You picked the ring out of his hand. "I don't understand why you are giving this to me."

"Leader is sparing no expense when it comes to ensuring the success of our mission. So, she gifted you this ring. If you ever need to summon me, simply rub on the sides like it's a genie lamp. I may appear if I am not busy. Simple, right?"

You imagined rubbing the ring to see Hunter appear in a puff of purple smoke in a turbine and a long, stringy black beard. "I guess you are part genie, Hunter," you joked.

His face lit up like you just offered him a piece of gum. "You're funny." He bit his lip, considering if what he was about to say would be okay. He leaned in and spoke in a hushed voice. "I like you, so I want to tell you some additional information. You may get into a situation where you feel pinned down, but don't worry. There is a plan. Everything is a part of the plan. Got it?"

Your eyebrows rose and you nodded, unsure if someone would overhear.

As Hunter straightened, he put a hand in his pocket. "If there is any problem, please, tell me. If you think any part is too much, please tell me. I will help you. I will ensure you are in safe hands. Okay?"

"I will," you promised. "Although I wish I could talk with you all night..."

"Oh, of course. Please, forgive me for keep you," he said as he gently took your hand into his. He bowed and pecked your hand, leaving a gentle kiss. "Have a nice night, (Y/N)."

~~~^3^~0_0!~~~~

As you sat on your bed, you wondered how you would be able to sleep. You had so many thoughts in your head as you tried to process what Hunter meant by everything being a part of the plan.

Deciding the first step to sleeping was lying down, you lied your head on the pillow and put a blanket over you. Your wide eyes weighed down and your wild thoughts slowed and drifted to pleasantries. Your tense muscles relaxed and you found yourself in deep sleep immediately.

ZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZ

You woke up in a sudden jolt. You jumped out of bed, thinking you were late to school. Instead of an angry parent, you stood face-to-face with Hunter.

"Good morning, princess," he smiled. His long dark hair was still in a long ponytail. He wore band t-shirt and long dark jeans. In his hands he held a pillow.

You did a double-take at the pillow, glancing back at your bed. "Did you take my pillow?"

"I'm sorry," he apologized as he placed the pillow back onto the bed. "I had to wake you, but you weren't responding. I had to resort to taking the pillow."

You crossed your arms. "There is no reason to wake me up. I should be allowed to sleep in if I want."

"I wouldn't have woken you, but Leader ordered me to ensure you didn't miss your chance to interact with the other passengers. It's important to maximize the time you spend with them," he explained.

You tilted you head. "So until you were able to wake me, you were standing there, watching me sleep," you stated, finding the loophole through the rule forbidding questions.

"I spent my time trying to wake you up with my voice," he claimed. "I don't stare at people as they sleep. I have other things to do."

"Hm," you hummed. "That sounds pretty well rehearsed."

Lifting his arms in surrender. "I'm sorry if I did anything to make you think I would impede on your privacy. My job is complete, I will leave to let you do yours."

Sighing, you ignored Hunter as you opened and closed random dresser drawers. You didn't feel overly comfortable wearing someone else's clothes, but it wasn't like you packed any.

You picked out a shirt with a pattern of small, multicolored triangles. Picking out a random pair of dark blue jeans, you noticed it perfectly matched the dark blue triangles on the shirt. After you shut the drawers, you looked behind you. Hunter was gone.

*****>o>**-_-***

Right as you finished buttoning the pants, a knock came from the door.

Looking around the room, you tried to rid of any evidence of being messy. You kicked your dirty clothes underneath the bed, out of sight, as you said, "Come in."

Leo stuck his head into the room. His dark circles wore underneath his slightly red eyes. "Good morning, hot stuff," he winked. Despite his zombie look, his voice sounded energetic.

Half smiling, you gestured for him to come in. "Morning, Leo. Why did you visit?"

He entered. The door swung open behind him. "I wanted to check to see if you had trouble sleeping."

Tilting your head, you questioned his intention. "Like a baby." You caught yourself before you asked him a question, but then remembered there was no rule against asking him a question. "Why do you ask?"

"Well," he looked down as he fumbled with his tool belt zippers. "I don't mean to accuse you of doing anything wrong. I just--was there--I mean I don't think--but was there--wait hold on--"

"Leo," you said, forcing him to pause. "It's okay. You can just ask. I won't be offended."

He nodded, looking both surprised and relieved. "Were you talking to someone last night?"

You blinked, wondering if this is what Hunter meant when he warned you everything was going to plan. You couldn't imagine how this could possibly be a part of the plan.

"I heard you talking last night. You had a pretty good conversation going on and..."

Choice Time:

Chapter 65: "Well, I did sleep like a baby. A baby that is super grumpy and can't calm down."

Chapter 66: "Oh, yeah, that's normal. I talk to myself all the time. I'm a very interesting person and make myself laugh sometimes."