[Training] no one told you to breathe

MELITA

Melita didn’t want to be predictable. She yearned for the world to wonder just what she was going to do next – in assaults, in sieges, in movement, in motions, a canvas of infernal possibilities, each one as dangerous as the next. So the youth smirked even as the plan didn’t come entirely to fruition, the dagger pointing towards her after he stepped back – and she was left for a moment on how to calculate the next interval, when her uncle announced they were done for the day.

Understandable, given his previous injuries, and time not being on their side. Still, a flicker of disappointment rankled through her at ceasing now, when she was just beginning to get the hang of it. Maybe that meant there’d be more opportunities in the future, after travels across the sea, after weddings on beaches, after honeymoons, times for repose and peace for all of those who’d continued to prevail through the suffering. “Okay,” she uttered in response, a nod granted and given, accepting and obliging, since he’d been for her. “Thank you.” She rose, pushing off the floor. “I’ll be even better when I come back,” mustered on a cheeky grin, on a wink, on the conviction of promises and oaths.

help tonight to split its seams
Give the bruises out like gifts