Mainland and Thereabouts | Morning | Tuesday | August 16

[therewaslife]

Bod hadn't been able to sleep last night. There didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason for it which just made the fact that he couldn't sleep more frustrating. There were no nightmares, no lingering thoughts that needed to be dealt with, no worries that needed to be addressed. And that just made Bod unusually cranky. He didn't really like not being able to see potential answers to problems.

Before the sun had even risen, he'd packed a bag, packed his tent and headed off island. The private little spot on the mainland always seemed to help and he hoped that he either felt a little better when he was there or was able to fall asleep once the tent was set up and secure.

Once he'd arrived, the tent setup went smoothly and Bod had climbed inside with the hopes of getting some sleep. He dozed, which was good, but he could never quite fall all the way to sleep which meant his eyes felt gritty and tired when he eventually gave up. He rubbed at them and slid out of the tent. The sun had risen by this time and Bod wandered down to the edge of the lake, moving to sit down and stretch his legs out until his toes hit the chilly water.

Autumn was coming soon and then winter. The water was already cooling down in preparation. Bod shut his eyes and just enjoy the chill of the water on his toes and the sun on his face. He had no idea why he was so out of sorts today but something was there. Hopefully it revealed itself soon.

[NFB but open for calls/texts/random visitors, sure. Early morning creativity hi-yah!]

Comments

[vanillajello]

Kate was a little clingy when it came to Bod, these days. She knew that, and she knew why she was feeling like that: they were in the last days of actually living in the same building, available for cuddles and company 24/7. Still, she didn't want to act like some psycho clingy girlfriend.

Which was probably why she didn't call, or text, when she she woke up this morning, wanting to spend time with him and not finding him in his room. Or in his common room, or the graveyard. She told herself she'd wanted to go off the island anyway, so she hopped the portal to their regular mainland, and meandered for a bit, getting candy from one of the stores on the way.

But she ended up here, anyway, and it made her feel better to see the familiar tent, and then him, and she approached quietly.

[therewaslife]

Bod hadn't heard her arrive at first but he eventually picked up the quiet footfalls from behind. He rubbed at his eyes, hoping they didn't look too tired and then turned around to smile up at her.

"You're up early," he said easily. "Hullo."

[vanillajello]

"Hullo," Kate replied as she stopped to stand near him. "You're up earlier."

And he looked a bit tired. Of course she was noticing that.

[therewaslife]

"Mmm. I'm usually up earlier," he said, blinking a few times to clear some of the fuzziness from his vision. His smile held though. "What brings you out here so early?"

[vanillajello]

"You mean you can't guess?" she asked with a hint of amusement as she moved to kneel down beside him. "Dummy."

[therewaslife]

"Were you feeling the sudden urge to go camping?" Bod asked, chuckling lightly. "I didn't know you were such a fan of rustic living."

[vanillajello]

Kate snorted. "No, that's not it. Try again."

[therewaslife]

"Secret rendezvous with your candy dealer?" he asked, trying to make himself sound hopeful about that one.

[vanillajello]

"If I knew there were candy dealers, I might not have bothered with going to the store," she replied with an amused eyeroll. "You, idiot. I came here for you."

[therewaslife]

"Well, that's even better than those first two options," said Bod, smiling softly. "How did you know I was here? I hope I didn't miss a call. I had my mobile off."

[vanillajello]

"I didn't call," Kate said, leaning in for a quick, soft kiss on his cheek. "And I didn't know you were here, I just... guessed."

[therewaslife]

"It was a good guess," he said, closing his eyes and sighing. "I'm glad to see you. I've been here awhile. I think I was getting sick of talking to myself."

[vanillajello]

Kate wound an arm around his shoulders and nuzzled his cheek. "And now you can talk to me. Why are you here so early, anyway?"

[therewaslife]

"I don't know," he said, sighing again and leaning into her. "Everything felt...strange back on the island. I had a bit of a sleepless night. I guess I'm a little out of sorts and wanted to try and correct that."

[vanillajello]

"Oh?" Well, she had to give his shoulders a little squeeze for that. "What is it? Or is it just... like some random abstract thing?"

Because that happened to her, sometimes.

[therewaslife]

"I don't know what it is." And that was what frustrated him. "I can't pinpoint it. I just haven't slept save for many thirty minutes earlier. I don't know. It's a bit...odd."

He leaned into her a little further, loosening some of the tension in his body to let that happen.

[vanillajello]

"I'm sorry," Kate murmured. It was all she could really think to say, almost. "Do you... need anything from me? I mean, I don't really know if there's anything I could do, but, y'know."

[therewaslife]

"You don't have to apologize," he said, half smiling at that. "It's not your fault. I think we all have days like this, don't we? You're doing enough right now by providing me some comfort. That's what I want."

[vanillajello]

"I wasn't so much apologizing as just offering my condolences," she sighed, before another kiss on his cheek. "But okay. I can do comfort."

[therewaslife]

"Oh." Bod winced and the tension returned briefly. "I apologize for misunderstanding. I guess my perceptive abilities aren't very sharp this morning. I'm used to getting more sleep even when I was in the graveyard."

[vanillajello]

"Shush," Kate murmured. "You don't need to apologize either though I know you like to do that." She rubbed his shoulder with her fingers. "You're just tired. You look it, too."

[therewaslife]

"Do I?" he asked, wincing. "I took a shower and had several cups of hot chocolate and bottles of water to try and stimulate my body into not appearing so down."

[vanillajello]

"Yeah but you can't fool me," she replied, and half smiled. "I look closer than that. And I know your face."

[therewaslife]

"What's my face look like today?" Bod asked, turning his head to peer at her. "Bad?"

[vanillajello]

"No," Kate replied with a very light shake of her head. "Not bad. Just tired. Maybe a little stressed, but that's virtually the same thing."