The scream descended.
Not all at once — gradually, like something losing conviction as the body processes that the situation isn't exactly what instinct said it was.
From agony to pain.
From pain to discomfort.
From discomfort to confusion.
Until all that remained was a sound more like someone complaining about something minor but not quite knowing what.
Lira opened her eyes.
---
Everyone was looking at her.
Kai, standing next to the broken window, with his hands in his pockets and the wound on his side still visible.
Eris, at the entrance, with the expression of someone assessing whether what just happened requires some kind of official response.
Aldric, beside his desk, holding his coffee cup with both hands and looking at Lira with the specific discomfort of someone who doesn't know if the appropriate thing is to say something or keep drinking.
