Hand loose in her hair, unwinding a tangle of curl,
"S'pose it wasn't such a bad dream."
Hers. There are things he doesn't tell her, and nightmares are only one: Magic makes her nervous. Home seems fraught. And it's easier, anyway, just talking on the here and now. Last night's dream. Some stupid letter they both read, another supply disruption, the rat he saw run off with a whole and steaming slice of pie. Or that joke they tried to tell Gwen, the one that didn't translate. The weather. The meaning of a rock.
If he's careful, he can pretend that here and now all there is. That they both woke up this morning in their separate rooms, ordinary clerks, and nothing outside. His breath is steady. Maybe tomorrow, it'll snow.
"I got a strange question," Not the sort you ask, if you think the answer's yes. "And y'can say if you don’t want to say. 'S just… d'you feel safe here?"
In Riftwatch, or with him, or in this crowded little room — blessedly empty, for a few hours, of all those who share it.
as always feel free to change stuff wholecloth etc
"S'pose it wasn't such a bad dream."
Hers. There are things he doesn't tell her, and nightmares are only one: Magic makes her nervous. Home seems fraught. And it's easier, anyway, just talking on the here and now. Last night's dream. Some stupid letter they both read, another supply disruption, the rat he saw run off with a whole and steaming slice of pie. Or that joke they tried to tell Gwen, the one that didn't translate. The weather. The meaning of a rock.
If he's careful, he can pretend that here and now all there is. That they both woke up this morning in their separate rooms, ordinary clerks, and nothing outside. His breath is steady. Maybe tomorrow, it'll snow.
"I got a strange question," Not the sort you ask, if you think the answer's yes. "And y'can say if you don’t want to say. 'S just… d'you feel safe here?"
In Riftwatch, or with him, or in this crowded little room — blessedly empty, for a few hours, of all those who share it.