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Monday, May 8, 2023

Brainstorm (Sammie)

 Prompt: Brainstorm

A/N: It's been too long since we had a Sammie POV fic, so I wrote this to give my brain a break from final exam work.

Many nights I find myself unable to sleep. Sometimes it’s the temperature, other times insomnia, occasionally it will be a stuffy nose, and from time to time it is simply because there are too many thoughts in my head. Valan sleeps peacefully curled up near Yuuri on the floor who also is soundly asleep. Why they didn’t go upstairs to the beds specifically meant for members of the Morag Tong is beyond me. “You’re up late, Samantha.” Lin comments, having stopped in her tracks upon noticing me while passing by. “Too many thoughts swirling about up here.” I tell her, gesturing to my head. Why she is still awake is another question, but I’ve learned over time not to question the researcher or her habits. Besides, as Ling tells me from time to time when I find her wandering late at night both are night owls, a fact which can make both of their jobs easier. Lin gestures for me to follow as she starts to walk off toward her makeshift laboratory. While expansive, the Morag Tong only has so much room to work with for its headquarters due to their secret nature. Lin primarily conducts research into artifacts of Mephala means secrecy is essential for her to be able to conduct her work, as a result she cannot do her job out of any of the other Morag Tong outposts scattered throughout Morrowind. “Too many thoughts, hmm? Tell me about them.” She says having closed the door and set down the materials she’d gone to get when passing by originally. “Thoughts about life, about family, home, the state of the world, that sort of thing.” I respond though I find it somewhat awkward, usually it’s Yuuri who asks about my inside thoughts. My family life is complicated to say the least given the favoritism directed toward my cousins who lived with us, and the fact that I did not end up fitting into the mold of an isolationist noble lady. While I can be polite and play the part needed, I crave adventure and excitement, my mind needs stimulation other than politics, and I’d much rather be surrounded by some of the world's finest assassins than stuffy politicians and their lackeys any day. Thankfully my skills navigating the political world and my natural skill when it comes to fixing broken pieces of technology from the simplest to the most complex come in handy within the Morag Tong. While I rarely do any of the writs themselves I’m able to gather important intel regarding targets whereabouts, especially the wealthier ones, and can fix anything from the simplest warped bow and arrow to the most complex of dwemer constructions. I’m needed here, my thoughts and opinions matter to people, and I’m given space where I can not only do my job but also relax and form connections. “You have too many thoughts, Sammie.” Lin tells me as I explain what’s been going on inside my head. “Too many thoughts, too many ideas, it makes your brain tired.” She gestures to emphasize her point while continuing to flip through one of her many books. “Well what do you think I should do about it then?” I ask her and she shrugs “go for a walk, drink some water, take a bath, try to sleep. That’s what I always do.” Hmm, maybe I should go for a walk, that might quiet my mind a bit. “I can see the gears working up there.” Lin laughs pointing to me and then her head, turning her hands like cogs in a machine to emphasize her point. “You know what I call that?” She asks now that she has my attention again and I respond I truthfully don’t know. “Brainstorm. Too many thoughts, too much going on, and boom! Like a hurricane you get a brainstorm.” That’s a definition of the word brainstorm I’ve never heard, but I like it. It invokes interesting mental imagery, enough to strangely distract me from all my other big and difficult to process thoughts. Seeing that I’m caught in pondering the definition and my mind is off the things keeping me awake, Lin ushers me out of her lab and closes the door, locking it once she’s inside again, giving me no choice but to potentially take a walk and then get on with my bedtime routine. As I pass by the entryway I see Valan and Yuuri still curled up, sound asleep, they’ll be a problem for Eno in the morning, or perhaps Yuuri’s uncle if he happens to be here and not stationed elsewhere. Climbing the ladder up into the storage area of the Arena I pass by the ordinators on duty, who are still at least somewhat unaware of what hides beneath the storage rooms, and walk up out into the night. From canton to canton I wander until my mind is no longer in that state of “brainstorm” as Lin called it, eventually ending outside the Redoran canton. Technically I’m still a member of the house and with some explanation and showing of identification secure a room for the night in the inn, now that fatigue has caught up with me. I’ll return to the Morag Tong in the morning, if I don’t already have assignments that require surveillance within the Redoran district, for now I crawl into bed and with a few more deep breaths and closed eyes my mind quiets from its state of brainstorm with hurricane conditions and harsh winds to a state of peacefulness analogous to calm seas or the view looking down at the grazelands at dawn. A calm, even, and strangely reassuring feeling. “Lin was right, I do have too many thoughts, I should go on walks more often.” I find myself mumbling aloud to myself before sleep takes me as the last few nagging thoughts dissipate and I fall into a dreamless sleep.

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