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Description
The man jerks upright in his chair, startled, trying to stay alert, to stay awake. The caffeine had lost all effect, as had all the pills, legal or otherwise, save one. He popped another orange ovaloid with two red bands, taking a swig of water afterward, some dribbling down his chin as he finished off the bottle, getting up to get another. Something felt different this time, disconnect with how much time had passed was a given at this point but it still took time to figure it out. Grumbling and blushing despite none being around to see it, the man moved to a far corner of the room, slowly changing out of his urine-soaked pants and undergarments, trying not to make eye contact with the still form near the window.

Properly garbed once again, the man licked his lips lightly, moving over to the balcony to check the various rain collecting containers he had left out. Barely a trickle, but he gathered it up, mixing in sugar out of necessity. He held it to the other figure's lips and slowly poured it, ounce by meager ounce. Her body responded autonomously, swallowing the fluid that he gave her, but never a faint smile or fluttering of her eyelids in all the time he had been waiting for her to awaken. The woman merely sleep on peacefully.

Embarrassed but finding it necessary, the man moved over to the larger of the rain barrels attached to the balcony, splashing water onto himself not only to stay awake but to drive away some of the stench. The woman he bathed after, slowly, with great care to not expose her even to himself as he wiped her with a cloth he soaked. He started to droop and bit into his hand, trying to stay awake, barely managing.

How many days had passed since he finally had found her? How many weeks? Months? Years? No, it couldn't be more than a few days, could it? Somehow she seemed harkening back to some ancient simple time while he was proof of the downtrodden refuse living in the back alleys and under bridge. With the way she was dressed, one might think that underneath those bridges lived trolls, not the homeless. Still, he had found her and kept coming back, scrounging up old junk to pawn in order to buy what he needed to care for her, to protect her. The others mocked his wasteful habits, not knowing of the princess in the hidden room.

Her clothing was far too clean for such a filthy place, the man had thought when he found her, but somehow even the insects knew to leave her be. He just couldn't. He tried talking to her, shaking her, checking her pulse which remained constant, even splashing water on her, but nothing worked. Finally he leaned down and kissed her brow, intending to leave to get help, but a sudden chill came over him and he felt drowsy, forgetting what he had been planning entirely.

He kept watch and took care of the mysterious princess, slowly succumbing to more and more sleep in the same room as her, desperately trying not to fail her to leave her unguarded for long. He did not know how long he struggled to stay awake, but finally he found himself unable to stop from drifting off, thinking he failed her.

The woman awoke with a start, looking around in confusion, seeing the man fast asleep nearby, smirking lightly and walking out as he slumbered, awaiting someone to take his place as he had hers. She hummed lightly as she found her way back out to the surface, wondering just what new sort of land she had been finally unleashed upon.

Description
The man jerks upright in his chair, startled, trying to stay alert, to stay awake. The caffeine had lost all effect, as had all the pills, legal or otherwise, save one. He popped another orange ovaloid with two red bands, taking a swig of water afterward, some dribbling down his chin as he finished off the bottle, getting up to get another. Something felt different this time, disconnect with how much time had passed was a given at this point but it still took time to figure it out. Grumbling and blushing despite none being around to see it, the man moved to a far corner of the room, slowly changing out of his urine-soaked pants and undergarments, trying not to make eye contact with the still form near the window.

Properly garbed once again, the man licked his lips lightly, moving over to the balcony to check the various rain collecting containers he had left out. Barely a trickle, but he gathered it up, mixing in sugar out of necessity. He held it to the other figure's lips and slowly poured it, ounce by meager ounce. Her body responded autonomously, swallowing the fluid that he gave her, but never a faint smile or fluttering of her eyelids in all the time he had been waiting for her to awaken. The woman merely sleep on peacefully.

Embarrassed but finding it necessary, the man moved over to the larger of the rain barrels attached to the balcony, splashing water onto himself not only to stay awake but to drive away some of the stench. The woman he bathed after, slowly, with great care to not expose her even to himself as he wiped her with a cloth he soaked. He started to droop and bit into his hand, trying to stay awake, barely managing.

How many days had passed since he finally had found her? How many weeks? Months? Years? No, it couldn't be more than a few days, could it? Somehow she seemed harkening back to some ancient simple time while he was proof of the downtrodden refuse living in the back alleys and under bridge. With the way she was dressed, one might think that underneath those bridges lived trolls, not the homeless. Still, he had found her and kept coming back, scrounging up old junk to pawn in order to buy what he needed to care for her, to protect her. The others mocked his wasteful habits, not knowing of the princess in the hidden room.

Her clothing was far too clean for such a filthy place, the man had thought when he found her, but somehow even the insects knew to leave her be. He just couldn't. He tried talking to her, shaking her, checking her pulse which remained constant, even splashing water on her, but nothing worked. Finally he leaned down and kissed her brow, intending to leave to get help, but a sudden chill came over him and he felt drowsy, forgetting what he had been planning entirely.

He kept watch and took care of the mysterious princess, slowly succumbing to more and more sleep in the same room as her, desperately trying not to fail her to leave her unguarded for long. He did not know how long he struggled to stay awake, but finally he found himself unable to stop from drifting off, thinking he failed her.

The woman awoke with a start, looking around in confusion, seeing the man fast asleep nearby, smirking lightly and walking out as he slumbered, awaiting someone to take his place as he had hers. She hummed lightly as she found her way back out to the surface, wondering just what new sort of land she had been finally unleashed upon.