Kai
Retired Staff
Taps was called.
The day crew went back to their racks. The night owls turned out to begin their work. It had been the ship's first day out of port, and many of the kinks were still being worked out of the system. Room 2-543-L was one such kink.
"Sempai?" asked the sprite on the bottom bunk. "Are you still awake?"
"... Yes. What do you want?"
The sprite frowned a little bit. "Nevermind, if you're going to be mean about it."
"No, No, I was just drifting off."
"So I didn't wake you up?"
"No. Not really. What did you want?"
"Um," said the sprite. "I forgot."
The young man on the upper rack rolled his eyes and sighed lightly. "How can you forget? Your brain is digital"
"Gomenasai," the sprite on the lower rack said, syllable by syllable, "I just got bored. Do we really have to sleep this much, all the time?"
"Well, probably not, But I like my sleep."
"Oh." The sprite stared up at the bottom of the rack above her, thinking to herself.
Some time passed.
The young man fell asleep, snoring lightly.
After a little while of listening to the sempai snore, the sprite sat up in bed, folding her legs and sitting back against the wall, facing outboard.
"Sempai?"
The snores cut off suddenly. "... Yes?"
"Do you want some milk?"
"... Maybe later. How did you get milk into the room?"
"I didn't," replied the sprite, talking up at the bottom of the Sempai's rack, again. "I was going to go get some and wondered if you wanted any."
"Oh. No thanks." The rack creaked lightly as the man rolled over.
The sprite got up and, barefoot, padded out the door, closing it quietly. Some time passed.
Eventually, the door opened and closed again, and the sprite padded back to their racks. She stood there for a little while, looking at them and hugging herself, contemplating.
"Sempai?" she whispered, "Are you still awake?"
"I suppose" he answered, the words muffled due to his face-down position.
The sprite stood up on tip-toes, looking over the rack edge. "Can I sleep with you?"
The man's head jumped up, and he whispered a confused "What?"
"I'm cold."
".. Oh..." The man thought about it for a moment. "I suppose so."
The sprite climbed up and after a little bit of situating, made herself comfortable on the inboard of the rack, against the bulkhead, where she quieted down.
The man shifted to the side, rolling onto his back again, and trying to give the sprite a little more room.
It was a little awkward. The rack was small. But sleep eventually did overtake both the sempai and the sprite, and the night went on, uneventfully. Until...
The sprite rolled over, wrapping the blanket around herself.
After ten minutes or so, the man began to feel cold, and awoke. Mumbling to himself he fumbled around for his sheets and grabbed them, pulling them over himself.
The sprite unraveled. Yes, 'unraveled' was the best word for it. She found herself facing the sempai's back, instead of the wall. There were no covers. Her arms and legs were bare. And the Sempai had the covers.
Lifting herself up on her elbow, she nudged the sempai gently, in the small of the back.
The young man roused slowly, a bit confused. "Huh? whatis it?"
The sprite tugged the blanket, wordlessly.
"... Oh." He pulled the sheets straighter, giving the sprite a bit of them.
She took what she could, sidling beneath the sheets to get comfortable before finally finding a position that covered her mostly, and drifting back off.
After a little while and they were both asleep again, the sprite, finding she could no longer tug at the covers, rolled over and snugged herself against the sempai's back. It was rather comfortable, and a great deal warmer.
The man felt the warmth. it was odd. Just before he had been cold in his dream, and woke to find the covers gone. now, he was warm, and warily, he wondered why as he slowly regained consciousness. He was suprised to find a light weight against his back, and realizing what it was, made a small noise and rolled out of the bunk, landing on the unyielding floor with a light thud.
The sprite, still asleep and unstirred save for a slight twitch of an ear, curled up in the warm impression that the sempai had previously occupied beneath the covers.
The man groggily rubbed his head, looking up at the bunk and contemplating whether he should get back in it, or simply sleep on the floor. For some reason, he knew he wouldn't feel right in her bed.
The sprite pawed the pillow for a moment or so before pulling it out from under her head and, hugging it gently, curled slightly. After a few moments, however, she awoke to find that the Sempai had turned, miraculously, into a pillow.
"Sempai?"
"Down here" he muttered from the floor, still contemplating, though it seemed his choice might be made for him soon.
She had been getting ready to shake the pillow. And now it was talking. The sprite stared at it for a moment before realizing that the sempai was on the floor, not the bed.
"Um, sempai? Why are you down there?"
"..." He looked around him, having nothing to go on. "Umm.. You surprised me." he admitted, a little guiltily.
She sat on her elbows, waving a foot in the air, lazily. "How?"
"I forgot you were in there with me so.. I got a little startled when I woke up" he explained, quietly, standing up to lean against the rack.
