At the end of the first day, Meiji had managed to see and hear only fifteen of the memorials. She had taken six rest intervals. She had refused any form of food and drink.
She returned to her Containment Cell as dusk was fading into night. When she stepped out of her lighted cage, she saw that the other three were standing up, turned towards the hatch as she came through. She saw their faces for an instant before the hatch-door slid shut behind her. Then they were silhouetted against the spectacular view behind them.
Meiji walked towards the group, feeling weightless. Emptied out.
Vane, Folia and Youngest received her wordlessly, surrounding her with their arms without quite touching her. She wasn’t looking at anyone or anything. She knew without actually seeing him that Youngest was the one directly in front of her, his back to the infinity window. She leaned forward so that her forehead was on the front of his body. On the flat space between his collarbone and the soft swell of breasts.
She shifted her head so that she could lean into him properly, with her cheek against him. He moved his arms to hold her, and she did not...