“Which one is more likely to watch people sleep: Sora or Albina?”
As Kira asks this question, she raises two fingers. The Apprentices sit on the floor of the Middle Lounge for a… sleepover. Except it’s technically not one, as Lucio has to come back before midnight to ‘tend to his Master’, Ren is leaving before anyone falls asleep on him, and Albina is leaving once she gets the notification for her recently ordered kidneys.
“Lucio, obviously,” a sly smile forms on Albina’s cold face. “Isn’t he the one who watches his Master sleep, every night?”
Lucko stiffens. He side-eyes Albina with slightly wide eyes. “How would you know such things?”
”Seconded,” Ren crosses his arms, scrutinizing Albina.
”Because your so-called ‘caring’ Master told me,” Albina mockingly chuckles, her smile only growing wider as she inspects Lucio’s face. “She ranted to me about so many of behaviors while I had been under her wing for a day, Lucio.”
”Y-You must be fooling with us all,” Lucio attempts to make like Ren and turns his head away from him sharply.
”Did you stutter, dearest Lucio?” Albina raises an eyebrow. “How blessed are you to be with us, and not with that cruel woman…”
”T-This got awkward really quickly,” Sora whispers to Kira. Kira sighs.
She claps her hands together. “Guys, lock in. I know it’s Albina who’s gonna watch us sleep and draw moustaches on our faces.”
”Save for me,” Ren triumphantly retorts, a hint of a smirk on his face. “For I will take my leave before she gets her cold, prosthetic hands on my—“
”Bald head,” Kira giggles.
“It’s o-okay, Ren!” Sora interjects. “You look b-beautiful bald!”
”You dare test my patience today, little Kira?” the rather nasty smirk returns to Ren’s face once more, and he rises. “So as long as I have your consent, I will film you as sleep before you can capture an inch of my handsome, humble frame in rest.”
Albina giggles. Ren glares at her. “And you as well, Ring Apprentice.”
”A-And me too?” Sora blinks.
“And Lucio?” Kira points to Lucio.
”Please stop with the questions,” Ren grits his teeth. “My only vow is this: I shall record you all sleeping before the sun rises insofar as is possible —with your permission beforehand, because unlike Albina, I am not, as Kira claim, ‘Freaky Ren’— and post these videos onto the blog.”
”How scandalous,” Albina rises from the floor, towering over Ren. “Well, I suppose I shall challenge this bold vow with my own. I shall do the same with all of you, including Ren. I shall capture his sleeping beauty… I pray it is worth more than the kidneys I ordered.”
”Don’t worry! Should be easy ‘cause his head is soo shiny now,” Kira teases.
“You say one more word about my humble scalp…” Ren’s face hardens.
“Okay, okay…” the Middle Apprentice rolls her eyes, standing up. Her new comically chunky heels allow her to look down at Ren with a cheeky smile. “Anyway. I’ll join this challenge too. For the funsies.”
”Me three, apparently!” Sora cheerily says, springing up beside Kira.
The standing Apprentices glance down at the seated Thumb Apprentice.
”Join us, too, Lucio!” Kira prompts, snatching his hand and pulling him up.
“…Very well, then,” he hesitantly answers.
“What’s with all of these energy drinks?” Albina stands beside Kira’s bed. She kicks the cans aside as she observes the lump underneath the sheets.
It’s close to midnight now. Kira had said she would be going to sleep now.
Albina raises her phone. “Little Kira…”
She lifts the blankets, only to see a meticulously put together set of stuffed animals that resemble a body.
“Distal phalange…” Albina curses her breath, shoving the sheets back over the stuffed animals. “Where is that brainrotted woman?”
She turns on her heel and begins to storm out of the room, unaware of the Kira under the bed.
Kira springs out from the bed and snatches Albina’s ankle.
Albina glances down at the hands clasped around it.
“Stay still! I’m gonna choloform you!” Kira casually exclaims.
Albina nearly collapses in laughter as she allows Kira to stand beside her. Kira struggles to get on her tip-toes and put some cloth to Albina’s mouth.
Albina catches Kira’s wrist and flicks the cloth across the room.
”Dude!” Kira winces. “That was my last one! Stop laughing at me!”
”What in the world do you mean ‘last one’?” Albina lightly scoffs. She saunters towards Kira’s bed and plops onto it.
”I used the last drops of your choloroform for that,” Kira groans.
“You… used… what?” Albina perks up.
”And you didn’t even know?”
”About… how long it takes to knock it takes to knock someone out with chloroform?”
”Kira Middle,” Albina exasperatedly sighs, patting the spot beside her.. “Take a seat. We have… many things to discuss.”
Meanwhile, the other Apprentices are not struggling with drugging people, but in hiding from them.
”L-Lucio, can you please get out of this closet?” Sora sheepishly smiles as she discovers Lucio hiding in Kira’s pink walk-in closet. “The Prescripts said I need to h-hide in here. So that the others don’t take photos of me.”
”You are free to stay with me here,” Lucio says, eyeing the phone in Sora’s hands. “Although I am not willing to leave and encounter any of the others.”
”Okay,” Sora nods. She takes a seat beside Lucio. They hide under the flashy clothes attached to hangers.
”If I fall asleep, will you r-record me?” Sora asks.
”If you so wish,” Lucio blinks. “And… you are free to do the same as well.”
A few moments of silence pass.
She eyes Lucio’s face. “Was it t-true, by the way?”
”Was what true?” Lucio hums, drawing his knees towards himself.
“You watching Valencina s-sleep,” Sora clarifies.
