She sighs. "Yeah. Your mom seems really good, and I'm really glad you have her, and I wish more parents were like that. Including mine. I -"

She hides her face in Lucy's neck. "I didn't mean to say you or I can't criticize them, just - I feel weird, doing it too much, and I don't want to make it sound worse than it was."

“I appreciate wanting to be fair to them. Just. Also, living with them in high school does sound yikes-worthy.”

Lucy’s phone chimes a text notification.

"It was, yeah," she mumbles into Lucy's neck.

Phone noise! She makes a "mrp?" of curiosity.

Lucy checks her phone. It’s her mother texting her a link to a news article about an interesting-looking dungeon.

0: "Your mom texts you links about dungeons?" cuuuteeee???

“My mum texts me links about lots of stuff!”

-the thing she is going to do about this is cling to Lucy, apparently, though she's not sure why. 

"...That's really sweet" she says after a bit.

“Yeah.” Aaaaaa now is probably a good time to change the subject. “Did you know penguins tend to think humans are also penguins?”

Oh that is sweet of her. But also "-you don't have to change the subject, sorry, I would actually love to hear about you and your mom. And also, you told me you'd say hi to her for me via text!"

“Oh right!”

Thanks! Cara says hi!!!

(Happy Cara wiggles.)

Hi Cara! Are you drinking enough water?

Huh. Is she? 

"I. might be? I don't think I have a headache right now..."

(And then she gets warmfuzzyhappysad all at once, and doesn't really know what to do with that, so she squeezes Lucy a bit harder.)

Good question! Thanks for asking.

“Haru can we have some more water please?”

"On it." He brings them a couple glasses of water.

Cara waits with bemusement to see if she is going to be handed a cup or be watered. (She's fine with either, really.)

He's handing it to her!

Right now Lucy is too busy chugging her own glass to attempt to water Cara. This may change!

Awww It'll happen again, no need to be silly about it. "Thank you!", she tells Haru brightly.

She drinks her water carefully, mostly because she knows if she chugs it she is going to spill on Lucy.

We are freshly watered. Thanks!

Lucy texts once her own water is gone.

Give Haru my gratitude for taking care of her. And ruffle Cara’s hair for me iff she’s okay with that.

“Mum says thanks for looking out for me.”

Cara is blushing but she does also manage to mumble "Yes I am okay with that and also your mom is really nice."

"Tell her 'you're welcome'."

Haru says you’re welcome and Cara says you’re nice.

Hair-ruffle.

She leans into it and with a bit of effort manages to make a normal and non-weird happy noise about it.

Thank you, Cara! I try