@SardonicDynasim ~ hands within my own, I stroked the pad of my thumb along the lines upon her palm. "Save me a seat at the next meteor ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ shower, and I'll make sure to bring some of their contraband," I added with a soft chuckle.

@SardonicDynasim Too many years shared meant there was little I could mask from Raven behind an easy smile and playful remark. For all the ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ words I could summon to deflect our attention, we both knew that I was at the mercy of a system that had deemed my life ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ expendable. Concern rippled across Raven's features, and once more, my hand traversed the slight distance ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ between us to offer a fragile comfort with gentle fingers upon her cheek. "There's still time," I offered because it ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ would be a lie to say she wouldn't lose me with any certainty wound tightly around each syllable. Despite the daily ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ torment of certain guards, precious time remained as a rapidly diminishing barrier between myself and a date ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ that loomed large within my thoughts. Could a sentence bet commuted by Chancellor Jaha or the Council? Few ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ knew the answer since so little attention was paid to those imprisoned in the Sky Box after sentencing. The pad of my ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ thumb retraced a crease in Raven's skin, rendered with concern, and every fiber of my being longed to alleviate ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ it. The defiant girl I had met long ago peered back at me through dark brown eyes. Without any effort, I could recall ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ the pair of us skulking through the market with matching grins that we schooled into casual expressions. Small hands ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ reached stealthily for peaches and other produce resting within ease of our grasp. In my quarters, we ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ unburdened ourselves of the sustenance we managed to scavenge on our adventures, smiling gleefully as we ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ accounted for it all. Though Raven insisted that we a portion the soils evenly, crafty hands found their way into her ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ pack, and by the time she reached her own home, I knew she had discovered that most of the remaining portion had found ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ its way into her care. Neither of us discussed this, but it was all I could do then to take care of a girl so strong ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ she could lift the world, my world, in the palm of a dexterous hand. "I'm glad you're here," I admitted, leaning closer ~

@SardonicDynasim ~ to rest my forehead against hers.