Ariane:
Even after the bruises bloomed across my thighs and my arms trembled from the day's training, I felt the weight of him pressing into me more than exhaustion ever could.
Seris.
The way he looked at me when I said I'd go out with him tonight, like I'd handed him a gift wrapped in precious materials.
But now, standing in Fenrin's room, nerves gnawed at my gut with sharp little teeth. I was sore everywhere, still battle-worn, barely holding myself together after the morning sparring and the battle we fought just yesterday, yet here I was… preparing for a date like I wasn't cracked down the middle. Like I didn't wake to fear wrapped in sound knocking at the edge of my skull, a knocking that had persisted all day, worsening with every movement, making my stomach lurch and sweat coat
