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[longwillows]

reach out?

the smell of fresh water in dry desert air. the feeling of cautious curiosity. a place as dangerous as it is resplendent.

c

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[merged]

[ For just a moment, a familiar distortion ripples through Kalmiya's silhouette, like heat warping the air, bending the light to blur her shape. It feels instinctive, her body reacting before thought can catch up. Their tether is still too fresh for Sharon to grasp the full reason behind it. Kalmiya's emotions register like distant lights on the horizon, their colors and shapes visible, but softened by haze, as if felt through fog.

Then, just as quickly, it's gone.

Arthur's comment, clearly an inside joke between the two of them, earns no quip in return, not even a playful curve of Kalmiya's lips. It only highlights the damage that's been done. She's trying not to drown in it. Still, she loosens her hold on Sharon, just a fraction, just enough, and finds the will to ask something she shouldn't have to ask, something she should already know the answer to. ]

Fuck, no. [ The words spill out instantly, her voice cracking, pitching too high for how raw her throat is. It isn't even a question worth considering. Between her physical state, the bone-deep exhaustion that makes her feel like a dead girl walking, and Kalmiya herself, there's no way she's leaving. ]

I'm here until you kick me out. [ And even then, she'd probably hole up nearby, waiting to be called back. Kalmiya sat with her through her worst, offered her love freely while Sharon choked on guilt and terror. Sharon is here to return the favor. To be an anchor until no longer needed. ]

Now, come on. You heard him. [ she urges, gently guiding her through the apartment door. ]