you shine brighter than anyone

Sohalia

Soh tried a few more times, and her attempts grew slightly less feeble as she got used to the feel of the shield on her arm. It still felt awkward, though, moving her body in such a strange and foreign way, and after a few tries, she stopped. "Thank you, Deimos," she said, offering the man a grateful smile. "I truly appreciate your help. I'll do my best to practice." Not that she had the first idea of how to do that, but it was the thought that mattered, right?

She thought of something else. "Is there anything special I need to do to care for the shield?" she asked. "I've read about polishing metal ones, but I'm at a bit of a loss with wood." It was a fine gift, and she wanted to make sure that she kept it that way. Besides, what good would a shield do if it fell apart from lack of maintenance? She wasn't sure if wood would actually do that, but wood could rot, couldn't it? Or splinter, or crack, or any number of things, really.

and that's the hope I have
the only thing I know that's keeping me alive