restless

/ˈrɛs(t)ləs/

adjective

unable to rest or relax as a result of anxiety or boredom.

After his story and everyone's questions were answered, Oscar was exhausted, he'd been shown to his new room not long after they'd finished their talk.

And now he lay in bed, eyes staring off into the empty blackness, he was bone tired and emotionally exhausted… from his conversation with Qrow to story time with RNJR and all of the emotions he was feeling from seeing his friends alive again after watching them all die…

Oscar just wanted to rest.

But, as it had done most nights for longer than he cared to remember, sleep continued to elude him.

{Would you like me to take over for the night? We didn't get much sleep last night, and tomorrow Is going to be a long day…}

"Could you just make everything quiet… all the things I see when I close my eyes… can you make them all just stop and go away for a little while?" Oscar asked, sounding for the first time like the child he was, the child he lost all right to be when he inherited Ozma's curse.

A warmth quickly began to incase Oscar, as if he was being wrapped in a comforting embrace {I will do my best to keep your demons at bay for a few hours so that you may rest.}

Smiling softly, Oscar closed his eyes offering up a small 'Thank you' to his partner before he began to drift off into peaceful slumber.

Although, like all peace Oscar had experienced in the last few years, it was short lived.

He awoke with a silent scream, breathing heavily as he shot up and reached out for the bloody figure from his dream before fully coming to and realizing where he was.

Oscar was in his bed in Mistral, not on a bloodied battlefield watching his friends die. He was safe.

{I'm sorry, Oscar. I thought I could protect you from your nightmares…} Ozpin said, guilt ebbing into his tone

Brushing off Ozpin's concern, Oscar sat up shakily, scrunching his eyes closed and pushing away the memories. "It's fine, I'm used to it at this point."

{But you shouldn't have to be.}

"I know."

Eventually, the shaking subsided and his breathing returned to normal, Oscar reopened his eyes and looked around the still mostly dark room, from the window he could just see the first signs of light appearing over the horizon.

"No point trying to go back to sleep now," he said as he rolled out of bed and headed over to his belongings.

{I suppose not. Did you want to go and do some training before the others wake? It will still take time for your body to catch up with our muscle memory and regain the strength from your future.}

Agreeing, Oscar quickly dressed and grabbed his cane before heading out of his bedroom and down to the dojo below.

Only when he arrived, he found that he wasn't alone, already using the space was Jaune- his attention firmly on a video playing from his scroll as he went over a set of sword strikes.

Watch him continue to go through another few sets, Oscar considered leaving and coming back later, when Jaune turned to him "you know, it's rude to stand and stare without letting people know your there… you could scare someone"

"Sorry…" he replied awkwardly, he hadn't expected to be noticed.

Jaune just laughed and shook his head, "you have trouble sleeping too?"

Oscar just nodded and came down from the step he'd been perched on into the room proper, "you could say that…" he replied.

Jaune took a long look at him, taking in his fully dressed state and weapon in hand, his expression turned dark for a fraction of a second before he shook is away and smiled at him "Well, I wouldn't mind a sparring partner, if your interested?"

"I'd like that."

hey guys, sorry for the short chapter and the longer wait... I'm still not doing to great mentally. But I'm definitely doing better than I was the other week.

thanks for all your kinds words!! And hopefully you enjoyed this chapter.