The Great Storm

2

(4343 words)

Your eyes were half-lidded as you brought the last lamp in, stretching your back and yawning. It was a cloudy day, no rain fell but thunder occasionally boomed.

It was brisk on the walk to the campus; the wind howled as you had walked, whistling in your ears and drying out your eyes. You had spent the past few hours working on formatting things and continuing to plan out your classes in more detail, and you were ready to quit thinking so hard, so you were decorating. To your dismay, not engaging your mind as much left you vulnerable to the exhaustion you had barely managed to avoid yesterday.

The office was warmer than the halls of the campus; you still needed to set up the lamps, but the carpet already gave a nice amount of insulation-it still only managed to be a few degrees above the hall's temperature, however. Unfortunately, as another yawn escapes you, you realize you may end up falling asleep before you can even set the lights up.

You did get a reasonable amount of sleep last night; after eating, Lem practically pulled you back down, and it wasn't long before you were out cold, resting against the comfortable man.

You really weren't sure what made you so tired. You rub the back of your neck with a sigh, one eye closing before your head lifts to the sound of a knock at the door. "You can come in." You call, trying to rub your sleepiness out and not really paying any heed to who it was.

"Oh, was this a bad time?" He asks, voice instantly recognizable. "I can come back later if need be."

"Oh, Lucien. No, it's actually a good time, hopefully you can stop me from passing out." You chuckle, lifting your gaze to the tall man. The feeling he gave off was gentle. It was... hard to explain, but being around him felt comfortable.

"Tired, are we?" He hums, entering the room with his usual smile. The door closes behind him, his pink and red eyes shifting around the messy office as he steps around the lamps. As he gets closer, he scans your face, only seeing slight residual eyebags. He quirks a brow.

"Maybe I didn't rest well last night, who knows. Anyway, what brings you here?" You ask, leaning against your desk with an inquisitive expression. Wow, he was tall... maybe a little over six and a half feet? Like Lem, it seems.

"Well, I came to see how you were doing while setting up your office. You've gotten a surprising amount in order considering how it's only your third day." He lifts his hand to his face, tapping his lip. "Do you want some help? It... isn't exactly looking like you have much energy."

You let out a low chuckle, eyes closing briefly. "Not really, no. I will definitely take your help though."

He had seen this kind of exhaustion before... "Did you move here recently?"

He grabs the tallest lamp, the metal bar leading up to three branching bars, each with a light at the end. It was a corner light, clearly. He looks over at you for further direction.

"Yeah. Is it obvious? That lamp will go to the corner behind you." You point at said corner, him quickly placing it down in the correct spot. You heard the area had earthquakes relatively commonly, so all of the lamps have very weighty bases. He carried the heaviest completely without issue, which reminded you of the various times the blonde demon back home had picked you up with one hand or slung you over his shoulder with ease; demonic strength was something else.

"Not to anyone but me, probably." He answers, grabbing the second of the three lamps. You grab the last one. "It takes new people a bit to get used to the dreary weather here; that's more than likely what's sapping your energy."