300
There was one good thing about the rain. Even amongst the Waste, everything was green it seemed. Slender fingers moved out beside her, absentmindedly plucking at the grass blades. This day mildly reminded Ryan of when she had spoken to Hybrid about Valkyrie; it had been raining that day as well, though the weather hadn’t reverted to mist like it had done now. She still remembered his denial at first, but it felt nice to have the truth in the open. With all the things Ryan was facing now, veiling the truth about Valkyrie’s father was the last thing the Inferni woman had needed on her shoulders.
Her crimson gaze lifted to the soft, light voice, studying the young girl’s frame in attempts to recognize her. Ryan knew she had never met her before, but it was obvious she was a member of the clan. In fact, Ryan wouldn’t have been surprised to hear that they were somehow related. "I’m Ryan," returning the greeting, she took a closer look at the girl. She noted the blood red gaze – a common trait, it seemed, among the coyotes of Inferni. "Gabriel must have accepted you," she observed, voice friendly and light. Though Ryan was torn with what to do with herself, she tried her best to disguise the melancholy.
"Do you have family here?" Both girls had left off their surnames, mostly, Ryan felt, because their meeting was colloquial. The mention of de le Poer always made Ryan feel as if she were introducing herself to a loner at their borders. Even that still seemed strange to her – the formality and technicality. Ryan had been neglecting her post lately, but maybe Gabriel had been too busy with his own life to notice. She would try harder. After all, she owed it to the clan.