#utw

Monett wasn’t in the worst situation of her life, but it was at least in the top ten. Mostly because she was bleeding and her shoulder hurt in a very familiar- bad- way and Nemon was at the mouth of the tunnel waiting for her return. Thankfully Cas was there to keep him from wandering in after them.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” Sina said as she helped her to her feet, “and I expect a funeral worthy of you.”

“Of course,” she flashed her old friend one of the smiles that she’d started wearing like a mask these past few years, though Sina probably couldn’t see it with how the glows had scattered. “Anything for you.” She could just barely see her shake her head.

“Come on,” she said, tugging on Monett’s good arm, “we need to get back to the boys.” Monett just dug in her heels.

“No. Nemon cannot see me like this.” He looked up to her, always had, and it always distressed him when he saw her before the healers did.

There was little she hated more than distressing him.

“Monie, please, we are not having this argument in the dark.”

“Sina, dearest, I’m not going up there.”

“I repeat, death of me.” Sina sighed heavily. “The boys won’t leave as long as we’re down here, you know that. If nothing else they’ll be worried you got yourself hurt- though why they would think that-” there was probably a pointed look in the darkness, meant to get across the lesson that Monett would not be trying to climb things in near pitch darkness again. Personally, she felt her shoulder’s throbbing was lesson enough there. And her head’s. Shells, that wasn’t good was it, she thought she remembered one of the healers saying bleeding and a headache weren’t a good combination after a fall. Still, her first concern was keeping from causing her little brother any concern.

Cas and Sina had been a lost cause for a decade now.

“At least try,” she asked- didn’t plead, a Lady didn’t plead.

“No.” Sina tugged again, and with gritted teeth Monett let herself be dragged slowly back the way they came. This was just what she needed out of her day, a busted shoulder, a maybe concussion, and a worried Nemon.