[Child of the 7th Age]

The Vala was still asleep. However, it was a kind of sleep that didn’t look very restful. Instead of lying still, Lorien was twitching and flipping, with occasional grunts and groans, his eyelids fluttering spasmodically but never completely pulling open. Was it possible for the Master of Dreams to be a victim of his own visions? Cami wasn't sure, but she was curious. She nudged Bird and asked, “Do you think we could drag him over?”

“ Probably so. He may be restless, but he’ll be out for a while.”

Working together, they managed to wiggle the mattress off the bed with some difficulty, tugging it awkwardly along the floor. Lorien slept on, oblivious to the fact that his sleeping mat was moving. He eventually fell off the mattress, so they left him dumped in the corner of the room, then sat down to share a glass of wine and talk. It was the first time that Cami had been able to say anything to Bird, beyond the fleeting words they’d exchanged when she flew in through the window. The women sat on the floor and chatted, emptying out two wine bottles, and spending a good deal of time laughing.

This had gone on for nearly two hours. Then, Pio and Bird began discussing things they’d uncovered from their early researches on the shapechangers. Cami found it difficult to follow the complicated ins and outs, and, too tired to listen closely, retreated over to where Lorien slept. Cami stared at him and distastefully wrinkled her nose. The evening hadn't turned out to be quite as memorable as she had hoped. Cami felt that much of the blame for this should go to Lorien. She'd spent half the party trying to wheedle answers out of him, and the other half in a foul mood worrying about a variety of things. There had been a few nice moments in between when she'd talked with friends and ate dinner. Still, she might have been less upset if Lorien hadn't left her hanging.

“Pio, do you think it’s alright if I try and wake him? I’d like to know what he wanted to tell me.”

The Elf looked up and shrugged her shoulders, “Suit yourself. But I doubt you’ll have much luck.”

Cami felt a strong urge to lean over the sleeping Vala and yell as loudly as she could into one of his ears. She resisted this temptation and began tapping him on the arm. This did not accomplish anything, so she tried gently shaking his shoulders, and finally resorted to punching him in the ribcage. But there was still no response from the sleeper. Desperate and grouchy, and tired to the point of exhaustion, Cami leaned directly over his body and shrieked at the top of her lungs, "Lorien, Lorien, you said you had something to tell me. It's Cami. Please wake up!

[ March 05, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]