Insomnia. Fun.

[Dai]

Dai yawned and stretched in the moonlight that filtered through the partially-iced windows that he walked past. His hair flowed behind him, untied, and his bare feet slapped the ground as he walked. It was a good hour past midnight, but Dai wasn't asleep, unlike most of the Briggs Brigade, he'd assumed. But him? He was having one of his insomniac spells. So he couldn't sleep, there was just too much on his mind. He sighed. Normally, he'd be cold, but he was used to the Briggs weather now, and it just caused him to shiver slightly in the night air. He clenched his right fist, the sound of metal scraping on metal. He didn't enjoy insomnia that much, but it was something he had to live with, unfortunately. As he kept walking, he heard sounds. Voices, coming from inside Reila's office? He blinked, and walked over to the door, noticing that it was open.

A light came from a screen nearby, and Dai leant into the room, eyes narrowed.

"Eh..." He blinked. Reila was... sitting on her chair, and watching the screen. He moved his head around, and looked at the screen, just as the two main characters kissed. A chick flick? He turned back to Reila.

"Good morning, Reila. I see that you're sleeping well..."

[Reila Tsukino]

Reila was sitting in her computer chair, her hair spread out along the back of it. The strands glistened, still wet from a recent shower. Water dripped slowly off the tips and soaked into the plush pink carpet below. Her head rested heavily on her hand as her gold eyes focused in a dull gaze at the screen. The room was completely dark save for the flashing screen that painted a glow in various colors. She sighed lightly, getting bored. She really should have stuck in The Lord of the Rings tonight instead of this crap. Ugh finally they kissed, what, it took the whole damn movie! What a waste. She jolted suddenly when she heard a voice. Her heart began pounding and she spun around to see Dai standing in the doorway. She blinked once, twice, and then processed what he had said. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she smiled brightly. "Mornin'! Such a beautiful day what with it being...dark and listening to the...snores, ne?" She giggled, holding a hand over her mouth. She pulled a blanket over herself to conceal her skimpy pajamas that no one wanted to see. She had on cherry blossom pink shorts that barely came below her hips and a tank top that didn't reach her belly button. She quickly switched off the terrible movie and pushed out from her desk. "I was about to watch Lord of the Rings..."

[Dai]

Dai laughed at the girl, quietly. It wasn't that she looked funny, or anything like that, it's just that she looked so casual at the moment. She didn't look like that 'Ice Queen that everyone referred to her as... Just a normal girl wanting to watch some DVD's. The Metal King smirked, and leaned against the door. He enjoyed LoTR, firstly because it was an great trilogy of movies, and secondly because they were produced in this tiny country, south of them all. He liked countries with that sort of spunk...

"And why are you awake at this time of morning, huh? I have my own physical reasons, but you shouldn't do." He grinned, his insomnia was defiantly keping him awake today.

"Heh... I'm not going to sleep any time soon, mind if I joined you?" He asked, completely innocently, smiling brightly as he said it. Again, insomnia was keeping his mind focussed - Dai could go all night if he tried. Or wanted to.

[Reila Tsukino]

Though it was quiet, she heard him. Oh yes, she heard him. Why...was he laughing?! She mentally checked herself without moving her head or eyes. She couldn't look that funny right? What was it? What was it?! Nothing, it had to just be nothing. Maybe it was something else. That had to be it. That was it. She blinked at his question and spun in her chair a moment in thought. Why was she up? Very good question. "It's just something I always used to do... I guess I didn't really think about it because it's so normal for me." She twirled a piece of wet hair around her finger and then looked back up. "It got really lonely in the hospital so I used to watch movies to not feel alone." She offered a sad smile which soon brightened when Dai asked if he could join her. "I would like that, but what did you mean by physical problems?" It was her turn to ask an innocent question. Her eyes were practically filled with childlike curiosity and she leaned forward as if expecting something.

[Hahaha "countries with that sort of spunk" Dai is biased~~]

[Dai]

Dai tilted his head to the side with a small smile. She didn't know yet? He'd been at Briggs for a while now, and it should've been on his file. That, and he'd spent plenty of long nights awake and alone around the Briggs Fort, yet he'd rarely been stopped by anyone, or asked about it the day after. He laughed again, not at Reila, but at himself for not revealing it before then. With a small nod, he slowly moved into the room and leant over the desk with a cheeky smile.

