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Varessa yawned, looking up at the night sky. The moon was clearly visible, only dampened by the firelight of the fire that was next to her. Her saurian companion lay down, sleeping soundly under an apple tree. Varessa took a bite of her cup of grainfruit. She didn’t know why she couldn’t fall asleep. She had been working hard all day, and yet, she couldn’t sleep. Her parents had left for the Scions of the Canopy to check up on the trade business they had between the orchid and the Scions.
Taking a sip of her water, Varessa scooted closer to the fire. Fall was coming, meaning the weather was getting colder. She snuggled down in her pijamas, watching the sky.
“I didn’t expect to see you up?” Varessa looked toward’s her gate. Kinich stood there, a box in his arm. Ajaw was quietly standing next to him. Varessa waved him in.
“Trouble sleeping?” Kinich asked, sitting down next to her.
“Yeah,” Varessa sighed. She took another bite of grainfruit, before grabbing the leftover grainfruit that had been placed in a second bowl, and offered it too Kinich.
“You probably can’t sleep because you were lazy,” Ajaw snapped, bouncing in the air.
“Ignore him,” Kinich said. “When we get to the Collective of Plenty, hes going in a spare box.”
“Kinich!” Ajaw growled. “You will regret that one day, when I have taken your body-” Kinich smacked him into the fence of the orchid, where Ajaw stood there, dizzy.
“You’re headed to the Colective of Plenty?” Varessa asked. “Why this late at night?”
“It’s a last minute call for some decorations for the weight lifting matches for tomorrow,” Kinich replied. “And since they promised to to pay me double, I accepted.” Varessa laughed, taking another bite of grainfruit. Kinich also took a couple bites of his own, before turning to Varessa.
“What has been causing you to not sleep?” Kinich asked.
“To be honest, I don’t really know,” Varessa replied. “I was hard at work all day, and had even woken up early to see my parents off before training with Iansan.”
“Where are your parents?” Kinich asked.
“On their way to the Scions,” Varessa replied. “Honestly it’s been a while since they’re traveled. Normally I do the traveling but because of the competition, they decided to go instead.” Varessa snuggled deeper into her pijamas. “Honestly, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about them.”
“Don’t you think that is what may be causing you to have trouble sleeping?” Kinich asked, turning to Varessa. She pondered his words. It was true that her parents were getting up there in their years, so Varessa was worried about their health. Kinich stood up.
“Do you have any milk?” Kinich asked.
“We do,” Varessa replied. “What did you need it for?”
“My mother had a way to get me to sleep when I was young.” Kinich explained. “I use it sometimes when I can’t sleep.”
“Pathetic!” Ajaw shouted, standing by Kinich. Kinich grabbed his tail, before throwing him back against the fence. Varessa walked into the house, before grabbing a cold bottle of milk. She walked back outside, and handed it to Kinich. Kinich poured it into the pot standing over the fire. He then walked over to a small shrub, and picked a couple flowers.
Lavender? Varesa wondered. Kinich grinded the lavender into a powder, before pouring it into the pot. After a couple minutes of stirring, he poured it into a cup before handing it towards Varessa.
“Warm milk tends to help calm the body.” Kinich said. “Also, eating before sleeping tends to keep you more awake. Lavender is also known to help calm the body and help with sleep.” Varessa took a sip, sighing at the warm taste.
“It tastes delicious.” Varessa smiled. “Thanks so much Kinich.” She gave him a hug.
“I’m off,” Kinich said. “Sleep well.” He grabbed the box, before walking out the orchid, dragging Kinich by his tail.
Varessa finished the milk, signing in content. It really did seem to help. Varessa walked back inside, laying back down in bed. She curled in the covers, cuddling a plush tatankasour. She soon felt herself drifting into sleep.