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Apo was pacing the walls of the bridge. It was well past sundown by now, the only ones still awake were Pearl who lived for the night and Owen for some reason. Could it be that he doesn't trust them to not stab him while she slept?
Instead she sort of stood guard over the pacing avian.
Around her fourth lap Owen called out to her, “Do you plan on sleeping shortly? Surely being the champion of Morphios you would have no problem sleeping.”
Apo walked over to where he stood and sat down on the railing next to him.
She didn't really have problems with the whole falling asleep bit, more like it was a horrid reminder of when they stabbed her in the back. Of how her eyes became harder and harder to open while they made deals with the very tyrants she sought to destroy.
That and every bed she tried felt weird on her wings, the one place she did feel comfortable was when she was weaving together some blankets for the cold nights and was wrapped in them.
Thinking back it seemed more like a nest.
“Not really, no. But it’s too similar to death. And I can never get really comfy with these.” she gestured to her wings.
“Is there anything we can do?” she said, pointing towards Sausage and Pearl. She might have the same issues but maybe not as bad as Apo’s.
“Come on,” she got up and pulled Apo up beside him, “this is going to happen anyways no matter what so lets get you comfortable.”
“Ok but where are we going?”
“Birds like nests right? You have the parts of a bird so it only makes sense you are partial to nests.”
“Oh no no no I don't want to bother you with me needing a nest. Really I don't need one.”
Owen didn't seem to hear her pleas as she grabbed the pillows and blankets that he found as well. It was surprisingly high quality. Some scuffling up above made it obvious Pearl found out they were doing something.
She poked her head in, only slightly bumping it against the walls and when she asked what they were doing Owen simply said, ”Nest.”
Pearl got the hint when she saw Apo looking so uncomfortable and awkward because she joined in and started shaping the blankets into a circular formation. When they were done Apo looked at them with thankfulness.
They just made her experience so much more comfortable in this death game.
Pearl saw her hesitation at getting in so she first shoved Owen in, who landed with a pillowed thud, and then went over to Apo.
Without warning she tackled Apo in and the 2 girls went down with laughter and a squawk of surprise. Apo lay in the center of Pearl basically suffocating her with a hud and Owen probably getting a face full of feathers.
“Now why wouldn't you want to sleep in the first place? We have taken care of the sleeping arrangements but why the aversion to sleeping altogether?” Pearl asked.
“Well, do you guys remember your deaths?”
Sounds of agreement could be heard and the chilly breeze that blew in only prompted to tell her story.
“I was betrayed. And the feeling of sleep is so much like the feeling of dying it just is weird. I still get phantom pains in my stomach from where I was stabbed and left to bleed out.”
…
“I will personally go into the Stix and torture them myself for you.” Pearl said with not a trace of joking anywhere in her tone.
“I’m sorry you went through that.” Owen murmured through her wings.
“Don't be sorry. It’s over now. Still I really appreciate you guys doing this for me.”
“It’s fine. Now go to sleep I shouldn't have stayed up looking over you.”
Apo started to slip into the dreamscape she knew and usually despised. It always felt confining and scary. But now it felt like a relief. No longer plagued with the familiar visions of her last breaths as her friends' steady breathing around her kept her anchored.
It felt safe.
She felt safe.
Safer than she had been for a while.