Larksong Grotto as the sun sets

She liked him, all the more because he thought her name was pretty. She had never met a boy her own age before, and she found herself intrigued. Laurel cared little for anyone that wasn't her sister, but this Seff seemed interesting. She liked his striking eyes and she thought Seff was a nice name too, but Laurel didn't say so, because she was used to bartering with these kind of things and wasn't about to let anyone know that they got to her in some inexplicable way.

He offered help, though Laurel had no clue how on earth Seff'd be able to fix things. So instead of telling him how he could help, Laurel asked: "Do you have baby siblings?" Maybe if he did he could understand, but if he didn't it'd be hard to explain. As though it was relevant she added, "I hate my stepmother. She's mean and nothing like a mother at all." Laurel didn't really know what a mother should be like, but she was pretty sure that it was better than what Jhala did (or didn't) do for them.