Rory had just closed her eyes on the sofa when she heard Xarion's footsteps approaching.
"Stop." Her sleepy voice cut through the quiet.
Xarion immediately froze mid-step. "Female Master…" he said softly, a hint of grievance in his tone.
She had been the one to invite them in. And yet now she was ignoring them.
Hearing the faintly aggrieved note in his voice, Rory didn't soften in the slightest. "Go back. You all need to lie down and sleep quietly. If you don't… I'll get angry."
The moment she said that, Xarion instantly turned around and trudged back to the bed, flopping down with the air of someone whose world had just collapsed.
Nix, Jasper, and Wen lay perfectly still on the bed, not daring to move an inch.
Seeing that they had finally settled down, Rory curled her lips in satisfaction and soon drifted off to sleep.
***
The Next Morning
Rory woke feeling refreshed and energetic.
