I count your heartbeats before you sleep
I bite my fingernails to bone
Though Hotaru does not end up in the water, it still feels like a success, and Evie grins brightly toward Hadama. It had been a bit unintentional to end up pairing up against Hotaru, but she has no regrets about it. Straightening out and setting a hand on the ice railing beside her, Evie tracks Hotaru's flight with her eyes, prepared but suspecting they are drawing to a close - which is confirmed when the woman shifts back and signals to stop. I bite my fingernails to bone
There is a strange weight to her gaze when it meets Evie's, but the Evergreen has been coming to terms with taking over the mantle all season, and she feels ready. Tilting her head, Evie tries to communicate her respect, and her willingness to move forward with the Valkyrie's dream. "It will be strange to be your teacher next time Dama," she calls out to him with a small grin, aiming for levity. With a touch of magic, she begins edging their icy platforms closer to the beach, ready to go home and take a hot bath to refill her stamina reserves.
And now I crawl back under the stairwell
To a place I call my home
To a place I call my home
Evie
