Only belatedly does Scylla realize that it hasn’t been long at all since she’d practically collapsed after her bath. It can’t have been more than an hour - it’s still not dark, though the light is fading fast, and she can still feel the dampness of her skin every time a puff of wind brushes her body.
As she waits for Evren to respond, she wonders what has brought the bay and white mare to this island this late in the day. It’s an unusual thing for anybody to do, risking travel at night. There’s always some kind of predator lurking about, equine or otherwise, no matter the season or location. It’s only as the silence drags on that Scylla realizes that Evren hasn’t responded and really focuses on her companion.
Evren is staring blankly at her, looking for all the world as though she doesn’t recognize Scylla. What a fine turn of events it would be, Scylla thinks almost sourly, if she’d been so obsessed over apologizing for all these years, and Evren doesn’t even remember the incident. She does her best to keep her features as neutral as possible even as her spirits sink.
Then she sees a memory spark in Evren’s eyes, and Scylla’s shoulders release tension she hadn’t even realized had built up. In the scheme of things, Evren forgetting her name is low in importance. ”Scylla,” she offers, feeling a little strange that she pretty much gets to have this introduction all over again. She can tell that Evren still has spunk, remembering the spitfire of a girl that had yelled at her the last time they’d met.
Blood of my blood, we may yet have a chance. She’s always remembered Orhan saying that he hadn’t used their ancestral phrase for years prior to their meeting, something she’d taken to mean he hadn’t passed it down to his children. Even if he had, she figures that it’s unlikely that Evren would remember it. Besides, Scylla knows that they don’t consider each other the same way. Maybe one day she’ll be able to speak the phrase and explain to Evren what it had meant to their family.
”I’m well,” she continues aloud, not elaborating on the loneliness and despair she’s gone through over the years. It’s been the story of her life and she’s long since made peace with the fact that nothing would ever come easy to her. ”Not even really bruised, don’t worry about that.” She shifts her weight and offers an easy smile, not wanting Evren to feel guilty.
She lets the silence settle for a minute, mulling over how to bring up their previous altercation. Just because Evren hadn’t immediately remembered her doesn’t let her off the hook for an apology. She decides to ease into it, thinking that being so blunt about such an emotional time for them both would be insensitive.
"I hope life's been going okay for you." She wants to add since our last meeting, but that would defeat the purpose of easing into the issue. Plus, she's not positive that Evren truly remembers their argument. Better for Scylla to wait and see what the mare volunteers.