023 ♦ Video (+ Closed Action)

[peacefulwinter]

[The Winter on the screen looks... more than a little haggard. There are bags under her bloodshot eyes, and her voice is strained. But... she seems whole, at least. It's extremely late at night, though, isn't it?]

Hi, everyone... we're back. I know it's quite late now, but... we t-took more than a few liberties with the speed limit on the way back. What with finals tomorrow, there's... no room for error. I'm glad we made it back, but... ugh. That drive wiped me out. I- oh, one second. Lily! Here, let me help with that-! [Her voice drops out for a second as she walks away, apparently to help with something; she returns a moment later.] Sorry, it's been a little busy - with how late we got back, we're having to rush just a little bit, and... our week's been a little trying.

Anyway, I wanted to a-ask a question... I've been having a little trouble sleeping lately. Some things happened, and... well. That's n-not really the point, I guess. Does anyone have... any tricks for getting a good night's rest? I haven't really slept in about a week, aside from a nap sometimes. I can't really f-function on that little. So... sorry to ask such a weird question, but I kind of need it. It might be a few minutes before I can get back to people; we need to unpack tonight. I'm n-not sure I'm... going to sleep tonight either, though so, it should be okay. Um, thank you in advance. Good night, everyone.

[The feed clicks off; Winter's attention returns to the group of people she's just finished traveling with, still trying to get their things sorted out and their feelings together. She is... torn whether to return home right away or to stay with Lily and make sure she's all right; she's certain her mother is worried sick, but at the same time she can't get her girlfriend off her mind. So even when she looks like she's paying attention, she's still a little distracted.]

Comments

action

[dragon_blossom]

...you could chug some Nyquil.

[ That might be Marina's plan if things don't work out. She groans as she moves her things around, trying to look busy when she just wants to drop over. ]

[peacefulwinter]

That is completely irresponsible and I would chastise you if I weren't desperate. [Oh good, not too tired for deadpan objections. Winter is going to end up home last, so she's helping everyone else unload as they're dropped off.]

As it stands... I might have to do that. Even I can't take an exam like this.

[dragon_blossom]

It's not like it'll kill you if you just do it once or twice anyways, right?

[ That's the best reason to do something like that. ]

Or get some melatonin if you wanna be legit.

[peacefulwinter]

Probably not... I'll keep it mind if I c-can't sleep tonight. Maybe being back will help, but I'm not confident.

Are you doing all right? I didn't really ask before, and...

[blastiaobsessieanonymous]

I dunno, there's some teas for that somewhere. Or get with a clinic for the proper pills for it, I guess.

[peacefulwinter]

I don't want to depend on medicine for this. Although, if I'm not doing better soon... I might have to. I'm seriously having problems here. I... I want to sleep, I have to sleep, but I'm afraid to sleep. I'm afraid of what I'll see, Britany.

[blastiaobsessieanonymous]

The trip was that bad, huh?

I've been too busy working at Lazarus' coffee place and dealing with finals to keep up with a lot of what's been going on...

action;

[alilyinthemoonslight]

[ Once they reach the Tsukuyomi residence, Lily just sort of... sits there. She'd gotten some minor work done to her injuries from Jonas before leaving Vegas. In the end, it's just enough to relieve pain to a point where she can actually move around a bit . Be able to actually travel so soon after. She'll be able to attend school but... Her right arm is still completely shot, the wounds had yet to even be close to fully healed.

So she sits there, because she knows that no one's going to let her get her bags. Because she's honestly afraid to go in there and talk to her father, for him to see her like this. And... she's afraid of leaving something behind.

So she's quiet up until a point. ]

You know, I have some teas that are good for that, if you'd like to try that... But...

[ Her head sinks down a bit, not looking at her home even as she starts opening her door. ]

Winter... I, um... [ A cough. Her face looks a bit heated all of a sudden. Even if what she's about to say is something she's indicated before already. ] To be honest, I'm... probably going to have a lot of trouble sleeping myself. I... [ the volume of her voice drops severely. ] I'm sure it sounds really selfish, but I wish you could stay a- a little while...

action;

[jasminebloominginshadow]

[and from the back of the car, from the one actually getting their bags...]

Bow chikka waa waa, chikka waa waa...

[peacefulwinter]

I'll have to try that later... but I agree. I t-think it would help if I could make sure you were okay when... the nightmares hit. It's a little more comfortable for me anyway. It's not selfish at all. After everything the other day... you're allowed to be a little selfish anyway.

