Chapter 40: CHAPTER XXVIII – Grievous Mistakes

After settling down into their hammock, Rhystea and Sphaere both instructed Cekell to peek into their dreams and explained that they wanted him to be able to communicate more with words, and less with chirps and squeaks. He didn’t need to unravel the entirety of the English language from their minds, but they did want him to be able to at least plainly speak up and hold a simple conversation.

While Cekell had some reservations, he was largely unopposed to the idea, not that he would voice more than a chirp of affirmation, which both of his caretakers derided with a giggle. This was not lost on Cekell, who glared silently back at them, knowing full well what they were getting at. They responded with comments of, “Got somethin’ ta say?” and, “Well, speak up!” followed by self satisfied laughter.

Not taking the bait that wasn’t so much dangled before him as it was flaunted at him, Cekell curled up silently between them and waited for them to drift off to sleep. Before his caretakers would succumb to the sweet repose of rest, they had a chat - mostly directed at Cekell so he wouldn’t be so worried about accidentally waking them up; that they more or less knew what was coming and did not fault him for digging up parts of their past, even if they found it uncomfortable. This was the fastest and easiest way for him to learn to speak, and that was an objective he would be better off attaining sooner rather than later.

However, Rhystea kept tip toeing around Sphaere in the conversation, while constantly casting glances her way. This did not go unnoticed to Sphaere, who quickly deduced that Rhystea wanted to ask her about her past, and after a sigh gave her permission to ask, but Rhystea did not want to pry and dammed back her deluge of questions.

“Ahh, don’ be like that.” Sphaere insisted, “We’re friends, an’ I ain’t got nothin’ ta hide. Maybe I’m not comfertable bein’ an open book, but… I guess I do trust ya… a li’l bit… kinda…”

“Well, I’m honored!” Rhystea lightly laughed, “How about this: every so often, we each get to ask one another a question, it can be anything, but no lying! If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine, just say so.”

“That’s… fair.” Sphaere thoughtfully noted.

“Alright, then you go first!” Rhystea pressed.

“Hmmm…” Sphaere paused for a moment of contemplation before nonchalantly asking, “What’s the most afraid ya’ve ever been?”

“You mean aside from the last… how long have we been here now? A month?” Rhystea giggled.

“Seems like it, don’ it? Yet, nothin’ here breaks inta even the top three times I’ve ever been afraid.” Sphaere riposted, her words cutting to the quick.

“I’ve had a pretty sheltered life, anything I’ve been afraid of, you would probably laugh at.” Rhystea explained.

“Ya didn’ say laughin’ were against the rules!” Sphaere retorted with a wry grin.

“Ugh, I didn’t did I?” Rhystea sighed, “Hmmm… Well, my mom left her work badge at home one day, which had her mana key attached to it – something she used with her study of sigils. Anyway, I had tried explaining sigils to one of my friends, who didn’t believe me. So when I found mom’s badge, I took it, and I showed my friend the power of sigils.”

Rhystea contemplated for a moment as she recalled the details of the event, and Sphaere waited patiently for her to continue. “I had lauded the capabilities of sigils for awhile, but never had I been able to actually show anything to back up my words. When I finally had the ability to do so, we settled on something practical. My friend asked me to tune up his bike so that he’d be able to go faster – mundane and simple, right? How could I say no? So I set to work on lowering it’s weight by way of reducing the effects of gravity. It didn’t even take me fifteen minutes to place a small array on his bike frame, it was one of my mother’s favorites, which made it easier to move heavy stuff. I even used the same activation word she did, ‘unburden.’”

Rhystea paused again as a pained look spread across her face. “We took his bike to his favorite hill, the steepest in the area. His excitement wasn’t just palpable, it was contagious. Having what I needed, I never doubted what sigils could do, and my absolute confidence that this would work had really gotten my friend fired up; I wouldn’t even let him touch his bike until he was ready to ride it, taunting him by lifting it above my head with a single finger! He couldn’t wait to jump on and take off, and I couldn’t wait to be vindicated of any doubt that sigils were beyond amazing.”

Swallowing hard, Rhystea thought about what happened next, “Finally getting in place at the top of the hill, I gave him his bike. He could immediately tell it was near weightless and that he was in for the ride of his life. Without a second thought, he hopped on and sped away. He didn’t even have to pedal, he tried but it was nothing more than an exercise of futility, he was accelerating down that hill faster than he ever could have peddled.”

