Kali sighed and cuddled a little closer as Roma’s wing settled over her, just like Khari’s always did. So nice, like a great big hug wrapped around her. “I like them. Do you? What do they feel like? Is it weird having wings when you didn’t before? A good kind of weird, or a confusing kind of weird that sort of sits in your belly and feels all tangled and heavy? Or maybe sometimes both? Like really nice but also a little uncomfortable? Because they’re this piece of you you didn’t have before? That must be so strange, but flying seems lovely and Khari says wings feel really nice.”
Roma’s teasing grin coaxed a little smile out of Kali, too. Nothing nearly as big as Roma’s, but a smile nonetheless. She rubbed her cheek against her friend’s shoulder and shrugged. “I guess I was a little distracted,” she admitted, looking back out over the water. “I wasn’t paying attention. You surprised me. Nobody really comes up here most of the time, so I didn’t even think to be looking.” Plus she’d been awfully preoccupied.
“You want to talk about whatever it is that is making your face all squishy?”
Kali snorted, reaching up to bump the bottom of Roma’s chin with her nose. “Squishy, huh? Maybe I got zapped by a fairy and now instead of iron like my dad, I’m made of squish.” She grinned and bumped her shoulder against Roma’s, raising her brows and looking down at her own with wide, astonished eyes. “Huh, nope. No squish there. Just normal flesh and bone. What do you know?”
But there was quiet persistence in Roma’s watchful golden eyes, and Kali shrugged, her grin fading. “Nah. Just thinking, that’s all. Part of getting older, right? Growing and changing and learning what that means and who you are when you’re maybe not just a kid anymore. What about you? Anything you want to talk about?”
Roma’s teasing grin coaxed a little smile out of Kali, too. Nothing nearly as big as Roma’s, but a smile nonetheless. She rubbed her cheek against her friend’s shoulder and shrugged. “I guess I was a little distracted,” she admitted, looking back out over the water. “I wasn’t paying attention. You surprised me. Nobody really comes up here most of the time, so I didn’t even think to be looking.” Plus she’d been awfully preoccupied.
“You want to talk about whatever it is that is making your face all squishy?”
Kali snorted, reaching up to bump the bottom of Roma’s chin with her nose. “Squishy, huh? Maybe I got zapped by a fairy and now instead of iron like my dad, I’m made of squish.” She grinned and bumped her shoulder against Roma’s, raising her brows and looking down at her own with wide, astonished eyes. “Huh, nope. No squish there. Just normal flesh and bone. What do you know?”
But there was quiet persistence in Roma’s watchful golden eyes, and Kali shrugged, her grin fading. “Nah. Just thinking, that’s all. Part of getting older, right? Growing and changing and learning what that means and who you are when you’re maybe not just a kid anymore. What about you? Anything you want to talk about?”
Kirby and Lacey's
little whisper girl
little whisper girl