Ouroboros Spine To hold you again

Such thoughts evoked a harsh yearning in the young woman's chest; Angel named the feeling heartburn. And, oh! how she burned to know the people that Raindrop spoke of! Hadn't she spent all these many months seeking out different cultures and stories? Were these things not the riches that she sought most fiercely, even more than jewels and antiques?

It hurt to have her own family's most precious heirlooms just out of reach. She had little to her name, but there was little she wouldn't give to know the family that had been lost to her and Raindrop both.

"You'll have to teach me those dances, too," she told her mother. They would learn from each other, and in this small way, would begin to rebuild their family's wealth.

Giving her mother one more squeeze, she drew away, giving Raindrop space to fuss over her some more. She preened under the attention, gladly taking the offered meal with an expression that said, Oh, yes, I am so hungry! and, Lo, I am but a growing girl!

Sleepy and sated, she settled down in her childhood home, under the careful watch of her mother.

"Will you tell me a story?" she asked Raindrop, yawning. She would never grow too old for a story.