I heard that you fell in love or near enough

Anju

The knife twists at the thought
that I should fall short of the mark

Riya, who has clearly found a kindred soul in Pip, croons back in her deeper register as she obligingly dips a wing to allow the hatchling to clamber onto her back before shamelessly wandering through the open door past Koa's legs to find somewhere in the house to cuddle commune. Anju watches them a little helplessly, eternally exasperated by her sister's lack of propriety. As she glances back up at Koa's face and sees a mirrored expression on his tired face, Anju can't help the twitch of her lips at their unintentional commiseration.

Stepping neatly inside when he offers, Anju removes her shoes habitually and sets them by the wall before walking further inside, head on a slow swivel. She had shared tea with Koa's mother in the kitchen, leaning companionably against the counters under the guise of a quick chat that had never been as quick as they claimed it would be. And there, a family photo in the same frame it has always inhabited. It's almost too clean though, all comfortable lived-in signs of life removed, and though her grief will never match the depths of Koa's her own aches anew in the space between each rib. She cannot fault them for packing things away, but as it's the first time she has returned to the Carpenter residence since the Ascended attack, Anju cannot help the desire to see her friend's coat, shoes, or wallet strewn around the home.

"Tea would be wonderful." The reserved tone is clearly not directed at him given her far-away gaze, but she shakes her head slightly and forces herself to refocus as she sits in one of the chairs and pulls the other out, signaling she wants Koa to join her when the tea preparation has concluded. "You should make one for yourself. It will help with the hangover." Hydration that would also soothe his stomach, erasing any queasiness so that he might be able to eat sooner. "Ginger or lemon perhaps?" She is a black tea woman, but will gladly share in something more suited for his particular affliction.

You're frightened by my bite
though it's no harsher than my bark