Duskfire Glacier the phoenix

Meerkat was quick to return a joke, and Lane scoffed. She was equal parts amused and surprised by how refreshing that bit of humor had felt. Winstersbane, Tzila, Imaq, and Rye were all very solid, dutiful, honest, and kind.. but they all did tend to be fairly serious, albeit each in their own way. 

"Veteran and Wayfarer have been a crash course for me," Lane admitted, "I'm just learning everything as I go." She shrugged. Meerkat's level of experience seemed to match her own more or less, so it didn't bother the new mother in the least bit that Meerkat was new to the coaching thing. Everyone starts somewhere. 

Meerkat then offered to watch Lane's children for her while she was off on an extended vacation so that Lane could deliver and important message, and her eyebrows shot up in unfiltered surprise.

"Seriously? Are you sure? You've met my kids, right..?" She loved them, really-- it was just hard for her to imagine that anyone would willingly sign up for primary guardianship for an indefinite stretch of time. 

Lane laughed and shook her head. If Meerkat wanted to do this, Lane wasn't about to try to talk her out of it. "Where is Redhawk Caldera? I don't know that one.." Lane hoped it was far, far away...