celeste added, dropping her arms and subsequently her shirt as she looked over at him. "And that means for you, too. If it gets in the way of anything you need to do. Pluto, have you seen my hairbrush?" The answering boof sent her over to the desk, moving aside things in the piles of papers and books and jars and dried plants, until she pulled out her hairbrush.
Soren nodded. "Alright." He replied. "But i really have nothing going on today. So." He shrugged. "No, wait. I have the final fitting for the Dragon Festival outfit." He snapped his fingers slightly, giving a soft sigh. "Oh boy." He rubbed his face with his hands. "Mmph."
"Oh that's right! I'm excited for that to get here." Celeste said, unbraiding her hair quickly and beginning to tug her bush through it. "It's such a big deal to everyone I've talked to, it must be quite something. I can't imagine the fitting are the most exciting part though.
Soren nodded. "Mhm. It's really an interesting festival." He replied with a small smile. "It's been going on for a long time. Food, dancing, i walk around shirtless for the whole day, uhm…fun stuff." He chuckled softly, raking a hand through his hair and making his bedhead even worse.
That drew a laugh out of Celeste, who finished brushing out the tangles in her odd hair and tossed the brush onto the bed near Soren. “I’m sure walking around shirtless is fun. The dancing sounds even more so though.” Her eyes lit up slightly, and she began humming a more upbeat tune than last night as she searched for her shoes, which had gone missing at some point last night.