Sleepwalking pt 2

One of the only draw backs Leman had ever found to having Freki and Geri, was that sometimes one or the other would have to go outside in the middle of the night. While he wasn't usually as hard to rouse as the Lion or Lorgar, he still didn't like it and it sometimes took a few attempts. So one night he was awoken by Geri needing to be taken out.

Still half a sleep, Leman followed Geri out to the living room and opened the back door just enough for the wolf pup to get out. It wasn't until after closing the door that he realized there was someone else in the living room with him. This was highly unusual as it was the middle of the night, and even the Emperor was in bed.

Turning towards the rest of the living room, Leman was surprised to find Malcador sprawled on the couch closest to the fish tank. It didn't look like a comfortable position by any means, and kind of reminded him of some of Freki and Geri's more interesting sleeping positions. Looking again, he realized that Malcador didn't have his staff, but the cane he used on Teramyn. 

"Malcador?" Leman asked cautiously. He didn't see any obvious injury, which didn't actually make the situation any better. In fact, it almost made it worse. An obvious injury had an obvious reaction, and would explain why Malcador was there. Eleven also seemed concerned, bobbing up and down in the water while watching Malcador. Two was always more aloof, but Leman doubted that the other fish didn't care.

Malcador didn't respond, so Leman reached out and very carefully placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking it slightly. This got a reaction, with Malcador's eyes snapping open, then shaking his head slightly. A quiet groan escaped him, and he looked around as if a bit unsure of where he was, or how he got there.

"Leman?" Malcador asked, slowly pushing himself upright. 

"Are you alright?" Leman asked in return. "Should I get Allfather?"

"I'm just exhausted," Malcador said. "No need to get your father involved."

"But..." Leman said doubtfully. He was distracted by Geri scratching at the door to be let back in. 

"Ah, so that's why you're up," Malcador said. "Better let him in before he starts howling."

"Are you sure I shouldn't get Allfather?" Leman asked, even as he let Geri in. 

"I'm sure," Malcador said. "Though, if you can wake up the Lion, he might be helpful."

"Oh, I'm good at waking him up," Leman said with a chuckle. 

"In a way that doesn't wake up your father and everyone else," Malcador specified quickly.

"Oh," Leman said, sounding disappointed.

"We want to be nice to your brothers," Malcador said. Leman nodded and headed off, putting Geri back in his room before heading to the Lion's room. He was thinking of the best way to wake the Lion up. Normally he would have brought Geri with him, or done what he had learned was called a "wet willy". Both were out as it would cause the Lion to wake up yelling, and probably swinging.

"Who's there?" the Lion hissed as Leman opened the door.

"Wait, you're awake?" Leman asked, startled.

"I was talking to Frederick," the Lion said. "What are you doing in here?"

"Something's up," Leman said. "Malcador's here, looking horrible, and doesn't want Allfather."

"That's concerning," the Lion said. "What were you doing up?"

"Geri needed to go out," Leman said. "Why were you really awake?"

"Nightmare," the Lion grumbled. He sometimes had dreams about a forest on fire and what looked orbital strikes. It would wake him up, and he'd talk with Frederick about it. That was the stage he'd been at when Leman slipped in.

"Oh," Leman said. He hesitated, not sure what to say before they made it into the living room.

"Oh, you weren't exaggerating," the Lion subvocalized to Leman.

"You're staring, Lion," Malcador grumbled. "And probably commenting on me."

"How can you see us?" the Lion objected. "We're in shadow, even if you are using the light from the fish tank."

"He has to be cheating," Leman concluded. "But we should see what's up." 

"Agreed," the Lion said. "I guess we are going to have work together."

"I guess," Leman said. "Think you can do that?"

"Can you?" the Lion shot back.

"Of course I can," Leman said. By then they were standing in front of Malcador. 

"You guys want to be a little quieter?" Malcador asked. 

"Right," the two said together.

