Chest pains

Roo hummed again.  

"I dunno.  I mean, I don't think it's bad."  She lowered her gaze to one side, considering how to explain it.  "When... when I was at home and would have these nightmares, I would wake up to find myself in the same house with the same person lurking around.  But the monster under the bed is new.  He only started showing up after I got here, to Dunehelden.  I almost feel like--"

She looked at Abaddon again, and quirked an eyebrow.  "Now, don't laugh at me.  But I almost feel like the monster's more of a help, than anything else.  He sits, and he watches, and nothing else.  It might just be my brain creating a comfort for itself, but I think that if some really, truly terrible started to happen in my dreams, the monster would come out and help me.  Hell, the monster's probably more human than my dad ever was."

She curled her fingers into the fabric of her hoodie sleeves and blushed.  "Y'know, I was convinced at first that Dunehelden, Lakeshore, even the Fae with the mirror-servants, all of it was a dream, and I would wake up in a hospital bed back home and have to live with my father again.  But every time I wake up and see my dorm ceiling instead, I get a little more hopeful.  And a little more sure that this is the real place.  And since that monster under the bed has shown up, I've been waking up more often.  And seen my dorm room when I open my eyes, instead of a hospital room.  Sure, the dreams are stressful, but nightmares always are.  And I've always had nightmares.  But in a weird way that monster is helping, because the less time I spend sleeping, the less chance I have of waking up in the human realm again."

She rested her forehead on her sleeves and let out a muffled mewl.  She liked being able to express this to someone other than Bolin, but saying it all out loud made her shoulders start to tense up.  "I know it's stupid to be terrified of something like that happening, when I've been waking up in Dunehelden without issue.  But it doesn't make the thought any less..."  She unconsciously scratched at her wrist-- just a gentle brush of her newly shortened nails, as if she were getting rid of a stray thread from her hoodie.  

"The monster reminds me that this is my new reality.  Not Michigan, and not my dad's house, and not the years I spent flinching at my own shadow."

When Roo told him not to laugh he playfully placed his index finger over his lips as if to shush himself. He leaned towards her as he explained. So apparently she didn't know what he was the one that had been doing all the tweaking in her nightmares to make them worse, at first. Though in his defense he had only been observing for the past week or so.

He rested one of his hands between her shoulder blades, gently rubbing her back. He moved so she could lean against him and he smiled. "Of course this is your new reality, because I'm here and it's going to stay that way if I have anything to say about it. But I can understand why you are scared." He nuzzled her hair and crooned softly, "Hopefully the feeling will pass the longer you live here." He chuckled, "Maybe you should talk to the 'monster under the bed'? See if he can help you with your nightmares or something. He might like actually having a name."

Roo unconsciously tipped her head towards his nuzzle. She nodded as she listened, and chewed thoughtfully on her sleeve.

"How would I remember to do that, though? I'm no good at lucid dreaming."

Abaddon snickered and nuzzles into Roo's hair. "And you're asking the guy who doesn't dream for dream advice." He shrugged. "I don't know how you would remember. Maybe think about it a lot before you go to bed? Just try anything. I'm curious as to how your dreams might change if you do."

He closed his eyes for a moment, getting comfortable having Roo in his arms. "Am I being too distracting from your work? I can go get you some food or something if you want."

Roo grumbled and shrugged. "I can try."

Then she laughed. "You are very distracting, Abaddon. But I can't say I want you to leave." She playfully punched his side and leaned against him. "But I dunno if Ellie would let you stay here after curfew."

He made a pretend grunt of pain when she punched him. He chuckled and nuzzled her hair. "I'm assuming that punching is how you show your affection and undying love."

He grumbled at the mention of curfew. "Eh, I'll stay here as long as I can unless you want me gone sooner. But I'll be back to check on you in the morning before my first class."

"That depends. If we date, do I get to punch you as much as I want?" She changed position so that she could hug his arm and pout at her small stack of classwork she had to do tomorrow. She appreciated that Bolin had collected it for her. And promised her that none of her teachers would mind if she took an extra day or two to get caught up. But there were a few reading assignment in amongst the work, and she wasn't looking forward to those.

"Thank you," she said, and then made a little kitten noise under her breath. It would have been a sigh, but her still-sore throat made it come out as more of a squeak. "Ellie said I wasn't to put too much strain on myself for the next few days. And Norton said that he had all of my shifts covered, so that I could take time off to rest. So I guess that leaves exploring the castle and the town as my main forms of entertainment for the next little while."

Abaddon squinted his eyes as if taking the option of being punched at anytime into consideration. "I mean, I would prefer if you didn't buuuut if that's the way it's gonna be then I guess I have no choice but to try it out."

He chuckled at her little kitten noise and ruffled her hair. "Well, if you need an adventuring buddy, you have my number. I just can't let myself fall too far behind in Bolin's class or he might try to murder me. Do you want me to just come by in the morning and we will see how you feel. And base where we go and what we do off of that?"