1 month, 1 week
For the past few nights, they'd finally settled into some semblance of routine. Europa and Alexi would train, then they'd split to work on the Farm. Europa would disappear into metal and elbow grease and usually come out with some sort of bomb. Alexi would be the heavy lifter and tend to the gardens, smelling of dirt and flowers. Callisto would be monitored all day and do no-effort upkeep. Nalim would either help Shaxx, or delve into the nearby ruins and scavenge. At night, they came back together and dog-piled.
Every night, without fail, Asha would scan them all and update her files.
"Cal's gaining weight." Asha whispered. "Slowly, but she'll make it."
Nalim's hand circled her wrist nonetheless. Still thin. "She needs to sit down and stop moving so much."
"She's frustrated, you know. Restless."
"I'm well aware. But I've never saved any lives being lenient. She'll have to be patient."
"If you don't give her some responsibility, she's going to seek it out herself."
"Cal's not a rule breaker." Nalim sighed. "At least she wasn't. Now she's been through hell. Maybe her standards for obedience have fallen. I'll find something for her to do."
"Let her help Shaxx. Then he can keep an eye on her. He won't be as lenient as Euri and Alexi when you're gone."
"She won't like it. "
Asha gave the imitation of a shrug. "We're fighting for our lives here. She's going to have to deal."
Cal's hand twitched into a fist. They looked down at her.
"She's just…" Asha stopped.
"Dreaming."
They shared a silent, tired glance.
…
Black.
Callisto dropped into her own body like a weight. She breathed out, facing the dark floor on her hands and knees.
"Argo?"
To her surprise, she held out her hand and he dropped into it. His eye blinked to life. "Callisto?"
She could never pinpoint why, but she knew he wasn’t a figment of her mind. The way he just *was* told her that was really him. He seemed to look at her the same way. "I'm here."
"What is this? Where are we?" He spun in her palm, shooting his eye light at the surroundings. The darkness on the walls folded around them continuously, like a stream of sludge. They both backed away uneasily. The fact it made no noise made her stomach roll, but she thought it would’ve been worse if she could hear it.
"I've got no clue. I'm dreaming. I've gotta be. I was just asleep. "
Argo hummed nervously. "Good explanation for you, but why am I here? I don't think I can dream. At least I never have thus far."
"Maybe without the Light..?"
"Maybe."
Without warning, a blink of light broke through the darkness in the distance. A few steps forward, and the sludge ate her efforts. She dropped through with a scream.
…
She expected to wake up in a frenzy, but only her eyes snapped open. It took her a second to realize fear had paralyzed her.
“Argo?”
He moved up towards her face. “You okay?”
“Were you…? Did we?”
“I’m not quite sure what that was, but it was me. Your heart’s racing. Breathe.”
“I’ve never...heard of a…” She let go of her breath, only to start again in spurts. “Joint nightmare.”
Argo tapped her forehead. “I’d rather be with you than not. At least it wasn’t real. You need to sleep, though.” He settled into her hand. “You’re okay. I made sure.”
She smiled, feeling her body let go of the fear. She settled back into sleep. He was right. It was just a nightmare.
…
Nalim gently removed herself from the dogpile earlier than usual, undoing her ponytail as she walked into the empty Farm. The lights in the barn were still on, as expected.
By habit, she looked through the cracks before entering. Shaxx was indeed in there, shuffling around data on his screens and muttering things to his ghost. He gave a low, tired chuckle to whatever they’d said.
She smiled subconsciously. It dropped as soon as she noticed.
He turned away from his work to put something on her table, staring at it for long enough to make her curious. Then he shook his head at himself and turned back to his work. From her place, she couldn’t see.
She turned away from the barn towards the water, running her fingers through the tangles in her hair.
“Why didn’t you go in, stalker?”
“Ash.” Nalim swatted. “ Can I have a comb. Please.”
Asha rolled her eye. “Needy.” A comb plopped into Nalim’s hand. “Is today a scout day or a Shaxx day?”
“Please don’t tell me that’s what you log it as.”
“What? You want me to call it scavenge day instead?” She couldn’t see her little light at the moment, but Asha’s tone gave her away. Nalim only groaned.
“I’m staying here today. One of Suraya’s scout teams is going out to check on the other forest occupants.” She meant the Fallen. “And she only wants to have one group relying on radio attention.”
“Makes sense.”
Nalim pulled her last knot through the comb and threw her hair behind her. It hit her back with a cold watered thwap.
When she entered the barn, Shaxx turned immediately. “Good morning!”
She avoided his helmeted gaze, and instead looked at the table with interest. “Morning, Shaxx.” The item under her screen made her stop in her tracks.
“Oh, that’s ah- a gift from the twins. I am simply their messenger.”
Purple flowers. ONLY purple. They didn’t know her first favorite color, much less her second.
“Thank you. For...delivering these.” She sat down, twirling one between her fingers. Maybe he’d told them. Maybe he didn’t. She was certain she hadn't even told him. “Hey.”
He turned. “Hm?”
“I thought about having Cali help you with my data when I’m out. She usually is monitored by Europa and Alexi but they let her do whatever she wants. She needs to actually be watched and kept still. And given something to do.”
“The very opposite of a Guardian’s nature. Stay still.” He said the last two words with such venom that it made her laugh.
“I figured you’re the expert at watching Guardians.”
“I can monitor her if you want me to. If she’s anything like you, however, I won’t be able to do much.” His smile leaked through his words. Here he went again.
She shoved down a smile. “She’s nicer. Thank you, Shaxx.”
“Of course.You love her. It is my honor to be trusted with her.”
She nodded, unbeknownst to him. A doctor once had said the same thing. The stem of a flower broke between her fingers.