The water of the river shone in the dying sunlight. Blood dripped onto the paving stones of the bridge. Lewis was quiet, only halfheartedly rubbing at his nose every once in a while in acknowledgement of his nosebleed. Danni didn't say anything either and the silence stretched out between them. Both simply stood, looking at the canal in the evening light.

"Right now," she finally said, still gazing at the water. "I don't know if I want to kiss you or shove you off this bridge."

Lewis chuckled humorlessly at that.

"Can I pick?"

The words fell out of his mouth like stones, his voice hollow. They'd made it to the city, but it was in ruins. They had gone through so much, for what? It would be so easy to take a dive off the bridge and become just another bloated corpse in the shattered remains of a once mighty civilization. What if he just died now?

"No," Danni replied. "You can't."

Lewis jumped a bit, brought back to reality. He looked over at Danni, who was now glaring at him. The intensity of her stare was surprising, but he didn't flinch.

"I did not drag your freckly ass out of the King's Chapel, through The Wastes, and to The Ruins just to have you get all weepy at the very end. So what if it was hard as hell to get here. We managed that and we'll manage this, and whatever else heads our way," she snapped. The orange light of the setting sun gleamed in her eyes. "We'll make it through this. And besides, you'd rather die than kiss me?"

Neither of them moved for a moment, Lewis stunned and Danni smirking.

"I- you- uh... I-i-it's not-," he stammered, suddenly blushing. "There's... uh... blood," he concluded lamely, gesturing at his face.

Danni burst out laughing. She swept Lewis into a tight embrace. As the sun fell beneath the waves of the canal, Danni ruffled Lewis' hair.

"I know it's been tough, but no matter what happens, you'll always be my dearest friend," she told him. Danni couldn't see when Lewis started to cry, but she felt the shaking in his chest and the tears on her shoulder.