Grimacing and closing her eyes, Rhystea swallowed hard in attempt to remove the knot growing in the back of her throat as she had reached the hard part of her story, “Everything was going great, he was laughing and cheering and riding faster than he ever thought possible. And then the unthinkable happened. A woman pushing her baby in a stroller exited a building at the bottom of the hill. My friend still had some distance before he would reach her, but minimal gravity meant minimal traction which translated to minimal brakes... He couldn’t stop. He tried, but it didn’t even slow him down as he was practically flying.”

Rhystea let out a heavy sigh before finishing, “Panic set in, for both of us. I took off running down the hill, but it was too late. He didn’t think twice, he wasn’t about to run over a baby, and had one other option left to him, so he steered his bike into the road, right into oncoming traffic. Even at a distance, I had a clear view of him being catapulted over the first car, and crashing into the one behind that. There was… so much blood. I thought he was dead, and I knew it was all my fault. He survived, thankfully, but was paralyzed from above his waist. A number of broken bones and lacerations, a massive concussion, he was even in a coma for two weeks.”

There was a long pause before Rhystea would speak again, “I really thought I killed him… It’s a completely different fear than being afraid for your own well being. It changed me, shaped me even. That was when I decided I wanted to be a doctor. That was when my parents started looking into the application of sigils as well as mana into the field of medicine. It was this very incident that lead directly to the conception of my abilities.”

Sphaere looked away when she heard this, she knew something about the fear of ending the life of another. There was another long pause before Rhystea exhaled as she recalled these frustrations, and then letting them go, announced, “Okay, now it’s my turn!”

Another long silence before an unamused Rhystea called out, “Hey, there’s no way you fell asleep that fast!”

Sphaere let out a light groan before sliding her head down to Rhystea’s shoulder and breathed slowly but deeply while pretending not to hear her friend. Rather than airing her grievance, Rhystea decided it would be more fun to pester her opossum playing friend, and gently poked her cheek, “Ray-ray, wakey~ wakey~”

Letting out another groan, Sphaere rolled over on top of Rhystea, pinning Cekell between them – who didn’t seem to mind in the least – and murmured, “An’ some bread, too…” followed by some incoherently muffled mutterings.

Now it was Rhystea’s turn to groan, “All that tea is going through me, I’ll… try not to knock us both out of the hammock. Just you.” And once again poked Sphaere in the cheek, this time twisting her finger back and forth.

“I’m gonna bite that finger.” Sphaere spoke softly.

“First you have to answer my question~” Rhystea stated in sing song fashion.

“I don’ wanna lie, so I claim the right ta remain silent.” Sphaere countered.

“That’s not how it works~” Rhystea contended and started tapping Sphaere’s cheek.

“Ya said I jus’ had ta say so if I ain’t gonna answer.” Sphaere objected.

“You don’t even know what I’m going to ask!” Rhystea repudiated.

“Fiiiiiine.” Sphaere surrendered, “But ya better knock it off with that finger, ‘r I’ll see how far it bends backwards. I can tell, ya jus’ like pesterin’ me.”

Rhystea pulled her finger away after one final boop to Sphaere’s nose. “Wonder who I learned that from?”

“Me. Wow, yer right, I shoulda heard what yer question was before tryin’ ta worm my way outta it, that weren’ so bad.” Sphaere declared as she cracked a smile.

“Har har. As for my actual question about your past, I think you’ll find it quite agreeable. What’s the happiest you’ve ever been?” Rhystea waded through the rhetoric to force the issue.

Letting out a sigh, Sphaere was relieved to not get some deep question prying into a darker part of her past. Rolling back to her side she thought for a moment, but she didn’t have to think long as she inherently knew the answer. “Well, ya might be surprised ta know that gunpowder is used fer more than jus’ makin’ bullets. Have ya ever seen fireworks?”

“Ooh, ooh!” Rhystea lit up at the thought, “You mean all those lights they shoot up into the sky in summer?!”

“Those’d be them! They’re ac’shully controlled ‘splosions usin’ gunpowder an’ other pyrotechnics fer the pretty colors.” Sphaere explained.

“Ooooh! That’s a big word!” Rhystea pointed out.

“Oh, shut it! Anyway, one o’ my pappa’s military buddies knew how ta make ‘em, in fact ‘e was often contracted by the city ta do so! One year, ‘e requisitioned more materials than ‘e used, an’ made off with what ‘e had left over. Anyway, ‘im, pappa, an’ a few o’ their other pals brought their families tagether ta have their own fireworks display.” Sphaere continued, smiling wide as she recalled the memory.

