[se] between two lungs

she didn't want to love
she wanted to b e l o v e d
and that was entirely different

It is Deimos' turn to ask the questions, Amalia's to answer - an unusual situation for the curious girl. She blushes beneath his pointed stare, drops her head as though to say Yes, I know, you have some reason, something you see to which I am blind. She does not - cannot - understand his affection, but she nonetheless blooms within it, beams and broadens and aches for more.

The second query is easier to reply to, though the answer remains an amorphous sort. "Sort of?" the baker muses as she walks, thinking about communication, the way she can know Jyoti's intention without a passage of literal words. "It's as though I feel her emotions next to mine." She shrugs, unsure how to better describe it, if there even is a way. She had read countless things about companions, devoured the lore and history of bonds, but no set of words could have prepared her for actually sharing her soul with another, feeling the closeness of a mind against hers. Perhaps it is not unlike being in love.

Perhaps it is entirely different

She lets his fingers tighten against hers, lets herself fall into his orbit, drift closer against his offered embrace. Or perhaps she is pulling him to her; it does not matter, in the end, because the result remains the same. Amalia fits into the curve of his embrace, closes her eyes and surrenders to the moment. His laughter rumbles like thunder against her, the soothing wave of a summer storm. "Is that so unbelievable?" she hums in response, letting her head fall down, pressing to her cheek against his breastbone, smiling as lips ghost over her head. His declaration of grimness earns more laughter; pulling back to look at his face, it is the girl's turn to arch and eyebrow, a teasing smile at her mouth. She raises a finger to brush his nose. "So serious, Mr. Shade. I am sure your enemies quivered in fear."

The index finger continues traveling, tracing a path along his beard line, up his jaw and behind his ear. Tilting her head, she lets her hand continue to wander, cupping up against his cheek. "Please don't be angry with Jigano. It wasn't his fault. I should have been more aware." A frown pulls tight between her eyebrows, regret and shame making her glance away. She should have been careful, have listened and watched, not been made complacent by her reckless abandon. Sighing, Amalia drops her hand down, letting it fall down his shoulder as she thinks of her flaws.

His question draws her back up slightly, restoring some earnestness to deep black eyes. "So many things," is the wistful answer as she categorizes experiences in her mind. "We climbed to the tallest tree and spoke to Safrin. I met a creature who carried a world on his back, and thrives on the memories of people's lives. I learned how to fly and caught a falling star." Smiling mildly, Amalia chuckles, shaking her head with wonder and awe. "It has been a busy set of days."

Amalia

we are all b r o k e n
that's how the l i g h t gets in