Gil slowly opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. The fan spun above him, the ball bearing slowly giving out over time. Click. Click. He didn't see it, he was staring up at the ceiling because he was thinking. [i]Russian Roulette. Or something similar. An interesting game. Of course, anyone who challenges you to it has rigged the guns.[/i]

He raises a hand to his head, and pulls it back, staring at it. [i]Sweat. Shortness of breath. My heart is beating more rapidly than usual. My body is displaying fear signs. Why? I don't care anything for what happens in a dream. And yet...[/i] He felt a shiver down his spine. "It's not because it felt real. I've been in danger before."

[i]Of course I never actually died...[/i]

The clock read eight in the morning. Later than many sleep in. Of course, Gil hardly has to work a nine to five. He stretched his limbs, and got up to go about his day. After a thorough shower, he flicks open his straight edge razor. Lather, and carefully sweep across the face. Not a scratch. [i]My hands are no longer shaking.[/i] He brushes his teeth, two minutes on the dot. Then three more in front of the mirror.

[i]Smile. Repeat.[/i]

He practices his smile in front of the mirror for those three minutes. It comes easier this morning because he doesn't feel like smiling. When he feels like smiling he can't seem to stop showing his teeth, and that doesn't make for a useful smile.

Still not quite able to shake the strange feeling from his dream, he decides to go out to his favorite breakfast restaurant. It's a locally owned place that serves the best fried potatoes he's ever had the pleasure of tasting. A bit pricey, but Gil couldn't care less about such things. He stopped caring about being frugal a long while back.

Smile practice comes in handy when he meets his favorite waitress for the day. She tends to light up the room when he smiles his charming little smile at her. More importantly, she tends to prioritize his table if he just smiles. It's worth bothering with. Of course it doesn't hurt that he tips better than most, which is only polite.