Deciding not to answer immediately, I let my eyes once again wander the room once more. It is nice to hear such reassuring words, especially when everything is such a muddle, and I will be the first to admit that dancing with Val was one of the most light-hearted experiences I have had in a while. And yet somehow, despite the truth that rings in his words, and the earnest expression he wears as he dotingly strokes his hand over the top of my head, I still feel somewhat... broken. As if the little cracks of hurt and outrage that have settled over my skin have at last begun to chip away.
Sighing, I settle my eyes on that painting across the room from us, the pretty swirls of white dotted with two flecks of red on a bed of pasty skin tones. Whoever it is, they must be truly esteemed to make it into one of Valerian's paintings.
Nervously, Valerian shifts beside me, his tail coming to flicker over my calf.
