Tisis

The morning after (N)

It's cold. Again.
A draft tickles my feet.
It's so cold.
My head hurts.

What in the world happened last night?
It's...all a blur.

"Nym?"
A voice like a thousand needles piercing my brain.
"Hey, Nym, you...you're still alive, right?"
That voice again...like thunder clapping inside my head.
Why does my head hurt so much?

A touch.
Warm. Soft. Gentle.

We...we had dinner...Sirus wasn't happy with my helping.
I was hungry...so...very, very hungry.
He...offered me some of his food...
But what happened after that?

I...I cannot remember.

"Hey Nym, I'm really sorry, but...the sun is already high in the sky and...well, I could probably go without food for a day or two, but..."

I open my eyes.
The light is blinding me, thrusting more needles into my battered mind.

It takes a whole minute until my eyesight somewhat stabilizes.
I begin to recognize details and finally even Sirus.

"What...happened last night?" I croak, trying to cover up the fact that I feel like someone ate me, chewed me up or maybe even swallowed me whole and then spat me out back to the ground after they were done.

I don't think I'm doing a very good job, judging from what I assume is Sirus' 'worried sick' look.
I have a hard time telling, really.

"Yeah, well...we had dinner. And...I think you may have had a little too much meat last night. And I'm really, really sorry about that. I promise, no, I vow that I'll never put you through that again."

What...is that imbecile talking about?

"I...I can't remember a thing..."
Sirus mutters something under his breath that sounds a bit like, 'Thank goodness'.

What in Garkla's name did happen last night?!

A pang of headache paralyzes me as a direct response to my inner outburst.

"I...didn't do anything...stupid, did I?"
Silence. Sweet, blissful silence.
And yet, his silence speaks louder than any words could.

I bury my head in my hands as tears begin to flow.
A million thoughts race through my head, each a clap of thunder.
A thousand stories come to life before my inner mind.

At long last, Sirus breaks his silence and replies, "Nothing happened, Nym. You got...drunk I think was the word, threw up on our doorstep and then fell asleep."

"And...that's all? Honestly?"

Endless seconds of silence.
What isn't he telling me?

"Alright Nym, I'll be honest with you. You were...acting a little strange. But I swear to God that nothing happened. You passed out before."

"Oh Garkla...you must hate me now..."
"Nonsense. I've seen people act like that before. As I said, you've been drunk. People do strange things when they're drunk. Your first time, huh?"

I nod. At least I most certainly cannot remember ever feeling like this before.
Not like I feel like that I can remember much of anything right now.

"Figures...so yeah, rest assured, I think no less of you than before. And..."
Sirus falls silent again, then shakes his head and smiles.

"And if you'd be so kind, there's food...real food to be found. And today I'm accompanying you. Can't have you go hunting all by yourself while you're hungover after all."

I force myself to my feet, still wobbly, but getting better by the minute.

"But...your leg," I object, but Sirus just takes my hand and shakes his head.
"The hungover girl and the crippled boy. What could Tisis throw at us we cannot handle?"

"Plenty...but you're right, I can't go out like this...let's just hope that the critters out there are having an equally bad day."