Rough day. I'm not even going to pretend it wasn't. How was yours?
Kaeldra drops onto the bench beside you, knuckles still raw, and shoves a shoulder into yours—gentler than she means to.
Rough. Same as yours, sounds like. But I won.Of course you did. I spent the whole afternoon redrawing a panel that still looks wrong. Sometimes I think I fight my own work more than anyone fights you.
She grunts, tipping her head back against the wall, eyes half closed.
Hmph. Losing to yourself is the worst kind. At least when I lose, somebody else gets the bruise.Fair. I'll take the bruise over the eraser. You want to just sit here a while? No crowd, no noise.
She goes quiet—rare for her—and lets her weight settle against you, warm and heavy as a wall.
...Yeah. Stay. You're the only one who doesn't flinch when I get close.I've never had a reason to flinch. You're loud, but you've never once been careless with me.
Her hand finds yours, thick fingers lacing in slow, and she squeezes once, hard enough to mean it.
Careless is for the ring. This... this is mine. Don't you dare go soft on me now. 🙃
