As Theo knelt in the grass, awaiting any sign of life from the sniper, his attention was drawn to a loud discussion between Kieran and Veronica nearby. The engagement ended when the witch fell to her knees, and Theo could barely make out her wishes to be back at home between her sobs.
Theo winced, his heart in two places. One half was angry at her incessant whining, wanting to scream you came here on your own, now stop crying about it! But the other half held him back, a sense of sympathy and the sting of guilt at his harsh judgement. He thought about his own home, and he froze with a sudden realization.
Orb girl, he said through his mind. This is the part where you tell me time at home is frozen, right? He paled at the alternative. But he received no answer. Over his shoulder he noticed his orb speaking with the sniper's. The man in his arms had regained consciousness and sat up at some point, though in his panicked thoughts he did not remember when.
Though he only got bits and pieces of the conversation between orbs, Theo thought he understood the gist of it when his partner returned.
Is the man who saved our lives not good enough for you? Theo's thoughts became angry again. Do you lack the slightest bit of sympathy?
Is he not? The golden light replied nonchalantly. It is not my decision to make. She seemed distant, and Theo found himself unwilling to continue.
He realized he was exhausted. His HP was still sitting below a quarter of its capacity. His head was throbbing, his skin stung, and his limbs were heavy. He willed his legs to stand, but even that was a challenge. Yet beyond it all he could still feel the warmth of the rising sun, and that made any pain seem unimportant.
Still, he supposed he needed sleep. "Hey, orb girl," he said with a yawn. "Since we're on the moon...how long is the day?"
"Good question," she said. "It's about half of what it is on your planet. It takes twelve hours to revolve completely, and right now you have about eight hours of light and four hours of dark. Though you won't need to sleep as often with your new...abilities."
Theo cocked his head. He thought she was about to say something else, but he supposed it didn't matter. "Alright," he said, turning to his comrades. "If everyone heard that, I think if we get some sleep now we can rest until the next morning. Then we have to figure something out."
He reached into his Inventory and drew out a small object. It was a tent, greatly miniaturized, triangular in shape with two flaps for doors and it fit in the palm of his hand. Theo did not know how anyone was going to fit inside of it, but he had an idea. He stepped away from the group and found a fairly flat space, placing the tent down in its center. As he stepped away, the tent shifted in a strange way. It seemed to move the light around it, and Theo found it very hard to look at, as if his eyes wouldn't focus. And suddenly it was a full-sized shelter, tall enough for him to stand in without stooping and wide enough for several people. He did the same thing with the second Tent in his inventory, setting it up next to the first, and averting his eyes so he did not hurt them trying to watch.
Theo stuck his head inside the closest one and his eyes widened. What he expected was a simple canvas covering, but what he saw was a cloth penthouse, with four cots covered in blankets and pillows, divider walls for privacy, and a chest near each bed overflowing with freshly-cooked food and water.
He staggered back out of the tent, a stupid smile across his face. He turned to the group. "Well," he said. "I found these things in my bag. They are pretty cool. There should be enough space, four people to a tent..." Theo scanned the group, counting in his head. "Five dudes and three gals. We can try to split by gender if you want, but one lucky guy is going to be in the girl's tent." Theo threw his hands up, turning on his heel and marching back into the tent. "Do what you want, I'm going into this one. Hope you're all hungry!"