A choice that won't backfire in the slightest

“You want me to what?” Emma said.

“Spend the night,” Johanna said. “Just one. Got a couch if you’re a prude, and I can give you a lift out in the morning when I’m not so bloody tired. I can pull the curtains, you shake me awake if I ever leave my bed, and we’re sorted.”

She slowed the car to turn her head back; the nightmare in the form of a woman was still in the back, still curled up on the floor in front of the seats, hair and back and butt all that Johanna could see of her.

After a few moments, Emma turned her blushing face up.

“You know I can’t control, um, this,” Emma said.

“Just a dream though, right?” Johanna said, fairly flippantly.

“I can stop you sleep-walking, but it won’t feel like a dream,” Emma said. “Dreams don’t, when you’re inside them.”

“I’ve had my share of bad dreams,” Johanna said. “Spending a night streaking’ll spice it up to be honest with you, I can take it if you don’t mind waiting.”

“Do you live alone?” Emma said, flushing. “I’ll stay with you if no one else is there.”

“Just me,” Johanna said. “No worries. You’ll have that privacy you’re after.”

“O-okay,” Emma said. “I’m okay with that.”

Less flippantly, Johanna nodded, and turned her attention back to the road. That would make this evening easier at any rate.

Her place was close enough. She parked just outside, and pulled out her phone to fire off an email to make sure she’d get her payment by tomorrow, then looked back. Emma was still fidgeting nervously; Johanna sighed.

“I’ll leave the door open,” Johanna said. “Run in when you can, sooner rather than later.”

She left the car, and went inside, leaving the front door ajar as promised. Inside, she poured two cups - she didn’t know if Emma was incapable of drinking or simply didn’t need to, but it felt polite either way - and waited, letting herself start to relax after the trip out.

Her place was rather less put-together than her appearance might suggest. She tried to emanate a degree of professionalism - or at least she did these days. It was good to have lines, she’d learned.

She’d need a new jacket, of course. That was a pain, but with her paycheck for this last job, she ought to be able to manage it.

After a couple of minutes, Emma streaked into her home, door swinging shut behind her. She dove right for the front room, clutching a cushion to her lap.

“Hey, that had better not vanish!” Johanna said.

Emma flushed, and reluctantly put the cushion to the side, keeping a hand on her lap. Otherwise, Johanna ignored her, making notes for the next few days - one priority had to be to find anyone who knew anything about the Dreaming. That whole field was well outside what she usually had to deal with.

Okay, she wasn’t the best company. Still, Emma didn’t seem to mind. She’d crouched and snuck around to make sure the curtains were closed and no one could see in through the windows, but otherwise seemed to be relaxing more.

Eventually, Johanna stood up, and stretched. She paused.

“Wait, do dreams sleep?” Johanna said.

“Um. Kind of, sometimes,” Emma said. “Are you sleeping?”

“Gonna have to sooner or later,” Johanna said.

“I can rest in your dream,” Emma said.

“I’ll assume that makes sense,” Johanna said. “Was going to say, unless you have a secret interest in demonology, can’t offer you too many books to read. Well… oh, screw it, guess it’s only fair.”

Johanna pulled off her top, shrugging as Emma did a double-take. If her company was bound to perpetually be nude, she probably didn’t have to be shy around her. Still, it was an odd context to get naked in, she had to admit.

She’d left her shoes by the door. Now it was just bra, pants, panties discarded into the laundry pile, and she walked into her bedroom with only a little trepidation. She could handle one night regardless, she told herself - she took risks on worse things regularly.

“Well, night, Emma,” Johanna said.

She turned around, and almost jumped to see Emma sat on the floor, back to the wall and legs pulled up, lanky and eerie in the dim light. Her blush had faded slightly now that she’d been inside for longer, relaxing and fidgeting less, though there was still that undercurrent of self-consciousness that never quite left her expression.

Okay then. Johanna carefully walked past her, and lay down. She closed her eyes, and felt sleepiness overtake her remarkably quickly. She’d been out late, she supposed.

Part of her mind was going over a mental map of the surrounding area. There were secluded spots she could drop off the nightmare, abandoned shelters or improvised dwellings far away from any settlement. Emma wouldn’t get into much trouble out there.

Johanna shifted. So sleepy. She doubted she’d be planning ahead for long. Hopefully tonight’s dreams would be different.