"Which one should we watch?"

You're the one watching, kid, you pick.

"But I can't read the labels...."

Don't tell me you want us to read them for you.

Not as if most of us could, anyway, either.

Just pick based on what the nicest picture is, dear.

"Um. Okay. This one looks okay...."

Not so loud, you'll wake someone up.

Maybe put this little farce to an end.

"I'll be quiet... I'm being quiet. Which way does it go in?"

That way-- no that way!

I thought you were paying attention when those brats were playing with this thing!

I was, but the mutt kept looking the other way; I didn't have a lot of choice in the matter!

"Shhhh, it's working! I think...."

A sudden blare of music broke the silence, previously only interrupted briefly by raspy, slightly-lisped whispers.

Aaaah, too loud, too loud!

Turn it off, quick!

No, no, turn it down. Oh, here, let me.

The volume rapidly descended to a barely-audible level, only just enough to cover a sigh of relief. The culprit of all the noise plopped down right in front of the holovision, cross-legged and head tilted back, as close as possible so as to hear it on its lowest setting and, hopefully, not wake anyone up.

There, all settled....

Enjoy, kid.

"I will."

The video, it turned out, was what Aedelian had called a "cartoon", which meant it wasn't real people acting out the illusional show. That made sense: they didn't look real, not even like daemons! No daemon would have weird, big hooves like that, or be in such funny colors. But it was still fun!

The holo had only been playing for a few minutes when something unexpected interrupted it: a voice, coming from the stairs and approaching. "Hey, whatcha watchin'?" it asked.

Starting to Cacopheny's feet guiltily, she nearly tripped on his long pants, feeling awkward at such a tall height. She was babbling anxiously, trying to back up but hitting the couch. Her voice sounded so strange, but she couldn't stop talking with it. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake anyone up, they said I could watch-- I didn't want to bother anyone, and they all said that-- it would be okay and they'd let me watch, as long as I didn't wake anyone up."

Akija-- she realized belatedly who it was; though they'd never actually spoken, no one didn't know who Akija was-- held up her hands appeasingly. "No, no, it is okay, I was already up. I couldn't sleep. I've just been staring at the ceiling and listening to Dyva snore." Akija spoke in the same language-- albeit with a definite accent-- and her words surprised a shy smile out of her, delaying her usual response of fleeing at the first sign of trouble.

Bah, stick it out, kid.

It'll be good for ya.

She wouldn't hurt you, anyway.

Didn't think she'd be the one you bothered. Usually sleeps like a stone.

Akija had reached the holovision, which was still flickering-- she was missing part of the story!-- and sat down on the carpet right next to where Cacopheny had just been sitting. "It's okay, really. Come, sit, we can watch it together." Since she'd never watched anything with anyone any more than she'd ever watched something, she inched him back over, careful of his huge feet and trippingly long pants. "What's your name?"

Not even Cacopheny had asked that. She folded him down carefully to sit again, not quite touching Akija. "Glory," she said shyly, a near-whisper.

Akija gave her the kindest smile she'd seen in a while, albeit a tired one, and said, "That's a nice name. It's nice to meet you, Glorrrry." Rather than rolling her Rs, she purred them, and Glory couldn't help a soft giggle at the sound, now that she wasn't too nervous to notice. She remembered Cacopheny liked Akija's purring. Too bad he was asleep.

"You, too," she said back, feeling a little better about having disturbed someone, since she wasn't being angry. The holo-movie was still going, though, and since Akija wasn't saying anything, she turned Cacopheny's eyes back up to it.

By the time it was over, Cacopheny kept yawning, a sensation she had never actually experienced. She wasn't sure what to do about it, honestly, and none of the others were being very helpful. Akija was doing it, too, though. When some finished-sounding music started playing, and the picture turned into more words she couldn't read, Akija stretched her arms above her head and her wings out behind her, then finally spoke again, around a yawn: "That was neat. I think I can actually trrrry and sleep, now."

"Me, too." But... the holo-movie was still playing. "How do you turn it off? They didn't see that part...."