She looked him in the face, frowning slightly, "Gomenasai."
"Not your fault" The man said, patting the sprite lightly on top of her head.
She looked at the hand for a moment before offering a sort of exasperated smile.
"Well. Did it help?" he asked her.
"Patting my head, or you falling?"
"No no, sharing the rack" he said, chuckling a little.
She blinked. "You're not coming back up?"
"... Well, it is my bed. I was just thinking".
"Oh." The sprite let her leg drop. "Yes."
Feeling it would be somewhat rude to the sprite, and maybe hurt her feelings If he didn't, the young man placed his hand on the edge of the rack, getting ready to vault back up. "Could I have a little room?" He asked "Wouldn't want to hit you."
The sprite obliged, though somewhat grudgingly, and moved to the colder part of the rack, watching the sempai curiously.
He vaulted up, swinging his rather lanky body up onto the rack and flopping down on the mattress. "Thanks" He muttered, finding the pillow and placing it where it belonged.
The sprite, obligingly, tossed the sempai's half of the cover over him. Then, not one to let a good thing recently discovered go to waste, silently snugged herself against the sempai's back again.
The man turned his head to glance at her for a moment, wonder how he had gotten himself into this. He turned his head back, and stared at the opposite wall for a while, wondering what he should do.
While the sempai wondered, the sprite dozed off. She didn't snore. She just stopped fidgiting.
After a while, he figured something. This wasn't too bad. It wasn't uncomfortable, anyway, and he could simply remove one of the sheets if he got too warm. Wondering why he was doing this, the man simply decided to stop thinking, and concentrated on his breathing. Soon he, too, was asleep.
Time passed. A great deal of time, actually. Eventually the sprite's internal clock rolled over, and she woke up. She sat there for a little while, staring at the sempai's back, pondering. Sitting up on her elbow again, she looked him over.
"Sempai?"
It took a few moments for the man to stir. slowly, he wsa awake enough to realize the light pressure and warmth was gone. "Yes?" he asked, sounding slightly groggy.
She ran a hand through her hair, pausing mid-motion and scratching at her scalp somewhat selfconsciously. "I was wondering, what time do you want to wake up?"
"Usually... 0730 Standard time" He answered. "What time is it now?"
The sprite frowned a little bit and lay back down, putting her forehead on his back, between his shoulder blades. "0300."
"What are you doing awake so early?" he asked, adjusting himself gingerly and getting comfortable.
The sprite shrugged. The motion was felt, more than seen. "I don't know."
"Well, Go back to sleep, unless you have something to do, I guess" he said. The constant interruptions to his sleep seemed to be annoying the man, but he never showed it. He would probably sleep in a little late that morning.
The sprite lay there for a while, just staring at the Sempai's back. The space she occupied was warm. The sempai's shoulders made a tent of the blanket, in a way. Finally, she asked, "You are going to go back to sleep, then?"
"Yes." He mumbled. "Not like it takes me very long, anyway."
"Oh." She bumped her head on his back, once. "I am being annoying. My sister says, when she sleeps with the Juni, they do not usually get any sleep, either."
There was a flash of crimson across the man's face, he didn't think the sprite realized what she had just said. "I guess so" he mumbled, sounding somewhat embarrassed.
"Gomenasai," the sprite said quietly. "I will be quiet and let you sleep, now."
"No need to apologize. Thank you for letting me sleep though." He consoled her, stretching lightly before getting comfortable again and closing his eyes.
"Um," the sprite added quickly, reasoning that at least a question or two wasn't out of boundaries, given circumstances. She sat up and folded her hands in her lap. "So, do we have to tell anyone?"
"What?" he asked, turning to face her, lost.
The sprite looked somewhat confused, briefly, but she turned it over in her head. "Ah," she finally said, "Nothing."
The man looked at her, somewhat confused, but he let it go with a light shake of his head, turning back around, wondering just what the sprite meant. She was quite the confusing creature, this sprite.
"Can we do this tomorrow?" she asked, clearly unsure what the answer would be.
"... I suppose. Just don't wake me up so much, okay?" he said wondering what the sprite was getting on about. He had an idea, but he didn't think she understood what she was saying.
"You're red," the sprite pointed out. "Are you sincere?"
"Yes," the young man said. "I'm just a little.. Flushed with the sudden activity" he finished, trying to tiptoe around the real reason.
"It's cute." The sprite smiled slightly. She dipped her head
near the sempai's. A small, butterfly kiss later, and the sprite lay back down beside the sempai and curled up there, content with herself.
The man's blush deepened, But he lay down anyway. His mind raced for a while longer, but eventually fatigue won over and he fell asleep.