"I'm an insomniac. Thought you would've known that already. I rarely get a good night's sleep to myself. So I either spend them sitting in my room on my computer, or walking the halls. It gets lonely, I'll admit..." He smiled and yawned. This was going to be interesting, that it was. He peered at the three DVD's that Reila had. A marathon. Fun. Really fun! He smirked, and stood back up straight, red eyes glowing slightly in the TV's glow. He moved into the next room, and stole one of the secretary's chairs, pulling it back into the room. The cold didn't bother him at this time of night, not any more.

He leant back on the chair, thoughts to himself. To be honest, he didn't expect to be able to have a night like this. Usually, everyone was fast asleep at this time of night...

[Reila Tsukino]

So that's what it was...? Reila was slightly miffed. She stared at him a moment and then leaned back in her chair, spinning around again. It was a habit--one she wasn't going to invest in breaking. Hm... so Dai thought she had knew? Why would she have known that? Reila thought a moment, a hand resting on her chin. Oh that's right, it should have been in his file, right? She cursed herself for not remembering an important detail like that. She also...felt like apologizing. Dai had disappeared somewhere by the time she came back to her senses. She blinked at the empty spot his body had once occupied. She didn't hallucinate him there, right...? When he came back with a chair, relief washed over her. Good. She wasn't crazy. "Dai..." She reached for his hand and smiled her warm trademark smile, but her eyes were different--holding something else. "I'm really sorry I didn't know!" She bowed her head in shame and then looked back up at him nervously. He didn't look angry at all, instead, he looked like he was about to have a great time. Was he excited about watching the trilogy with her? She grinned. "Next time, come straight here, okay?" With that, she slid the movie into her ps2 and adjusted the projector on the screen.

[Dai]

As soon as her hand gripped his, he blushed. It was dark, so she couldn't tell, but he felt the warmth rise to his cheeks. His eyes fell to his feet, and he moved his hands out of her grip, possibly quite quick considering. He smiled, and sat back down with a nod. She wanted him back here when he was in his insomniac state? Fine by him.

"Of course I will... It's better than roaming the halls alone, that's for sure..." He smiled, and yawned. She didn't have to be sorry... THere was no way that she needed to be, she didn't know. He didn't mind that, as long as she wasn't rude about it, he wasn't bothered. He enjoyed Lord of the Rings, but it wasn't just the movie he was looking forward to. No, ever since they'd hidden the Stone, he hadn't had a chance to be alone with the General like he wanted to be. So this was a good oppurtunity. He smiled, and sat cross-legged on the chair, as the movie began. He looked at the General by his side, and then looked back at the movie with a knowing smile.

---------------------Time Skip---------------------

"You shall not pass!" Dai was gripped. He'd seen this movie god knows how many times, but it still managed to captivate him. There was just something about it, something... amazing. He looked over at Reila, she seemed to be as glued to the big-screen as he was, if not more. But still, that life radiated from her giant golden eyes...

[Reila Tsukino]

"There's nothing that interesting in the halls anyway..." She laughed, throwing the blanket over him too. She tossed her hair over the other side of her chair so it wouldn't drip on Dai or get them both wet. Damn long hair took forever to dry. Blow drying it was just too time consuming and it would wake people up at this hour! Her attention was drawn to the movie as it started playing and she smiled, the surround sound making her feel as if she were inside of her favorite film.

* * *

That was one of her favorite parts, definitely. Though it featured Gandalf and there was no way he was her favorite. He was old... gross. Someone like Strider was so much better for her. Lord Aragon! Kyaaa~! He was so manly and gorgeous with a sword and... She dragged her eyes from the screen and stared at Dai. Why didn't he have a sword, huh!? Then it would be perfect--even better because he had long, red hair. She loved that! But he had that whip thing that she still didn't quite understand... hm. She looked quickly back at the screen so he wouldn't notice her scrutinizing gaze. There was a big difference between reality and a fictional character. Seriously, they didn't even have alchemy in this movie. If Dai was in it, he'd have the ring in a couple seconds using his magnetic power. Hah! So beat that Sauron and Frodo! Briggs would prevail!!

* * *

As the movie ended, Reila went for the next immediately, an excited grin staining her soft lips. "Hey, maybe we should get some ice cream for this one, what do you say??"

