The first rays of sunlight filtered through the small window of the shared barracks, casting a soft glow over the room. Navine groggily opened her eyes, wincing at the unfamiliar surroundings. She had barely slept a wink the entire night, and now the weight of exhaustion was hitting her all at once.
She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes and sighing deeply.
Why did I think joining this group was a good idea?
Navine's night had been far from restful. The moment she closed her eyes, the room turned into a furnace, courtesy of Seraphine, who had, once again, unknowingly cranked the temperature up to unbearable levels in her sleep. At first, it was just a little warm, but by the time the night wore on, it felt like she was lying in the middle of an oven.
I should've known better than to sleep near her...
Then, just as she was adjusting to the heat, she had been jolted awake by a strange noise—like the sound of water splashing. Navine glanced over to find Nandya, who had apparently fallen into some sort of sleep-induced trance, muttering in her sleep and shooting water from her hand.
"No, no! My rook's not that weak! I'm gonna drown you with it, Seraphine!" Nandya mumbled loudly, hands outstretched as water splashed out in all directions, soaking Navine's bed and the floor. Navine had no idea how to react, but she'd learned quickly that when Nandya's asleep, chaos is inevitable.
And if that wasn't enough, there was the constant, mechanical noise of Alphenluev's systems whirring in the background. It wasn't the usual hum of machinery—it was more like the sound of an angry beast trying to come to life.
Was I supposed to be getting rest or enduring a warzone?!
She had attempted to block out the noise by covering her ears with a pillow, but it didn't work. The whirring persisted. She shot a glance toward Zara's bed, who was somehow sleeping through the chaos as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Navine finally dragged herself out of bed, a mix of disbelief and exhaustion swirling inside her. She stumbled across the room, eyes narrowed in irritation, to find that Nandya, still half asleep, was now tossing and turning in a puddle of water she had created in her sleep.
Seraphine, on the other hand, was sprawled out on the other side of the room, looking perfectly content despite the sauna-like temperature. The warmth around her was practically visible, like waves of heat rising off her body.
Navine stood in the middle of the room, trying to process what had just happened. She rubbed her temples.
"Okay," she muttered to herself, "I've had enough."
Seraphine woke up at that moment, stretching her arms dramatically. "Mmm, that was a great night's sleep," she said with a satisfied sigh, not seeming to care in the slightest that she'd nearly boiled the entire room.
Navine couldn't help herself. "A great night's sleep? You nearly turned this place into an oven!"
Seraphine blinked and shrugged. "Oh, sorry about that. I don't always control it. I'll try to be more careful next time."
Next time? Navine thought. I don't know if I can survive another night of this...
Meanwhile, Nandya, still half-asleep, sat up and groggily rubbed her eyes. "What's going on?" she muttered, looking around, completely unaware of the puddle of water at her feet.
"You were shooting water everywhere in your sleep," Navine said dryly, clearly frustrated.
Nandya's eyes widened, and she suddenly jumped up in alarm, causing more water to splash around. "Wait, I did what?! I'm so sorry!"
Navine just stared at her, feeling the creeping exhaustion setting in.
Seraphine, still lounging on her bed, chuckled lightly. "It's fine, Nandya. You were just trying to drown me in your sleep."
Nandya, now fully awake, looked embarrassed but was also trying to hold back laughter. "I... don't even remember any of that. But hey, it sounds like something I'd do."
Zara, who had been sitting up with an expression of sheer amusement, shook her head and muttered, "This is why I don't sleep around here. Chaos is just built into the fabric of this group."
Navine, feeling utterly defeated, grabbed her cloak and made her way to the door. "I'm going to go meditate… somewhere far away from all of this."
Seraphine, still cheerful, waved her off. "Okay, okay, Navine! We'll try to keep it down tonight! Maybe we can even play chess, if you'd like? It's totally not rigged."
"Chess?!" Nandya exclaimed, nearly tripping on the wet floor as she hurried to stand. "I'm not playing chess with you ever again, Seraphine!"
As Navine walked out the door, she couldn't help but smile, despite her exhaustion. She wasn't sure how long she'd survive this team, but one thing was for sure—they were never boring.
I think I'm going to need a lot more than just meditation to survive this.