2c.) A Grim Reunion

Valeria, unsure of the stability of the volcanic area, set up camp about a quarter of a mile away from the border of the sulferous rock area, the smell faintly rolling over an area of ruins, which seemed rather quiet, and slightly open... it would be easier to pick up and run away from this area, Valeria reasoned.

"Get whatever rest you can," Valeria said to the group, taking to higher ground to stand watch. It would be a long night, but she intended to watch the whole night, before returning to her small shelter...

"If you need sleep, it might be more efficient for me to stand watch." Exemplar walked at a slightly faster pace, seeking to overcome Valeria's slight lead.

"The RTG's that power me won't need refueled for another nine months." Exemplar elaborated, though she assumed that Valeria either knew what an RTG was or wouldn't care.

Erick on the other hand was soon lying down, with his hands as a pillow for his head, facing up. His eyes were closed, but it was visible that he wasn't quite asleep yet.

Lallium let out a yawn. "Alright, sounds good to me." However he hesitated a moment and looked at Jikon. He recalled that Jikon had never answered his chupica*** question and spoke in as stern a voice as he could muster.

"I am NOT a live goat."

That said he pulled out a pillow from his backpack and, setting it down a good distance from Jikon and closer to the others, lay on it and fell almost instantly to sleep.

Salem went to sit by Valeria.

"If my darling stays awake then so do I!"

Despite this, it took him only a a few minutes to forget about this claim and fall asleep next to her.

Valeria sighed. "If it makes you feel more secure than risking me falling asleep, then you can take the watch," she responded, nodding in Exemplar's direction. ~Still... I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight at all anyway...~

Floating down from her perch, the fairy-vampire-nether-lich known as Valeria took a look around the makeshift camp, to at least see if there was a place to recline...

Exemplar didn't bother to nod or such. She just took up a vigilant post, that being her answer.

Erick shifted very slightly, having difficulty sleeping. This wasn't an unusual occurrence, but the problem may have been exacerbated by the resent problems regardless.

Muteki smiled, gratefully lapsing into sleep. Though he didn't actually do much, he liked sleeping as much as the next person. (Although it seemed that practically everyone in the DaCre world enjoyed sitting dramatically outlined against the moonlight.)

His partner wasn't as restive. The vampire known as Jikon stood at the edge of the camp, toward the volcano. His form left him naturally nocturnal, although he didn't hold with the stereotypes of breaking down in sunlight and screaming at the sight of a clove of garlic.

He looked rather debonair in his evening clothes outlined dramatically against the moonlight. His cloak fluttered occasionally at the end from a slight breeze, and his gently glowing eyes seemed to pierce through the darkness...

"So isolated out here..." Valeria said silently to herself, commenting on Jikkon's staying near the end of camp. As restless as Jikkon was out here, however, she couldn't afford the pain of constant thought... sleep would be best for her...

She managed as best she could, tucking her wings in as a cover, sitting and leaning against a rock, alert except for the lack of consciousness...