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Lumine has been reading and rereading the same sentence for a few minutes now and she cannot process one word further. Writers with such tortuous language are fools and readers choosing to read them are bigger fools. In her defence, the cover had interested her. It looked it had the right amount of boringness in it to put her to sleep. Instead, it turned out to be infuriating and she is wide awake in the dead of the night. The bedside lamp seems quite bright now. She reaches out and switches it off. The room falls suddenly too quiet and too dark. Paimon's light snores only amplifies the silence. Lumine gives her eyes some time to adjust. She slips out of the bed and dragging her sheet across the floor as she softly pads towards the window.
Outside, it would not be an exaggeration to say Apam woods is bathed in the white moonlight. The soft glow had invaded past the deep foliage to reach the ground. The grass looks more silver than green. The silver blades shimmered as a light breeze disturbed the serene moonlit vista. Lumine removed the clasp of the window as gently as possible. Trying to be as silent as possible. Rusty panes can be really loud.
The breeze caressed her locks. She lets her eyes flutter close and rested her cheek against the cool glass. It is true light does not give a tactile sensation. You confirm its presence via a rise in temperature. Yet, the moonlight that night felt like a lover's touch. An involuntary shudder ran through Lumine. She tightened the sheet around her, tucked her chin into her chest and took a deep breathe. The sweet petrichor filled her lungs. She exhales till she can feel her lungs empty and then some more till her stomach has reached its maximum contraction. She imagines the thing that keeps her up at night leave her body. Lifting her head, she gazes ahead.
A faint outline of a camp can be made out. The fire is still burning and the lamps are not out. Must be some eremites having a jolly time. With life as bleak as this, you cannot help but sing and dance while you can. She preferred telling stories by the fireside. Even during a blizzard in Dragonspine, no less. But... No, no. She will not go that way. She looks up at the moon one last time before closing the window. Soft expletives on her lips.
Lumine slips beside Paimon in the bed. Paimon is sleeping with her back to her. She notices how small her head is. How does she have so much energy? She can sleep when she wants to and can eat when she wants to and as much as she wants to. She is so small. A wave of protectiveness washes over her. She will train harder. She will protect everyone she holds dear. Nothing like that incident will happen again. And if it does, she will go to heaven and hell to bring them back. Back to her. She tucks Paimon's head under her chin as she cuddles her. She bends her left arm under her head and rests her right arm over Paimon. Paimon's hand finds Lumine's pinky of right hand. Probably, her arms will be cramped in the morning but right now she is content and at peace and that is what matters. She allows her eyes to close.