Poe's masquerade -- Nemhain

  [font=trebuchet ms]The words she heard echoed through the distance, an expanse growing between her consciousness and her senses. (Weren't those the same thing? ...whatever.) Some sort of affirmation had been offered. If Nemhain thought speaking to Play was a good idea... surely it must be.

  Fragments of memory swam in her head, most of them from recent days, but the occasional scrap dated back to years prior. Memories of offering protection, memories of swearing that she would give her life so that no one else would die, memories of staying awake so the others could rest well...

  She could hear Nemhain's refusal and offer to watch the ocean in her stead, and feel feathers gently nudging at her.

  It was exactly what Rin would have done, but her conscience had to process the action slowly now that it was coming from someone else. (Or rather, a different part of herself.)

  Nem would watch the ocean for her... yes, she would, wouldn't she? Even if it meant forgoing sleep. "...You need sleep too," Rin mumbled, even as she reluctantly shuffled towards her room. Nem wouldn't even manage three hours of sleep at this rate. She'd just done so much, and this was the thanks Rin gave her?

  Last time she'd succumbed to exhaustion after so much time spent awake, things had... gone wrong. Horribly wrong. Sleep tempted her like a Greek lotus, but she would pay for it in nightmares and making Nemhain stay up and she had to be responsible. She had to take care of things like a good Magna would.

  ...But her bed was right there.

  Could she deal with the guilt in the morning?

  She shut her eyes and sighed. Yes, she could. Just for tonight, she would neglect her duties. She would set up watch later. Just once she'd let someone else take care of it. Once? This has happened thousands of times. Just once, she'd let her body recover from the constant overuse. Constant overuse? You think you're doing that much?

  Exhaling through her nose, she muttered, "Sleep in tomorrow. You'll have earned it." More than earned it. She climbed onto the bed with no further comment, the metal frame squeaking under the sudden weight. Maybe it could use some oiling... some time in the far future, when they weren't in constant mortal danger.

  Slowly unwrapping her scarf and leaving it at the foot of the bed, she stared down at the blankets. The violet hue was... out of place, yet oddly comforting. She wasn't sure why she'd chosen these, but she'd chosen well.

  "...Thank you," Rin said after a long moment, lowering her head onto her paws. "For everything."

Relief. It was an uncommon feeling for a persona to have, given the fact that they were not often stressed enough to warrant a feeling of relief coming afterwards. Still, most personas didn't come from one Warringkingdoms, perhaps the most stressful user Nemhain ever could've come from. She had meant what she said earlier, about choosing Rin even if it had actually been her choice, but that didn't mean she couldn't see the difficulties in helping out the Magna. To not see those problems – the self doubt, the stubbornness, the nagging little voice inside – one would have to be a fool willfully covering their own eyes. However, tonight Nem had managed a victory in the war that would more than likely be many more smaller battles, and that was enough for her, for now. That was enough to feel pleasant relaxation drip down through her feathers, making her shoulders slump and a soft breath leave her. Not only was it her own relief at Rin actually agreeing to sleep, but it was also Rin's relief and calm from being reassured that talking to Play was a good choice. For once the bond between the two of them was positive on an emotional level, since no longer was it just leading to them circling negative emotions on each other over and over again. The fenghuang found herself smiling at the thought, glad that some positive progress had been made towards the future. Perhaps Rin's talks with Play could lead to even more positivity, later on.

Following along after Rin, Nem watched as the magna tucked herself into bed, her entire form finally relaxing as she rested her head on her paws. The persona just offered a dip of her head to the other, long and elegant neck feathers fluffed up slightly with pride, "It is no problem, Lady Rin. As I said, I am honored to be your persona, and I only want the beat for you. Please... please rest well." Her voice held special emphasis near the end, seeming almost sort of desperate for Rin to actually allow herself to drift off into a hopefully dreamless sleep. Shifting a little bit awkwardly afterwards, the massive bird stretched her neck out again, tugging the covers gently over the magna before stepping back. Seeing as she was no longer needed for now, and Rin would hopefully be resting alright all on her own, Nemhain turned and exited the house, taking special care to close the door and make sure everything was alright before she took off. She would watch the shore as she had promised, just to make sure that no threats ended up coming their way. It hopefully would be a non-issue, but she was prepared for anything, her body tensed and ready as she landed on the dock, relaxing and allowing herself to just sit and watch.

( out! )