Shadow Rift (A Hat in Time)

Early-Morning Pillow Assault

Softer, shorter, slower segment of the story :) <- saw a chance for alliteration and ran with it

HAPPY IDES OF MARCH TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE, BY THE WAY!!

And, as always, thanks to my beta reader!! <3

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Hattie woke on top of Elliot, her hat askew and hair messy. She lay still for a long, sleepy moment, partially wondering why she was curled up uncomfortably in the pillow pile instead of resting in her warm bed.

Elliot wasn't awake yet, but he had one arm around her and wore a peaceful expression. It would be cute if she wasn't trapped. Hat Kid wriggled in his grasp but froze when he stirred. If he woke up because of her, would he be mad?

Who was she kidding? It was Elliot. Unlike Snatcher, he seemed incapable of getting mad. She made sure his crown was still on, double-checking that it was Elliot instead of Snatcher. Luckily, it stayed on during the night. Hat Kid didn't really want to explain to Snatcher why she'd fallen asleep on top of him.

She made a second attempt to move Elliot's arm and escape. He shifted in his sleep, his crown tilting. Hat Kid leaned forward and grabbed it, adjusting it before it could fall off.

As she withdrew, Elliot's eyes flickered open. She cringed. Guess she woke him up after all. She shifted away as he sat up sleepily. He automatically adjusted his crown, looked around, and smiled gently at Hattie. "'Morning," he mumbled. He noticed her wriggling and unwrapped his arm from her, setting her free.

Hat Kid scooted away but didn't leave the pillow pile yet. "'Morning," she repeated.

"Did you sleep well?" Elliot asked gently.

Honestly, despite the discomfort of sleeping on top of someone instead of in a nice bed, she did sleep well. Elliot's cloak was warm and comfortable, and she really didn't mind snuggling with him. "Yeah," she mumbled, feeling awkward.

"That's good." He looked happy.

Hat Kid got up from the pile, straightening her hat and her clothes. With a yawn and a stretch, she moved away.

What did she have to do today? Ah yes, stop the slowly ticking countdown that comes with a lack of soul. Don't die tends to be a rather reasonable goal for each day, she mused.

Just how much time did she have left? Despite her reluctance to check her watch, she knew she had to keep track of how much time she had left. So she pulled it out of her pocket and stared at its face. It'd been a while since she last checked it, anyway.

1:23:39:29

She shivered and shoved the watch right back into her pocket. That felt like too much of a time loss. A new plan was needed, immediately.

Considering yesterday's failure, she wasn't sure she could come up with a new plan. She hated to waste time researching, but she needed as much knowledge as possible to come up with a feasible plan. One that would work this time, not one that would make things more problematic. She needed to come up with something that would work for sure, not some barely thought-out theory.

She could look through the textbooks again... but what was the point? Her research had led her to only one idea that hadn't worked.

The shifting and rustling of fabric behind her alerted her, and she glanced over her shoulder as Elliot stood. "Are you alright?" he asked, a concerned look on his face.

"Yeah," she lied.

Elliot's brow furrowed. Did he not believe her? Hattie worked to cover her tracks. "I just have a problem that I need to solve, and I'm a little stuck when coming up with ideas."