Time Passed.
The day crew went back to their racks. The night owls turned out to begin their work. It had been the ship's first day out of port, and many of the kinks were still being worked out of the system. Room 2-543-L was one such kink.
"Sempai?" asked the sprite on the bottom bunk. "Are you still awake?"
"... Yes. What do you want?"
The sprite frowned a little bit. "Nevermind, if you're going to be mean about it."
"No, No, I was just drifting off."
"So I didn't wake you up?"
"No. Not really. What did you want?"
"Um," said the sprite. "I forgot."
The young man on the upper rack rolled his eyes and sighed lightly. "How can you forget? Your brain is digital"
"Gomenasai," the sprite on the lower rack said, syllable by syllable, "I just got bored. Do we really have to sleep this much, all the time?"
"Well, probably not, But I like my sleep."
"Oh." The sprite stared up at the bottom of the rack above her, thinking to herself.
Some time passed.
The young man fell asleep, snoring lightly.
After a little while of listening to the sempai snore, the sprite sat up in bed, folding her legs and sitting back against the wall, facing outboard.
"Sempai?"
The snores cut off suddenly. "... Yes?"
"Do you want some milk?"
"... Maybe later. How did you get milk into the room?"
"I didn't," replied the sprite, talking up at the bottom of the Sempai's rack, again. "I was going to go get some and wondered if you wanted any."
"Oh. No thanks." The rack creaked lightly as the man rolled over.
The sprite got up and, barefoot, padded out the door, closing it quietly. Some time passed.
Eventually, the door opened and closed again, and the sprite padded back to their racks. She stood there for a little while, looking at them and hugging herself, contemplating.
"Sempai?" she whispered, "Are you still awake?"
"I suppose" he answered, the words muffled due to his face-down position.
The sprite stood up on tip-toes, looking over the rack edge. "Can I sleep with you?"
The man's head jumped up, and he whispered a confused "What?"
"I'm cold."
".. Oh..." The man thought about it for a moment. "I suppose so."
The sprite climbed up and after a little bit of situating, made herself comfortable on the inboard of the rack, against the bulkhead, where she quieted down.
The man shifted to the side, rolling onto his back again, and trying to give the sprite a little more room.
It was a little awkward. The rack was small. But sleep eventually did overtake both the sempai and the sprite, and the night went on, uneventfully. Until...
The sprite rolled over, wrapping the blanket around herself.
After ten minutes or so, the man began to feel cold, and awoke. Mumbling to himself he fumbled around for his sheets and grabbed them, pulling them over himself.
The sprite unraveled. Yes, 'unraveled' was the best word for it. She found herself facing the sempai's back, instead of the wall. There were no covers. Her arms and legs were bare. And the Sempai had the covers.
Lifting herself up on her elbow, she nudged the sempai gently, in the small of the back.
The young man roused slowly, a bit confused. "Huh? whatis it?"
The sprite tugged the blanket, wordlessly.
"... Oh." He pulled the sheets straighter, giving the sprite a bit of them.
She took what she could, sidling beneath the sheets to get comfortable before finally finding a position that covered her mostly, and drifting back off.
After a little while and they were both asleep again, the sprite, finding she could no longer tug at the covers, rolled over and snugged herself against the sempai's back. It was rather comfortable, and a great deal warmer.
The man felt the warmth. it was odd. Just before he had been cold in his dream, and woke to find the covers gone. now, he was warm, and warily, he wondered why as he slowly regained consciousness. He was suprised to find a light weight against his back, and realizing what it was, made a small noise and rolled out of the bunk, landing on the unyielding floor with a light thud.
The sprite, still asleep and unstirred save for a slight twitch of an ear, curled up in the warm impression that the sempai had previously occupied beneath the covers.
The man groggily rubbed his head, looking up at the bunk and contemplating whether he should get back in it, or simply sleep on the floor. For some reason, he knew he wouldn't feel right in her bed.
The sprite pawed the pillow for a moment or so before pulling it out from under her head and, hugging it gently, curled slightly. After a few moments, however, she awoke to find that the Sempai had turned, miraculously, into a pillow.
"Sempai?"
"Down here" he muttered from the floor, still contemplating, though it seemed his choice might be made for him soon.
She had been getting ready to shake the pillow. And now it was talking. The sprite stared at it for a moment before realizing that the sempai was on the floor, not the bed.
"Um, sempai? Why are you down there?"
"..." He looked around him, having nothing to go on. "Umm.. You surprised me." he admitted, a little guiltily.
She sat on her elbows, waving a foot in the air, lazily. "How?"
"I forgot you were in there with me so.. I got a little startled when I woke up" he explained, quietly, standing up to lean against the rack.
