ǂ 011 -- wrenched (phone/action)

[teh_sword]

[This morning, Ren used the front door. Stuck politely under the mat? A letter with his name printed on it. Inside the envelope? The most beautiful picture of a young, beautiful girl beaming up at the camera with the most breathtakingly sad smile on her face

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[wolf_faerie]

[Sneaks up behind the bench like the wild animal creeper she is]

What's that you've got there?

[teh_sword]

[Ren has too much joy to be startled, so the wild animal creeping only gets a beaming smile--and an offering of the picture for Aisling to see.]

's my cousin.

[wolf_faerie]

Oh.

[She looks at it.] She's pretty.

[teh_sword]

Isn't she? [The faintest sigh.] Her name's Mio. I haven't... seen her in...

[wolf_faerie]

A long time?

[teh_sword]

...yeah. Almost ten years before I even got here.

[wolf_faerie]

You must miss her...

[teh_sword]

...I do. A lot. [He takes a second to squirm into a more upright position, gesturing a little with the photo.] But this... it helps. Wake up every day and see her face now, even if she's not here. 's a lot better.

[wolf_faerie]

[This makes her wish that she had a picture of her mother. But she won't mention that.]

You're lucky to have it, then.

[teh_sword]

Know it.

[Completely unrelatedly. The happy mood doesn't particularly help the focusing on one conversation.]

Nn, I owe you a tennis ball, don't I...

[wolf_faerie]

That's alright! I just found that in the garage.

[teh_sword]

...place isn't really so bad sometimes, seems like.

[wolf_faerie]

Sometimes.

[teh_sword]

Better with friends.

[wolf_faerie]

Yes! I've made lots of friends here.

[teh_sword]

's good! Lots of people talk real nice about you, y'know? It's important.