"What's wrong, Malcador?" the Lion asked.

"I need your help, Lion," Malcador answered. "And your father is not to know about it."

"Why not?" Leman asked instantly.

"Because he has enough to worry about," Malcador said, then hesitated before going on. "I need you to help me find Valdor."

"Why not use the vox?" Leman asked as the Lion digested this information.

Malcador looked uncomfortable with that question. He sighed, then explained further. "Valdor has been sleepwalking suddenly. He doesn't want to bother your father, and has enlisted my aid in determining why this has started now, and if it means anything. This means he's been spending nights in my tower, and he's escaped."

"So he's possibly asleep," the Lion said. "And likely out of armor, so a vox isn't as likely to reach him."

"Correct," Malcador said. "But it's also very important that we find him before someone else does."

"We'd better get started then," the Lion said, then turned to Leman. "You want to grab Freki and Geri? They'll scream if they wake up and you're not there."

"You're right," Leman said. "I'll be right back."

"Good plan," Malcador said, shoving himself up from the sofa. "Lion?" 

"Where's... Oh," the Lion said, realizing it was the cane instead of the staff. "Why this?"

"..... My staff is missing," Malcador muttered. "I suspect Valdor has it, but I don't have any idea why."

"That's concerning," the Lion said as they stepped out. "Do we want to wait here for Leman?"

"Yes, probably a good plan," Malcador said. He was fairly certain Freki and Geri could find them, but it could be difficult, and it would be easier to get them on Valdor's scent if they hadn't been tracking him and the Lion first.

"Why doesn't Valdor want Allfather to know about the sleepwalking?" Leman asked as he joined them with Freki yawning widely behind him. Geri looked much more alert as he hadn't gone back to sleep yet.

"Concern, mostly," Malcador said. "And a bit of embarrassment."

"It can't be as bad as that time with Vulkan," Leman said. "Freki, Geri, find Valdor."

"It is different from when Vulkan does it," Malcador said. "He almost seems awake, even if he's actually asleep."

"It could cause confusion," the Lion said. "But the real question is why is this happening?"

"That's something we've been working on," Malcador said. "But haven't gotten very far yet."

"Do any of the other Custodians know?" the Lion asked. 

"Yes," Malcador said. "Most of them do. They're trying to keep things running smoothly while we work this out."

"That's good," Leman said. "Maybe one of them will find him and contact us."

"We can only hope," Malcador grumbled. Valdor would also talk in his sleep, and was very hard to argue with in that state. Unfortunately for Malcador, he had found this out the hard way.

They turned left, Freki and Geri leading the way. Leman moved up in front to try and keep the wolves close to the trio. Malcador wasn't walking at his fastest, and they hadn't agreed to split up. He suggested it when the thought came to him, but Malcador shot it down. 

"It'll easier if we stay together," the Sigillite said. "He's hard to wake up like this, and gets a bit disoriented."

"But he wouldn't hurt us, right?" the Lion asked.

"Right?" Leman echoed when Malcador didn't answer right away.

"He wouldn't mean to," Malcador said softly. "And it's more likely he'll swipe over you guys."

"But that's a problem for you," the Lion said. "We'll stay together."

"Agreed," Leman said. "But he's just armed with Malcador's staff, so it might no be too bad?"

"That staff is more dangerous than it seems," Malcador said firmly. "And not to be underestimated."

"What?" Leman asked, surprised at this. However, he didn't get an answer, the Lion stopped abruptly and turned to look down a hallway. It took Leman only a moment to hear the person his brother had sensed. Zorovim came out of the darkened hallway, and bowed low to the trio.

"Where?" Malcador asked before Zorovim could speak.

"Climbing the Tower of Hegemon," the Custodian answered. "The outside of the Tower. Bob made quite the racket when she saw him."

"Does he have my staff?" Malcador asked.

"Yes," Zorovim said. "He has it tucked along his back, through his robes."

"Interesting," Malcador said.