“Pappa smoked a whole pig, an’ mamma baked bread, cookies, pies an’ all kinds o’ pastries. They spent all day preparin’ a huge feast, even me an’ Kai gotta help, pickin’ an’ pittin’ cherries an’ peaches, mixin’ an’ kneadin’ dough, helpin’ season the pig an’ feed the fire. That was even the first time pappa showed us the still ‘e used ta make brandy, an’ ya can bet they brought a few big bottles o’ that stuff! We barely ate anythang that day, sneakin’ a piece o’ fruit here, gettin’ ta taste the cookie dough there, but mamma an’ pappa wanted us hungry fer that night.” Sphaere described the recollection with the most relaxed look Rhystea had ever seen her wear.

“I don’ think I’ve ever eaten so much as I did that night! There was more food than I’ve ever seen, ‘fore ‘r since! One o’ their friends brought a big red truck full o’ water, an’ used it ta fill up a huge cattle trough, an’ they threw all o’ us kids in to play in the water. That much clean water ain’t easy ta come by, not fer recreational purposes; but the next day there was gonna be a cattle sale, an’ they locked the animals up without anythang ta drink so that later on right ‘fore the sale, they would guzzle down as much water as they could, an’ in the process increase their weight. Not nice fer the poor cows, but when that’s what puts food on yer table, ya do whatcha gotta do.” Sphaere rationalized.

“We ate as much as we wanted, played ‘til we couldn’ stand up – that was what our parents were after – an’ then we gotta watch the fireworks, close as could be! Giant ‘splosions filled the sky, fountains o’ sparks lit up the night, even handheld sparklers fer the older kids – which I gotta use! Hard ta run ‘round an’ be mischievous when yer drop dead tired, but we gotta second wind with all the accompanied excitement! Kai was so mad when ‘e was told that ‘e were too young ta operate a sparkler, ‘e almost cried ‘til I talked pappa inta lettin’ ‘im hold one while I held him, makin’ sure ‘e kept it pointed out an’ away from ‘imself so as not ta get burnt.” Sphaere’s face had lit up as though she were watching the scene all over again as she recounted all the excitement.

“It were like Christmas an’ Thanksgivin’ rolled inta one, but better. It wasn’t cold fer one, but when yer a kid, those fireworks are like real magic. This was back when Kai was li’l an’ cute, countin’ on me fer ever’thang, an’ ac’shully listenin’ ta what I told ‘im without me havin’ ta box ‘is ears. Momma sang a few songs, an’ even put on a show with ‘er trick shootin’. Pappa would throw up a can, an’ momma would unload ‘er pair o’ revolves into it, keepin’ it in the air almost as if she were jugglin’. Pappa would toss small coins inta the air an’ she could hit ‘em, an’ ‘e’d hold a coin up between two fingers an’ she could knock it outta ‘e’s hands. Momma never missed a shot!” Sphaere beamed.

“Wow, gunpowder was outlawed specifically to prohibit bullets, but your parents could still get their hands on them?” Rhystea questioned.

“Well, if ya have the right equipment, ya can make yer own. Fer showin’ off ‘er trick shootin’ skills, mamma used wax bullets, jus’ in case, but that didn’ make it any less impressive. With the right know how, ya can even make yer own gunpowder, which pappa got from one o’ ‘is buddies. O’ course, pappa were no slouch neither. After momma had ‘er show, pappa put on one o’ ‘is own! ‘E’d have one o’ ‘is buddies toss ‘im a knife, one after another, an’ ‘e’d catch ‘em an’ throw ‘em in one fluid motion an’ stick ‘em inta things mamma was holdin’, outstretched arms with an apple in each hand an’ another on ‘er head. They even tied ‘er ta a big wheel ta spin ‘er ‘round, an’ pappa accurately hit targets ‘tween ‘er arms an’ legs. Pappa never missed neither!” Sphaere gloated.

“That sounds crazy! The amount of practice and trust that would have taken, it certainly would have been a sight to see!” Rhystea was excited just trying to imagine in.

“Oh it was, but they were both talented individuals. The police don’ make house calls outside o’ the city limits. Livin’ outta the city like we did, we had ta be able ta defend ourselves. Not many people messed with mamma an’ pappa…” Sphaere trailed off and her smile noticeably started to wane.

