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A lot of pleasant, non-threatening, but certainly interested, reflection

That male in shadows over there? It wasbecause she had wandered off a trail in a December snowstorh the drifts, on the verge of collapse, her lungs stinging fro … and there, there on the horizon, was an acres-wide bonfire set by a lightning strike in the forest, the fla and terrifying, deadly …

But nonetheless the only source of heat hich to warm her tortured, half-dead, frostbitten body

Oh, and actually, add a buffet of her favorite foods right in front of the giant hot mess

With, like, four hundred pounds of Lindt chocolate on it

And pasta And chane

Yeah, that male was not any kind of pleasant reflection Not even a choice, really He was a co out

And to hell with the consequences

"… talk to your father"

Elise kicked her own butt and replugged into Paradise "I’m sorry?"

"Your father," the female said "My father would absolutely speak with him"

"Speak to whoe his mind? My father worries about s, but he’s evolved his thinking If anyone can talk your father off the cliff? It’s hi" Tears made her eyes water "But ould you--"

Paradise took Elise’s hand "Because I kno hard it is"

The unexpected eot jalyue with standards that she hadn’t volunteered for and didn’t believe in, but that were, nonetheless, running her life And it wasn’t until this iven up before she had even started fighting because there had been no hope, short of running away, of altering her father’s legal and social authority over her

"But he’s going to get me declared as sehcluded," Elise said "If he does that, I’ the petition?"

"Right now, I think He’s gone to the Audience House right now--that’s the only reason I could leave to coot her phone out and stood up "Gimme a minute"

As the female went in search of a quieter place to make a call, Elise wiped her eyes And when she took a deep inhale and shifted in her chair, she looked across--