"He must be pretty high up if Bob found him," the Lion said. "I don't think we want to wake him up there."

"You're right about that," Malcador said. They turned towards the Tower of Hegemon, Zorovim leading the way. Leman was happy that it was outside of "business hours" and the Palace was less busy than it otherwise would have been. This meant they could go faster without having to separate from Zorovim to take side passages.

 *****************************

"I have the Sigillite, Lords Jonson and Russ are with him," Zorovim reported to Amon.

"Good," Amon grunted. "You are bringing them to the observation level?"

"Yes," Zorovim replied, then added, "Lord Malcador seems unwell."

"Don't fuss over him," Amon counselled. "the Lord Primarchs will do that for you. Just try and make him comfortable."

"Understood," Zorovim answered. 

Amon sent an acknowledgement, and closed the vox channel. Turning, he took the safety rope from Gerryn, who then took up a holding position. The Gothic style that the Palace was built in lent it a lot of details and decorations that normally made scaling something like the Tower of Hegemon relatively easy. Inn fact, free climbing it was a popular exercise used in preparation for Blood Games. However, this particular night was a wind storm, making it much more dangerous to climb. 

"What is he doing?" Amon muttered to himself as he started up. The tribunes and proconsuls were doing the majority of keeping things smooth and functional while Valdor was dealing with whatever this was. They had already ruled out any kind of psykana as he had gone to the Somnus Citadel on Luna before bringing Malcador in. 

A gust of wind had him clinging onto the wall, with little protection. Patiently, he waited for it to pass, trusting to the neurosynergetic links to know if Valdor fell off while sleep... climbing? Amon wasn't sure what the right word was. Finally, the gust passed, and he began to hurry up the side, leaping upwards when he could. A slight movement to the side showed him that Jyloq was making his own ascent, it had been agreed that more than one should make the attempt, just in case there were issues trying to get Valdor to an access point.

"I don't see him," Jyloq said across the vox. "And I don't like it." 

"I don't either, but we need to keep going," Amon replied. 

They continued up, getting closer to each other the higher they got. It was alarming that they hadn't seen Valdor yet, and they were starting to run out of Tower. Finally, they reached The Gap, the colloquial name for the doors to the Tower's defense guns. This left the walls without any ornamentation. This was the hardest challenge when free climbing, with only two ways up: the slow way, and the fast way. Which one was used typically depended on if the climber was wearing their armor. 

Out of armor the only way up involved what the Emperor called "salmon ladders". These were actually the rungs meant for maintenance and the like. However, some poles had been tucked away, and one could use them as a way up, this was the slow way. Jyloq went over to where the pole was for this part of the tower. 

"That's not good," he said, holding up the pole. 

"Maybe he went around?" Amon asked. He really wanted it to be that. He didn't want to think too much on the other option. "One of us should check around the other ladders, and one take the fast way."

"Agreed," Jyloq said. "I'll go around."

With that, he headed off, leaving Amon facing the doors. The fast way was called that mostly to separate it from the ladders. It was only available to those climbing in their armor, since it was mag-locking their boots, and walking up the side. Getting into position was the worst part, but the lowest rungs of the salmon ladder could be used as an aid.

Amon moved carefully onto the door, then swarmed up the wall, grabbing at the top ledge. Once he had a good hold, he disengaged the maglocks and swung himself up onto the top ledge, pausing at what many considered a "landing", crouched like a gargoyle. Looking around, he saw that Valdor had gone around, and was using Malcador's staff instead of the pole. The flames flared each time it had to take his weight. Alarmed, Amon opened a vox channel.

 *****************************

"I will..." Zorovim trailed off as he turned to look at Malcador.

"Is he asleep?" Amon asked.

"Yes," Zorovim answered. "He's on the wide chair, and Lords Jonson and Russ are with him. Along with Freki and Geri."

"Ah, let him sleep," Amon said. "We'll be there shortly."

