For several moments, Ashlynn and Nyrielle remained motionless, basking in the feeling of holding and being held as their hearts began to still. There was still hurt, guilt and even a trace of fear between them, but the storm had passed, leaving them both shaken but still standing strong and still clinging to each other for strength.
"I'm a mess," Ashlynn said after a few minutes had passed. Slowly, she pulled back from Nyrielle and truly looked at her lover, realizing that, beyond her puffy, tearstained eyes, Nyrielle's hair was in just as much disarray as hers was. In fact, she looked more disheveled at this moment, with her dark silk robe slipping off one shoulder and her sash only half tied than Ashlynn had ever seen her.
