04-20-2021, 05:43 PM
Tornados from a butterfly's wing
She was shaking too.
Every inch of her felt stretched and worn and barely held together, and now that home had found her again that seemed okay. She could fall apart, because she knew Yan would help her put the pieces back together again. He'd always had a knack for that.
With him holding her, she could begin piecing together what had happened. Beyond the numb shock that had let her walk this far, she could allow herself to understand.
"Yan, I-" she gasped after a moment, face still pressed against the reassuring solidness of his neck. "I died, I think. And Neverwhere, she's dead too, I saw her there. And the girls-" Her voice broke off in horror. "Yanhua, the girls followed me, please tell me there here, that they're okay, I couldn't send them home and we split up-" her chest drew tight with the shortness of her breath. The heavy weight in her belly rolled as if sensing her distress, making her groan.
Oh, she would never forgive herself if her misguided self sacrifice had instead gotten Cheri and Memorie killed instead. She pulled back, desperation flickering in the depths of her abstract eyes.
With a quiet brrr, the odd fox who'd brought her home leapt to perch on her shoulders. The monochrome creature nestled itself between her wings, the soft, warm little weight providing a focal point for her to draw into. A shuddering breath wracked her sides as the world slowed its frenzied pace around her.
"I've missed you so much," she realized aloud, the sun burnishing his features. She'd forgotten little details while the sun had hidden its face. The exact shade of his eyes, the way his whiskers curled beneath his chin. The half-lives they'd been living in the dark had taken so much from all of them, and she couldn't help but wonder if they'd ever get it all back.
...Amarine
@[Yanhua]