"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
It feels good to make someone laugh, and Anuya brightens a little at the sound of the soft noise. She listens, curious, as he gives a small but praising description of his two sisters. She notes the comment about how he was not at ease in the world, though she doesn’t comment on it. She has two eyes that work relatively well and two ears that work very, after all, and there is a softness to him that she imagines would be at odds in any world.
She never knew anyone gentle growing up. Her home did not allow for an abundance of softness to grow. Just glimpses of it here and there.
“You’re lucky. I’m one of nine.” All of Anuya’s siblings were beautiful, of course, but that’s where her admiration of most of them ended. Sidhra was kind to her, they wouldn’t have stuck together this long and through this many lands otherwise, but it often felt like having a parent around rather than a sibling.
She answers with more honesty than she should, probably, but honesty had always come easy to her - especially when asked a direct question. Even when she should just hold her tongue. “They’re either very snobby or very mean. I’m the youngest by a lot, and the most fun, and the ones inferior to a rock never fully appreciated either of those things.” Sure, maybe she used to toss glowing mushrooms at them as they slept or shift into a bird to tug at their ears. But none of them would ever play or laugh with her. It's an uncomfortable feeling, this sense of reflection - the memories of how she enjoyed playing her pranks but mostly she just wanted their attention in whatever way she could get it.
This part she leaves out. She's already answered the question - no point in being more honest than absolutely necessary.
oh, I see stars rushing through my mind, colours have no time to fade
oh, I found out there's another side where the sea and sky collide
