Completed No Rest for the Wickedly Tired

[Ana Sol Starris]

Winter 25th, 512AV One sheep.. Two sheep.. Three sheep.. She lay there in the bed with her lover, mind still very much awake even though her body pleaded for rest. Her eyes burned with an energy she could not explain when she closed them for but a few moments, it kept her awake through the night, and it asundered her energy for the morning. Though in the early, wee hours of said morning, she felt more awake and alive than she ever did- as if her body were shrugging off layers of torture. There were moments when she dozed off lightly, nightmares surfaced, dreams fell, her mind would buzz awake every time she sank too deeply into her sleep; warning her of the horrors to come if she succumbed. If it were not for those few blissful hours of rest, her body might have shut down for good many years ago, if it were not for those few moments.. Ten sheep.. Eleven sheep.. Twelve sheep.. Counting tiredly and slowly, Ana breathed in and out slowly as she would do so hoping that such a repetitive manner would bore her into those few blissful moments. Her mind rolled, turned, and shifted about her as she turned about into a much more comfortable position where her lovers bicep as a pillow, hugging the forearm as she moved about. It was amazing Jakobi could sleep through her restless moving about, and Ana had to give him credit for being able to, sometimes she just couldn't stay still long enough for her mind to relax and thus why she had begun to count in her sleep. Why sheep? It rhymed with sleep, and rest was exactly what she needed, plus sheep had wool, which made amazingly warm clothes, and she liked being warm to boot. They were lovely creatures indeed. Twenty sheep.. Twenty one sheep.. Twenty two sheep.. Groggily she opened her eyes for a moment to stare into the darkness, a throb shooting up in her skull, and heavy weights latching to her eyelids but still she did not sleep. Breathing in deeply, she exhaled it as a long drawn out sigh before closing her eyes once more. She was laying on her side, with her back nicely wedged in between Jakobi's side and arm, a cover blanket just over them to keep them nice and toasty warm. Hah, warmth, wool, sheep, her mind made the small connection for a thousandth time that sheep could be related to sleep. Tendrils of another land began to pull her backwards, she felt herself falling, and she flinched awake because of the sudden feeling, shuddering as she tried to lean forwards and rebalance herself. Her eyes snapped open, a skip in her chest; a burning anger to accompany it. Twenty two sheep, she made a mental note to herself, last time she had gotten to fifty sheep before beginning to drift asleep. However, she didn't like that involuntary free falling feeling that happened, it was a sensation that prooved to be rather unnerving for the small thief. It would pull her to the darker recesses of her mind, it left her in a cold sweat if she were to comply with it, with heart hammering against her rib cage threatening to jump out of her throat. No, she didn't like that feeling at all. Okay.. Lets try that again.. Ana thought to herself, settling herself down back into her niche between Jakobi's arm and side, eyes staying open as she mustered the will to begin once more. Why ever she had thought to begin counting was a suggestion Jakobi had made when she mentioned her inability to sleep very well, and so here she was, trying it out in hopes it would work. Sometimes it didn't. Her eyes shut, not for the last time. One sheep.. Two sheep.. Three sheep..

[Ana Sol Starris]

