GRAVESKIES

Chapter 14

Soft light against her numb bones. Breath broken into shards of air— scraping, scraping, scraping at her lungs. Fingers touching her arm. Hesitant. Unkind, impatient, inconsiderate, and oh, that wasn't right.

Ryujin sucked in a breath and extended her arm into a punch. A few seconds of silence later, memories rushed in. Her eyes snapped open as she realized who she'd hit.

Ryu's hands jumped to her mouth. "Shit! I'm so sorry, Nyrin! I didn't mean to, it's just that you were touching me in my sleep which is kinda weird, but I swear I didn't mean to!"

Her voice withered away once she processed her surroundings. Ryujin laid in this room, more beautiful than anything she'd ever seen because it was surrounded by sky, profoundly submerged in it. A tall walnut bookshelf leaned against bracing milky walls. A single wide table splattered with collections of colourfilled nothings swelled in the center of the room.

Sunrays of an unlikely flavor broke through the window like they were trying to snatch something out of her. Senseless shadows of green. Nyrin simply continued; she did not seem to understand why she'd been punched. She did not look like she'd been punched at all. Ryujin slapped her away. She only half meant it, but to Nyrin's touch there was that credulous intention, guiltless inch, unsophisticated widening of her fingers. The splay of her palm embarrassed Ryu to the core, like Nyrin really couldn't take a hint of what was appropriate. Ryujin's face twisted in anger.

Counterintuitively, the woman tried to clamber on top of her, instead of letting go. Ryujin had no way of guarding herself, not with both wings scorched with overexertion.

"Nyrin, you fucking weirdo, get off!"

At the same time, the goddess muttered senselessly: "This has never happened before, I can't believe it, how are you here?" Ryujin barely understood what she was saying— how could someone's voice have such a strange cadence? Why did every word sound experimental?

Nyrin limply fell above her, at a loss of control over her body. With stiff arms at the sides of Ryu's face, she pinned her. Ryu tried, seriously tried, there was nowhere to look but up. The goddess was unashamed of taking up space— and God, she could see why.

Pales of gold and baby blue sweeped over smooth black skin, over each gracious angle of her face. Pearly white hair fell, snowed, violin chords gently snapping undone over narrow shoulders.

"It's really you..." The last time Ryu'd been awake, perhaps because she was exhausted and reaching out, Nyrin had looked threatening. In earnest, her face was honest, completely see-through.

Somebody had to speak, and as it appeared, Nyrin found no shame in silence. "Why did you not kill me?"

The woman slightly furrowed her brows. "What good would that do? You will die anyway."

"Why did you not let me fall?"

"Because I haven't seen anything interesting in centuries."

So carelessly direct. Ryujin blinked twice. Grit her teeth. What nonsense was Nyrin speaking? "I searched for you after you denied me. I'm an intruder. Unwanted. Why did you not kill me?"

This time there was a bit more bile to the other's words."What are you talking about? I've never seen you before."

The ignorance became too much to handle. Ryu pushed her off and knelt— that position brought her a little closer to what she'd imagined this meeting would be like. The tiles were cold under her knee. Her injuries fell heavy. "I know you consider me unworthy, but I promise I can prove myself. Whatever it takes to convince you, I will do it. My wish is not for myself. I am not here out of selfishness, but to better the lives of everyone I've ever known."