Lowering her arms and folding her wings, Akija blinked at the metal ring of the holo itself. "Uh… the same way you turrrn it on, I think. Wherrre's the… uh…" She lifted a hand and pantomimed what Aedelian had done before, holding up a small imaginary object and tapping it with her thumb. "The little box thing?"

"We didn't use that...."

It's on the table behind her, though.

"Oh, but it's behind you."

Akija twisted around without getting up, found the little box and scooped it up, and fell to examining it. Glory leaned Cacopheny over to try and peer over her shoulder; his hair fell in her eyes and she huffed sleepily, trying to push it back. Before she could really get a good look, though, Akija murmured, "Hope this is rrright," and did... something. The room plunged into near-complete blackness, and Glory blinked in confusion.

"It turned off! What did you do?"

"I pushed the button that said 'powerrr'," Akija said with a giggle. "I figurrred powerrr keeps things rrrunning, so take away the powerrr… and no morrre holo! Starrr City surrre has neat things in it."

"I think it's a little scary," Glory confided. "But I liked the horo-thingy."

Holo-thingy. Holo-thingy?

"Well, I can't say it right...."

"Cerrrtainly some scarrry people in it," Akija agreed, and Glory nodded seriously. Then she stood up with another yawn, putting the button-box back on the table, and Glory tried-- and failed-- then tried again to get to Cacopheny's feet, guessing it was really bedtime, this time. The second time she made it.

"Well, good night Glorrry," Akija sighed-- then did a not-quite-turn, as if she'd just thought of something, and added, "Do you... want to be tucked in, orrr anything?"

It took her a minute to think of what she meant. "I've never been tucked in before...."

Akija had a weird expression on her face as she explained, "I just thought back to when me and Aeta werrre little, like you a--rrrr... uh, sound. We, uh, always insisted on being tucked in."

"Well... is it nice?"

"Well, yes," Akija blinked. "As long as you like it when yourrr blankets arrre nice and snug arrround you, anyhow."

Glory considered that a moment, ignoring the snickers from the others, then nodded his head-- and then brushed hair back again. "That sounds nice... okay."

"All rrrright, come on, then," Akija chuckled, and lightly took Cacopheny's hand. Glory meekly let him be led up the stairs and down the hall, focused more on not tripping or stumbling than where they were going. Nobody else seemed awake, or at least, no one else peered at them through slightly-open doors. Glory was glad, because she might have finally given in and hidden away, if that had happened, and then she would have missed being tucked in!

Their own room's door was ajar, and Akija slipped inside first, guiding them to the weird folded-blanket that Cacopheny had been given to sleep in-- Aedelian Landwerlen had called it a sleeping bag-- scrunched up in one corner, where they'd left it when Tek had momentarily woken them up to let Glory have her holo-movie. It was as far from the bed as possible, and Glory followed Cacopheny's instincts, giving it a wide berth. Bad things happened in beds, she knew that.... But the sleeping bag looked inviting, especially as Akija dropped to her knees to smooth it out again. She even folded the top down, while she watched sleepily, then turned a smile on her.

"Okay, now you get in and make yourrrself as comforrrtable as you can," she instructed, and Glory nodded Cacopheny's head again. It took a minute to get his legs all the way inside-- the sleeping bag seemed so short, but there was so much to stuff into it!-- and figure out how to get all the long limbs comfortable, but she finally managed it and snuggled down, blinking up at Akija, who smiled more and set about quite literally "tucking in". The daemon actually snugged the sleeping bag's top part down around her, from the feet right up to the chin, until the lanky body was completely cocooned. Glory giggled sleepily as she sat back on her heels and said, "Therrre, how's that?"

"That's good... thank you, miss 'Kezja."

The look Akija gave her in return was so mixed with incredulity and amusement that Glory blinked at her again, but then she just smiled again and said, "You'rrre welcome, Glorrry. Herrre, final touch." Akija put the tips of two fingers to her lips, kissed them with just enough sound to make sure it was audible, and then patted them to Cacopheny's cheek. Glory giggled again as she added in a whisper, "Good night, sleep tight!" and rose, heading for the door.

"'Night," Glory yawned after her, then fled back to the familiar corner of the mind she shared, letting Cacopheny's sleep take them all.