Veena's eyes blink open as she lies splayed out in the middle of the battlefield, her lashes fluttering to push aside a crust of dust and blood as she sits up slowly, sputtering mud and dirt, looking around through a haze of pain as she tries to find her bearings.
Behind her, Virelle comes barreling across the field, a little frilly dress flapping around her legs.
"Did I…" Veena mutters, half to herself. "Did I just hear my mo—"
The tiny demon-kin tackles her sister straight into a hug tight enough to knock the wind clean back out of Veena's lungs for the third time that day. "What happened? Are you okay? There's blood in your hair! You look terrible!"
Veena clutches her ribs, wincing through the pain as she half-heartedly tries to fend off her sister's enthusiastic squeezing.
"You're squishing the broken parts," Veena wheezes, prying one small arm loose from around her ribs. "I nearly died today, you know. Ease up."
