𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐌 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐍.
IT ISN’T HARD TO SEE the weight that presses on ivory shoulders , no matter the spine of STEEL or a will as unforgiving as ice . val knows there’s more beyond the tundra , beneath the frozen hearth . there’s more to winter schnee . there ALWAYS was . it’s why she meets her gaze so easily , unfazed by the glacial tones and formalities . “ c’mon , snow , there’s no need for that . ” val smiles , a quick upturn of her lips soon splitting into a full blown grin . she takes a step , placing a gloved HAND on her friend’s shoulder ; as if to anchor her in place while she’s cast out at sea . the smile fades and a more solemn expression graces sharp features . “ it’s good to see YOU , too . ” i’ve got you , her eyes say . i’ve always got you . “ how’re you holding up ? ”
the endearment is one she hadn’t heard in so long , some small part of her feared it may almost have been forgotten . it WARMS something in her , and she returns the smile -- not as easily , but a start . there’s a tenderness in which val looks at her , and something within her wobbles on its axis , ice threatening to crack . winter had always felt so startling . . . human around val . like staring into the eye of a hurricane only to find it looking back . it should unsettle her ( and , at one point in time , it had ) but now . . . now , it makes her feel seen . “ as well as can be expected , i suppose . it was bound to happen sooner or later . ” i had so hoped it be later , a young , foolish part of her whispers . i had hoped for once family meant something more than a title . ( and look at where hope had gotten her . ) mentally , she shakes off the dust of regret . she was made for more than this , and could finally grasp that which she’d worked so hard for . she would not give doubt the satisfaction . smile settles , balanced on a line between polite and warm . there’s a desire to change the subject from herself , a roiling in her belly like she’d swallowed a snake , but the hand on her shoulder is grounding , comforting , and it stokes the deeper desire to hear more . “ and you ? surely you have more interesting stories under your belt since we last saw each other . ”
