"You look perturbed, dear. Is something the matter?" China Sorrows is leaning against the side of the sofa, legs loosely crossed—she is wearing slacks—and looking up at her lover with an indulgent smile.
"World's going crazy, and I miss Tanith. So much." Valkyrie sighs, eyes closed and arms folded tightly around her legs, which have been brought up against her chest. She does not look like a particularly stable person at the moment, though she does look reasonably awake and coherent. "By the way, Skulduggery and Fletcher have invited you to their wedding."
"Fantastic. I see what you meant about the world going crazy."
"I rather thought you would." Valkyrie shudders for a moment, and she draws herself into an even tighter posture. "I'm sorry for bringing up Tanith."
"It's fine, dear," says China, and to her credit, she really does mean it, because as much as she hates that she is the second choice, the leftover, she knows how much happier Valkyrie would be with Tanith, and more than anything, she wants her to be happy. She supposes that means she doesn't love her enough, that she would leave her to another, but still. She loves her.
A/N: The snippet for the last chapter has been fixed. Sorry about that.
~Mademise Morte, December 15