tbo, fighting
Thandi reaches out to touch Charlie’s shoulder. He jerks away as if scalded and throws her a look over his shoulder, anger still sparking fiercely.
“What do you want?”
His tone stings, and Thandi pulls her hand back, hugging herself. “I was hoping we could… talk?”
“There’s nothing else to say. You. You insisted on moving ahead of us all and when I patch you up afterwards, you charge in again. You won’t listen to reason!”
“Charlie, I—”
“If you die, what am I to do?”
“I won’t—”
“You might die!”
“Let me speak, Charlie!” Her glare overpowers his and his mouth snaps shut. The silence presses close and Thandi takes a breath. “I won’t die. I’m much stronger than you give me credit for. You are all still learning, and I have you to—”
“I can’t always heal you!”
Her pulse is wild. He feels her fingers brush over the bracelet as she once more hugs herself. Everything goes blurry and Charlie turns his face away hastily, unable to stop the tears. Why is he so… sensitive about this? He’s… terrified. If he gets any more attached, what’s going to happen?
She tries again to touch him and he steps out of her reach and stalks off into the trees. It’s always like this. He’s not going to get through to her. And she watches him go. What else can she do when he’s so determined to be upset? She strokes the bracelet and feels the coils tighten now.
She feels the innermost coils shift and a tendril moves along her inner wrist, a now comfortable gesture. How much of it was from him and how much of it was the magic of the bracelet?
Thandi sits. His moods don’t always linger long.