The shift in Sphaere’s attitude didn’t go unnoticed to Rhystea, who quickly moved the conversation in another direction, “You and your brother were lucky to have them! That sounds like quite the day, with fireworks just being the grand finale, I don’t have any memories half that excited. Studious as they were, my mom and dad were boring scholars by comparison! I do remember getting to see fireworks every summer, but it was always from a distance. Trick shooting and knife throwing exhibitions, that’s something else entirely! Did your parents teach you how to do any of that?”

“Yea, but nothin’ fancy like the shows they put on. Momma taught me ta quickdraw, an’ pappa taught me how ta throw knives. I can accurately hit a target from twenty feet with either hand, knife ‘r gun. More fer self defense than anythang, but ya can bet self defense was drilled inta me by both my parents. Mostly from my pappa, bein’ as he was a seasoned martial artist, but ‘e never taught me any hand ta hand techniques with a knife. I tried ta get ‘em ta, but ‘e’d always freeze up. Most o’ it was how ta disarm an adversary, an’ put ‘em in somethin’ like an armbar. I’m pretty good at some martial arts myself, but that was more from sparrin’ with Kai.” Sphaere explained.

“With you for a sister, I bet he’s pretty tough!” Rhystea laughed.

“Oi! I never hurt ‘im, but yea I made sure ‘e could handle ‘imself! ‘E’s ac’shully stronger than me, but ‘e’d never push me ‘round, not that pappa woulda permitted it; but Kai was never mean spirited, not until…” Sphaere trailed off, her smile wavering.

Rhystea panicked at her friend’s mood once again dropping and blurted out the first thing that came to her mind, “He sounds like a respectable young man, I can’t wait to meet him!”

Sphaere perked up and laughed, “Oh, ‘e’d like you! Purdy girl with a purdy voice, hell, ‘e’d be eatin’ outta the palm o’ yer hand!”

“What? No! I… what?!” Rhystea tripped over her words and blushed.

“A girl like yerself could do worse than ‘im, ‘e’s definitely wild, but ‘e can rein it in when ‘e wants ta. I’ll put in a good word fer ya! Ya keep ‘im warm an’ ‘e’ll keep ya safe, I bet ‘e’d go fer that!” Sphaere burst out in laughter.

Rhystea was stunned to silence, happy that Sphaere was no longer teetering over depression but less so with the situation she found herself in. Her mind raced but before she could put the words together, Cekell spoke up, “No! My Ritsy!”

“Yea, Kai’s big an’ strong, but I don’ think ‘e could take ya in a fight Ceke! God have mercy on any boy tryin’ ta put the moves on us, Ceke’ll send ‘em straight ta the moon!” Sphaere’s laughter intensified.

“Oh goodness, I hadn’t even thought about that. We’re going to have to make a point to teach him not to go overboard with… everything, most likely.” Rhystea sighed.

“Why, ya got a boyfriend yer worried ‘bout?” Sphaere pressed.

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“No! Most boys give me a wide berth. I don’t know if they’re intimidated by my parent’s prestige or perhaps my intelligence, but only one has ever gotten to know me and persisted in showing interest. I have more important things to do than think about boys.” Rhystea insisted, anxious enough to reach for a pair of glasses that weren’t perched above her nose being as she had set down somewhere safe before getting into the hammock. She sheepishly massaged her temple and hoped that Sphaere didn’t notice.

“But one ain’t givin’ up so easily, eh? Eh?!” Sphaere dug in, emboldened by Rhystea’s bashfulness.

“Well, there’s more to it.” Rhystea brushed her off, “His dad and my dad went to school together when they were kids. They had been been best friends since their early days. They were even the best man in each other’s wedding. This boy and myself grew up going to school together and attending many of each other’s family events. I see him as more of a cousin than anything romantic, and while he’s never hidden his feelings for me, he’s never been awkward with them either. Also…”

Without giving her a moment’s reprieve, Sphaere bid her friend to continue, “Also…?” As she prodded at her with an elbow.

“I might have been responsible for the accident that left him paralyzed…” Rhystea cringed along with Sphaere.

After a long pause, Sphaere shifted from trying to tease her friend to trying to console her, “Well, if all that didn’t douse the flame ‘e’s carryin’ fer ya, ya cain’t argue that it’s not the genuine article. ‘E jus’ not yer type?”

“I… don’t know. I really haven’t given it much thought. My heart’s desire has always been set on seeking out knowledge, and all my actions have been to that singular end. Even the wages from my part time job at school were funneled into my research account. I always just kind of assumed I’d meet somebody similarly to the way my parents met: on a research project.” Rhystea explained.

