“I’ll think about it, thanks.” Were she and Nicole still friends, even? Phoebe had never tried to look her up online. But here they were, hanging out 10 years later. “How have you been?”

“Not bad; I grabbed an Associate’s degree and managed to find remote work, so I decided to come back to Virginia. My friends were all, ‘Mal, rent a house with us!’ but after school I didn’t want to stay in Cali anymore.”

Image: Nicole from the neck up. She is smiling. End description.

“Mal?”

“Oh! You know how my middle name is Mallory? I started going by Mal in high school. Like, everyone calls me that now. Nicole felt like a name for a little girl.”

Image: Phoebe from the neck up. She is drinking boba through a straw and looks annoyed. End description.

Not only did Nicole have a degree and a real job, she had a cool nickname too! Phoebe understood at once that she would never understand fledglings or Silver or-

“So, you live around here?” Nicole- Mal asked.

“Yeah, closer to Avernus.”

Mal nodded. “Do you come to Grand Shore often? I mean, are you… able to?”

“You mean, do I still get sick all the time? No, I actually grew out of that. I haven’t been sick in years. Besides little colds and stuff.”

“Oh!” Mal’s ears perked up. “That’s awesome! I’m really glad.”



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10.09.2024
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Hi everyone. If you’re in the US PLEASE VOTE!! If you’re already registered, check your registration to make sure that it’s still active.

I also encourage people to donate to relief efforts for areas affected by hurricane Helene, and areas about to be affected by Milton. I’ll try to have donation links next week.

Palestinian aid:
Gaza fundraiser/Gofundme campaigns
Operation Olive Branch
Boycotts
Buy eSims, 2
PCRF
Taawon
Life for Gaza