Lambert shrugged. "I don't see why he wouldn't, based on what he said before. Anyways, let's go get you ready for bed."
He gestured towards her room and she followed. As Lambert stepped out of the living room he quietly dimmed the lights, hoping Chloe would be okay to sleep through the night there on the couch.
After Pita was put in bed, he was looking forward to some sleep himself.
Chloe found herself standing on Sovereign's beach. Her feet were in the ocean, the small waves rising from her toes to her ankles, back and forth. She glanced upwards at the sky; it was somewhat dark and gloomy, yet she didn't seem to mind.
Standing still, Chloe looked about; with the land barren and empty, she turned around to view the sea. At first, she saw nothing of interest, but then something caught her eye. It was a body of a man, drifting towards the shoreline where she stood. As it washed up, Chloe noticed that he was clutching an old sword. Then, ignoring it, she knelt down to check if the man was alive.
Above her, there was a sudden cry from an eagle. Chloe looked directly up at the clouds, trying to find where it was. After a moment's search, she gave up. Turning her head back towards the man, she wasn't able find him, either. Now, feeling a strong presence behind her, she turned around. There on the sand stood another person, shrouded in black. She didn't really know who this was, but somehow she knew that had to be Akura. With violent speed, the figure's arm reached up towards Chloe's throat, and ...
... she awoke. Gasping for air, she realized that she was still in Lambert's living room, leaned back on the couch. The only difference being that she's now tucked underneath a fluffy yellow blanket. It was early dawn, and the orange sunlight spilled through the drawn curtains. Chloe let out a sigh, thinking, "What happ... I must have fallen asleep, most rude of me. But what's this silly blanket?" She laughed at herself, then wondered, "What am I supposed to do now?"
"You see what your knowledge tells you you're seeing. ... how, what you think the universe is, and how you react to that in everything you do, depends on what you know. And when that knowledge changes, for you, the universe changes. And that is as true for the whole of society as that is for the individual. We all are what we know, today. What we knew yesterday, was different; and so were we."
- James Burke, The Day the Universe Changed (1985)
Lambert awoke in a cold sweat, the most recent nightmare that had startled him awake fading from his mind like fine sand sifting through his hands.
It was early, some time around dawn he figured, based on the faint light streaming through the windows of his upstairs bedroom. The house was quiet in a familiar way - he was often awake at early hours, due to the cardamine's effect on him, he figured. The fact that he needed less sleep was good, considering the sort of dreams that plagued him each and every night.
He stretched and climbed out of the bed, not really feeling like sleeping anymore. He reached over to his bedside table, grabbing a cardamine mask from it and pressing it to his face. He took several deep breaths, and felt life flow back into his tired body. Lambert had used to be a heavy coffee drinker, but a dose of cardamine turned out to be vastly more effective.
He rose, getting dressed in some casual clothes, and decided to head downstairs to see if anyone else was awake yet. He wondered if Chloe had awoken at some point during the night. He figured there was a good chance she'd already left, if that had been the case.
Thus he was mildly surprised to see her awake downstairs, still on the couch and looking a bit disoriented.
"Hey. How about some breakfast, hmm?" he said, softly.
Without waiting for a reply, he went into the kitchen and started rummaging around.
Still in the process of waking up, Chloe heard James walking downstairs. He quietly asked, "Hey. How about some breakfast, hmm?" From there, Lambert moved into another room.
"I'd like some breakfast, merci," responded Chloe. She barely suppressed a yawn, then sat up, thinking for a moment. "Did I just say 'merci'? Quite odd." Feeling the need to be polite, Chloe spoke up, adding, "Good morning."
"You see what your knowledge tells you you're seeing. ... how, what you think the universe is, and how you react to that in everything you do, depends on what you know. And when that knowledge changes, for you, the universe changes. And that is as true for the whole of society as that is for the individual. We all are what we know, today. What we knew yesterday, was different; and so were we."
- James Burke, The Day the Universe Changed (1985)
Lambert found some eggs in the kitchen, and began working on some breakfast.
"Good morning to you too," he said, a bit louder now so she could hear him from the living room. "Come on in here, there's some coffee heating up and juice in the fridge."
He whisked the eggs into a bowl. He was planning to make an omelette, since he knew the dish was said to have originated in Old France. Perhaps it was still favored in Gallia, perhaps not. But he enjoyed it, so it would do as a breakfast.
"Good morning to you too," spoke Lambert, talking a bit louder now. He went on, "Come on in here, there's some coffee heating up and juice in the fridge."
Chloe took off the blanket, then walked over to the room he was in. The room was a kitchen, and she saw James preparing breakfast on the counter. When she caught sight of the eggs, her stomach started to hurt with hunger, for she hadn't eaten anything in a while.
Still feeling drowsy, Chloe glanced at the coffee, which was still heating. She then opened the fridge, and withdrew the carton of orange juice. After she set it upon the table, she looked up to the cabinets, not knowing which would contain the cups. "Which one these ... " she began, then reached for the first cabinet on the left. To her luck, it was the right one. Chloe said, "Ah, here they are."
She grabbed a glass, then closed the cabinet. Realizing how awkward and out of place she felt, she quietly poured herself some juice. Then, Chloe put the carton back into the fridge and sat down.
"You see what your knowledge tells you you're seeing. ... how, what you think the universe is, and how you react to that in everything you do, depends on what you know. And when that knowledge changes, for you, the universe changes. And that is as true for the whole of society as that is for the individual. We all are what we know, today. What we knew yesterday, was different; and so were we."
- James Burke, The Day the Universe Changed (1985)
Lambert smiled at her, glad to see she was making herself comfortable in the kitchen, then turned back to the omelette he was making. It was coming along nicely, with some cheese and a few types of local vegetables inside of the eggs.
Trying to get her to talk, he spoke up, saying the first thing to come to mind. "Did you sleep well out there on the couch?"
"Did you sleep well out there on the couch?" asked James, out of the blue.
"I'm surprised that I don't have a neck cramp," Chloe replied, "but yes, I slept well enough." She couldn't help but think, "Aside from the dream, that is." She took a long drink from her glass. Then, gesturing back to the living room, she inquired, "Whose blanket is that?"
"You see what your knowledge tells you you're seeing. ... how, what you think the universe is, and how you react to that in everything you do, depends on what you know. And when that knowledge changes, for you, the universe changes. And that is as true for the whole of society as that is for the individual. We all are what we know, today. What we knew yesterday, was different; and so were we."
- James Burke, The Day the Universe Changed (1985)