“Are ya claimin’ ta be the result o’ yer parents’ research? Gotta wonder what ‘xactly they was researchin’!” Sphaere laughed

Ignoring her, Rhystea continued, “They were finishing each other’s sentences before they even knew the other’s name, challenging and expanding the other’s theories. They were meeting for coffee and even meals to discuss their findings and hypotheses. In fact, they had never even went on a traditional date before my dad proposed to my mom, which was after their first big breakthrough – a project they had both spearheaded, a longshot that no one else would get behind. The way I hear it, mom didn’t speak or even breath for over a full minute, turned cherry red, and eeked out a yes, all in front of their entire department!”

“Wow, that’s… adorable, an’ a li’l bit sad at the same time.” Sphaere mused, “Sounds like they were made, even destined fer each other. It’s special, don’ get me wrong, but, where was the fire, the passion?!”

“Oh-ho-ho! What have we here?! I never took you for the romantic type! The way my dad tells it, he did have feelings for my mother but was afraid they would get in the way of their work and refused to risk pushing her away; but when they came through on a theory that no one else believed, he just knew, and laid his heart out on display in front of her and the whole world; and uncomfortable as she was, even mom couldn’t deny that they made for quite the pair.” Rhystea finished her explanation and turned to scorch holes into Sphaere’s face with a burning gaze.

Sphaere panicked as she was confronted by the realization that the shoe was now on the other foot. Heat rushed to her face as she meekly squeezed out, “What?!”

“What about you? I can’t imagine a spitfire like yourself not setting at least a few hearts on fire! Any passion in your life?!” Rhystea nudged, poked and prodded on Sphaere as she finished her question.

“What? No! I… What in the world are ya goin’ on ‘bout?!!” Sphaere was completely blown off balance.

“Aww, come on, you can tell me!” Rhystea asserted herself as she jabbed a finger at Sphaere’s side in attempt to keep her off balance.

Having one of her few vulnerabilities both singled out and hit squarely in the bull’s eye, Sphaere almost launched Cekell out of the hammock as she flipped over on her side and latched onto Rhystea’s hands while letting out a shrill, “Eep!” Sphaere’s visage was shadowed by panic as Rhystea’s took on an excited glow, and they both knew in that instant, beyond doubt, that the former’s weakness had been revealed. “Oh, shit!” Sphaere sharply spat out.

Rhystea tried to wrestle her arms away but Sphaere was quicker and instantly tied them up in a set of wrist locks. “You can run, but you can’t hide!” Rhystea chided.

“Don’ make me hurt you!” Sphaere parried.

“There’s no need for this, just spill it!” Rhystea demanded, volume rising.

“I dunno whatcher talkin’ ‘bout!” Sphaere tried to play coy as more blood raced to her face and betrayed her.

“Cekell! Get her!” Rhystea commanded.

Cekell let out a questioning chirp as he gingerly reached up to poke Sphaere in the side, prompting her to twist hard in an attempt to evade, but found that Rhystea wouldn’t let go of her hands. A devious grin spread across Cekell’s face as he reached out to poke her in her side, causing her to both shriek and writhe in tickled anguish. “No! Ceke! Ya li’l turd! Don’tcha- AHH!!!”

“Don’t let up!” Rhystea ordered, practically screaming at the top of her lungs.

Sphaere bristled as Cekell ran a finger down her side and nearly pounded him with a knee out of reflex, but was blocked by a barrier. She hated to be tickled and it never turned out well when anyone found out such a glaring vulnerability, less so for her would be subduer. Cekell let out a barrage of banter as he got his first taste of administering tickle torture, and poured it on with both hands.

Sphaere erupted into laughter as Cekell capitalized on Rhystea holding her down. After a prolonged combination of tickle attacks, Cekell let up when she cried out, “Stop! I cain’t breath!” After gasping for breath and glaring wildly at Rhystea, who had broke out into victorious laughter, Sphaere asked, “What in the world makes ya think any boy is gonna go fer a girl who can kick ‘is ass?!”

“So, what you’re saying is that you aren’t interested in any guy who’s weaker than you?!” Rhystea roared as she twisted Sphaere’s words.

“That’s NOT what I said!” Sphaere riposted.

“So you want a guy that you can push around?!” Rhystea again turned Sphaere’s answers against her.

“It’s bed time, lemme go!” Sphaere pleaded as she tried to wrench her hands away from Rhystea, who had somehow managed to both learn a wrist lock from Sphaere as well as apply it and hold her down.