 *****************************

"Well met, Constantin," Amon said as Valdor got to the landing. He was really hoping that being friendly would get cooperation if nothing else. "That was quite the free climb on a windy night. Jyloq's opening the Victory Door, and I can take your pole for resetting."

"Amon?" Valdor asked, blinking in confusion. "How... It's happened again."

"Yes," Amon said. "However, it gets worse than just a free climb in your sleep."

"How?" Valdor asked, before seeming to realize what he was holding in his hand. "Oh... That's not good. Where is he?"

"Observation level," Amon answered. "With Lords Jonson and Russ according to Zorovim."

"Well, we'd best get inside," Valdor said. It seemed to Amon that Valdor hadn't quite connected the dots regarding what he had used the staff for. On a positive note, Zorovim just gets to witness the old man go off, instead of being on the receiving end. 

Jyloq had waited for them at the Victory Door, the highest door in the Tower meant for those who finished a climb. The trio got in the lifter to go down to the observation level.  The car was too small for Valdor to inspect the staff like he wanted to, which made him concerned. As ever with him, Malcador was vague about where the staff had come from, and if it had had any owners before him. Popular rumor was that it had been the Emperor's, but Valdor wasn't as convinced as others. 

"My lord Malcador," Zorovim's voice sounded down the hallway. Any regular human in Valdor's situation would have probably frozen at that comment, but the climbing trio moved faster. Amon and Jyloq were confident that Valdor was actually awake, but because it could be hard to tell, there was room for doubt. No one wanted to risk anything happening to the Sigillite.

"Malcador," Leman said, just as the three walked in. "Valdor's here. He still has your staff, so that's a good sign?"

"Maybe?" the Lion muttered, waking up before Malcador.

"Malcador?" Leman asked as the Sigillite hadn't woken up. He waited a moment, then glanced around the room.

"Don't," the Lion growled. 

"Don't what?" Leman asked with an impressive "Konrad being innocent" impersonation.

"You were thinking of doing a wet willy," the Lion said. "He deserves better than that."

"You're right," Leman grumbled. "I'll find someone to do it on."

"Lorgar?" the Lion suggested.

"What are you offering Lorgar for?" Malcador asked.

"Getting a wet willy," Leman said. 

"Ah," Malcador said. "And why would you be doing that, Lion?"

"So he wouldn't do it to you," the Lion answered promptly. "Valdor's here."

"And awake?" Malcador asked, turning his attention to the Captain-General.

"I am," Valdor said, stepping forward. 

"Any particular reason my staff needed to go to the top of the Tower of Hegemon?" Malcador asked. He held up one hand, and the staff leapt from Valdor's hand to his own. Then he began to inspect it for damage. "What did you do with it, Constantin?"

It was quite rare for any Custodian to be wrong-footed, and even rarer for that Custodian to be Valdor. The others looked to Valdor, then the Primarchs looked back at Malcador. For his part, Valdor looked at his feet a moment before meeting Malcador's waiting gaze.

"My dream involved a climb with a relic," he said softly. "I didn't realize that what I had taken as the relic was your staff. In the dream I had to use what was available to finish the climb. It didn't seem like I was using the relic, but something that was provided in the way of dream logic. I will have the artificiers work on it if it's damaged."

There was a long moment of silence before Malcador spoke again, contemplating the staff carefully. Finally, he sighed, and spoke.

"It is damaged, but it is not something I want just anyone poking around with," he said. "This includes the Legio's aritificiers. He will have to be informed."

"Is it the only way?" Valdor asked. "What if I repaired it?"

"No," Malcador said sharply enough that Freki and Geri stood up. They looked to Leman, confused if the anger was directed at them. Leman quietly assured them they weren't the ones in trouble.

"Malcador..." Valdor started, but stopped at the glare he received. 

"No one other than Him," Malcador said firmly. "I understand why you wanted to keep this from him, but taking my staff, then using it for a salmon ladder pole is too far."

