Phantom Hollow It's been a little cold and not outside

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. That's shitty, she replied. It seemed like had been burned pretty badly by someone who he thought he could trust. She wondered who but didn't ask, deciding it was too personal a question. At least she could say that anyone in her life that she trusted hadn't ever treated her badly. It made her feel kind of guilty for leaving, but not guilty enough to return any time soon, unfortunately. She knew her mom would be upset, and she felt bad about that too, but she felt suffocated by her memories when she was with Diaspora, and she just needed a break. Maybe more tolerable is all we can hope for, she said glumly, her slender shoulders rising some with a shrug. She'd settle for more tolerable at least, and she didn't hold any hope that things could be much better than they were now; his words only solidified that theory for her. Guess it's better than being dead, right? she added darkly. She at least still wanted to live her life...just not at home—not right now anyway.

She shrugged again at his comment about her preparedness. I don't know, you do have your own forest, which is more than I can say for myself, she pointed out. His name was Mal and his forest was called Neverwinter. That's a strange name for a forest, she commented. What's it like there? She supposed he had to like something about it if he was willing to make it his own and defend it from others. She wondered if he needed help? Maybe she could offer? Not that she would be a ton of help... She held off for now, wanting to hear more about the situation and form more of an opinion about him. No sense in tying herself to someone she might end up hating. So far, so good, though.