but when I think of you another shower starts

Ophie was alive and well. She looked tired, but so did Kaija, but that didn't matter. She should be happy she'd found her, and she was was, really, but she felt so bogged down by darkness that felt incapable of lifting that she wasn't nearly as carefree as she used to be. Maybe she'd never be like that again, it was hard to say for sure. Slowly she approached, fighting the urge to bury her face into the fur of Ophie's neck and breathe in her scent, and possibly never come out. Her presence was comforting no matter how she felt though, and slowly she sunk down onto her stomach beside her. Traveling so much was exhausting, not that she was sick anymore but she definitely was still recovering, and fatigue was a big part of that.

"I'm fine. Better, too," she said quietly. "I'm glad you're alright. I was scared, you know, scared I'd never see you-" Imagining a life without Ophie felt too dark for her to even comprehend, all-encompassing and terrifying as a concept. Even darker than this. Life was brighter with her in it though, and with the faintest hint of glow emanating from her markings Kaija was reminded of this. "My mom died, Ophie. She got sick and she died," she said quietly, her voice raspy. She wasn't the crying type but she'd cried over her, but she didn't feel like there were any tears left now, so she hung her head and let out a barely audible whine.