Chapter 18 - 17. An Unexpected Comfort
Before he even woke up, Zein knew he wasn't in his bed. Which was understandable, because he remembered staying at the guest quarters. But he also remembered sleeping on the couch, which surely wouldn't be as comfortable as this.
It surprised him that when he opened his eyes, it was already bright outside. Well, as bright as it could be within the borderland's gloomy weather. But living here for four years was enough for Zein to know that he had overslept.
"What..." he mumbled while sitting up on the bed. Yes, bed. Zein touched the nice surface of the sheet and felt the bounciness of the mattress.
He was on a bed, and not just any bed. The size of the room wasn't much, but he was sure it was the biggest one in the entirety of the borderland. So was the quality of the mattress. Zein could immediately guess that it was the master bedroom of the guest quarters.
And it was easy to guess who the master bedroom belonged to.
"Bassena Vaski..."
Zein shook his head and got out of bed. Was the esper moved him from the couch? But why? He looked at the bed, which only crumpled and dipped where he was laying before. That would mean Zein was the only one who slept there last night.
"Seems like he had some level of decency, at least," he muttered groggily. Zein didn't own a watch, but there was a clock in the room, which told him that it was already hours past dawn. Hours past his usual waking time.
It was weird. Zein wasn't a deep sleeper. He lived his life in an environment where there was so much to lose if you lower your guard in your sleep. He had trained himself to react to any kind of sounds and movements so he could wake up if he sensed danger.
And yet he overslept. Not just that—someone moved his body and he didn't even wake up to it.
There was only two possible explanation for how deep he was sleeping—either he was overly exhausted, or overly comfortable. But Zein didn't feel tired or anything, so it could only mean that he was in a state where he felt...safe. Safe and comfortable.