Revelations

Nils was more or less on lockdown at the moment. True, he wasn't actually being kept from going anywhere, but everywhere he went he had a watcher. He was still staying with Aimee and Connie, he wasn't exactly at a point where they trusted him to stay home alone at night, and it was easier for him to stay over there-he did fairly often anyway.
This was only his second night, and the cravings were bad. He didn't have the mental fortitude to fight off his proverbial demons, not this late at night and not stone sober. Desperate for a distraction, he curled up with his laptop and attempted to write a livejournal entry. If he could get his thoughts down on paper, maybe they'd leave him alone and he could actually get some sleep.

Constance had intended to go to sleep relatively early to catch up on some sleep deficit. Unfortunately, her muse had the tendency to strike whenever it damn well pleased, and was pleased at that moment to snap her awake after a few hours of ladylike snoring with a mental movie scene for her short story. After groping around for a pen and scribbling the vignette down, she tossed and turned for a few minutes before sighing heavily. Dammit, now she was thoroughly awake. Cripes. Rolling quietly out of bed, Connie slipped out of the bedroom, tugging her sleep shirt down as she padded down the stairs. If she had to be awake, then she might as well be productive. She paused on the second floor, looking at her office door for a moment before continuing down towards the kitchen. First some warm milk and honey to see if that would help her sleep, then she could do some busy work on her various dwarven projects if that didn't help.

Seeing Nils sitting upright on the couch, Connie made a slight detour, coming up behind the couch to plant a kiss on the top of his head. "Hey, Fraise. Couldn't sleep, huh?" Was that...Livejournal on his laptop? Since when did the Strawberry have an LJ?

Nils' immediate panicked reaction was to slam his laptop shut and stash it under the blanket, a blush spreading across his sheets. He didn't know if she'd seen anything, and if so, how much, but he didn't want to give her the chance to see any more. A livejournal was not exactly something to be proud of, and the things he'd written were just a touch more open and honest than he was comfortable with. The journal wasn't for people to see now, it was there for if and when something bad happened to him.
"Oh, no." He admitted sheepishly. "I can't... It's hard just to sit still like this, much less sleep." True enough, but not why he wasn't trying. "Shouldn't you be asleep too?"

Ooookay, so this was something the little darling felt sensitive about. That was fine, she could relate to that. She didn't like it when people read her various journals either. Connie smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately. "That's understandable." Noncommittally sympathetic, let him feel safe and give her some openings to work with. "I had been, but the muse decided that I deserved to be interrupted. So I decided to fix a cup of warm milk and honey and see if I could get back to sleep. If not, there's always busy work to be done until my brain decides to put its foot down. You want some?"

Nils breathed an inward sigh of relief that she wasn't going to say anything about the LJ. Maybe she didn't even see it, or maybe it was just Connie being Connie. Either way, it was nice.
He smiled at Connie. "Sure, I'll take some. Actually sleeping would be good tonight-I didn't sleep at all last night." His eyes were indeed quite bloodshot and he had some truly terrific bags under his eyes. He stood up and adjusted the blanket so that it laid straight. "So how goes the story, then?"

Ruffling his hair again, Connie turned back towards the kitchen and quietly busied herself with the mugs. Poor fella, he did look terrible. "Eh, well enough. Better then most, actually. I dunno if it's the deadline having something to do with it or just the fact that I've already got Nordics on the brain anyway, but the muse is really enjoying this one." The microwave began to whir quietly. "Still gonna take some editing, it's a little too florid in parts, but overall I'm happy with it. Especially the dude's name. Aegirkon, heh. Sneaky me."

She stopped the microwave just before it dinged and brought the mugs over with spoons and the bear of honey. "There you go, scarecrow. I've already put a little bit in, so give it a sip and see if you want more honey." Connie squeezed out another spoonful of honey and stirred it, letting it dissolve while she debated the best method of broaching the LiveJournal topic. In the end, she decided that their friendship meant too much to disrespect him with the sneaky method. "So LiveJournal, huh? Online diary, good idea. More secure that way. Don't have to worry about losing it."

Nils smiled and nodded. "I'm glad it's going well for you." He replied politely. He was trying very hard to act normal, but the lack of sleep and alcohol were a strain on his nerves and his courtesies. He absentmindedly started organizing the things left on the kitchen counter, trying to keep under control. "Aegirkon? Nice."
He relaxed a little when she handed him his milk. This was something minor he could focus on. He sipped it carefully and smiled. It was perfect. Too bad he swallowed wrong when she asked about the LJ. He coughed and spluttered, too surprised to respond for a moment even after he caught his breath. "I... I kept one when I was in high school." He admitted after a moment. "I started it up again when we found out about all of this." It was obvious what 'all of this' he meant. "It seemed like a good idea to keep a record, just in case."

Wincing slightly and looking guilty, Connie handed him a paper towel in case he needed a napkin. "Sorry." She sipped her own milk while Nils sheepishly explained himself. "It's a good idea. Kinda wish I had one. At the very least, it would help me keep all of Bjorn's designs straight." She sighed mulishly, her overtired brain loosening her tongue. "It's so hard to keep things straight in your head sometimes, especially when you have to keep physical records to a minimum. I've been so scared that Aimee would find them and ruin the surprise, it's aggravating to have to work that way."

Nils took the paper towel gratefully, wiping down first himself, then the countertop in front of him. Cleaning gave him something to focus on, and he quite meticulously wiped up every last drop of milk. He considered himself lucky not to be wearing a shirt, as that would have made cleanup much easier. He counted himself briefly lucky to have the luxury of exposing skin.
Nils raised an eyebrow. This was new information. He knew that Bjorn wasn't working on the house yet-fine crafting was more his deal. Nils had worked with him some to create things from the chupacabra skins. He had no idea what kind of project Connie might be working on with him. "What are you working on with Bjorn that Aimee can't find out about, Connie?"

Connie propped her chin up on her hand and smiled softly as she stared out at nothing, momentarily lost in romantic memories and daydreams. Her eyes flickered back to Nils as she considered what to say for a second. She really shouldn't be telling anyone, but dear Strawberry was like a brother to them both, and if she didn't tell someone soon then she might just burst. Besides, she knew that Nils could keep a secret when he wanted to. Better to just come out and say it.

"Wedding rings."

Only the iron control he'd been exercising over his outward show of emotions the past few days saved him from betraying his amusement. His surprise was clear, it didn't matter if Connie saw that.
He grinned widely at his old friend. "That's wonderful, Connie! When are you going to talk to Aimee?"