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Even with her back firmly to the new spirit portal, the light was always going to be different at night, now. The skyline was changed, and she could still see the eerie shadow of the broken city falling across the water, cast by the gently spiralling yellow and green lights.
Perhaps she should have just faced the damn portal. Might as well get used to it. It wasn’t going anywhere.
Another light appeared, from inside this time. Lin frowned as Suyin came out onto the balcony, holding a lamp.
‘Can’t sleep?’ she asked.
Lin grunted in reply, as this was fairly obvious.
‘Is that coffee?’
One eye on her sister, Lin took a slow swig from her cup.
‘Well, that might be one reason you’re having trouble sleeping,’ said Suyin.
The coffee was colder than the river, but Lin swallowed it anyway.
‘Although it’s not as though there’s a shortage of reasons.’ Su sat down beside Lin, a little less gracefully than usual, and winced. She caught Lin’s eye. ‘I have yet to find a way of sitting or lying that doesn’t put pressure on a bruise.’
‘Me too,’ Lin admitted. ‘Too old for falling out of the sky.’
‘I don’t think I’ve ever been young enough for falling out of the sky, personally.’
‘No. Well.’ Lin went to take another swig of the coffee, but stopped herself. Resignedly, she leaned forward and tipped it over the balcony.
‘Could be worse, though,’ said Suyin.
‘Speak for yourself,’ Lin muttered, sitting back with a grimace, and punching the cushion she’d been sitting on with unnecessary force.
‘Yes it could. I may have woken up six times in three hours, but…each time I was just thankful I could wake up.’
Lin didn’t say anything, and wished she’d kept the coffee to give her something to do instead of come up with a reply.
‘We could both have been dead. And it’s mostly thanks to you that we’re not.’
‘Oh come on-’
‘Alright, I won’t mention it again for a while,’ Suyin promised. ‘I just…I needed to say thank you. I realised I hadn’t yet, and…’
The shadows on the water rippled, lazily, with the soft motion of the spirit portal. Lin thought she ought to be looking at her sister right now. Squeezing her hand, thanking her in return. Or something.
‘Didn’t do anything you wouldn’t have,’ she said.
‘Absolutely right,’ Suyin agreed.
Probably leaning her shoulder against Suyin’s would put pressure on the growing, purple bruise there, and Suyin certainly had a similar one. Probably any kind of physical contact would just hurt both of them.
Lin did it anyway.