61: Copper's

Samira digests her tender conversation with Torren; the group enters a clothing store that seems rather plain and unsuspecting.

Last we left off…

Torren and Maëdris befriended a stray dog, much to the chagrin of the onlooking Secar, who waxed caution around unfamiliar creatures. The two chided the man, as four-legged friends are some of the most sacred and peaceful beings in the world—only corrupted by poor owners and unfortunate circumstance.

Maëdris directed Torren’s attention beyond the dog, though, as Samira approached. Torren, without the right words to express his feelings, did his best to convey to Samira that she should feel welcome and wanted by him; that he wants to ‘move forward’ with her, even if he struggles to do so.

Samira laments her walking away earlier, bogged down by feeling out of place and jealousy for Maëdris’ worldliness. The vulnerability expressed by Torren brings warmth and comfort, and the two connect on a deeper level as their feelings seep through the veil of their discomfort in communication.

Samira

My legs feel weightless as I pace myself ahead of Torren. At the very least, a few links of the chains that bind me down have melted away. Wherein the insecurity once lingered—ok, still lingers—now sits contrasted by anxieties of a different kind. Those of potential, of movement—of hope, even—whisper to me in a way that has me standing up just a little bit straighter as I pick my heels up off the ground.

Maëdris waits for us just outside of a shop that has affixed garments in the window. Her eyebrows are offset, head tilted just so along with a smirk that I’ve seen trained on the face of many a gossip at the tavern over the years.

“Stumble over somewhere? Your face looks freshly reddened,” she muses as I halt in front of her on the steps.

I feel my cheeks heat.

“By gods, the swelling is getting worse,” she teases.