The Chimera Summoner – ch 47 (part 3/3) – sleepover

Part 3-

"So, new Familiar?” Hera asked. “We all get to watch this time, finally, because you don’t hate us?”

“No.” I said, still sullen.

“Come onnnnn, what do you have to do? Get naked, and sing in the moonlight, and paint a circle of blood, Chaos herself presents a new slutty girlfriend to her selfish champion?” Hera asked. “I’m down?! I’ll get naked too if it will make you more comfortable??”

“Selfish?!” I demanded.

I had lots of flaws. But I genuinely didn’t think that selfishness was one of them?! My inconsideration usually stemmed from brainlessness, not–

“Yeppers. Selfish.” Hera confirmed. “You won’t let us watch.”

“Hera.” Nyke interrupted. “Maybe it’s personal.

“It’s definitely personal.” Hera whined. “That’s why we should watch. To get to KNOW each other.”

She looked at me encouragingly.

“There’s no blood.” I said.

“Good, blood is gross.” she nodded, eagerly.

I rolled my eyes, “And there’s no singing in the moonlight. As far as I know, time of day doesn’t make any difference?”

I looked at Lorna, who shrugged. “Chaos is constantly changing her mind, so while time likely matters massively, for our purposes it makes no difference, since all random unknowable situations are equal.”

“Uhhhhh. Exactly.” I said.

“Not true.” Serenity argued. “We should make the call at the time that Eir feels most connected or drawn to! Fate, and her instincts will guide us to the destined moment!”

I petted her legs fondly. “Maybe.”

“So nighttime, then.” Jennie nodded.

We turned on her curiously.

“It’s when you’re horniest…?” Jennie said, like we were all being intentionally dense.

“That’s not what–” I started.

“An excellent idea!” Serenity said. “I hadn’t noticed, forgive me, my lady. I must be more attentive to your nocturnal–”

“OK!” I squeaked. “The point is! You can’t watch!”

“Whyyyyyuhhhhhhh?!” Hera squirmed and draped herself backwards over the arm of the couch in a huff.

I had a brief flashback to the ultra controlled, politically trained girl Hera had presented as that first day in class. She’d seemed untouchable.

Watching her unmask into this absolute goofball sprawling out over the couch and Nyke’s lap was…really, really nice.

I felt trusted, and I liked that a lot.

Nyke tickled her tummy, bringing her whipping back up in fight-mode. It was honestly a really impressive display of core strength.

By the time dinner was ready, we’d outlined the typical summoning process pretty explicitly. Which made Hera all the more eager to watch. But it got Nyke on my side.

“Eir doesn’t want an audience.” She said, bluntly. “And Ravale would never agree. So we won’t ask her.”

Hera trudged into the kitchen in defeat.

“Why’d she listen when you said it, but not when any of us did?” I grumbled.

“She needs a firm hand.” Nyke and Serenity said at once.

They shared an approving, and maybe a little appraising look between themselves.

We paraded through the kitchen, picking up bowls and spoons (the only things provided in the apartment. Typical Bayloft.) and served ourselves from the huge, deep-dish casserole that Ravale, Violette, and Lucy had somehow conjured.

Violette had managed to get covered in flour, which was adorable. But she was easily dusted off, and soon we were crowded around the little coffee table in the living room (the only table in the apartment. Bayloft.) and happily scooping steaming casserole into our mouths.

I found that from the day we’d been captured, the energy that had coursed through us when we’d been overcharged by the mysterious lady in my vision, and the general stress of being betrayed by my childhood hero– I was downright RAVENOUS.

“Eat, eat, eat!” Ravale sang happily, watching me shovel food into my maw. “There’s so much, and I don’t want any more leftovers in the cooler! It’s too small. Bayloft, you know.”

She snatched up my bowl the second it was empty and pranced off to get me seconds before I could get a protest out of my mouth.

“Just let her.” Nyke advised. “She likes to spoil people.”

“We will spoil her right back, another time.” Hera agreed.

I settled down, accepting another bowl from the beaming healer. “Thanks, Rav. This is so great.”

“You’re so welcome!” She patted the top of my head a couple times before seating herself.

Ugh. Of course she gives great head-pats, but she’s straight. The universe is unfair.

Soon after dinner, the fatigue of the day started hitting everyone. Hera and I were the ones who’d been captured. But everyone had fought when the school had been invaded, and had been on edge ever since. Battle preparations had apparently begun the moment that the faculty had returned from their bogus meeting about the Netherim.