[And then Jasmine just had to help...] W-w-wait, what? Jasmine, you-!? But we- why? I...... [Okay, now her face is bright red. Oops.]

audio;

[starlightheart]

A glass of warm milk?

But I'm glad to see your group made it home okay!

[peacefulwinter]

I can't say I've tried that... most of the time it's been so late I didn't want to eat anything. Or I felt sick after what woke me up.

I'm... happy about being back. Our trip was a little scarier than I expected, and I j-just want some time to relax. I'm hoping nothing happens while we're gone, but... I'm exhausted, and I'm burned out. I can't do this. Not without a break.

[starlightheart]

[ Natalie frowns a little, unseen by Winter thanks to the format. ] I'm sorry to hear that.

[ She also had expressed some concern for their safety the first and last time they had talked, so for her to be talking like this now... ]

Have you tried talking to anyone about it? Not necessarily me - I understand if you wouldn't want to, we've only talked once before... but sometimes voicing your worries can be helpful.

Voice

[mimicery]

That depends on how bad it is? Like nightmares or something as such?

[peacefulwinter]

T-that's... pretty much it. Something happened in Vegas, and I just... can't get it out of my mind. I'm worried about someone all the time, and I just... it's not really an easy thing. I know it's not something I c-can just ignore, but I have finals today. I have to... push through it.

[mimicery]

[Sigh]

I don't really know how much I can help but if you just keep on drinking some warm milk and trying to avoid staring at electronics before going to bed it might help. Or that's what I remember from those online things.

voice

[sunshinethatwarmsherup]

Try to make sure that you're not using the computer or have the light on for a couple of hours before when you actually need to fall asleep? I've read somewhere that tablets and computers and stuff can mess you up and make your brain think that you're supposed to be awake even when it's late.

[peacefulwinter]

Yes, I've heard that too... in this case, it's n-not falling asleep that's the problem. It's staying asleep. I keep waking up- [-screaming her name, thinking she's being killed in front of me, feeling like she's gone; Winter's breathing is audibly a little shorter, and her voice is strained-] -and I can't fall asleep again. Nothing calms me down, and I end up spending time out on the balcony looking at the stars or something.

It's... frustrating. I thought I was strong enough to overcome something like this, but... I guess I still h-have a long way to go.

[sunshinethatwarmsherup]

[ Okay, there's obviously some sort of story here that Linda isn't privy too. One that she can't even begin to expect this other girl to tell her about. ]

Oh. Yeah. Nightmares are a completely different thing. And I'm guessing it's too late to talk to a doctor about it and see if you can get some sleeping pills. I mean, you need to be awake for your final tomorrow, right? How much sleep do you usually end up getting?

Voice

[icy_heavens]

What exactly happened? [Nevermind the end result. Something happened in Vegas and it's bothering you so much you can't sleep? He wants to know.]

[peacefulwinter]

Nothing. Lots and lots of nothing, and it makes me a little angry.

Well... and then we got attacked by a possessed dog last weekend. The vermini a-are getting bolder again. Lily had to... protect me. [Her tone is... a little shakier.] I never want to have to do that again, Toushirou. Having to carry s-someone as they're bleeding out... I can't get it out of my head. It haunts me, and it's my fault. She almost died because I wasn't strong enough-!

[Oops, this particular wound hasn't really closed yet. Sorry, Toushirou.]

[icy_heavens]

[Gah, he hadn't wanted to do that! Stupid, stupid, stupid just bluntly asking like that. Directly asking her why she's so upset had seemed perfectly logical fifteen seconds ago. Why the hell had that seemed logical?]

Hey. Just -- [He is no good at this. He just wants her to stop freaking out.] You're not the one who hurt her, okay? It's not your fault.

[Voice]

[gobybessie]

If it's nightmares and not insomnia, I think something like psychiatry is what you have to try. There are a few tips meant for sleeping without bad dreams, but they're temporary solutions. Is there anything you've tried already?

[peacefulwinter]

Not really...? My nightmares t-tend to revolve around someone specific being hurt, so I have been trying to spend as much time close to her as I can. It's helped a little, but I'm... not sure how much.

But... is there time to s-see a psychiatrist with everything that's going on? Is there one that won't just look at me funny when I talk about the magic powers I have, and refer me to a mental hospital? Even if people know... that we're really out there, it's still hard to believe.

[gobybessie]

I think you can find the time, and it should be possible to find a psychiatrist. It's either that or waiting it out and hoping it gets better after some time.

I'm not sure staying close to her is actually going to help.