aerin did not flinch from her kelar-stained eyes, that bright and terrifying ring of gold round her pupils. if anything, it seemed as if she soaked some of it, as if the heat of it wasn’t scorching, the sound of it a whisper and not a roar. harry’s face was wet with tears, and she wiped at them uselessly; they were soon replaced by more tears. 

all of it seemed so distant and strange, but sometimes, like now, sitting at the rim of the silver lake with the water murmuring in tongues to her, she could remember the faint scent of cigar smoke and something sweeter beneath, and the soft tickling of her brother’s wisp of a beard as he kissed her forehead in the barest token of affection.

and she missed him the only way someone could miss one that would never return: hopelessly. 

but there was comfort in aerin’s hand upon her shoulder, in her calm voice, in the faint and empathetic smile that curved her lips. harry smiled back helplessly, sniffled. her eyes were still gold but were not so bright as they had been a few sharp breaths ago. 

“ i usually don’t see what’s passed, ”   she admitted, her voice rough and her hands wiping once more at her wet cheeks.   “ i’d almost forgotten what his face looked like. ”

her smile broke then, and she leaned against the red-haired woman, her friend and cried all the harder.