Then sheets of the cot were soft but thin, basics but not over-comfortable, with a warm but simple blanket and no adornment. Like the rest of the room it was as simple as possible, a place meant for sleeping and meditation.

There were echoes here, ghosts of memories, and beneath the sheets there were old stains that discolored the mattress. A life's worth. Rhy's life's worth.

Kell exhaled sharply as she threw her arms around him, and then he was wrapping her up, squeezing her tightly to him, pressing his face into her hair and breathing her in. Time settled in that moment, and he held on.

Held on until they both could breathe again, though neither of them needed to.