"we'll change the world!" but nothing seems to change

They'd settled into living together pretty well... as well as two sorta reckless, sorta wild yearlings could, at least. The pair was something else, honestly. A little messy, a little loud, and maybe they were staying up too late at night. It wasn't like they were completely unsupervised, with Halo and her occasional shouting up to their platform to settle down, or get some sleep, or... well, whatever else a true wet blanket would say.

Tonight was different, though. Hazel had laid her head down and tried to sleep-- she really, actually tried this time. All she found was restlessness. Tossing and turning on her bed, and when sleep did eventually come? Not half an hour in, and Hazel was gripped by nightmares again. The gnashing of her father's teeth, the feelings of weakness, the pain... the fog that surrounded her when she thought it really was the end. All of it was revisited in the place between sleep and waking. She'd had enough... why couldn't she let go.

It was well into the night when Hazel slipped down from the treehouse, padding to a small clearing in the woods. It had been cleared of brush and foliage for use as a flower bed, but whatever Halo planted here didn't seem to like the soil this far north and promptly died. Hazel set about building a small fire, unsure of what else to do at this time of night. Far enough away to not wake Basilisk, close enough to call for him if there was something she couldn't face alone. Still, the girl's shoulders hunched angrily as she set about building and lighting her fire. How could she be such a coward, to still be gripped by fear surrounding the incident with all the time that had passed?
"Speech"