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Marek: Um, Reese? Is everything okay? You're kinda, um, spacing out a bit.
Reese: Who... Marek? What's he doing here? What?
Reese: Oh, um, we're just, I'm just...
Marek: I heard yelling and saw Kenik storm off. What happened?
Reese: Kenik is such a jerk.
Marek: Did he do anything to you?
Reese: He cursed at me, but whatever. He called Inalia annoying and now she's sad.
Marek: Oh... She really likes him, huh?
Reese: Yeah, I don't get it. Like, he's just rude to everyone. She's usually so, um, what's the word, confident? I don't know. She's usually really confident, or whatever, but then he comes around and she gets all quiet. I don't get it.
Marek: Well, maybe she's just really nervous.
Reese: Like scared?
Marek: Or maybe it's like, how he acts makes her nervous.
Reese: ...Like she's scared?
Marek: No, no, like how she sees him and how he's so collected and doesn't care what other people think and...
Reese: And?
Marek: And, I don't know, has there ever been a boy you liked?
Reese: No. I just listen to what Inalia says- oh.
Marek: Yeah. I think that's why she gets quiet.
Reese: Well that's stupid, everyone likes her because she's so awesome.
Marek: Yeah but when you get nervous like that it can be like everything in your head just freezes.
Reese: Has that happened to you?
Marek: Yeah.
Reese: Ohhh. Who? Was it Inalia?
Marek: No, not Inalia, haha.
Reese: Oh. If I was a boy I would definitely like Inalia.
Marek: Um, yeah.
Reese: ...
Marek: ...
Reese: So who do you like?
Marek: Well, I don't know. It feels kinda silly.
Reese: Why?
Marek: Because it doesn't seem like... she would like me.
Reese: Why not?
Marek: Well, I hang out with her a lot but I feel like it would be weird.
Reese: What would be weird?
Marek: Saying something.
Reese: I don't understand.
Marek: I know.
Reese: Um. Oh! Ok I was reading a story about there was this girl the Traveler met in his travels and she was really pretty, right?
Marek: Ok.
Reese: But she was also the count's daughter, and they had a law that said you can't call a count's daughter pretty, or say you like her. (He did like her, she was really funny I think.)
Marek: (You think?)
Reese: (That's what everyone acted like but I didn't understand why she was funny.) So one night there was a ball, and he was allowed in because he had been hired as a statesman for the count. She went out to the balcony because, I don't know, she went to the balcony. He went out there as well and they were looking over the city and the big night sky with the stars. The horizon was like, super pink that night, and the two stood next to each other. He wanted to say he liked her so bad, and call her the prettiest girl he'd seen in his travels, but he couldn't. Do you know what he did?
Marek: Um, no?
Reese: He HUGGED HER.
Marek: That's sweet.
Reese: Yeah! And like, but you get it, right?
Marek: Get what?
Reese: Well like, it was illegal to say he liked her, but it wasn't illegal to hug her!
Marek: Ohhh. That doesn't make sense. If he couldn't call her pretty, why would he be allowed to hug her?
Reese: Well that's the thing, they just didn't think to write it out!
Marek: So it was a loophole?
Reese: Yeah!!!!
Marek: That sounds like it was supposed to be a lesson in being clear with language rather than finding loopholes to hug people.
Reese: What? No.
Marek: Well what happened next?
Reese: They exiled him.
Marek: And?
Reese: And they wrote a law that said people couldn't touch the count's daughter.
Marek: Then that sounds like it was supposed to be a lesson in being clear with language rather than finding loopholes to hug people.
Reese: Ok, fine, but that's not why I am telling the story.
Marek: Well, why are you telling the story then?
Reese: Because if you want her to know you like her, but you can't say it, then HUG HER!!!!
Marek: ...Ok but that would be weird as well.
Reese: Why though?
Marek: Because... I don't think she likes me.
Reese: Oh.
Reese: Who could it be?
Reese: His person he writes letters to?
Reese: No, he said they hang out a lot.
Reese: Huh.
Reese: Well, I mean, friends hug sometimes right?
Marek: Yeah, I guess.
Reese: Then give her a friend hug, but like, ok. When I see adults, like, husband and wife hug, they hug for a long time. When I hug my friends and see friends hug, they don't hug for very long. So...
Marek: So if the hug lasts a long time then she likes me?
Reese: Maybe!
Marek: Oh.
Reese: So are you gonna try it??
Marek: Maybe...
Reese: Aw, ok. But if you do, you HAVE TO TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS.
Marek: Um, do I?
Reese: No, but I wanna know.
Marek: Ok. I may tell you. Maybe.
Reese: So you are gonna hug her?!
Marek: Um. Maybe.
Reese: Yay!!!!
Marek: Also, shouldn't you be helping Inalia instead of me?
Reese: Oh shoot.
Marek: Uh, sorry.
Reese: It's ok! Do you wanna help me?
Marek: Help you help her?
Reese: Yeah! Help me help her.
Marek: Uh, I don't know. I think I'm gonna go look for Kenik.
Reese: Oh, ok. But tell him he's a jerk.
Marek: Um, alright.

And so the two part ways. To keep it brief, Marek's journey involves a lot of following Kenik around and getting told off. We'll come back to them once something changes. For now, let's stick with Reese a while.

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