Bad Dreams

Where was she?

She had woken from her dreams with a feeling she wasn't familiar with, one that sped her heartbeat and made her eyes go wide. She didn't understand what fear was, but she felt it. She felt it in her very bones.

Where was Theran?

Accidentally, she had glitter jumped, as she thought of it, and now she was somewhere deep inside the castle, her guards still steadfastly guarding the door to her room. She was alone, it was dark, and she didn't know-

Clutching Andy to her chest, the small child watched her surroundings, much confused. Where was everyone? The shadows were long and treacherous, and she was afraid.

Tears started to well in her eyes, even as she held Andy up to shield her from the sound of approaching footsteps.

What she didn't know, was that she wasn't that far from her cousin's room, but as she never ventured down this particular hallway, she couldn't place it. If she were to move away from the wall and move down the hallway just a bit, she would be able to see that, but the poor young girl wasn't moving anytime soon on her own.

Softly, a scared whine started to slip from her throat, and she hugged her Andy tighter.

Ninette couldn't sleep. It was a problem that she was actually quite familiar with, though it had grown in the recent days. There was more in her head to deal with, things she did not wish to deal with. It seemed like an easier solution not to sleep.

Pulling a thin silk robe over her shoulders, tying it over the night gown she had been wearing, she had decided to instead wander barefoot down the corridor off her room. It was usually empty, better for thinking - or in this case not thinking. Her bare feet barely made a sound, which made the child's whimpering all the more easily to hear. A sigh and a frown crossed her face as she tried to decide which of her cousins it sounded more like. She had all but settled on Pepper when she turned a corner and her suspicions confirmed.

"What are you doing out here doof?" she slid down the wall, voice light like it was perfectly normal to see the small child alone, guardless, and parentless in the middle of the night. "You know this is the best time to be sleeping."

Looking down at her the girl she raised an eyebrow, "You weren't scared were you? Cause you know there's nothing in here scarier than your old Ninette."

The sound of footsteps had her holding Andy tighter, shrinking into the shadows and whining slightly. She didn't know who would be wandering around the castle late at night, but she didn't like the thought of it.

"Inny." Pepper whimpered, once her cousin's voice could be heard. She didn't move from her place, trembling in her smallness as her big brown eyes gazed up at her cousin. "Inny!" Her face crumpled, and she hid behind Andy, holding the stuffed animal up to protect her.

Holding up both hands to be picked up, the girl continued her crying, wishing she could be as brave as Ninny. Ninny would protect her, Ninny would scare all the monsters away.

Letting out a soft click of her tongue, Ninette bent down and picked up the small crying girl, holding her closer than she usual would. The comforting instinct may have been natural, or maybe Ninette had just picked up somewhere along the way, and just forgotten about it. Either way she began to bounce the small girl lightly as she turned to walk back towards where she slept.

"Well, I think you're awfully brave to be out here all on your own," Ninette said conversationally. "I mean, there's nothing more frightening than I am but, you know, sometimes some people think that they can't be sure."

"You trust me though, right? You know that there's nothing more scary anywhere than your cousin Nine?"