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Richard was one of few people who had the unintentional talent of making her cry at the drop of a hat. Even though she was smiling and hugging him as if everything was alright, she had big tears coming from her blue eyes, as if the ocean Richard constantly related them to was pouring out.

"I miss her." She hadn't admitted it out loud in so long that saying it made her cry softly even more. "I miss her so much, Richard. It isn't fair."
A childish thing, she thought, to be asking for fairness in Veratia. But Terra had done her damage, leaving Lorey alone for quite some time before fate brought Richard to her.

A few more minutes passed by until Lorey was fully calmed down. She had every right to cry, but it didn't stop her from feeling like it was ill-timed. They were supposed to be reading and relaxing in the library, weren't they? Instead of crying over past sadness that couldn't be fixed.

"Alright," she said as she pulled her face away from him, feeling his shirt gently peel off of her wet face. "Look at that, I made your shirt all wet..." It seemed like something to laugh about as she spread out the fabric with a smile. "Gosh, I don't know what I'd do without you, Richard. You must be sick of my crying and everything by now..."

As he kissed, her hands held his cheeks so that when he pulled away, she was still holding his face and looking at him with all the happiness she had bubbling inside. My Richard.

"We were going to read, weren't we?" she said suddenly, looking to the book on the small table by the large armchair they liked to sit in, because somehow they could both fit. Lorey took his hand and tugged him slightly towards it, where they could sit and be happy for a change.

Lorey did sit more on his lap than in the chair so that her back was resting against his chest, and they both had a fair view of the book. It was fairly large, and seemed to be more of a children's story. Lorey, though, saw it as much more than that.
"It's more sophisticated than it looks," she said, not opening to where she had left off but opening to the beginning. "It's about a toy rabbit who has a heart... and he learns how to love."

And Lorey began reading out in a sweet way, in a voice that sounded like feet trying to avoid broken glass. Sometimes words tripped over themselves, or were read incorrectly, but as she went on, Lorey became so much better that a few chapters in, he sounded as sure as if she'd been reading her entire life.

((lol, Edward Tulane time))


Meanwhile, Damian's eyes cracked open just a bit. Raquel was actually sleeping... giving him enough time to think. they were few thoughts, and scattered, but everything centered around her. How to take care of her, what if she had a baby, what if something else happened, what would he do?
And try as he might, he could only ask questions and get no answers.

There were moments when the story made Lorey choke up and sometimes cry again. These tears, though, were different and sympathetic. The entire story was about becoming lost, of learning to love, to lose, and allowing yourself to love again. It was sad, and beautiful all at once. Just like her Richard, just like Raquel, and Damian, and herself.
Of course, she more thought of Richard at learning to love again. But just like the main character, he had found his way into love once more.

Stop crying, he thought to her. Please, please, please stop crying. Damian felt himself weaken with every tear he couldn't prevent or keep from even happening. It was only because he felt so helpless that he made no movement or sound, just hoping that just being there would be enough comfort.

A little while later, Lorey closed the book. For all its sadness, there was a happy ending.
"I know it was a children's book... but I thought you might have liked it." Here was the part where she either found out that Richard had been obliging her all that time or that he'd actually enjoyed himself. All she had wanted was to share something she loved with him, and maybe open him up a little more.

During this time, Damian had fallen back to sleep out of exhaustion, actually falling into a bit of a snore as he hung on to Raquel.

Inwardly, Lorey heaved a sigh of relief. It had been a very good choice, and Richard seemed to have actually calmed down and unwound while they sat together. She felt a little sleepy, too.
She tilted her head back to look at him as he nuzzled her neck, giving him a smile.
"I love you. Every time I look at you, I'm reminded of how I can trust some people. Really trust them, and know that when they say they're going to do something, they do it."