"Very well," Valdor said, dipping his head in what could be either acknowledgement or defeat. It was hard for the others present to tell. "However, can it wait until the morning?"

"That is probably for the best," Malcador said, rising with grunt. "Come on, you two, let's get you back to bed."

"I can take them," Valdor said. "That way you can get back to your residence faster."

"Valdor's got a point, Malcador," the Lion said. "You should get back to bed yourself. Father will notice if you're tired tomorrow."

"Oh, he'll notice anyway," Malcador said. "There's not enough night left for me to get enough sleep. Besides, Valdor and I will want to talk to him first thing."

"There is still no need for you to over-extend yourself," Valdor said. "Unless you want people to ask if you're alright. You look bad, even for you."

"Alright," Malcador said, though he didn't seem happy about it. "You've made your point. You can take them back, but I don't want any of you three following me."

"We won't," Amon said promptly. 

"Let's go," Valdor said. "We can go together until your turn off."

"I can agree to that," Malcador agreed. 

*****************************

"Five more minutes, Allfather," Leman grunted, rolling over. This caught the Emperor's attention. It was one thing for the Lion to ask for an extra five. In fact it was practically a ritual with him, but for Leman to ask it, something was up.

"Alright, but once I get the Lion up you'll need to get up too," the Emperor said. 

"Ok," Leman grunted, already half asleep.

"Ferrus, did something happen last night?" the Emperor asked when he got to the end of the hall.

"The front door opened three times," Ferrus said. "The first two were fairly close together, and the third was most of an hour later. Why are you asking?"

"Leman is asking for extra time," the Emperor said. "Just wanted to know if there was anything unusual going on."

"Ah," Ferrus said. "The back door opened as well, probably one of the wolves kept him up."

"Interesting," the Emperor said. "Thanks."

The Lion and Leman got up begrudgingly, but Freki and Geri stayed curled up in their beds. The Emperor gave Leman a questioning look at that. Usually the wolves were eager for breakfast. Leman shrugged. 

"Anything you want to tell me about?" the Emperor asked. "About last night?"

"Um... I think that's something for Malcador to tell you about," Leman said hesitantly. "He and Valdor will probably be seeing you first thing."

"Oh?" the Emperor asked. He didn't let Ferrus have vidcorders in the residence as it was meant to be a private place and that went for the whole place. 

"Yeah," Leman said. "Well, hopefully Valdor will be there, and isn't avoiding Malcador."

"What happened between Uncle Malcador and Valdor?" Magnus asked.

"Nothing," the Lion said quickly.

"Really?" Magnus asked. "And how would you know?"

"Because nothing happened," the Lion said firmly.

"That's a lie," Jaghatai said. This got the attention of everyone else.

"It's not something for us to say," Leman said, sticking up for the Lion. "Anything going on is specifically between them."

"And what they tell Father is between the Triad," the Lion added. "If Father wants to tell us later that's his decision."

"Alright," Roboute said, raising his hands in surrender. "You'll tell us later, Father?"

"Of course I will," the Emperor said.

*****************************

"Ah, there you are," Malcador called over as he encountered the Emperor in a hallway off the Buffer Zone. "I need you a moment."

"The Lion and Leman said you'd want to see me," the Emperor said. "But they weren't willing to go into detail."

"Hmmm, that's not surprising for the Lion, but Leman?" Malcador mused, tapping his cane.

"Better than them fighting," the Emperor muttered. "Where is you staff? And Valdor for that matter?"

"Both are in your forge," Malcador said. "Though Valdor might be hiding from me in there."

"What happened?" the Emperor asked. "Why would they both be in my forge?"

"They went on an adventure together last night," Malcador said and explained everything.

"Ah, that certainly explains why Leman wanted to sleep in," the Emperor said. "How bad is the damage?"

"I'm not sure," Malcador said. "I'm hoping it's mostly cosmetic, but there's risk that internal mechanisms have been damaged as well."