[Dai]

Dai's eyes widened. Reila had mentioned the two magic words. ICE CREAM!!! He smiled, and turned to the girl with a couple of nods. He wanted Ice Cream, yes he did. And the best thing about ice cream at Briggs? It never melted. You could leave it outside the freezer all day, and it would stay cold. He grinned, and jumped down from his seat with a small smile. He was wondering where Reila's ice crem stash was now, oh, he was curious. He smirked, and turned back to her with a goofy smile. He wasn't tired, not just yet. Hell, he was wider wake than he as in the middle of the day... But still he yawned, and sat down again. Feh, she could get it... He couldn't be bothered... With a small smile, he leaned back and sat cross-legged on the chair again.

Time Skip

As soon as Reila had come back with the ice cream, Dai looked happily and dug in. The sweetness of the flavour was amazing, he just loed a good ice cream. He smiled, but then remembered something crucial. You got bad brainfreeze at Briggs... He put a hand onto his forehead. Oww....

[Reila Tsukino]

How absolutely lazy! Honestly... he looked like he was going to come with her, but then he sat right back down in the chair. Whatever, whatever. Reila took a deep breath and let it go. He always served her on the battlefield anyway... right? Getting him a bowl of ice cream didn't take too much effort. Once she was in the kitchen, she managed to retrieve her favorite cartons from the recesses of the freezer where no one dared to roam. Pulling out the strawberry and the vanilla, she began scooping the two into each bowl and then proceeded to spray them with sprinkles. Purposely, she gave Dai the pink sprinkles. With a smirk, she put the blue on her own and then placed the ice cream back in her secret corner. By now, it was all over her hands, making them horrifically sticky. She ran them under cold water and shuddered, wiping them off on a nearby towel. Normally the ice cream would be in puddles, but since the heat gets turned down at night, they almost seemed more frozen. Laughing to herself, Reila grabbed the huge bowls and returned to her office down the lonely, dimly lit hallway. Things were so different at night. She enjoyed it very much. After she handed him the ice cream, he happily began eating it without so much as a comment. Now she really wanted to hit him upside the head. Strider would have thanked her and he even would have commented about the pink sprinkles she gave him. Unfair! She pouted as she began eating the strawberry first, plopping into her chair and pressing play. Whatever! She noticed him as he put a hand to his forehead. It looked like he had gotten a brain freeze. Served him right!!

[Dai]

It was an omen. The brainfreeze was telling him that something wasn't right. He thought back, and put a finger into the air. That was it! He cursed himself for his rudeness, before jumping off of the chair and running out of the room, with a small shout of "Pause it, please!" He moved quickly and silently down the hall, until he reached his room. He went straight for his fridge, and pulled out a small brown bottle. Lifting it into the air, he grinned. The flavour builder... He turned around and ran back to Reila's office, chucking it to her with a small laugh.

"Here. That's my thanks for the ice cream. The sauce is one you can only get in one shop in North City. It's bloody good stuff, as well. You should try it." He moved closer and whispered into her ear.

"And the only reason I didn't actually come to help was to keep your ice cream stash location a secret only known by you yourself. And thanks for the food..." He sat back down, waited for Reila to put the sauce back onto the table, before picking it up himself and pouring it onto the ice cream. Pink sprinkles... Huh. He smiled, and sat cross-legged once more as the movie continued.

TIME SKIP

The movie was getting good. He liked the Two Towers, although the third was his favourite of the series. He was hooked, and the ice cream was only half-finished, Dai taking small spoonfuls of the deliciously sweet treat. So good... Both the movie, and the ice cream. He was enjoying himself, but he still felt he was imposing on the General. His eyes went down, slightly unhappy with his own conduct in front of the Major, no, wait, Lieutenant General! He turned to her to speak, but then turned back to the movie. He didn't want to discuss business.

[Reila Tsukino]

Reila stared at him for a second with confusion written all over her face. She paused it as she watched him disappear out of the room. Now where was he going...? She waited a little and then stood up, pacing around the room. Well, the fact that he said pause it meant he was going to come back, right...? She sighed and sat back down, crossing her legs and wrapping herself with the blanket. Maybe he just really had to go to the bathroom.

She looked up as something brown flew at her face. She squeaked with surprise and managed to catch it, but it fell out of her hands and to the ground where she stared at it. What..on earth? Then she realized it was some sort of chocolate syrup or so it said. She drooled...well she would have if she wasn't somewhat lady-like. "Thank yoouu!" She smiled and retrieved it from the soft carpet. She then squeezed some out onto her non-melting ice cream. "What exactly is it and where did you get it?" She asked quietly, interest sparking through her eyes. In fact, she was interested in about anything that had to do with Dai, but of course, she would never mention that to him. ...She was also interested in anything that had to do with Strider. The paused movie was glaring at her from afar.

