Re: i was missing like half the things i wanted to say, which happens to me a lot when i tag late-is
The folks set on having children, their world had been broken, glass smashed until whoever it was looking at the mirror saw something different back. But the kids, they wouldn't remember the world before. The world would be gritty, difficult to move on through. Sam's mouth pulled, and the bright-brittle look in her eyes faded, dimmed like the light turning down low.
"Y'all better come up with something better than that," she mustered, and her voice was croaky with effort, but it smoothed out quick, like silk. Her smile kindled, and she cupped the mug of something-close-to-coffee in both hands, the heat searing the palms of her hands. And laughed. "How you figure on paying me back, Whelan? It's a big ol' favor," she warned.
There was a blood-spot near her elbow, the fabric of her shirt wrinkled as if she'd spent considerable time and energy trying to scrub it out with little success. The strands of hair that had fallen out of her braid stuck stickily to her neck, and Sam eyed Pete over the lip of her mug. "Y'all think I start out my day looking like this? Honey, you're no good for a girl's ego."