kind of tired of all the empty picture frames

There were a lot of things shifting and changing. There had been a second birthday party, Briar and Lia had departed for the Hallows, and things felt... well, they felt just a little emptier within the Armada, at least to Halo. She missed Lia. Things felt like they were caught in flux, in the middle of change. It was a strange feeling. Maybe she'd chalk that up to the grey too. The pale healer found herself feeling maybe... was complacent the right word? The days had gotten longer, and summer was settling in. Warm afternoons... too warm.

She sought relief from the heat, throwing herself into the shallows of the Rio Grande itself. The same river that fed her garden, and kept it flourishing. The same river that she collected water from in the mornings for her chores. Yes, today she would use it to stay cool, and hopefully not entirely overheat. Head above water, shoulders below, Halo settled in to watch the world pass around her. She could sit comfortably here and do her best not to melt in the summer heat.

"Halo"