The Systems Challenge-Chapter 402: Waking Up at Camp

The first thing that Elmo was aware of was a throbbing headache that just wouldn't go away. The next thing was the noise going on around him. It wasn't the same a with the orcs, but that was all he could think of as he felt himself waking up.

When he felt good enough to open his eyes, he felt rather apprehensive. He didn't want to see that he was still with the orcs, even though he couldn't help but think that there was a small possibility that he'd actually, somehow, made it away from them.

The last thing he remembered was a bit hazy, but he did recall getting surrounded by orcs when he was almost out of the caves, which said that he should still be with the orcs, regardless of how his surroundings sounded. Which was partly why he was hesitant to opening then. As while they were closed, he could at least hold to the illusion that just maybe he'd managed to escape and wasn't surrounded by orcs still.

It wasn't until he began to make out the sounds that he started to recognize voices. At which point his eyes snapped open without him giving them a conscious command to do so.

With his eyes open, he could see that he was back in the camp and not around the orcs. He couldn't be sure how that happened, but he wasn't going to complain. He figured that any pains he was experiencing right now was from his escape attempt and not from anything else.

Though, even as he looked around him, he quickly felt his eyes begging for him to let them close and go back to sleep. The sky was fully of stars again, though Elmo had the feeling that it was just after sunset, so it'd be a while before the sun would come up.

At which point he remembered his injurie from when he fell on his mad dash towards the exit of the caves. However, as he touched where they should have been, he could feel that they weren't there anymore. Which made him wonder when they'd been healed.

He wanted to ask, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed that he'd been captured and needed saving to begin with. If Jonas wasn't interested in him before, now Elmo was certain that he wouldn't be interested now. That was just as plain as day for Elmo.

"So, you're finally awake, huh?" a strange voice asked, almost like a little kid's.

He looked around slowly, not wanting his headache, which had started to subside a little, to return to where it had been. He saw everyone that had been part of their combined groups doing their own thing, though he also saw a few strangers among them. Each of them had hair that were a mix of reds, oranges, and yellows, sometimes even looking like they changed color mid-strand. Almost like their heads were fire themselves.

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Nearby was a little girl that had the same hair color as the other strangers. Elmo had to assume that she's the one who spoke.

"I guess, I am," Elmo croaked, surprised to find how dry his throat had become. "How long was I out?"

The girl shrugged. "All I know is you've been out the entire day since Jonas carried you out of the cave."

Elmo nodded. He didn't see a problem with assuming that he'd been out of it for only a day, partly because if he had been left in the cave for more than a day, he was certain the orcs would have taken him again and since the girl said that Jonas had pulled him out that same day, that should then mean that he hadn't been out of it for anywhere near as long as he'd feared.

Not to mention how he was pretty sure that he'd gone under simply from exhaustion rather than any of the injuries he'd had at that time.

"Who are you?" he asked, wondering if that might be a better question to ask rather than any other that he could think of right then. After all, he had no idea who she was.

"I'm Etaina Violet," the girl replied cheerfully. "I was asked to keep an eye on you until someone else came to take over, but no one has yet."

Elmo nodded, wondering what she meant by that last part until she yawned. Elmo could understand about having to do something, even if you wanted to go to sleep. As sometime he'd stayed up later than he usually did to finish something. Sometimes it turned out well, other times, not so much. Part of it depended on what exactly it was that he'd been trying to do. If it involved a lot of thinking, then it tended to turn out poorly. Otherwise, it wasn't as bad. Usually.

"Didn't get much sleep?" he asked, wondering if someone was supposed to have replaced her by this point.

Etaina shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she said, even as she yawned again. "They said they'd let me sleep once you woke up."

Elmo shook his head. Were the others that confident that he'd wake up this day? He didn't know what time it was when he'd passed out earlier, but he wasn't sure that the assumption should have been that he'd wake up on the same day.

However, he wasn't in much of a position to really argue about it. So, he figured the best thing to do would be to let it go entirely and move on. There were other subjects that were more important for him to pursue anyway. Although, he wondered if maybe he should wait for tomorrow anyway before trying to bring those subjects up.

Elmo opened his mouth to suggest she get one of the others when a thought came to him that could lead to an explanation of some of what had been going on.

"So, where'd you come from?" Elmo asked, hoping to get more of a detailed answer from her response.

Sure enough, he wasn't disappointed to have that happen.

Though, some of her explanation was a little hard for Elmo to follow, since she spoke of being able to fly herself with wings, and Jonas could see that she didn't have any herself. Then there was the part where she spoke about a person named Douglas who had captured her and most of her family aside from Elysia. Though, Elmo had a feeling she should get some clarification from Jonas and Elin before accepting what she'd said.

Etaina then laid down next to Elmo and put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Well, you're awake now, so it's fine to sleep, right?"

Elmo nodded, not sure if he should do anything. Such as move the blanket he'd been covered with so it covered her as well. He didn't know how the girl's parents would react to them in that kind of position, but Elmo really didn't care to find out. He doubted that it'd be easy for him to explain in a way that they'd find acceptable.

"I thought I heard your voice," Jonas said, startling Elmo. Though his motions didn't seem to wake Etaina, she just wrapped her arms around Elmo's and settled down with some quiet sounds that didn't sound like they were supposed to make any sense.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Jonas added. "Just thought I'd at least come and see how you were doing."

Elmo sighed. At least he should have someone with him that would be on his side should Etaina's parents get bent out of shape at where their daughter was sleeping: next to someone they didn't know and much older than their daughter.

"I'm here," was all Elmo could think to say in response.

Jonas nodded, putting his hand on Elmo's shoulder; the one that Etaina wasn't using as a pillow. "And I'm glad you are," Jonas said, making Elmo feel like he was missing something. Like maybe Jonas had been replaced by someone else or something. Learning that you were captured made me realize some things that I'm still not sure about myself."

Elmo could only nod. He felt like he was in some alternate reality or in a dream that shouldn't be possible to come true. Yet, he hadn't been in a dream where hi head pounded o thoroughly as it did right then. Meaning this had to be reality. Or at least a reality. Even if it wasn't the one that he was from, he wasn't sure he'd want to leave, but he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to stay.

However, rather than try to analyze it, Elmo did hi best to enjoy this chance, fleeting as it might be at the moment.

"Maybe we can talk more in the morning about this," Jonas told Elmo. The firebird will also be pending the night here. Maybe a few night too, so I'm sure you'll be able to get to know them, as well as Etaina."

Elmo felt like he should at least take a few souvenirs from this reality before he had to leave. Souvenirs that he wouldn't lose because they'd be in his memories and could go with him wherever he went because it wouldn't be anything that he could lose his grasp on.

"Would you be willing to stay with me tonight?" Elmo asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "And maybe a kiss?"

Jonas looked annoyed at his request, which made Elmo feel that he couldn't have gone much farther from his reality to get to this one because of how much this Jonas looked like the Jonas he was used to. However, the look of annoyance quickly left him, assuring Elmo that his supposition was correct.

"Alright," Jonas said, laying next to Elmo, on the other side of Etaina.

Then as he lay down himself, he first kissed Elmo's forehead before he moved down to meet Elmo' lips.