As she lay in bed, Kharris ran her fingers over the smooth glass vial. It was familiar. It was habit. She rolled her lips before her tongue wet them. The medication in the little bottle was her own concoction, and she trusted it completely. It would do its job. It tasted of raspberry--just how she liked it. She put the empty vial back into the case, where several more waited, and just as many rested empty and ready for refilling. Reprisal never solved anything, but it did have a momentary satisfaction to it. Sometimes, for some, that was good enough. For someone who thrived in chaos, chasing those moments felt like a stone skipping across the water. Ripples met ripples and disrupted tranquility, even as the stone slipped into the deep. The meeting with Aelberyn had gone well. And she’d been right, Aelberyn was her ally in this. They were friendly enough these days. They had an understanding. The discussion had been amicable if not relaxed. Kharris had been touched by the stalwart response of the younger woman. Aelberyn was certain it would go about the way Kharris worried most about: violence. She loved Iloam’s passion, his depth of feeling. However, Asarel would not be meek, and Kharris feared Aelberyn was right about him, too: Asarel might take the opportunity to finish it all, if it came to that. And it was Kharris most caught in the middle. Her life rolling out in those ripples of reprisal constantly crashing into each other. She had time. It wasn’t as if things were in motion. And again Aelberyn and Kharris had agreed, now was not the time. She’d tell him later. Autumn was hard enough for both of them. @daily-writing-challenge Day 25 Reprisal/Immortal
mentions: @ourcollectivefantasy (Aelberyn, Iloam), @murmuring-shadows