She jumped when Dai moved closer to whisper in her ear. Then she smiled and leaned back, laughing. "It's okay if you know where it is. I know you won't steal without asking," She replied back in her language. Then she flipped open the cap and poured some of the contents on her ice cream. Putting the bottle back on her desk, she took a spoonful and devoured it. It was like chocolate covered strawberries and the vanilla was like whipped cream. It was so damn good. She pressed play.

* * *

The Two Towers was okay. It was the one Strider hurt himself in! She wanted to cry, but Arweyn--the bitch--saved him. You know, she could have done better. But still...that was a beautiful part. Love was really something. As the movie ended, her ice cream and every drop of it was gone. She almost wanted more... but she was kind of afraid of what Dai would think if she went and got more... The credits rolled and she stared blankly at them in thought.

[Dai]

He smiled sweetly and tilted his head when he saw Reila's reaction to the chocolate auce. But where he got it was his secret, it was like him having a cafe to go to in anytown that he visited. If he went to it once and liked it, he'd only go there. Maybe the next time they went to Central, he'd show Reila his choice of cafe there. He yawned as she resumed the movie.

TIME SKIP

The second film had finally ended, and Dai noticed Reila out the corner of his eye. She seemed to be somewhat blank. He smiled, and moved off of his chair, slowly. He walked over to the PS2, swapped the DVD's, and started up the new one, before quickly moving back and sitting in his chair, taking his place next to Reila. He turned to her and smiled, seeing that she seemed to still have the spoon in her mouth. So that was it, huh? With a slight nod, he held his bowl of ice cream over to her.

"Here. I shouldn't really be eating this - it might make my insomnia worse. So the rest is for you. And I insist - I won't take no for an answer..." Regardess of whether or not the woman spoke, he tipped the last of his ice cream into her bowl.

"I loved the ice cream, don't worry about that. I'm not trying to be disrespectful in any way." That said, he turned back to the movie and began to watch it once again.

[Reila Tsukino]

Reila barely noticed when Dai switched the movies, but her eyes soon focused on his silhouette. Ah...right. She shook her slow-moving thoughts away and touched the projector to see how hot it had gotten. The heat felt good on her cold hands. But when Dai sat back down, she turned to face him and pulled her hands away from it. She took the spoon out of her mouth and smiled slightly, suddenly realizing that he was holding his bowl of ice cream out to her.

She blinked at his words. "Waitwaitwait. That doesn't make any sense! It'll make your insomnia worse, but what about me, then?" She laughed and watched him shovel the rest of his into hers. "I'm going to be up all night after you've fallen asleep!" Reila took her spoon and devoured the rest of his too. Well, that was just the way she was.

* * *

Reila ditched her spinney chair and forced Dai to join her on the couch in the back. She didn't know why they didn't just sit there in the first place. Now, it felt like a movie theater...only better. As the movie progressed, she cared less and less about it. Her mind got fuzzy and her eyes heavy, but she was determined to beat Dai. Still... she couldn't hold her head up anymore. She rested it against the back of the couch and as her eyes fell shut, she slumped onto him. Whatever it was...it was warm and comfortable and that was all her sleep-deprived mind required.

[EXIT TOPIC]

[Dai]

The movie was good, and he was glad that Reila had accepted his ice-cream without argument. He smiled, until she forced him to get on the couch with her. Confused slightly, he folowed along without protest, and sat on the couch next to the girl. It was... far more comfortable than one of the chairs that they were on before, and he felt her warmth against him, smiling softly.

TIME SKIP

The movie was beginning to finish, Dai had kept himself awake for as long as he could. He turned to Reila to say good night to her and go to bed himself, but he realised it then. She was already asleep, of all things. He smiled, until the blanket that covered her slipped down, and he saw what she'd been wearing. He suddenly looked away, face redder than his hair. But it wasn't enough, and he was beginning to feel even more tired.

Truth-be-told, he had only given his ice cream to Reila so he could actually go to sleep - as that was when he'd begun to feel tired enough. His eyes slowly began to close, and his body slumped onto the warmth of the woman that lay next to him...

[Topic LEFT]

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