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Slowly getting used to life in the Great Barren, things sort of settled back to ‘normal’ as much as possible. White Lily and Silent Salt were busy discussing the Beast Binding Ritual, Salt Cellar and Pastry were finding solace in each other, and Charcoal returned to the tombs. Still, the air lingered with anxiety and gloom. Lily was slumped over a book in the library with a candle illuminating the small desk she was sitting at, just enough to read what was on the worn pages. Her dragonfly wings shimmered softly in the dim light with an iridescent sheen. The sky darkened with the threat of a thunderstorm, the start of it tapping soft drizzles against the windows. Lily heaved an audible sigh, setting a ribbon to act as a bookmark and shutting it loudly. Silent Salt looked up from where he was searching through scrolls in the bookshelves to where Lily sat. The tilt of his helmet was question enough as the ancient rose quickly and grabbed his arm to tug him away.
“Come on, we’ve been sitting here for far too long and getting nowhere. The books aren’t going anywhere if we take a break.” She urges with insistence.
“I suppose so?” Salt replies slowly, still confused. “I don’t mind if you need to take a break, but I think it would be best if I continued here.”
“No. Come on.” Picking up her staff, she gently tapped the beast’s helmet with a soft clang. “Go get Salt Cellar and Pastry. I’m finding Charcoal. You better have spare pajamas too. We’re having a sleepover.”
“You already are sleeping over here? Are you not …?”
“A sleepover is more of an experience. I’ll teach you more about it later. You can learn by experience.” With that, Lily guided Silent Salt out of the library at last. “Go find Cellar and Pastry.”
“What am I to tell them..? That we are ‘sleeping over’? What is it we are going to be resting upon?” The beast mused, utterly baffled by the concept as Lily herded him out and into the halls, already striding quickly down them with determination. Silent Salt followed in the hopes of an explanation, his armor clanking lightly as he moved.
“Tell them we’re all meeting in that cozy little side room with the fireplace. The one with the old couch and too many blankets. I’ll be back in hopefully five minutes if Charcoal isn’t deep in the catacombs.
Rounding up Salt Cellar and Pastry wasn’t too difficult: the two were just sitting together and exchanging talks about their respective weapons. Charcoal on the other hand was deeper in the catacombs than Lily would’ve preferred. Though usually he’d be able to sense someone enter in who wasn’t a spirit, he was preoccupied with trying to get his voice heard above the clamour of spirits arguin. Though to the ancient it looked like he was just talking to himself. Not that Charcoal didn’t talk to himself, he absolutely did, but that Charcoal couldn’t get much of a word in that wasn’t dissolved by the spirits noise to him.
“... If ye’d listen ‘ere - just settle down -” he murmured, still keeping his voice low so as to not disturb the resting spirits, his usually folded peppered moth wings spread slightly in agitation. Not like the ones being chatty were helping. His lantern flickered with a weak turquoise light as he got some of the spirits to lay off. Though what got them to quiet down was noticing Lily behind him. “Finally, quiet yerselfs for just a moment so I can think.” Charcoal sighs, his shoulders slumping with exhaustion before nearly whacking Lily with his lantern tipped fire iron as she set a hand on his shoulder.
“Ah- don’t do that, heh.” The tombkeeper laughed nervously, straightening his posture and dipping his hat fondly to greet her. “Thank ye kindly, thought this lot’d never give me any peace till sunrise.”
“Of course, any time, Charcoal.” White Lily smiled fondly, her hand moving from his shoulder to his arm and tugging him along. “Come on, I’ve got something important and you need to be there.” She insists defiantly. “And you’re telling me how to get out of here. I’m lucky I didn’t get too lost trying to find you.”
The tombkeeper huffs, rubbing the side of his head with a slight nod as he pointed his fire iron forward to the correct path. “Aye, just keep yer voice down, heh.” Charcoal’s own tone was slightly above a whisper, though Lily assumed it was for his own sake rather than the spirits: hearing them all the time and loudly all together probably didn’t help the older man’s migraines.
