From the now curtained off bedstede, Ayumi peeked out with a single eye that scanned the world beyond.
A scattered light filtered through their thin curtain, across from her Glei lay unmoved from his spot. A damp but slightly drying sheet covered up to his shoulders with another one soaking in a bowl nearby.
In her previous bed lay the carrot-topped man curled on his side with his back to the wall and a blanket burring him entirely. His breath rose and fell, intermittently trapped in his chest as it skipped out of his lungs.
Lastly, Hakk sat opposite the window laying across two chairs with arms folded and feet propped up.
"Pst," A whispered tone escaped from Ayumis mouth.
Sturring slightly Hakk moved his head to the direction of the sound with raised eyebrow he opened his eye and peered from the corner of it at the monster between the curtains.
"How long until night?"Ayumi popped the rest of her head out as her hair clung to the fabric of the cloth.
Hakk uncrossed his arms and held up his hand extending all it's digits and then closed them and opened two.
Ayumi sighed as she closed the curtains, a ruffle of sheets and kicking as she rolled over. "Wake me up when it's dusk!"
A small gasp came from the middle of the room as Hakk's eyes trailed to the center bed. There the carrot toped form lay peering out from beneath the sheet igloo and the two locked eyes again. Hakk's expression unchanging as the other quickly closed their eyes and turned his head to face the coarse fabric of the bed and eventually drifting into fitful sleeps.
The day eked on as Ayumi tossed and turned in her cupboard bed. The noise of the world flowed as people came in, left, or walked by their room, and when the star finally set in the sky a humid chill fell on the land.
"FINALLY!" The curtains pulled back as Ayumi jumped from the bed landing loudly on the floor. The man in the bed's eyes shot open but he remained silent as he pulled the blankets about him slowly.
"And you didn't wake me!" She pointed to where Hakk sat but only empty chairs remained. Under her breath, she grumbled, as straightened out her clothes. Stretching slightly she took a deep breath.
A knock came to the door as she turned to see a petite framed women with brief blonde hair that curled slightly about the ends. A tray, balanced with some precariousness, in its arrangement of items rested in her hands.
"Kanja Ayumi?" The raspy voice called out.
A frown escaped Ayumis appearance as she reached over for one of the chairs pulling it towards her and sitting upon it.
"Let the torture begin." She held out her bandaged arms before her.
"Are your burns bothering you, are you in any pain I can get some different ointment if they are." The women set the tray on the small table and shuffled the objects about aligning them ever so slightly. "Please let us know if they are though, it is important."
"They are just itchy." Ayumi bit her lip. "And I just want to scrape it all off." She made an action as she hovered one hand over the other making the motion of scratching.
The women smiled as she unwrapped Ayumis arms discarding the soiled linens. "Understandable, but do let me know if anything more is bothering you okay?"
Ayumi nodded and her head turned to look at Glei.
"How's he doing?"
"You're friend with long hair?"
"Mm."
"Better…I think Isha Althea said he was recovering better than you last I heard."
Ayumi's lips scrunched. "No fair he can be in the sun."
"Soon I think, your blisters are doing much better. But you still need to be careful after it okay? With an umbrella or avoiding exposed skin in general."
The women applied a salve on Ayumis forearms, the skin was a mix of red/brown, pink, purple scabs and open flesh that stretched out along it in a hands width.
A hiss escaped her mouth as she pulled slightly away from the other.
"Apologies."
"Isokay."
The women finished wrapping the wounds and with a slight bow, she left. In silence, Ayumi sat until distantly thunder rolled beyond the walls causing a few scattered animals to call from their sleep. From the bed, Glei hissed as the grinding of stone on stone caught her ears. Standing up she made her way over to the other.
"Yah dead yet?" She poked at his hair gently.
Glei gave a low moan as his eyes fluttered open, both were a brown bloodshot, the texture on his face bore that of a cracked dried desert bed. A mossy fragrance filtered from him as a bubble of humid air clung densely to him.
Ayumi sat on the edge of his bed and began with heels planted dancing her feet about as she gazed out the covered window.
"Thanks for the umbrella."
A small smile escaped from his cracking lips as pieces flaked off of them falling to the bed in a fine mist-like film.
"Welcome." The words dried in his mouth as they hoarsely exited it.
" I'd offer to take you but…. I'm going out for a bit if anyone asks."
A slight laugh choked out as he nodded with his eyes drifted closed.
Outside the veiled window, the two moons crept from the velvet night.
"Wanna come instead?" Ayumi looked to the bed near the window. Carrot tops eyes were wide open and the near pearlescent quality of them reflected in the ill-lit room. Blinking closed they fled into the fortress of fabrics.
A few moments passed as the sound of shuffling across the floor echoed in his ears, peeking out he looked about the room.
From the ground floor of the bed, Ayumi's head popped up before his "Want-to-come?"
Scuffling back until he was pressed almost into the wall he tensed his muscles as he curled into a ball. His eyes trailed to the chairs in the corner. Empty.
Ayumi held her hand out with one finger raised as she turned and began sprinting down the hallway beyond his vision.
He began to sit up as his muscles shook, scooting to the edge of the bed he pulled his legs over the edge as he sat there his upper torso weaving from side to side slightly as his hands clenched the bed mattress.
A rusted squeak echoed in the hallways about, unevenly, from the shadows Ayumi appeared. Before her, she pushed a wooden chair with wheels on the sides and one centered in the back.
"It will be easier with this." A wide smile crept across Ayumi as she approached the other with the contraption."Grab the blanket and we can escape this joint for the night." She offered a hand to the other.
With a survey, the other paused as his hand retreated to his form then extended to meet hers.
Grasping firmly she pulled the other to his feet in a swift motion and together the two guided himself to the seat of the chair.
Turning the device about Ayumi paused, with one hand raised and the other on the handles of the device she cleared her throat.
"Adventure awaits! Maybe we can find some toads too!"
Grabbing both handles she hunched her back and with full steam, ahead push sprinted the wobbly wheeled chair down the hallways.
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