What Dreams May Come [Ali, Hans]

[onemorebounty]

*Night in Castle von Hammer brings a respite from the heat and labors of the day, the blessed release of sleep and relief for the servants from the quirks of their master's houseguests. And they may count themselves doubly blessed that the walls are thick enough to spare them any but the most muffled impressions of one houseguest's nocturnal

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[hammerofhell]

Well, there are far better ways to be awakened than this, and the scream gets Hans' heart jolting in his chest. The words ring in his ears, but he can't quite make sense of them, his body still tensed from fight or flight responses.

"< What? What is it? Are we under attack? >" Combat trained senses are quicker to fuel his brain, though his English has not caught up yet.

[vicioussweetie]

Being woken up by screams is bad enough. Being woken up by screams while being pushed out of bed is even worse. But not, it seems, unusual for Ali, because she rolls into a crouch almost as soon as she hits the floor, ready to spring into whatever action is necessary.

She doesn't ask any questions right away, both because she's checking the room for danger and because her brain is still processing what happened. And when that's done...

"It was the baked potato again, wasn't it?"

[onemorebounty]

*There's a long, still moment where the only sound from Samus is the buzzing of her knife (which, not incidentally, sheds a faint orange glow) before she switches it off. Composing herself, she concentrates on speaking German for a moment, to answer Hans the way he's most likely to understand.*

[Just a nightmare, my falcon. I'm sorry to wake you both.]

*Sighing, she answers Ali much more simply.*

Yes.

[hammerofhell]

Hans shakes his head, and manages to find his English. "Do not worry about it, my love. Night terrors may yet find us all."

He blinks for a moment, as his brain catches up to things. "Hold... What is so terrifying about a potato?"

[vicioussweetie]

Ali draws a deep breath, then crawls back into bed without ever quite standing up. Scooting half-behind Samus, she asks no more questions: clearly a massage is more important at the moment.

[onemorebounty]

Well...

*And then Ali's magic hands start their work, and she lets slip a purr.*

Mmm. Well, they're small, inert lumps of cooked starch, and having a dream where I wake from anesthesia in one of your military's battlefield hospitals to be told they've accidentally replaced my heart with one... well, there it is. Nnh, thank you, my swan, that's starsweight better.

[hammerofhell]

Hans crawls back into bed on the other side of Samus, gently taking her hands in his.

He could follow up on that line of thinking, but for the moment, he prefers not to use words, but instead to use actions, to convey his meaning.

[vicioussweetie]

Ali smiles when Samus starts to relax, leaning forward to kiss her shoulder. "You know we'd never let that happen to you, love. It's okay now. We're here."

Hans gets an approving glance before Ali leans back again to return to the massage.

[onemorebounty]

*Their reassurances are gratefully received, and she leans back into Ali's touch even as she squeezes Hans' hands. The knife, she took a moment to place back on the nightstand.*

You are. And that makes things so much better. Thank you, dears.

[hammerofhell]

Hans smiles as well. "No thanks are necessary. We are always here to catch you, radiant bird."

[vicioussweetie]

"Indeed. You'd be hard-pressed to keep us from it."

Ali moves her hands further down Samus' back, gently probing to find tense spots that need attention. "Now, how else can we help you relax again?"

[onemorebounty]

*She gives a low, throaty laugh.*

Mmm. Am I too old for a tale?

[hammerofhell]

Hans shakes his head. "You are never too old for a tale. Now... what kind of tale would you like to hear?"

[vicioussweetie]

"Nobody's ever too old for a story," Ali assures her, kissing her shoulder again. "We could probably manage two if you'd like."

[onemorebounty]

Well... Ali tells me there are quite a few legends about this forest. Perhaps one of them?

[hammerofhell]

Hans considers this. "Perhaps... you would like to hear something of the dwarfs, once said to inhabit this land?"