As she rambled, Bruz’na starred at her face, fascinated and horrified. The corners of her mouth had slid almost to her chin, the left side now hanging lower than the right. Her left eye slanted downward, the tip of her pointed nose sagged to her upper lip. Her green eyes studied him.
“Ugh,” he said again, no longer listening, taking a step closer. “What’s wrong with your face? Is that…?” He spoke to himself as he reached out, still hesitant, to touch the wilting flesh.
“s**t,” the old w***e said in a different voice, and with a rapid glance around that Bruz’na had just enough time to decide was out of character, stumbled into him, knocking him off the walk into a narrow gap between the pier and a huge, docked steam barge.
“Oof.” The back of Bruz’na’s head struck the side of the boat wit