She looked him in the face, frowning slightly, "Gomenasai."
"Not your fault" The man said, patting the sprite lightly on top of her head.
She looked at the hand for a moment before offering a sort of exasperated smile.
"Well. Did it help?" he asked her.
"Patting my head, or you falling?"
"No no, sharing the rack" he said, chuckling a little.
She blinked. "You're not coming back up?"
"... Well, it is my bed. I was just thinking".
"Oh." The sprite let her leg drop. "Yes."
Feeling it would be somewhat rude to the sprite, and maybe hurt her feelings If he didn't, the young man placed his hand on the edge of the rack, getting ready to vault back up. "Could I have a little room?" He asked "Wouldn't want to hit you."
The sprite obliged, though somewhat grudgingly, and moved to the colder part of the rack, watching the sempai curiously.
He vaulted up, swinging his rather lanky body up onto the rack and flopping down on the mattress. "Thanks" He muttered, finding the pillow and placing it where it belonged.
The sprite, obligingly, tossed the sempai's half of the cover over him. Then, not one to let a good thing recently discovered go to waste, silently snugged herself against the sempai's back again.
The man turned his head to glance at her for a moment, wonder how he had gotten himself into this. He turned his head back, and stared at the opposite wall for a while, wondering what he should do.
While the sempai wondered, the sprite dozed off. She didn't snore. She just stopped fidgiting.
After a while, he figured something. This wasn't too bad. It wasn't uncomfortable, anyway, and he could simply remove one of the sheets if he got too warm. Wondering why he was doing this, the man simply decided to stop thinking, and concentrated on his breathing. Soon he, too, was asleep.
Time passed. A great deal of time, actually. Eventually the sprite's internal clock rolled over, and she woke up. She sat there for a little while, staring at the sempai's back, pondering. Sitting up on her elbow again, she looked him over.
"Sempai?"
It took a few moments for the man to stir. slowly, he wsa awake enough to realize the light pressure and warmth was gone. "Yes?" he asked, sounding slightly groggy.
She ran a hand through her hair, pausing mid-motion and scratching at her scalp somewhat selfconsciously. "I was wondering, what time do you want to wake up?"
"Usually... 0730 Standard time" He answered. "What time is it now?"
The sprite frowned a little bit and lay back down, putting her forehead on his back, between his shoulder blades. "0300."
"What are you doing awake so early?" he asked, adjusting himself gingerly and getting comfortable.
The sprite shrugged. The motion was felt, more than seen. "I don't know."
"Well, Go back to sleep, unless you have something to do, I guess" he said. The constant interruptions to his sleep seemed to be annoying the man, but he never showed it. He would probably sleep in a little late that morning.
The sprite lay there for a while, just staring at the Sempai's back. The space she occupied was warm. The sempai's shoulders made a tent of the blanket, in a way. Finally, she asked, "You are going to go back to sleep, then?"
"Yes." He mumbled. "Not like it takes me very long, anyway."
"Oh." She bumped her head on his back, once. "I am being annoying. My sister says, when she sleeps with the Juni, they do not usually get any sleep, either."
There was a flash of crimson across the man's face, he didn't think the sprite realized what she had just said. "I guess so" he mumbled, sounding somewhat embarrassed.
"Gomenasai," the sprite said quietly. "I will be quiet and let you sleep, now."
"No need to apologize. Thank you for letting me sleep though." He consoled her, stretching lightly before getting comfortable again and closing his eyes.
"Um," the sprite added quickly, reasoning that at least a question or two wasn't out of boundaries, given circumstances. She sat up and folded her hands in her lap. "So, do we have to tell anyone?"
"What?" he asked, turning to face her, lost.
The sprite looked somewhat confused, briefly, but she turned it over in her head. "Ah," she finally said, "Nothing."
The man looked at her, somewhat confused, but he let it go with a light shake of his head, turning back around, wondering just what the sprite meant. She was quite the confusing creature, this sprite.
"Can we do this tomorrow?" she asked, clearly unsure what the answer would be.
"... I suppose. Just don't wake me up so much, okay?" he said wondering what the sprite was getting on about. He had an idea, but he didn't think she understood what she was saying.
"You're red," the sprite pointed out. "Are you sincere?"
"Yes," the young man said. "I'm just a little.. Flushed with the sudden activity" he finished, trying to tiptoe around the real reason.
"It's cute." The sprite smiled slightly. She dipped her head
near the sempai's. A small, butterfly kiss later, and the sprite lay back down beside the sempai and curled up there, content with herself.
The man's blush deepened, But he lay down anyway. His mind raced for a while longer, but eventually fatigue won over and he fell asleep.
Time Passed.
