Nightmares were always a factor, lately. She hadn't had an uninterrupted night's sleep in almost a month. The closest she had gotten was when Elessaria's tea blend kept her from waking, and stilled the nightmares from scream-inducing terror to whimpering fear.

But Gav had given her the newer, less potent blend, and Kacey had used her amber-gold haven to take her the rest of the way to sleep. So after Lang kept her from passing out in the Glen, and brought her up to an empty bedroom in Icer's lair, Kacey fell quickly into sleep. She didn't stay there. When she woke, it wasn't with the tearing screams that sometimes wrenched her awake. It was with a muted, strangled sob, and tears slipping down her cheeks.

Several disorienting moments later she actually remembered where she was " and why she was on a real bed, not the pallet of blankets in her workshop. The room was dark, but the sounds of motion outside the door led her to believe it was well into daylight already. Considering the hour when she finally passed out, that was hardly surprising. Kacey struggled to sit from the tangle of blankets; the fact that the clothes Lang had lent her were far too big didn't help. His scent clung to the fabric faintly, and had twisted through her dreams " added reassurance that had kept the worst of the horrors at bay.

Sitting up was in some ways a grave mistake. Her pounding, throbbing head and burning eyes joined with her twisting stomach to let her know she had drunk far too much the night before. She groaned, and pushed back the too-long sleeves of the loaned shirt to clutch at her head. "The price of oblivion. Gods."

Once she was sure that the contents of her stomach would remain intact, she crawled out of the bed and groped her way to the door. Her hair was, frankly, a tangled mess that hung half-over her face, and in the over-large garments she looked half her age. That was the furthest thing on her mind as she cracked the door open and squinted against the intrusion of light to look out.

The light on another morning would have been soft - perfect for the gradual transition to wakefulness. As it was, the flickering crystals felt like they were stabbing directly through her eyes. At Icer's quiet words Kacey jumped a bit, taken by surprise, and then groaned - very, very quietly.

After a few moments she pushed her hair back out of her face and shuffled into the hall. "Morning, Icer. Sorry I crashed here without asking you. I'll be out of your hair....uhm. Scales. In a few minutes." Kacey gave a sheepish smile to Icer, then ducked back into the room long enough to grab her clothes, pull on her boots - and straighten the bed hastily. "I made the bed back up. I hope that's all right?"

The little, crooked smile that had begun to emerge at Icer's invitation fell away just as quickly when Icer mentioned not waking Storm and then gestured to the black dragoness in the hall. It was only luck that Kacey hadn't had one of her screaming nightmares the previous evening - luck and the combined effects of Eless's tea and most of a bottle of whiskey.

Kacey's voice was rusty as she spoke again. "Thank you for the offer, Icer. I'll have to think about it." She couldn't turn down the offer outright. It was kind, and generous, and Kacey had the feeling that she might need the refuge. She also doubted she would stay. There was too much of her confusion here.

The bundle of her clothes from the previous evening was wrapped up for handy carrying. Kacey pushed Lang's borrowed sweatshirt up over her hands again, then shrugged one shoulder back uncomfortably as she looked up at Icer with another little smile. "Thanks again for letting me stay."

With that she edged past the sleeping Storm and out, her pace accelerating from slow and cautious to a brisk walk just short of a run.