It was always more difficult for him to awaken after going to ground. Perhaps it was because he was so far from the sun that he didn't sense its departure, or maybe he just didn't want to go through the motions of crawling back up through the dirt like some uncivilized creature.

He heard the music before he was fully conscious, hearing it rather clearly even through the layer of earth above him. It was nothing he'd ever heard before, he the realization that its creator couldn't possibly be human came to him just before he pulled himself up from the ground faster than it had taken him to rouse from his sleep.

Eric had gotten pretty good at over the years at packing the dirt just right so that hit left as little on his body as possible, but being completely clean after a day underground was impossible. He brushed himself off as he looked to the newcomer with wary eyes.