“You’re not getting out of this that easily! Get her, Cekell!” Rhystea instructed.

Cekell screeched in glee as he tenderly assaulted Sphaere’s side, causing her to again explode into laughter. In a last ditch effort, Sphaere violently swung the hammock back and forth until it flipped over, spilling them all out, only to be caught by a barrier erected by Cekell, who never let up on his onslaught, even as Rhystea had started to panic when they fell, allowing Sphaere to wrench one of her hands free.  

“Okay! Okay, okay, okay! Stop!” Sphaere begged as she wheezed for air.

Cekell let up, but Rhystea still had her grip on one of Sphaere’s hands, refusing to let her to escape. A brief moment passed as Sphaere panted for breath, but was rescued when the scale squad could be heard clamoring through the cave. Sphaere smiled as she looked straight into Rhystea’s eyes, who glowered back, determined not to let her worm her way out of this if she could help it.

Conducting the scale train, R208 burst into his series’ sunning chamber, brandished his weapon and bellowed, “Are we under attack?! Where are they?!”

As though she had practiced the line, Sphaere thrust her free arm out towards the hole in the ceiling and cried out, “Up there! Quick, ‘fore ‘e gets away! ‘E’s got beady li’l eyes an’ a creepy lookin’ tail!”

Without hesitation, the scale squad turned and charged back out of the cave, now with R208 at the end – not that he would allow such to dampen his spirit as he hollered for all he was worth in attempt to spur his brethren onward and with greater speed.

“Wow, you handled that a little too well…” Rhystea asserted as she reached for her glasses with her free hand, still intent on not letting go of Sphaere with the other.

Growing impatient, Cekell renewed his tickle attack, but was quickly snatched up by his tendril with Sphaere’s free hand. She couldn’t stay mad at him as he clapped his little hands and squealed with joy. “Ya li’l turd! I cain’t believe ya did that!!” She admonished.

“As hard as you were laughing, he probably assumed you enjoyed it!” Rhystea pointed out.

“I HATE bein’ tickled!” Sphaere growled.

“That’s good to know!” Rhystea announced, it was her turn to don a devious grin.

“Yer a bad person!” Sphaere asserted.

“Coming from you, I’ll take that as a compliment!” Rhystea retorted as she released her hold on Sphaere, who glared daggers back at her.

Turning her attention down to Cekell, Sphaere wrapped him up in something between a hug and a headlock, not that Cekell minded as he chirped out gleefully. “If ya ever do that again, I’ll smack that grin right off yer face, ya hear me?!” She insisted.

“No!” Cekell said playfully, putting to use his favorite word.

“Yer gonna think ‘no’ when I stick ya in a bucket o’ ice water!” Sphaere warned.

“Don’t believe her Cekell, it’s just toothless barking!” Rhystea riposted.

“I’m gonna show ya how toothless I am!” Sphaere threatened.

“Tickle, tickle!” Rhystea threatened as she reached out with wiggling fingers for Sphaere’s sides.

Sphaere scrunched up in effort to cover her vulnerabilities and forbade, “Don’tcha dare!”

“Yep, we’re going to be besties!” Rhystea declared as she collapsed over on top of Sphaere and heaved with laughter. Sphaere could only groan in reply, but Cekell squeaked happily as he was squeezed between them. After a moment, Rhystea let out a revitalized sigh and inquired, “Should we go let them know that no one was attacking us?”

“They’ll figure it out… prob’ly.” Sphaere contended. “Not like it’s gonna hurt fer ‘em ta be extra mindful with guard duty.”

“Very true.” Rhystea agreed as she climbed up to her feet, carefully set her glasses down, and cautiously climbed back into the hammock. “After that, I think I’m going to sleep like a baby.”

“Nothin’ like a pre-bed work- EEP!” Sphaere cried out as she leapt up to her feet and yanked Cekell up by his tendril. “Now listen here ya li’l shit! Ya better cut that out, an’ I mean right now!”

Cekell squealed with delight and applauded her reaction, driving Rhystea back into a laughing fit.

“Oi, think that’s funny do ya?!” Sphaere scolded.

“Yes!” Cekell and Rhystea answered in unison.

“Ugh.” Sphaere groaned, “When we find these observers, first thang I’m gonna do is stick ya in their ‘fridgerator.” She then wrapped Cekell around her neck before deftly sliding into the hammock next to Rhystea, and without another word, the pair quickly fell into a deep sleep.

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