Fallen Ash

Chapter Twelve: Idleness

Half in a dream, and half out of it, Ash realised she was hearing the sound of her alarm - the twinkling of a wand being waved and magic stirring in the air. She opened her eyes groggily and blinked as she gazed through the murky darkness of the room. She remained still. The winter air had invaded the house and everything above her shoulders felt cold - especially her nose. 

Another day had come, closing the one prior, and she had made no strides towards completing her assignment since she had been made aware of its second part. She reached out and tapped the button that silenced the alarm on her smartphone, and rolled over, burying herself deeper in the duvet so that the cold air couldn't touch her.

It had been four days. For some insects, it was a lifetime, but for a celestial, it was the blink of an eye. At least, it was supposed to be. She assumed he was still in that isolated little cottage, wallowing in self-pity, and might well be for weeks to come. Her assignment had hit a brick wall before it had even started - she had intentionally pushed away the one person who she did not need to save. 

Ash sighed. At the other end of the house, Heather was stirring. She hadn't confessed anything to the Principality, but as far as the residents of Lylet were concerned, Heather was omniscient. She practically inhabited two brains simultaneously - one that saw and processed what was in front of her, and one that was constantly analysing information from every corner, nook and cranny of the city. If something was worth knowing, she was aware as it was taking place, so the fact that Austin Saunders had been removed from her jurisdiction, despite being the target of a divine plan, was probably at the forefront of her mind. She was probably scrambling for how to deal with it.

There was no reason to get out of bed, Ash thought to herself morosely. She wasn't needed for anything. There was nothing anyone could do for her in the office, now that her identity had been forged and solidified, and there was no way she could continue with the assignment. 

Hugging the duvet closer and pressing her face into the pillow, she began to drift off again, sleep taking hold of her once more.

It felt like she had only been gone for a few minutes, but when she was shaken awake, it was already light out - a pleasant, golden light that she was unaccustomed to seeing. Heather hovered over the bed, peering down at her with a grin.

"Wakey, wakey," Heather said cheerfully. "Thought you weren't a fan of sleeping? You said it was a waste of time."

"It is," Ash conferred, with a groan.

"Well, you've been out like a light for- gosh."

Heather consulted her watch critically. 

"About ten hours, assuming you fell asleep as soon as you crawled into bed. I'm guessing you weren't up studying, anyway."

Ash looked at the stack of books on her bedside table - they were untouched, their spines pristine. Heather had her eyebrows raised as she perched on the side of the bed, although there was a strange sparkle in her eye.

"You know," she began conversationally, "part of the human condition is that during bouts of depression, people sleep an awful lot. 

"I'm not depressed," Ash retorted, rolling over to face the window.

Heather was a silent for a moment, and then abruptly reached out and turned Ash over again to face her. "You're about as sulky as always," she said thoughtfully, "maybe you're sick?"

Ash felt the back of Heather's hand on her forehead and tried to recoil, but she was being held down firmly. Inwardly groaning, she had to lie there and bear it while Heather tried to gauge whether or not she had a temperature, but both women were aware that wasn't the case. It was part of the kind of manufactured farce Heather liked to pull to inject energy into her companion, or at least guilt her out of bed.