As the two ascended the steps to the surface, the rain had progressed to a steady downpour, though neither Charcoal or Lily seemed to mind getting a bit wet from it as they passed to the main building. The distant sound of Pastry and Salt Cellar chatting in the room Lily mentioned before reassured her that Salt had been successful in rounding them up, even if it’d taken an admittedly shorter amount of time than getting nearly lost in the catacombs.
Illuminated by a few candles , the room was cozy: a sofa and a few chairs huddled around an old unlit fireplace. Pastry and Salt Cellar occupied the sofa, Silent Salt sitting across from them with a rigid posture that lacked the familiarity of being relaxed for once. Charcoal unhooked and set his lantern down on the middle of the table with a soft clink before wordlessly moving to start the fire with a murmured spell. The old logs burn with a turquoise flame that didn’t crackle or pop like a regular one would, but still emitted light and warmth nonetheless. Pulling over an old chair in the corner and depositing himself on it with an exhausted exhale, he glances at Lily expectantly, as the rest do.
Silent Salt hadn’t entirely told the others that this was a sleepover, as he didn’t really know how to word it, or what it was: only that White Lily wanted them here. Charcoal was still under the guise that this was some important meeting.
All eyes landed on the ancient hero as they waited for her explanation, which she began with a determined smile , seating herself in the last remaining chair. “Now then, we’ve all been working tirelessly with the impending threat of doom. Whether it’s research, preparation, or maintaining things, everyone here is clearly tired. Myself included. So we’re having a sleepover right now.”
The awkward silence that followed felt suffocating, until Charcoal broke it. “Right then. I’m on board. I don’t know about ye all, I’d like to get some sleep in.” The tombkeeper smirks, taking off his hat and setting it on the nearby coffee table, revealing his fluffy moth antennae. Charcoal slumps with fatigue in the seat, crossing his arms and closing his eyes, already preparing to sleep right then and there.
“Well, I was hoping we’d get to do something at least together, something that’s not fighting, like the first time we all met.” Lily announces.
“A sleepover?” Pastry repeats slowly, looking at Salt Cellar’s confused expression. “I suppose it would be nice. We didn’t have them in the Order, but we heard about them a lot.
“Alright then! Silent Salt, do you know where we can find more pillows or blankets or something of the sort?” White Lily tilted her head to see whatever his expression could be through that helmet.
Salt Cellar rose to her feet at the mention. “It’s been a while, but I believe I know where they are. I assume Charcoal does as well.” she nudges the half asleep man with her spear that she absolutely had to bring with her no matter what. Blinking awake, Charcoal slowly rose as well to follow in slight confusion, though the knight filled him in with a quiet murmur and nod as the two left. Pastry and Lily were left to explain in proper detail what a sleepover was to a very confused Silent Salt.
The knight and tombkeeper returned with old blankets and quilts, Charcoal explaining how one of the larger quilts was passed down from ancestor to ancestor, how each tombkeeper would stitch their own pattern on its squares. “.. An’ this one here’s the one from my great great grandfather.” His gloved finger pointed to embroidery on one of the squares of a moon split in two. Salt Cellar nodded in fond response, brushing her hand across the fabric as they walked back in. Silent Salt examined the ancestral blanket with curiosity, still rather new to how Charcoal was there the whole time and he had no idea, as well as the rest of his ancestors.
After setting everything down, they settled into quiet conversation, White Lily and Pastry taking to braid Charcoal’s hair, Salt Cellar finally setting her spear aside and relaxing beside Pastry. Silent Salt sat motionless for a solid half hour before they noticed he was actually asleep and not just observing before a soft blanket was draped over him at last.
Their little activities didn’t last too long, as Charcoal fell asleep soon after, Pastry and Salt Cellar next, then White Lily as the storm lulled to a soft drizzle once more in the early hours of the morning.