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Beau was stirred awake by the gentle tracing of a hand across her skin. She rolled the side of her torso up into Jester's palm, which immediately froze and pulled away.
"Oh! Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you." Jester's leg fell away from Beau's hip, the prickling heat finally getting to both of them.
"'S fine." Beau mumbled. Sitting up, she stretched and groaned as stiff joints popped down her back. As she brought her arms down, her eyes followed a sliver of early morning sunlight to the sides of her abdomen. Jagged claw marks curved around the skin above her hips, a shade lighter than the surrounding brown. She smiled at them. "Wanted a closer look?"
Jester shook her head once. "It's not that. It just…looks like they really hurt. If only I'd been faster, they wouldn't even be here. I was thinking of curing them for you."
"Are you kidding?" Beau's face took on a distant, yet excited look as she recalled their last fight. "I got these right before Yasha practically sawed that lobster's arm off. And then I beat the shit out of it with my staff to make it drop me. It was badass!"
Taking in Beau's high spirits, Jester let out a hum. "Yeah, it was. So you don't want me to get rid of them, then?"
"Nah, the worst of it's over." She shrugged with one shoulder. "When I look at all my bumps and bruises, I don't remember how much it hurt to get them. I think about times you all saved me and times I saved myself. So I wanna keep these until they go away on their own."
Something between gratitude and reverence shaped her expression.
Purple eyes flicked from the marks up to Beau's face. "Of course you do."
Beau pulled her up into a hug. "And I don't want you feeling bad for not being quicker or whatever. You're always right on time."
Jester nuzzled her face into the side of Beau's neck as a muffled laugh spilled past her grin.