What would come of that whole situation was still unclear. But I had to imagine that, between the deception, and us releasing a huge haunted fortress on the Gott lands… relations between Bayloft and the surrounding governmental bodies in the future would be strained.

Wrapped my arms around my knees, feeling sort of small, all the sudden.

I was grateful that the school was in the sky. Even if the gentle shifting would take some getting used to.

“So… are we going back to the Bayloft pass?” I asked, suddenly realizing I had no idea where we were headed.

Heads shook.

“Maule said Bayloft is going errant.” Jennie explained. “You weren’t here, so you didn’t see. The big three were furious when they realized what happened. It was… scary. When the school started taking off, I thought Maule might be on her way to go smash some Northern Lords. Or southern, honestly. They were all involved, even if they were probably tricked by Night Blessed, same as we were.”

“My mom says several key officials have vanished since the Netherim summit.” Ravale nodded. “Whether they’re traitors like Carmine, or victims is anyone’s guess.”

“Rav’s mother has been an ambassador to Gott for several years.” Nyke filled everyone in.

“That’s so fucked up that people in government might’ve been involved….” I muttered.

Not knowing who your allies and who your enemies were…. When I thought about coming to Bayloft and becoming a Wayfinder, it had been a simple fantasy.

The bad guys were the Monsters in the Dungeon. The good guys were all my classmates, all of us trying to become great together. I knew there would be danger, sure. But that the danger could come from people who were supposed to be keeping us safe was….

I had some feelings about it.

“Hey….” Hera said. “I swear this isn’t an orgy proposal, but–”

Jennie snorted violently. “Insane way to start a sentence.”

“We’re about to get asked to have an orgy. One hundred percent.” I muttered, to general giggles.

“Yep!” Lucy said, rubbing her hands together like a super villain, getting a big general laugh which completely confused her.

“How about a sleepover?” Hera asked, once we’d calmed down.

“Is this the time?” Ravale asked. “It sounds really fun, but everyone is pretty tired?”

I noticed Hera was curled into a bit of a ball, much like I was. She muttered something that I couldn’t quite make out.

“Let’s do it.” Lucy announced, abruptly changing tone.

I looked at her and she gave my back a comforting rub.

Trust.

“Ok.” I shrugged. ‘‘I’m down.”

Nyke was eying Hera thoughtfully. Then she stomped into her room, slamming the door with a rattle.

A minute later she emerged, dragging her mattress.

“We’ll put our mattresses together, in the living room. It will be no different than camping together in the dungeon. But more comfortable.” Nyke said, letting the mattress thump down.

“Shouldn’t we–” Jennie said skeptically.

“This way, everyone will feel safe.” Nyke interrupted.

“Yeah…” I said. “Yeah if everyone’s ok, I think it would feel really good to have some friends at our backs tonight.”

Jennie’s face softened. “Yeah. Sure. It’ll be fun, anyway. If it’s ok with Rav?”

Ravale nodded swiftly, “Of course! Cuddles are always welcome! I am SOOO touch-starved, anyways. I mean, if anyone would want to. No pressure.”

“Meeeeeeeee!” Lucy said, bouncing over to eagerly wrap Ravale in a hug.

She giggled and let Lucy basically tackle her onto the couch.

I sighed. Lovely, straight Ravale. What an adorable little chocolate chip muffin.

“Ravale has ten hundred million blankets and pillows.” Nyke announced, stomping off into Ravale’s room. Easily identifiable from the cute pink sign on the door, and the extremely neat interior.

In short order, the last crumbs of dinner were demolished, the table and couch moved, and we were all selecting spots on the three mattresses.

Serenity became extremely popular by conjuring a set of sheets that fit all the mattresses together, and also glowed with a soft warmth of their own.

Sleep clothes were borrowed and soon we were all in a huge cuddle puddle under Ravale’s extensive collection of super soft blankets.

Surrounded by friends, under Lorna’s watchful haunting, and sandwiched tightly between Violette and Serenity, I felt the tight core of tension and fear in my chest gradually loosen.

I buried my nose in Violette’s soft pink hair, and tugged Serenity’s great wing into a more comfortable position over us, and sighed as the weight of it settled back down. Conversations turned to whispers. Lights were extinguished. I wasn’t sure when I fell asleep.