The night dragged itself painfully slow forwards, Jak didn’t think he had closed his for longer than a minute at a time over the last hour alone. Tossing and turning, eyes opening again despite the exhaustion pressing down on them, trying to force them close once more. The longest he had managed to curl up and stay still in this comfortable but still obviously makeshift bed had been when Graam had snuck by. The big shark tried his best to be as quiet and inconspicuous as possible as he looked after them in concern before slinking off to a place to bunk of his own. That he had found one became gratingly obvious as his loud snoring echoed muffled through the hallways a short while later.
Glancing to the side he smiled a glum smile as Mina and Jenny laid side by the side, the two young girls hugged each other tightly and hadn’t left each other’s side since that heartbreaking cry in the alleyway. Most of that time spent fast asleep. Jak couldn’t help but feel a bit envious about that. Though a pang of guilt pierced through him as Mina whimpered lightly in her sleep.
“Ugh, damnit…” He hissed out under his breath, turning back around. But he just couldn’t find any rest. Finally he sighed, groaned and just gave up. There was no way he could fall asleep right now.
“Can’t sleep either, huh?” Vee’s quiet voice startled him from the side after he had sat up. The chameleon weasel followed his example, her reflective eyes meeting with his own in the dark. She was only dressed in her underwear, a loose tank top with her lower body obscured by the blankets.
“… yeah.” Jak answered after a moment, relaxing his tensed body and fists. He was glad that the darkness obscured the blush dusting his cheeks.
“It’s… I have never felt so helpless in my life…!” She hissed out, tears sparkling within her eyes as she glared up at the ceiling through the darkness. “Never really… I think, my aunt had to deal with this feeling a lot…” Her words trailed off as she wiped away the tears and snot. “Ugh, and to think I was actually feeling worried about being left hanging… what a riot.” A smirk played over her lips despite everything.
“… oh, right. The date, haha…” Jak let out an awkward laugh after staring at her blankly for a few seconds. After all that chaos he completely forgotten all about it. The Lebensfest…? It felt so impossibly distant now. And yet it would start immediately next morning.
“Yup.” Vee popped the p as she sighed, leaning backwards bracing herself on her hands. Her tail flicked visibly under her covers.
Silence fell over them, Vee seemingly deep in her thoughts while Jak felt strangely awkward, unsure if he should say anything in response.
“Do you think they will allows us to leave?” She suddenly asked him.
“Uh, maybe…? Honestly, I’m still not really sure what’s going here.” He answered, laying back down, resting on his hands. “First there’s Haggard and that demon thing and now…” Jak shrugged helplessly.
“Right, well all of this feels super illegal. Your friend Graam used an Arc! There’s a secret base under the city and now we’re here after an orphanage got blown up. Why would they let us go? We know too much! Just one wrong word and we could blow this place, even just by accident.” Vee exclaimed quietly, looking at him pointedly as she threw her hands up in the air.
“Heh.” Jak snorted with a small smirk. “You’re underestimating how little the Slums care for the City Guard.”
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“Yeah? Well, don’t think that they don’t have their spies around either.” She shot back blandly, her gaze wandering over to a sleeping Myra. “Can’t believe she is able to just sleep without a care…”
The bunny cat mewled cutely in her sleep and rolled herself up tighter into her blankets. She was just a roll now. Jak and Vee sweatdropped.
The wolf cat exhaled audibly. His thoughts swirling chaotically. Graam, Haggard, that Demon Witch woman, the Dragon Mare bringing Jenny, this whole secret organisation. The orphanage and the carnage that had been wrought. And then his thoughts turned back to the Lebensfest. Glaring up at the ceiling Jak found a spark of defiance ignite within him. Haggard had already taken away far too much. He wasn’t going to let him take even more in his absence!
“Let’s sneak out of here tomorrow and go to the Lebensfest.” He declared determined, a lopsided grin pulling at his lips as he turned back to Vee.
“What? And how are we supposed to do that? This place is teeming with people, even if they don’t keep watch on us directly, they would see us trying to get out.” Vee snorted.
“I think I can help with that.”
The two nearly jumped out of their skins as a third voice suddenly echoed through the room.
Rehn had opened her eyes and was now smiling at them as they twinkled mischievously.
After her Third Eye had flitted after Graam she had continued to spy on the rest of the meeting and overheard, or rather saw, some rather interesting tidbits. Most of it she didn’t really get the importance of, pictures alone not enough and she was too unfamiliar with those talking to get a good read on their lips. Especially with the amount of people talking. But she had certainly got the basic premise that tomorrow? Basically everybody was out on this important mission.
And in the lull after the debriefing, Rehn had finally and nervously pulled back out of her Third Eye. Which consequently had her back in her body, allowing her to overhear Jak and Vee. A breath of relief escaped Rehn as she didn’t get a headache as she opened her eyes again. She did lose a direct sight through her Third Eye but just closing her other eyes allows her to glimpse back through it if needed.
“… anyways, I spied in on their whole meeting thing.” Rehn ended her whispered explanation with a small grin. A massive weight fell from her as she revealed her arc to Jak and Vee. “I didn’t really get everything but I’m pretty sure that the whole base is going to be pretty understaffed tomorrow.”
“Perfect time to sneak out then, huh?” Jak nodded along, turning to Vee with a smug smirk.
“Yup~” The cat girl confirmed cheerfully while Vee gave a deadpan look at the wolf cat.
“And you already got plans for how to get out unnoticed? Or away from ol’ Graam and his friends…?” The chameleon weasel drawled, feeling the need to somehow defend herself against their cheery optimism.
“Well, I know I can’t do anything with how tired I’m right now.” Jak yawned wide, stretching his arms and back. “And I would rather not have those two overhear us here…” He added quietly, bopping his head towards the restlessly snoozing forms of Mina and Jenny.
Any response Vee may have wanted to make vanished under the wide yawn that infected her now as well.
“Ugh, yeah… can’t say I’m all there either…” She grumbled annoyed.
“Heh, don’t worry! I will keep an eye out~!” Rehn puffed her chest out, earning herself a groan from Vee at the unintentional pun while Jak gave her a thumbs up.
Without another word, the two rolled themselves back into their beds. Their whirling thoughts had calmed down considerably and within only moments they had fallen fast asleep as their exhaustion finally caught up with them.
Rehn joined them as another sleeping form. Only her mind was wide awake as she returned to her Third Eye.
She felt a bit bad about lying to her friend as she didn’t turn to over see the cavern. No, instead she had decided to follow the group who had been chosen to dive deeper into Dampfstadt’s underground. Because during their debriefing she had seen a familiar face.
Why was Vee’s aunt important enough to warrant a threat assessment for their group?
Rehn’s eyes, or rather just singular eye at the moment, narrowed in determination. She would keep her Third Eye trained on them, following their group whichever way they went. Hopefully nothing would come of it and she wouldn’t have to worry Vee about it. But if worst came to worst? She was ready to use her Arc’s true ability again.
Blithely the cat pushed the high likelihood of horrible consequences her plan most certainly would have far into the back of her mind. That was for future Rehn to worry about!