Five sheep.. Six sheep.. Seven sheep.. There was a pain in her knee, it struck hard and richocheted down her leg and she felt she had to move it or otherwise be driven crazy. So she tensed the leg, stretched it slightly, rolled her ankle and then wiggled her toes. Repeating the process until finally the pain had faded away and she could let her body lay limp in the bed. Her head went from one place to another, searching for a nook in the muscle of Jakobi's bicep that wasn't too bulgy and ended up nearer the arm pit with her body facing away from his. It was like any other night, her body bothered her in some form or manner that distracted her from sleep, accompanied by the noises outside, or around them. In the summer it had been the buzz of mosquitos, and in the fall it was the mice squeeking, and foraging for food near there. Fourteen sheep.. Fifthteen sheep.. Sixteen sheep.. In the Winter, it seemed that it was the howling wind and the creak of the building they were in that floated, and jerked its way into her ears. Seventeen sheep.. Ana opened her eyes before she sat up, bent over slightly on herself as she rubbed her eyes, turning her body so that she could be in a hunched over sitting position. Now her shoulders stung, and the blades inbetween ached and cryed for some tension release, of which Ana couldn't give them because it was hard to reach that area. Inhaling deeply, she held onto the bedding and pushed her hip into the ground, twisting her back and heard the delicious clicking inbetween bones and cartilage. Sighing at the feeling, it was a wonderous sensation, but it didn't relieve the tension in her shoulders so she attempted to press hard and more with her upper body to stretch the muscles and the bone connected together in those areas. Feeling something give way only slightly, just enough for it to be acceptable. She did the same thing to the other shoulder, and twisted her body the other way as she had done before, this time the cracks and clicks coming from her body made her nerves tingle a tad uncomfortably. "Hnnn.." She grumbled outwardly. How was she ever going to sleep if her body kept doing these annoying aches and pains? Laying back down, and this time on her back with her hands clasped on her stomach, and just below her breasts. She looked onto the darkness, and watched the shapes swirl and churn, who was to say that the dark was completely colorless? Ana saw tons of color in it, it was just moving quickly, and there was a black behind it that made it seem like the world around her had turned completely dark. Somber eyes shut again, her face scrunched up in concentration as she focused on that blackness, and the dark behind her eyelids. She willed herself to think nothing other than that shadowy interperetation of night, and slowly, she let the images of jumping sheep fill her mind. One, two, no, three, five, seven, they continued on at innumerable amounts of flying wool, and jumping hoofs, or whatever sheep feet were called! They all jumped over a fence one by one, bawing into the dark, midnight blue expanse with dark trees, and bright overhanging full moon to guide their way. Why were the sheep jumping over the fence during the night anyways? Had they done something wrong, were they crinimals on the run with stolen goods? Cat burglars? Murderers? Fugitives? In a way, Ana could relate to these escaping sheep, though she hadn't jumped fences to escape; she had climbed out of a window, and used a sturdy tree branch, slipping out into the night and waited to take the ship to Sunberth. That was an interesting memory, as her life back then was filled with intriguing ones of which came to her slowly, and at times randomly, this one she wasn't too fond of thinking of as it had been her childish breaking point back then, to run away, much like these sheep who seemed to be on the run now with their fleecy goods. Ana fidgetted uncomfortably, moving, and then freezing as Jakobi would move, turn a bit, and then something bad happened. She was certain she knew why the sheep were running away now. They were running from a silent, but deadly fart on Jakobi's part. She groaned, annoyed as she tried to ignore it, wishing it would quickly dispense itself and disperse through the air to dissipate. It took chimes for that to actually happen, but when it did, a sort of relief passed over her head, glad for it to be finally gone. He seemed to be too deep of a sleeper to have noticed, go figure, with all her restless moving about; Ana was surprised he hadn't woken up yet to bug the living daylights out of her to stop. Shroud had done exactly that back in Sunberth, but Jakobi was not Shroud. Nostalgia washed over her, and a deep rooted longing sprouted in her chest, and lingered for the longest of times. Building slowly.

[Ana Sol Starris]

No. Ana echoed the word in her head, she was getting far off course and too distracted with the idea of sheep jumping over fences. Why was it sheep anyways, could they not be horses? The thought of horses jumping over slug-suckle fences during the night didn't bode well with her, actually, it made her more paranoid that the horses at the Yard could jump over said fences and then they would be swallowed up by the nature that is the Spires forests and wildlife. No, thinking of horses instead was a terrible idea, it was moot, and so she scrapped it and tried to think of other things besides sheep- they were obviously too creative to use in counting. What if she counted coins instead? Shiny gold mizas! Of many different gemstone colors, Ana felt a shiver go up her spine at the thought, such small things were so valuable. One gold miza.. Two gold mizas.. Three gold mizas.. The count started again, and this time with miza's instead of fleecy sheep (no matter how their wool was so amazingly related to warmth, and then sleep.) Four gold mizas.. Five gold mizas.. Six gold mizas.. She shut her eyes again, smiling lightly at the thoughts of counting mizas and instead of jumping over fences, they were bouncing into her coin purse. The bag remained indefinitely the same size despite the amount she was counting into it, that struck her as odd. If more and more kept entering the bag, would it not be getting bigger to accodomate even more gold mizas? Her head moved to the sides, shaking lightly as she buried her face into the bedding, her body turning as she counted so that she was laying on her stomach instead now. Shiny gold glinted in her mind, but how could it flicker in the dark if there was no light for it to glint by? Ana grumbled slightly into the bedding, exhasperatedly with how this counting buisness was going. Looking up, her eyes half open, she felt like begging to whatever divine god there was that dealt with sleep to just let her ease into the world of the unconscience. Was there even a god whos primary element.. or attribute.. Ana didn't know what to call it, she couldn't remember very well, so she settled with the word 'attribute' to describe a divines realm of influence. Was there not a god that dealt with sleep? Sinvelts words echoed in her mind to not openly trust the divine, as if reminding her when her mind had decided to turn to that route of desperation. Okay, she got that the gods were dangerous, they were all powerful beings apparently that could travel around Mizahar, but she had yet to be graced with such an experience of seeing one. Turning to her side so she could face Jakobi's side, and his arm now around her; she was getting distracted once more. She turned back to the sheep again. One sheep.. Two sheep.. Three sheep.. Four.. What was the point of this? Ana's mind struck up with her, she should be happy she was an insomniac, no one could sneak up on her and surprise her in the night because of such a condition. Refuting that argument, she wanted to explain to herself that sleep was necessary, it made one feel good through the day, they wouldn't be sluggish, or have a myriad of problems to accompany them later. As if in reply, it pointed out that sleep was a waste of time, just trying to put herself to sleep was taking more energy out than was necessary. She was under utulizing the resource of conscience awakeness that she had been given by the good graces of her nightmares. Furrowing her eyebrows, she pressed herself against Jakobi, feeling herself smolder like embers in a flame. Maybe it was right?