The Emperor nodded as they approached the forge. His personal forge was buried deep in some of the oldest parts of the Palace. It was separate from his lab where he worked on technological things, the Emperor said the forge was for "serious business". This also meant that the Primarchs didn't actually know about it.

Unlike other areas of the Palace, the forge was plain looking. The main room was a smoothed out cave with all of the added bits to make it a functional forge. Malcador wondered again where the ventilation went. It was something he had never been able to determine, despite his close familiarity with this part of the Palace.

Valdor shifted awkwardly as the lumens came on. He had laid Malcador's staff on the workbench, and had retreated away from it. It reminded Malcador of Angron trying to avoid his chair. The Emperor was also a bit amused, the lumens were motion sensitive, and for them to be off meant that Valdor had stood there like a vigil. 

"It's not dead, Constantin," he said, trying to lighten the mood a bit. 

"But it is an important relic," Valdor countered.

"It was a relic in your dream," Malcador grumbled. "It's still very much in regular use."

"That doesn't mean it can't be a relic," the Emperor pointed out. "However, it is an important, and potentially volatile item."

Malcador and Valdor stepped to the side as the Emperor took up the staff. Somehow it didn't seem as tall in the Emperor's hand as it did in Malcador's. This didn't seem to bother Malcador, but intrigued Valdor. However, he didn't want to disrupt the Emperor, and wasn't sure if he'd get an answer from Malcador. There was a possibility of that even if he hadn't damaged the staff. It was several long moments before the Emperor came over to them.

"I have good news, and bad news," he said. "Which do you want first, Malcador?"

"Bad," Malcador said promptly. "Always start with bad news."

"There is damage to some of the internal mechanisms," the Emperor said. Valdor threw an apologetic look at Malcador before the Emperor continued. "The good news, is that the damage is minor and I don't have to go digging around to fix it."

"Being a technokine would be an advantage here," Malcador said. The Emperor nodded before sending a pulse through the staff.  He then handed it back over.

"Better," Malcador said, he had snuffed the psyflames before leaving it in the forge, and they popped up again once the staff was in his hand. Then he realized that the cosmetic level scuffs and the like were still present, and he gave the Emperor a slightly wicked grin. Valdor caught it, and knew he was yet to face his punishment.

"Now, how far has your investigation gone?" the Emperor asked, turning his attention to Valdor. The Captain-General shifted uncomfortably.

"I've been to the Apothecaries, probably angered Jenetia Crowle, and have been trying to walk through events leading up to the first incident with Malcador," he recited.

"What did you do to our Soulless Queen?" the Emperor asked. He hadn't heard anything from her, and she was known to be hard to ruffle.

"Scared several of her novices," Valdor said. "It can't be psychic control if I could sleep walk there."

"Have you spoken to her?" the Emperor asked, looking between the two.

"She won't return my hails," Valdor said. Malcador shook his head, he was letting Valdor clean up his own mess with the Silent Sisterhood.

"Hmm, I'll speak with her," the Emperor said. "You mentioned going through the events leading up to the first incident?"

"Yes," Malcador said as he took over. "I was going to try hypnosis today until the events of last night happened."

"Hypnosis?" Valdor asked, meeting Malcador's gaze for the first time since the previous night. "That may have something to do with it."

"How so?" Malcador asked.

"Lorgar has been looking into hypnosis," Valdor explained. "He mentioned something about learning it so he could teach it to Angron. However, he wanted to try it on someone else as he wasn't sure it would work on a transhuman mind."

"And you offered?" Malcador asked. "I would have thought that didn't sound like a good idea."

"I didn't expect it to actually work," Valdor admitted. "Please don't tell him that."

"But sleepwalking?" the Emperor asked. "An odd post-hypnotic suggestion. We'll ask him when he gets home."

"In the meantime, Valdor," Malcador said, handing over his staff. "You can take care of the cosmetic damage."

