Overnight flights on the Grandship weren't foreign to Ringabel. Being the only one who knew how to pilot the thing made him grow used to going without breaks. At times they needed to go from point A to B as soon as possible, so Ringabel would get a pot of coffee ready and prepare for a long, lonely flight. He didn't mind it that much, really. The quiet was welcome and it gave him some time to reflect on what happened that day. Sometimes he found himself thinking about his past, trying to remember any detail at all, no matter how small. Even when his thoughts turned dark, there was always a promise of bright sunrise the following morning.
He loved sunrises. While the rest of his companions preferred to stay up later to see sunsets, Ringabel was always partial to the beginning of each new morning. Even when he wasn't piloting, he was an early riser. His morning routine included a nice sunrise, a nice cup of coffee, and some nice peace and quiet. The simplicity of the morning sun was beautiful in its own way, and it had captivated Ringabel.
One of those long flighty nights had presented itself again, and Ringabel was trying hard to focus on his small reward as he started to doze off. It was the hardest part of the night – past midnight, but not quite dawn. Leaving his post behind, Ringabel went to fix himself another cup of coffee. It was lukewarm, but it was much better than nothing. He looked to the sky; the stars were too dim to make out, and a tiny, tiny sliver of light peeked over the horizon. Soon, his reward would appear, and his all-nighter would have been well worth it.
A small noise from behind grabbed his attention. He turned to the door to find Edea standing there, clad in her nightgown, hair a mess, a blanket draped over her shoulders. She looked exhausted. She rubbed at her eyes and slowly approached Ringabel.
"Edea, looking lovely as always. What are you doing up at this hour?" Ringabel turned back to the wheel, and Edea leaned against the small railing beside it.
She yawned and stretched. "I had a bad dream. Couldn't get back to sleep."
Nightmares had been a common thing among them. Ringabel never liked to pry into what plagued his friends at night, but he could only imagine what Edea had just experienced. "Ah. Are you sure my company is much better?"
Her laugh was sleepy, much cuter than normal - and that was saying something! "I didn't want to wake up anyone else. And... I didn't want to be alone."
He gave her a sympathetic look. "Well, I'm usually here if you ever need me."
Edea nodded. Her expression had fallen and she remained silent for some time. Ringabel switched between looking out over the ocean and at Edea. She kept wiping at her eyes, and soon Ringabel heard sniffling. Her showing weakness by crying was rare, and Ringabel hated seeing her like that. He had no idea what in her dream had made her so upset, but he needed to cheer her up.
He motioned for her to come over. "Oh, it's about time! Come here, Edea!"
She looked up, a bit confused. "What's going on?"
He left the wheel and grabbed one of her hands. He lead her over to the large window at the front of the hull and pointed to the sky. "The sunrise!"
Ringabel sat down and patted the space next to him. She hesitated; she looked at the sky for a while longer and sat next to him.
"You don't want to miss these. They're simply beautiful. They remind me of you, in a way."
That sleepy laugh was back again, and it brought a smile to Ringabel's face. Edea wiped her eyes a final time and stared up at the window. "Do you watch these often?"
"Every morning. They're a lot nicer when you have someone with you, though."
"I'm glad I could make it better," Edea said. She cuddled up in her blanket a bit before she threw half of it over Ringabel. "Aren't you cold?"
"Your presence alone warmed me up rather well, but thank you."
She leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder. "Don't ruin the moment by talking."
He heeded her words and watched the sunrise in silence. As the morning sky lit up, creating beautiful, pastel hues, Edea gasped a few times, clearly admiring the show.
"It's beautiful," Edea said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Not as beautiful as you, is what he wanted to say, but he decided that the rest of his lines, no matter how sincere, could wait for another morning. Instead he draped an arm around her shoulders, a more friendly gesture than anything. "I hope this made you feel better."
"A lot better." Edea assured him. "Too bad you have to wake up at such a horrid hour to see them."
"It's well worth it though, wouldn't you say?" Ringabel asked.
"You can think that all you want." Edea yawned and nuzzled up against Ringabel. "It was... really pretty though..."
She dozed off then, head still on his shoulder, her lips parted, soft snores escaping her lips.
Ringabel made sure she was covered well with the blanket and gently rubbed her shoulder. They still had a while to travel, all in a single direction... he wasn't needed back at the wheel just yet. He sank back into the blanket himself, watching the sun finish its first performance of the day.
Hopefully, this time Edea would be blessed with peaceful dreams.
-.-.-
AN
Prompt two is sunrise! I hope you all enjoy it, and I hope everyone is in character. I always worry about that! Thank you for reading; I'd love to hear your thoughts!
R&R
Icee Suicune
