Bramblepoint i have reached these lands but newly

If Alya had seen her sister's departure, she would certainly have abandoned Cypress in favor of the identical girl. Nothing mattered to her as much as the bond she shared with Lyra and Hydra, though she was often distracted from them by boys and other drugs.

"I missed you, too," Alya interrupted, pressing closer to the male when he began to draw away. He smelled so nice, and she couldn't help but chase the feeling of being warm and safe against his chest. "Oh, Cypress," she said ardently, the words sounding rather practiced. She'd acted out this scene many times, of course, but Hyrda's embrace had never felt like this before!

Her heart was fluttering away, and her thoughts tumbled around in a happy, excited flurry. She didn't hear most of what Cypress was saying to her, though she made a token effort to pay attention to him. "It's okay, Cypress. I'm glad you found your brother," she said earnestly. The long weeks of waiting on him seemed to melt away in his presence, and besides - didn't absence make the heart grow fonder? "We're together, now," she added, nibbling affectionately at his chin, the way she and her sisters still did to Charon, at times. Alya didn't notice this nuance.