At that Lucio squints at her. With disgust, with apprehension, with confusion— she can’t tell. “…I don’t believe it’s appropriate for me answer.”
”What?” Sora flushes. “What is that supposed to—“
”It’s simply a matter that doesn’t concern you, that’s all,” Lucio sighs.
”But I-I’m kinda curious,” Sora rubs the back of her neck. Had talking with Lucio always been this hard, or… is it her lack of social skills, or—?
”I simply tend to my Master as she does me, hence why I must leave as soon as midnight comes.”
”Do y-you really like being with her, Lucio?” Sora presses on. It must be Hermes possessing her right now…
Lucio tenses at the question. His lips twitch, and an almost pained expression flashes through his face before he blankly answers:
Sora nods. She mimics his posture and says nothing else.
After a few minutes, she begins to doze off.
Lucio only realizes such once he feels a weight on his shoulder.
His gaze drifts to Sora, or rather, her head. Her hair is soft, brushing against its neck. Apparently her hair is still luscious from that time she got it done with Matthias.
Lucio checks his watch. Sora’s phone clatters against the floor.
He picks it up. It seems her beeper has fallen to the floor as well.
Perhaps out of boredom, or curiosity, he enters the passcode.
It opens to her camera app.
Lucio glances at Sora once more.
[Sora is resting on Lucio’s shoulder, her glasses pressed to his neck.]
@xXKIRAXx: DUDE IS THAT MY CLOSET
@SoraIndex: Hello everyone. This is Lucio, the Thumb Apprentice. I have unlocked Sora’s phone and have fulfilled my duty here.
@PinkyApprenticeRen: Thank you, Lucio.
@DMmeCorporistArt: Goodbye, Lucio. It has been nice knowing you.
@xXKIRAXx: this girl Albina always speaks so cryptically. it sounds like you’re gonna slime him out by sunrise 😂😂😂
@SoraIndex: Good night everyone. Rest well.
@SoraIndex has gone offline.
@DMmeCorporistArt: Well, I suppose Ren will never get to see sleeping Lucio.
@PinkyApprenticeRen: Only for now, Ring Apprentice. First I must locate you.
@PinkyApprenticeRen: Hello?
@DMmeCorporistArt is typing…
@PinkyApprenticeRen: Who is knocking at the door?
@DMmeCorporistArt: Open the door, dearest Ren.
@PinkyApprenticeRen has gone offline.
Kira and Albina look up from Albina’s phone. They stare at the door ahead of them— the door to the Middle lounge.
”So we seriously can’t do anything ‘unethical’, like you said?” Kira huffs, crossing her arms.
“So-called unethical practices are reserved for ingredients,” Albina answers. “Unfortunately, Ren is not an ingredient right now… so no.”
She readies Fascia. “Step back, small woman. I shall unlock this door for the both of us.”
”But Ren’s not even asleep—“
Albina shoves Fascia into the keyhole.
”Ohh Ren!~” Albina croons, slinging Fascia over her shoulder as she storms into the lounge. “It is time for me to collect your body!”
”Albina, bro,” Kira groans.
Ren stays silent, however. Wherever he is.
”Sing, Kira,” Albina orders.
”Uhh…” Kira’s eyes widen.
”As we rehearsed, Kira! The lullaby!”
”Which one?!” Kira’s gulps.
”The one you wrote!” Albina throws her hands (and Fascia with them) upwards. “With passion! Now sing!”
”Uhh…” Kira clears her throat as Albina roams through the lounge. She doesn’t miss any crevices as Kira sings:
”Hey hey hey Ren / we’re here to make you sleepy sleepy…”
Ren slams a hand over his mouth, watching from the ceiling. (He has scaled the walls and has dug his sword into the ceiling.)
”We know you’re sad / all your hair got shaved off by Callisto / but it’s okay / ‘cause you’re a beautiful Ring model now…” Kira continues poetically singing. Her voice cracks every so often.
Ren slams his eyes shut in an attempt to stifle laughter from seeing Kira twirl around the room. Albina passes directly beneath him, checking under the couch.
“Where is this Pinker?” Albina hisses under her breath. She has already checked half of the lounge’s floor area.
Ren twitches at the insult but says nothing as Kira continues heartily singing:
”So please go to sleep with this awesome song / you will look very cute asleep / your Pinky Nursefather will agree…”
”Kira, check the other half of the room. I must recount my steps,” Albina demands.
This goes on for the next five minutes.
Unfortunately for Ren, who doesn’t normally sleep past ten PM, it is rather late.
Hanging from the ceiling does make him rather exhausted.
The song is not helping either. It is surprisingly… gentle…
He quietly yawns. As Kira and Albina continue to struggle searching through the room, Ren’s eyes flutter shut.
Said Apprentice falls from the ceiling, his sword in hand, as he lands straight in Albina’s arms.
@DMmeSleepingRen has sent a video.
[Ren is cradled in Albina’s arms, quietly snoring as Kira sings her lullaby, acting as the camerawoman.]
@DMmeSleepingRen: Sleeps like a cherub.
@SoraIndex: He’s adorable!!
@houseofspidersbartender: Wow. I never thought I would see this.
@DMmeSleepingRen is typing…
@DMmeSleepingRen has sent a video.
[They’ve put the puppy face filter over Ren. He’s apparently humming Kira’s lullaby along with her?]
@DMmeSleepingRen is typing…
@DMmeSleepingRen has sent a video.
[“Unhand my humble self with haste, Ring Apprentice!!!”]
TLDR: Sora and ren are sleepy :3
