Pheres only realises he's fallen asleep again when Hinnom starts yowling. He snaps up, blinking rapidly, and thank goodness he's still wearing the glasses, because it feels like the day has only gotten brighter, and even through the tinted shades, his vision is crowded with white spots.

Part of this is because a small boot kicks him directly in the horn. The momentum is too weak for it, and the angle too high, to really hurt, but the way his horn rings is still enough to set his bloodpusher to pulsing.

He has no idea what's going on. But he does know -

"Drones?" His mouth feels like it's full of cotton.

But he's holding a water bottle, for some reason, and he rips off the keratin lid with a claw and takes a grateful gulp. The rest of the water, he dumps on his head: the suncloak he's wearing is just canvas, and it permeates rapidly through the cloth, and onto his skin. It doesn't get rid of the way his head feels like it's full of cotton, but it helps, and besides. It is hot as hell out here.

"What - why are there drones?"