84: Falling Back Asleep In The Morning

Unaware of the undercurrents sweeping all around the world, Nyssa could only describe life in the north as... peaceful. After the first patrol where they had gone with a group of other hunters, they had gone alone, taking different routes and venturing further into the wilderness. Given the more relaxed schedule they had settled into though, she had managed to slip a nap into each day.

Today, she hoped, would be no different. Sun shined through the window of their dorm as she blinked her eyes open. Cuddled up in Celeste’s embrace, she shifted her hip the slightest bit before looking upward. Staring at her girlfriend’s sleeping face, she admired the view until the warmth emanating from Celeste began stimulating her drowsiness once more.

She snuggled up into the crook of Celeste’s neck, squeezed her into a tighter hug, and closed her eyes to let herself be taken back into the land of dreams.

Half-an-hour later, Celeste yawned as she dragged herself back into the land of the awake. Looking down to see a white-haired girl curled up between her arms, she smiled and began patting Nyssa’s head, running her hand through her hair, and pinching her cheek.

Craning her neck to check the time, she almost laughed seeing the clock not even read nine in the morning yet. With Angelica planning a late start for this particular day, Celeste looked between her phone and the girl in her arms. A half-second of consideration later, she retracted her arm back under the blanket to hug Nyssa.

Who didn’t like their girlfriend cuddling up to them?

---

It didn’t take long for Celeste to fall back asleep either. Everyone had been worn down by the schedule Angelica had created for them. Sure, it had breaks, but every other bit of the agenda had been packed to the brim. Angelica, to the best of her ability, had plans of activities down to every ten seconds of their working day.

The others, as the morning progressed, trickled out of their rooms. Angelica had been the first. She sat on the couch in the center of their cabin with her feet kicked up on a footrest while scrolling through her phone. Holding a cup of tea in her other hand, she took slow sips while enjoying her morning.

Titus could be counted as the second to wake, but his tenure in the waking world consisted only of a bathroom break before he retired back to his bed. The true second to wake? Albion.

He stumbled out of his room with drowsy eyes, a bottle of water in one hand, and a disheveled head of hair. After making his way to the refrigerator like a hungover zombie with a neurodegenerative disease, he refilled his bottle with ice-cold water before beginning to down it as fast as he could.

“... Morning?” Angelica raised her eyebrows as Albion exhaled a misty breath. She turned her head to take a better look, following Albion with her eyes as he walked in a couple slow circles before slapping himself on the face several times.

“Morning,” Albion’s voice had dropped an octave after he just woke up. Surprising himself a little more awake, he cleared his throat before sitting down on the couch opposite from the one Angelica had taken up residence in. “I assume I’m the first to wake up?”

“Pretty much,” Angelica nodded as she began reading the news on her phone. “Among everyone I think you naturally fall on the end of needing less sleep.”

“What’s your scale for that?” Albion leaned back, taking slow sips. “I’m assuming you’re all the way at the minimum sleep needed?”

“Not quite, I’ve met people with abilities that let them function completely without sleeping,” Angelica shrugged. “I’m just a normal human, I need around two to three hours of sleep per night.”

“Sounds... so normal.” Albion grumbled, shaking his head. “Don’t doctors recommend around seven hours or something?”

“Well, my body just... optimizes my sleep. I sleep extremely heavily and my body recovers faster,” Angelica shrugged. “Anyhow, it’d probably be Electra who needs less than you. Then Conrad, but as Conrad grows he should need less and less, I’ve seen the amount decrease over time here which is... a little over a year.”

“Nyssa obviously needs the most,” Albion guessed, taking another sip of water as Electra stumbled out of her room to the bathroom.

“She’s... well, I think she could get by with a lot less, she could survive on an average amount of sleep, but she just doesn’t want to,” Angelica facepalmed with a slight smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Ryker is slightly above average, surprisingly while the last two, Celeste and Titus are around average. Though, as time passes, Celeste, I presume, will sleep more.”

“I wonder why...” Albion looked towards the closed door to the room Celeste and Nyssa shared. “Sleep does help though. I find it keeps me fresh for longer when I’m really pushing my powers.”

“Definitely, there are a lot of studies investigating that and the results are quite consistent in that one of the biggest differences between getting those last couple hours of sleep is your endurance with power output,” Angelica sipped her cup of tea. “Maybe I should have you all begin reading papers more often.”

“I... I think we’re fine for now,” Albion nodded, coughing into his fist as his life flashed before his eyes. “Maybe just save it for later in the year, or to, you know, the upperclassmen only.”

“Noted, noted,” Angelica smiled, a twinkle appearing in her eye. “Oh, would you look at that, one of the upperclassmen.”

Electra, with her brushed, and eyes open, appeared out of the bathroom looking like a whole new person. Still dressed in her pajamas, she wandered down the stairs while waving to Albion and Angelica. Vaulting over one of the single person–sized couches, she took a seat facing perpendicular from the axis Albion and Angelica sat on.

“Morning, morning,” Electra’s voice crackled as a spark flew across her mouth. “What have you two been talking about?”

“Not much, just about who needs the most sleep, and how we all fall on a scale like that,” Albion shrugged before getting up. “I’m going to refill my bottle of water, you want me to pour you some?”

“Ah, for sure, thanks,” Electra yawned, “Add some hot water though, I can’t drink permafrost temperature water like you can.”

“Of course, of course, I’m not that stupid, I know how to pour water for others,” Albion walked into the kitchen area without turning back.

“Ready for the day?” Angelica smiled at Electra. “It’s probably going to be a tough one.”

“Tougher than the rest?” Electra raised an eyebrow in concern.

“I mean... yeah,” Angelica’s smile widened. “Why else would I give you all the morning off?”

“Oh hell nah,” Electra stood up from her chair and walked off back to her room. “I’m gonna get some more sleep then.”

“So... no water?” Albion called out from the kitchen as concern crept into his voice as well.

“Nope,” Electra waved as she sprinted back up the stairs and disappeared into her room. After Electra’s disappearance though, Angelica couldn’t help but let out a slight chuckle in amusement as she took another sip of tea.