Crystal Facets

Branch

The trolls had fallen into a strange, but comfortable cycle in their new environment. The younger trolls would wake up early, take a peek outside to see if the coast was clear, and wake the elder trolls if it was. They'd then group off to go and find something to eat, drink, and anything they could use to make their space a bit more comfortable.

This was the norm over the course of the past 3 days, but Branch had begun to notice something off about the youngest member of their group. Trollex had been quieter, even more so than usual. He had gotten a lot more comfortable with the trolls closest to his age, but yesterday he hadn't spoken much at all, and what little he did say seemed short and tired.

Today, Branch joined the others for breakfast, munching on chunks of carrot sticks they had managed to get on this morning's run. He nibbled at his piece, his eyes darting over towards the still sleeping Trollex. The kid hadn't stirred at all since he went to sleep early the night before.

He nearly dropped his carrot in a panic as a small hand rested on his shoulder. He turned to spot Trollzart, looking past him towards Trollex. "I am concerned for the young one, Branch. He does not normally sleep in so... And I think he's been feeling under the weather as well..."

He nodded, then looked over at Trollex again. "I'll go see if I can wake him up and find out what's wrong." He set his piece of carrot down, and made his way to the sleeping area. He knelt down, and set a hand gently on Trollex's shoulders to nudge him awake, but recoiled almost immediately. He was so hot to the touch!

Branch rolled Trollex towards himself and onto his back, looking him over. He hadn't noticed it before, but the young Techno troll's glow had faded a fair amount. There was also an odd brittle feel to his skin and a red flush to his face. "Trollex, what's going on? You're burning up!"

Trollex let out a small whimper, and opened his eyes a little and blinked slowly. After a moment, he seemed to remember where he was, and tried to sit up, only to fall back again. "B-Branch? I don't feel very good... I feel all dry..."

"Dry...?" He looked at the other, and finally everything felt like it clicked into place. "Of course...! You're an aquatic troll; you'd need water, not just the juice we've been drinking...!" He pushed himself to his feet, heading for the hole in the beds baseboard. "Hold tight, I'm going to try and bring you some proper water."

As he passed by the group of trolls, he realized they were all looking up at him curiously. He paused in his stride to address them. "Trollex isn't feeling well at all, keep an eye on him while I'm gone; I'm going to look for something to help him."

Delta moved to stand, but Branch shook his head. "I need to be quick, and I can't risk waiting if Steven's out there. I'll be back as soon as I can." He turned towards the opening, his mind already running at a mile a minute. He had to get the water, or they could lose him. But he still needed to be careful, or he might not return.

Once he was out in the sunshine, he realized he was right. He could hear Steven talking with someone. He looked around, trying to find the best route to take down to the kitchen. He couldn't use the stairs, there was a high chance he'd run into Steven, and he'd have nowhere to hide if that happened. Perhaps the high road?

He looked up, and spotted the rafters running along the ceiling. It was his best chance...

The problem was, he couldn't stretch his hair anywhere near far enough for that... He glanced around; making sure no one was upstairs with him. Once he was sure it was all clear, he whipped his hair forward, stretching to reach for the ledge of the bed. Once he was sure he had a good hold, he pulled himself up quickly, using the speed to flip himself onto the mattress above.