“she smells like lemongrass and sleep
she tastes like apple juice and peach”

Sabran nodded in agreement as Arkana spoke, validating each other’s troubled thoughts. Although little of the mystery of their mothers’ relationship has been solved, it comforted Sabran to have spoken with her sister about it, and to know that her questions had not materialised from nowhere.

“Yeah, I don’t know either,” Sabran replied, her expression crumpled in confusion. “I guess they all had some kind of weird agreement, it never seemed to bother him, but I don’t know.”

She sighed, her mind occupied by these confusing thoughts.

“I have a lot of questions, but I guess I don’t know how many answers I really want,” she added, shifting her weight uncomfortably.

Although it felt good to voice these concerns out loud for once, the idea of talking to her mother about it still felt viscerally uncomfortable.

There was a moment of silence, as the girls looked at each other, and the heaviness of the moment weighed on them. Then, suddenly, Sabran saw the look on Arkana’s face soften and reanimate into that familiar expression of playfulness she was so accustomed to seeing. At Arkana’s words, Sabran laughed. Although the comment might have mortified her normally, she was glad for the change of topic and the relief of a return to sisterly brevity.

She rolled her eyes and made a playful lunge at her sister, making as if to shove at her shoulder.

“Ew, shut up, Arkana!”

SABRAN
mixed ☽ bay varnish roan ☾ 14.3hh