OPEN

[theworldwillruinyou]

Who: Carl Grimes [theworldwillruinyou] & ANYONE; Of interest to Wirt [singloversing], Dipper [krmvgivv] and Harry [cupboards]
Where: The Teen Boy Club's Room & The hot springs
When: May 3, 2015 at approximately 2:00 AM
Rating: PG at the worst
Summary: Carl has trouble sleeping these days and is out and about patrolling and such. The mun has heard rumors that others might be up and about at the wee hours of the morning as well. This is the log for those people.
The Story:

I. The Teen Boy Club's Room

[Carl's new roommates might have noticed that he was the last to go to sleep, just sitting in a corner, watching everyone else until they had all fell asleep. When he does sleep, it's obviously not peaceful or restful. He thrashes his head lightly and mumbles - not enough of a commotion to wake anyone, but if someone were awake, it would be noticeable. It's not until about 1:45 AM that he wakes up - soaking in his own sweat and breathing heavily. He has his hand at his hip, reaching for a weapon that isn't there and scanning the room. It takes him a moment to come back to himself and realize there's no immediate threat.

But he's not getting back to sleep any time soon. He slips on his slippers and quietly sneaks out the door to wander the halls.]

II. The Hot Springs

[There's not much to say about Carl wandering the halls at 2:00 in the morning. He's on edge, but not for any kind of immediate threat - he seems more distracted than ready to fight. When he finds himself at the entrance to the hot springs, he looks around to see if anyone else is there. If there was a time for him to let his guard down, this would be it. He's so, so tired of the nightmares and...just a few minutes in the hot water couldn't hurt. It'd be just like taking a bath after a bad day at school, if he were back home.

He cracks the door open to see if anyone is inside at this hour. Can't be too careful.]

Comments

II.

[keeperfromtheflame]

[She was still wet.]

[Not from the Springs, as it turned out, but from a certain early run-in. Which would explain why the long, white robes she had managed to bury her petite frame in were drenched as well. Fingers still weaving their way through her tangled mess of hair, the sound of an opening door drew her attention up and behind her.]

Hello?

[theworldwillruinyou]

[Carl holds up his hands in front of him as an instinctive sign that he doesn't mean any harm as he comes into the room. He's not sure what he was expecting but this was not it.]

It's just me. Hazel, right?

[This is only the second time they've ever talked and the first time in person. That doesn't really occur to him as much as the fact that she's standing there in a soaked robe. He almost starts taking off his own, but decides against that.]]

What happened to you?

[keeperfromtheflame]

[Once she realized it was a familiar face--Carl, her mind registered after a few seconds' thought--she visibly relaxed. Sinking into a nearby chair.]

That's right. [She nodded in confirmation of her name, actually a bit pleased he remembered.] There's a boy running around trying to catch ghosts. He caught me instead.

[theworldwillruinyou]

[Carl's already had his run in with Dipper, actually, and it didn't go very well. He sighs in exasperation.]

You, too? He was trying to get me to help him.

[keeperfromtheflame]

[She could tell from his sigh alone; the corners of her lips twitched upward.]

It could've been worse.

You could've ended up getting a surprise cold shower. I didn't think there was any cold water left in this place.

[theworldwillruinyou]

Oh, you're soaked. Here--

[He thought he was going to offer his robe and even reaches to take it off, but stops when he remembers that he's not exactly clothed underneath. The gaffe makes him blush and flounder just a little.]

Uh...

[keeperfromtheflame]

[It took a second for Hazel to realize what he was trying to do. And why he abruptly stopped. When it finally clicked in her mind, her eyes went wide before looking away. A hand reached to clasp her robes, regardless of how wet they were, closer to her frame as she turned in hopes of hiding her blush.]

D-don't worry about it. I've dealt with way worse. Besides, it's...warm out. Yeah. That.

[Awkward silence followed.]

Umm...why were you out here, anyway? Most everyone else has already gone to bed.

[Ghost hunters and soaking wet teenaged demigods aside.]

[theworldwillruinyou]

Just needed some air.

[Oh God, it got so awkward. He's looking anywhere but at Hazel.]

Besides, I don't really sleep a lot anyway.

[keeperfromtheflame]

Why not?

[Her eyes had settled for a particularly lovely angle of the tree just outside the far window. Or, rather, the shadow of a tree. Very fascinating.]

[theworldwillruinyou]

[If it wasn't awkward before it is now. He falls silent for a good moment. He doesn't completely check out, but he pauses before quickly coming up with an answer.]

That's what I have to do, you know...where I'm from. That's the way the world is.

[keeperfromtheflame]

[Strangely enough, she...didn't sound so surprised. Nor did she seem to pity him or demonstrate anything other than pure empathy.]

[Granted, they did manage to sleep back home. Sometimes. Probably. Definitely before their Quest had officially begun, sleeping had been a thing that happened. On a fairly regular basis. Without random monsters or gods or whoever else attacking their flying warship in the middle of the night.]

Some worlds. Not all of them.

Not here.