Sleepy

Virgil was going to be on edge all day.

It never had to be for any reason in particular, but it would've made it easier to tackle the anxious tremors from the core if Virgil actually had something to say when each side came to him throughout the day asking "What's wrong?". First, it had been Logan, ever observant, who found Virgil sat on the counter next to the coffee machine in the morning, noting how his makeup looked just a little more intense than usual and how his hands trembled slightly around his favourite mug.

"Is that your first coffee, Virgil?" Logan asked gently, willing the coffee machine to not be as loud as usual while he made his own.

"Uh, yeah." The nervous trait took a hesitant sip of his drink; he suddenly found it rather difficult to maintain eye contact. "Why do you ask?"

Logan kept an eye on the underlying shakiness of the ball of nerves in front of him. "You seem particularly anxious today. Is anything troubling you?"

And then Virgil thought. He'd woken up feeling a pit of nervousness in the bottom of his stomach, but that was the usual for him as the embodiment of anxiety itself, so he hadn't given it a second thought. However, the longer he pondered, the more he realised the feeling had worsened, but there was no particular thing bothering him. Virgil racked his brains desperately for an answer but still came up empty.

Upon not receiving a response, Logan placed one hand on the counter, just close enough to Virgil in case he wanted to take it. "Virge?"

Virgil snapped out of his train of thought. "Oh, I... I don't know. I just feel like something really bad's gonna happen." He spoke in his usual whisper-grumble as he stared at the half-empty mug in his hands.

"It's normal for you to feel that way, Virgil." Logan finally took his own mug from the coffee machine, setting it on the counter to let it cool. "However, I can assure you that as long as everyone works together today to make Thomas' day productive and happy, there's a very small chance that something terrible will happen. Try to let that reassure you." He spoke softly, watching Virgil with care as if he were a fragile sculpture. "Even if you still feel nervous, that's okay. Would you like me to let everyone else know so that we don't accidentally scare you?"

After a few seconds, Virgil hummed in affirmation. "Thanks, Logan." He didn't need to smile to convey his thankfulness, and Logan understood.

"No problem. Try to take it easy today, and remember the breathing techniques." The logical trait picked up his mug and gave Virgil a reassuring glance before pausing. "Do you want me to accompany you for a little longer?"

Virgil quickly drank the rest of his coffee and set the mug aside. "I— I don't mind." He bit back his smile. Logan always knew just what to do without making a huge deal out of it, likely learning from past experiences of nervous days like this. It was those little things he always remembered that put Virgil at ease.

They both sat in silence for a few more minutes. The quiet was nice; Virgil was starting to wake up fully and Logan got to savour these few moments of peace before Roman and Patton inevitably started making noise. Not that either of them minded this, but they often missed the quiet, serene mornings. While it didn't lower Virgil's anxiety levels, however, it kept them at a constant, which was at least better than panicking so early in the morning and distressing Thomas.

It was a couple of hours later, after breakfast, that Virgil knew this would be a tough day for himself and Thomas.

Logan had told Patton and Roman to keep it down today, and they'd never object to something that would make Virgil feel better, so the quietness and soft smiles followed them all throughout the mind palace. As opposed to bursting into song and dance at any moment, Roman hummed to himself pleasantly as he made his way around and Patton tried his best not to skip around noisily or appear out of nowhere. In fact, it was Patton who chanced upon the anxious side as he sat on the couch in the common room, looking more troubled than before.