"Of course," Valdor said, accepting the staff somewhat tentatively. 

*****************************

"What's going on with Valdor and Malcador, Father?" Fulgrim asked. Everyone not the Lion and Leman had been spinning wilder and wilder theories throughout the day. Leman thought it was hilarious and occasionally made stuff up. The Lion at least tried to be more serious about it, but some were just too funny.

"Valdor took Malcador's staff on an adventure last night," the Emperor said, watching his sons carefully. Lorgar shifted, looking away from the Emperor. Angron caught it and looked over at his brother. Mortarion tried to catch Konrad's eye but his brother was avoiding him. Konrad had yet to realize that was a tell that something was up. 

"Is that all you're going to say?" Fulgrim asked. He really wanted details.

"For now," the Emperor said. "They'll be by in a bit, and can give you more details then."

"Don't worry, Fulgrim," Ferrus said. "They're here now."

With that Malcador and Valdor walked in. Valdor still looked awkward, having Malcador enter first. For his part, the Sigillite seemed almost normal, though he was clearly tired. Jaghatai grabbed Magnus to keep him with the group, this let Malcador sit down faster.

"Valdor?" Fulgrim asked, turning almost pleading eyes on the Custodian.

"I've been sleepwalking," Valdor started.

"Like me?" Vulkan asked.

"Not quite," Valdor said. "I almost seem awake from what I've been told."

"You do," Malcador grunted.

"However," Valdor said, pointedly ignoring Malcador's interjection. "Last night took it too far. As you may have learned I took Malcador's staff, then climbed the Tower with it."

"Ohhhhh," Fulgrim said, drawing out the sound. "That's why Malcador would be angry with you."

"Indeed," Valdor said.

"But what's causing the sleepwalking?" Vulkan asked. It had taken a little while, but they had determined that Vulkan's sleepwalking was caused in part by high emotions. "I doubt it's the same trigger as mine."

"We haven't figured it out quite yet," Valdor said. "It seems almost random."

"It's the light from Luna," Lorgar said quietly.

"I was on Luna once," Valdor protested, then thought about it harder. "Though the sun was shining on the surface of Luna while I was there, perhaps reflected back up into the room I was using?"

"But, it was only supposed to happen once," Lorgar objected. "That implies it happened at least twice."

"Four times," Valdor said. "Or at least four that I'm certain of."

"It's only four," Malcador confirmed. "I checked with Zorovim before you arrived."

"I'm a bit surprised you remember that," the Lion said. "You were half-asleep when you asked. The question almost didn't make sense."

"Lorgar, why did you do this?" the Emperor asked.

"I've been studying hypnosis," Lorgar said slowly. "It was supposed to be a surprise though."

"Oh?" the Emperor asked. "Why?"

"I was going to try and use it to... help me find my rage?" Lorgar said questioningly. "Make me a better fighter."

"Wait, is this from what we were talking about last month?" Angron asked. "After Xeninath?"

"Yes," Lorgar said. "I was going to try and teach it to you as well, better mastery over anger wouldn't be a bad thing, right?"

Angron blinked at that, not sure how to respond. The Emperor thought about it, and felt Lorgar had a point, or two points really. Lorgar was a good fighter, but getting him to actually fight was hard. 

"I don't know if rage is what you need though?" Angron asked. "It can be helpful in a fight, but I know I can lose myself in the rage and it makes me easier to beat."

"I guess I can see that," Lorgar said.

"But this doesn't answer why you used hypnosis on Valdor," Ferrus pointed out.

"I wanted to see if it would work on someone like us," Lorgar said.

"But the sleepwalking thing was my idea," Konrad said. "It really was only supposed to happen the once. It was phrased as the next time the light of Luna hit him he'd sleepwalk."

"It shouldn't matter that it was your idea," Lorgar said. "I'm the one who had him in trance, I thought he was faking, and I said the words. At worst you supplied an idea, I didn't have to go along with it."

