all I want is what I had

As her mind drifted, many emotions flashed through the golden girl's mind... Foremost fear, closely followed by disgust that such a feeling would disgrace her. This was not how she wanted to go, alone and shamed on some stranger's borders. But inner strength had been used up long ago, most of it expended towards getting her here. This had been her Hail Mary, a last ditch effort, and it had shattered like glass.

Then a voice from the past, perhaps the last she ever expected to hear, came from beside, and she lifted her head to appraise him. A hot wash of shame came first and foremost, for she knew how pathetic she must look. Couldn't even take care of herself, could she? How many loners had she scorned for being in the exact same position? She deserved every bit of teasing and scorn that she'd encounter. So she laughed, the sound a bit broken from her raw throat.

"You and me both, brother. " Bitterly spoken, but none of her ire directed at him, one of few she still deemed a friend. "I'd say we're 0 for 2 in that guess. It looks like you've had a time of it yourself." She'd taken note of the scars he now carried. Despite her predicament and teasing, she was glad to see him, a fact which showed, if not clearly.