Consolation

When Vesren blinked open bright golden eyes the world was still inky black. The moon glinted above the makeshift camp, starts glittered overhead. It was still night; so why had he woken up so suddenly? He rolled, heavy blankets slipping from his shoulders, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the dark.

Nola's sleeping back was empty.

Tail twitching, Vesren's head snapped to look around. The fire had long gone out, and Nola's supplies still sat neatly where she had left them that evening. So where was she? Panic settled into his chest as Vesren wiggled upright, his hands already beginning to sweat as he cast his eyes once again to the empty sleeping bag. As if she would somehow, miraculously, appear.

Then a tiny sound caught his ears, so quiet a human might have missed it. Feet scuffled against the ground, quickly followed by choked breaths... crying? Vesren, all remnants of sleep vanished, shoved away the last of his blankets and followed the sound. It was as if the person as trying not to be caught, stifling their breaths before their sobs could become too loud; but even so Vesren followed, heart in his throat.

There sat Nola, huddled under a thick travelling blanket, head bowed low. A river glistened behind her, the water moving sluggishly in the breezeless night. They had chosen this spot because it was well hidden, the trees overhead thick enough to protect from any bad weather; but Vesren hadn't expected them to be so close to running water. The sight was so serene it left him speechless - until Nola shivered, fighting back another hushed cry.

"Nola?" he spoke without thinking, edging closer to her tired form. Twigs snapped underneath him as he moved, thick tail always too noisy for his own good, but Nola didn't even glance up. Something was wrong. "Nola?" he tried again, reaching out to place a gentle hand against her shoulder.

This time she shifted underneath the mountain of blanket, head turning to cast him an exhausted smile. Although she wiped a hand across her cheek it didn't hide the redness of her eyes or the old tear tracks glinting in the moonlight. "Hey, Vesren."

Lips pursed as he fought back the urge to shoot a witty comeback. Now wasn't the time; now was the time to figure out what was wrong and maybe, just maybe, he would be able to help her. Smiling softly, Vesren knelt beside her. The grass was colder here, wet from the river, but he paid it no mind as he shifted to face Nola. "Why are you awake so early?"

Somewhere in the distance an owl chirped, shattering the uneasy silence of the quiet forest. Nola flinched, soft features twisting as she buried herself deep into  the blankets. After a moment she relaxed, or at least enough she didn't look ready to bolt at any second. Vesren waited patiently until she answered with a quiet, "I had a bad dream, but it isn't important."

"Of course it is," Vesren shot back - a little harsher than he intended. Internally he winced, but his point remained. "If it was bad enough to wake you up, it's important. Nightmares suck, and I saw you crying."

"Oh. You did?" In the darkness it was difficult to see, but he swore Nola flushed. A hand swept up to remove imaginary tears; but they had already dried, clinging to her cheeks. "It wasn't a nightmare, exactly," she finally admonished, "more like... a memory? I can't tell, but it felt so real, like a piece of my past coming back to me. Then I woke up and... and I realised it wasn't real."

They fell silent. Even the owl quietened its song, like it was giving Nola time to think. Vesren parted his lips - but really, what was he supposed to say? What Nola was going through was beyond what he knew, and the more he tried to help the more it felt like he couldn't win. So he settled for tugging her into a tight embrace, allowing Nola to bury her face in his thick white hair. "Do you want to tell me about this dream?"

Nola shook her head. No. "It didn't make much sense," she told him, "just a snippet of a scene without context. A man, a house... a child. Do you think I had a child, in my old life?"

"I don't see why not," he replied. A smile graced his lips then, imagining Nola with a toddler clinging to her leg. "I think you'd make a good mother though, and any guy would be lucky to have you." He snorted, shaking his head at his own silly comment.

It brought a smile to Nola's lips though, albeit a weak, watery one. A laugh rumbled from deep in her chest and Vesren felt a spark of relief. "Maybe it wasn't even a memory at all, I don't know. It's just... I hate all of this, you know? Not remembering anything, second guessing everything, all the time. I'm tired of it."

"I know." A strand of dark hair fell against Nola's forehead and he brushed it away, so gentle he barely touched her. It was moments like these, in the early hours, that everything really came crashing down on them. It wasn't an easy life for either of them, but they had chosen it nonetheless. "We'll figure it out eventually," he told her, voice stronger than he felt.

"You promise?"

"Of course."

The sigh that left Nola's lips was tiny, and it took him a second to realise she had yawned. He smiled, allowing himself, for a moment, to watch her. He had to admire her resilience; only minutes ago she had been in tears and now she was barely keeping her eyes open. "We should get back to sleep," he told her, "the sun will be up soon and we'll have to move on."

"Right. Places to go, people to kill."

"Something like that."

Another yawn slipped from Nola's lips as she sat up, using Vesren's curled tail as support. The blanket, still wrapped tightly around narrow shoulders, trailed the muddy ground. Not that she seemed to care.

The two trudged silently back to camp, Nola refusing to move from his side. Above them a bird squawked and she clung tightly to his arm - which only served to make him realise how badly this dream had affected her. Worse than she let on. It made him wonder what else she hadn't told him. Still, that was a conversation for another time; a time when they were both fully awake, and for when Nola was ready.

Their camp was just how Vesren had left it. It wasn't nearly as inviting as a proper home with plush pillows and a fire; but it was theirs. For tonight at least. Vesren wasted no time in curling back underneath his blankets - since no sleeping bag could fit his enormous snake-like tail - and pulling them close. It wasn't until he turned to speak to Nola that he noticed she hadn't climbed into her own makeshift bed.

She hovered between her sleeping bag and Vesren, eyes shifting from one to the other. She seemed conflicted, brows furrowed and lips pursed. Even in the dark, her distress was obvious.

"What's wrong?"

"I... it's nothing serious," Nola replied with a shaky shrug, "but... would you mind if I camped with you tonight?"

He blinked. There was no reason not to, he surmised, except for the fact she had never asked before. After a second of hesitation he decided, hey, if she needed it just for tonight then why would he deny her that comfort? Slipping back the blankets, he ushered her in. "Sure, Nola. Make yourself comfortable."

She did, nestling between his arms so he was forced to spoon her - although she didn't shed her own blanket even as she settled down. It wasn't that cold, but Vesren decided not to comment. Well and truly cocooned, Nola let out a little sigh and curled into his embrace.

Any other time it might have been weird, but Vesren and Nola were both content to snuggle down and let their eyes droop. Within moments Vesren felt himself drifting off, arms wrapped securely around Nola. "Sleep well," he managed quietly.

"With you here, I will," came her sleepy response.