"Wait, are you guys trying to both be in trouble?" Angron asked. "It's kind of weird to want the punishment."

"But if we hadn't messed around with it Malcador's staff wouldn't have been damaged," Lorgar said. "We have to accept the consequences of our actions."

"Fair," Angron said.

"But it feels like you guys are a little over-eager for claiming the consequences," Mortarion said. "I agree with Angron on this one. It's kind of weird."

"Even from me?" Konrad asked. 

"Even from you," Mortarion agreed. "Especially since you like to mete out the punishment."

"I guess that makes sense," Konrad said.

"Before we get too deep into consequences, and who's facing them," Valdor said. "How do we stop the sleepwalking? Another trance? Because I personally don't want to have another three hour session polishing Malcador's staff."

"I can understand that," Lorgar said as the other Primarchs giggled. "But I'm not sure how to undo it since it didn't work the way it was supposed to. Father?"

"It's been a long time since I've done anything with hypnotism," the Emperor said slowly. "But the phrasing really does imply that it was only supposed to happen once."

"It's possible that there was a complication," Valdor said. "I took a light blow to the head in a sparing match the next day. Perhaps that affected it?"

"Maybe," Lorgar said. "Causing it to repeat, like when a song gets stuck in your head."

"I agree with Lorgar," the Emperor said. "Though I don't think that a new trance will fix the issue. At least not on it's own."

"I do not want to keep doing this," Valdor said firmly. Lorgar and Konrad both looked away from him, though it seemed to upset Lorgar more than Konrad. Valdor was suspicious that Konrad found it funny. Mortarion seemed to agree with him as he nudged Konrad with his foot. Angron shifted like he felt the need to protect Lorgar. Then, he seemed to get an idea.

"If it was the blow to the head that got the suggestion stuck, would another get it unstuck?"

"I'm not a record player," Valdor said instantly.

"What's a record player?" Fulgrim asked.

"It's a possible idea," the Emperor said. "Hmm, though the more I think about it, maybe in the trance, then a light hit on the head?"

"Why do you not sound sure of this, my king?" Valdor asked with some concern. "What about all the hypnogonic training?"

"It's based on the principles of hypnosis," the Emperor admitted. "However, it's not the same process as actual hypnosis."

"But--"

+It'll work,+ the Emperor cut Valdor's protest off psychically. +Punishment isn't the only form of consequences. They have to fix it as their consequence.+

"--Alright," Valdor said. "We can do that."

"What do we need to do?" Angron asked. 

"I think it's something that Konrad and I need to do," Lorgar answered. "And... maybe just go to the side? It was just the three of us last time."

"Ok," Mortarion said. "We can do that."

"I still want to know what a record player is," Fulgrim grumbled as they moved to the side.

"I'll lay on the floor," Valdor said. "I think that's better than guessing on the couch."

Several of the other Primarchs giggled at that idea, but the others agreed that it was a better fit. With that, Lorgar sorted out the trance state, and Konrad struck. Breaking the trance, Valdor sat up and shook his head a bit.

"Did it work?" Jaghatai asked.

"We won't know until tonight," the Emperor said. "It's supposed to be clear again."

"He's not staying with me," Malcador said firmly.

"I'm alright with that," Valdor said. "If it's alright, I'd prefer to spend the night in my own chambers."

"That's fine," the Emperor said. "But someone will have to watch you tonight."

"That's acceptable," Valdor said. "I have things to discuss with Lucial tonight."

*****************************

"How was last night?" the Emperor asked as Valdor joined him the next morning.

"Well," Valdor said. "No sleepwalking."

"Excellent," the Emperor said. "Though I wonder about Lorgar's experiments."

"Indeed," Valdor said. "It will need monitoring, but I don't think it needs to be stopped."

"Agreed," the Emperor said. "Though maybe he'll stand up to Konrad more now."