Chapter 18: An Angelic Pelican

DURRI'S POV

"Hey! Hey, Mr. Del!"

Durri lifted his head. He had, of course, not been sleeping, but had ordered a cheap room at the tavern to get a little peace and privacy during the night. To the best of his knowledge, Hudson and Shudon were passed out in the middle of a several-hour bar fight, which Durri had politely declined.

It had been an isolating evening.

He could not eat.

He could not get drunk.

He could only sit there and watch other people enjoy being alive in a way he no longer could.

And now Durri was wondering if he needed sleep after all, because the muscular pelican with folded arms who stood on his ratty inn room bed seemed exactly like the sort of thing one might hallucinate while low on sleep.

"So you're awake," said the pelican. Its voice was like a hundred silver bells that had been filled with screaming cockroaches.

Hallucination or not, Durri decided to be polite to the abomination. "Good morning. Yes, I couldn't sleep. What can I do for you?"