Cian's eyes flew open, his cheek seared by the sudden burn of the sting. He raised a hand, massaging the sore area. "What the—"
Lyra beside him winced, reaching for her cheek where the sting seemed to make contact. She slowly opened her eyes and immediately snapped at the face that happened to appear first - Ronan's.
"Slap us awake, seriously?".
He sat up suddenly, irritation beaming across his face. "For crying out loud, Ronan! Do you ever wake someone gently?"
Celeste sat casually against the tree near him, crossed her arms over her chest, and attempted to contain a smirk on her face. "Seriously, you guys were sleeping like corpses. There's no such thing as gentle awakening."
Ronan shrugged and began dusting his hands clean. "You are awake now. That is all that counts. Get over it."
Lyra narrowed her eyes, clearly biting back some choice words. But Cian wasn't so patient.
