[o] [SE] everything that we should be

To kiss in cars and downtown bars
Was all we needed

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Sohalia hurried to assure her friend. "It's not far. I used to run a shop here, you know." She led the way out of the shop and turned left. The streets were full of people, most of whom were happy and smiling, glad to be returned to their home. A gentle breeze plucked at Soh's hair, and she tucked an errant strand behind her ear before continuing to ramble on. "A cartography studio. The shop's a bit of a mess now, after everything, but there's plenty of space to work in my apartment."

They turned down a side street or two, and it wasn't long at all before Soh produced a key and let herself into one of the shops. There was a sign outside, but it was so faded that it no longer seemed to say anything at all, and the interior was covered in a layer of dust. A few maps hung crookedly on the walls, but it still seemed deserted. In truth, Soh simply hadn't had the heart to put it back together after Tarak's death, so she'd done very little with the shop and the bare minimum with the apartment upstairs.

She led the way through the dusty seaters and up a hidden staircase, emerging into a bright, open space that was clean, if not well-appointed. The furniture was old, and the decor sparse - but it worked for Soh, at least for now. "Sorry, it's a little..." Soh trailed off, glancing sheepishly at Maea. "I haven't been up to fixing everything up. But there's plenty of space at the counter and the table, I think."

You drew stars around my scars
But now I'm bleedin'

Sohalia