"Did she... fall asleep?"
Angel stared at Moon Dew across from him. Her head drooped, and a faint snore escaped her. His expression turned slightly stunned.
He really had thought she was deep in thought.
But she had thought and thought until she fell asleep?
What should he do now? Wake her?
As Angel wondered, Moon Dew seemed to hear his murmur. She opened her eyes blearily and forced herself to tell him, "I didn't fall asleep."
Seeing the stubborn yet dazed look in her eyes, Angel sighed.
She had not fallen completely asleep, but she was close.
After a moment's thought, he rose and walked over to her. As she stared at him blankly, he extended a finger and gently touched her brow.
The next instant, Moon Dew, who had nearly slipped into the whirlpool of deep sleep, jolted and shook her head. She was noticeably more alert.
Weariness still lingered in her eyes, but at least she was truly awake.
Angel had used Nightmare Illusion to stir some of her thoughts back into motion.
Normally, if Angel met a little girl who wanted to sleep but stubbornly insisted she was awake, he would let her drift off.
But he still had questions for Moon Dew today. If she slept for eight hours and used up the rest of her allotted time, she would automatically leave Dawn's Dream.
Moon Dew would have another chance to enter someday, but no one knew when that would be...
So he had to give her a little help to keep her going.
Now fully roused, Moon Dew opened her eyes wide. "See? I told you I wasn't asleep."
Angel nodded helplessly. "All right, all right. You weren't."
"Since you're awake, shall we keep talking? Or would you rather go back to thinking?"
Thought