[Ana Sol Starris]

The counting method was obviously not working out for her, she listened to her surroundings and was mentally aware that perhaps only a few chimes had passed and the night itself was dragging on discrinimately against her. She knew by the light snoring of that which Jakobi exuded from his sleeping self was an indication she was not dreaming, or perhaps she was dreaming of being awake in the present time. Hey, anything was possible; her body felt ten times heavier before, and despite being awake she didn't want to get out of the bed to go do more productive things in candle light or moonlight. Just laying there waiting for her to fall asleep wasn't the answer either, she had tried to do that many nights before when she was in Sunberth. Something burned inside her, she felt a troublesome heave in her chest and a despair to coat her eyes. Something akin to dry tears developed as she held back the unexpected reactions, her chest expanded and held, trying to hold her breath and then expelled the used air from her lungs as slowly as she could. Pressure just seemed to accumulate with each breath, and it got harder, and harder to just keep a firm control on how much noise she was making. Apart of her wanted to burst into tears and ball like a baby would for its mother teet, another part of her wanted to crawl in the dark towards the cold doorway to just freeze, not just that part, but more parts as well that began to seperate themselves slowly to act as individualized thoughts. Her hand went to her chest, to hold the spot where her heart was most likely and cringed; taking her hand away and wrapping it about Jakobi's waist. Curling her head in to fit with his frame, and her legs pulled in as if she were going into a fetal position. Her cheeks burned, her body burned, her head throbbed and her nose began to run with the pent up emotion she felt, she felt a streak of wetness crawl its way down her cheek; a grimace, and pained expression graced her face in the dark. She just couldn't explain why she was feeling the way she was. It was pitiful, whatever happened to the strong, stubborn, aloof and cold Ana that worked hard with a visibly portrayed fire in her eyes back in Sunberth? What happened to her determination, her motivation, essentially her personality? What had she become really? An ache seeped into her bones, whatever fidgettyness she had before was put to a stop due to the unexplained weight placed inside her bones, a crushing, cruel feeling accompanied by dark thoughts. The more she dwelled on them, the worse they became, her self worth plummeted through the metaphorical floorboards and into a deep and dark dungeon. Locked there, for gods knew how long, it could have been bells that she stayed in that infernal state of self pity and loathing. Her mind gravitated towards a depressive cycle, which then maneuvered its way to anger, and back again, it repeated like that until she was just dead tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep. Something she had been trying to achieve earlier, perhaps the counting had been working to keep something far uglier from rearing its head.. Exhausted, and slightly defeated, she remained in that position without moving as if she had become a shrivelled up grape. Her mind was devoid of thought until she began counting. One.. Sheep.. Two.. Sheep.. Three... Sheep... Four.. Sheep.. Five.. Sheep.. Six... Sheep... She exhaled a breath of air, voice a murmer in the air, half thought out and half said, it became a sigh as she paused the count. "Seven.. Sheep.. Eight.. Sheep.. Nine.. Sheep.. Ten.. Sheep.. Eleven.. Shee... Twelve.. Shee.." Her eyes fluttered shut for a few moments, heavy, as was the rest of her body; her counting stopped for a few moments as she felt her grip on reality begin to slip from her. There seemed a pattern, though she was far too gone mentally to have noticed it, her body seemed to perform it on its own now. With each number she would inhale, and exhale after 'sheep', and it would repeat as such, her counting getting slower and slower until it dwindled to just numbers and pauses. Soon enough her eyes had shut for the last time in that night, images appearing slowly, surfacing as her dreams would begin to take root and give way to nightmares. "One.. Two.. Three.." Four... Five....

[Amora]

Ana Sol Starris

Lore:
* Over Stretching Causes Discomfort
* Sheep Correlate With Sleep
* Jakobis' Farts Are Deadly
* Jakobi Is A Dead Sleeper
* The Tired Mind Over Thinks
* Past Love Never Fades
* A Tired Mind Is Vulnerable


Skills:
* Philosophy- 4
* Meditation- 3
* Mathematics- 3
* Acrobatics- 2


Gained/Lost:
* Your character will be groggy Winter 26th along with a slight headache in the morning.

Note-
When I was reading over your request you mentioned ADD, because ADD is a modern term for us it would not be something found in Mizahar. The land of Mizahar is not that advanced there for I couldn't put anything down for it. Though I did try to correlate it a little bit by the over thinking lore. Also any insomnia would simply be called sleeping problems in Mizahar, and probably fixed by an herb.

For stretching I gave you points in Acrobatics.

Over all this was incredibly insightful. I enjoyed getting a glimpse in Ana's mind. And I didn't even realize sheep was so closely related to sleep. It's always good to show that our characters are troubled even with loved one's so close. I hope to get to see more of Ana.




If you have any questions or concerns about what was awarded, please don't hesitate to PM me.