Well, of course Rak would notice her. That was the way the universe worked. Ren sighed to herself and turned to answer him, but his expression caught her by surprise. She hadn't seen him look like that in a long, long time. It was nostalgic, to say the least. "Something like that," she admitted. "They told me to get out and not come back until I've rested enough for the words to stop resembling ancient Greek chicken scratch."

She sat across from Rak, resting an arm on her knee. "So how long have you been sitting out here?" she asked curiously.