do you call it, his weak point or something."
Sola slowly pulled a book from the shelf and opened it.
"Or you can just sit in here and read. It's pretty nice, means you don't have to worry about forgetting to return a book like ONCE and Dad giving one of his little speeches that start with 'I'm just a little bit disappointed in you, Miya'. Ugh. I hate those. Um."
Sola stood in front of the shelf, perfectly still, only moving to turn the page.
"I'll ... just leave you to it. I know what it's like when you really get into a book. Uh, maybe I'll go try to find Penny, apologise for this morning. Are you okay here? Do you want a cinnamon bun? Y'know ... to be going on with?"
Sola nodded slowly, still reading.
"Okay then."
Miya put a cinnamon bun on the little table between the two chairs, looked around the room, put her hands together, and then left, closing the door quietly behind herself. In the corridor outside, she allowed herself a brief triumphant smirk.
"Mission: Make Sola Happy ... huge success!"
*
"There you are! I've been looking EVERYWHERE for you, literally EVERYWHERE."
"Did you check the northern jungle? Inaccessible Bay? Did you travel to Paradise Island and the Highland and to Al-Rhal and Spirea?"
"Well, no, but—"
"Then you didn't look literally everywhere," said Penny, smiling at her friend.
"You and your fancy talking!"
"Do you want to come in now?"
" 'kay. I brought you some cinnamon buns. Some of them accidentally got eaten, though."
"Oh, thanks Miya. It's a bit close to dinner right now to have them, though. Maybe for afters."
"You're always so 'proper'!"
"Come in, anyway."
Miya followed Penny into the little cottage. It was small but densely furnished, shelves and cabinets and cupboards crammed into the hallway and kitchen, and almost every free bit of wall had something on it—paintings and carvings and decorative wall-hangings, mostly.
"Where's your mum?" Miya asked, looking at a framed painting of a town nestled amongst green hills.
"Out with Bradley, getting stuff for dinner. Want some tea? I have to light the stove anyway."
"Sure! Um, I'm sorry about being rude earlier, I didn't mean to be, I'm just really—"
"It's okay. I know what you were trying to say."
Miya flopped into a big, comfortable kitchen chair.
"It's all just so complicated," she muttered.
"If only we had a bigger navy, right?" said Penny, making sure the stove was properly lit, then closing the iron door and straightening. "Or someone that would help us."
"Yeah ... too bad everyone hates us."
"That's not entirely accurate," said Penny, as she filled the kettle.
"Are you saying there's someone that doesn't hate us?"
"No, you said 'too bad everyone hates us', but you should have said 'too bad everyone hates ... me'."
Miya's jaw dropped in mock-shock.
"Ouch!" she said. "That's kind of mean, Penny!"
"I know. It's sort of like revenge for you being rude this morning."
"Oh. Well, that's okay then."
"It'll take a while for the stove to heat up. Wanna split a cinnamon bun while we wait?"
"I knew you were going to say that. Before I said 'you're always so proper' but that wasn't entirely accurate, actually I should have said 'you always PRETEND to be so proper'," said Miya, tearing one of the buns in half. "You can have the big bit."
"That's unusually generous of you," said Penny, accepting the half and taking a very large, very unladylike bite out of it.
"It's only because I've already eaten like three this afternoon already."
"I figured as much. Hey, how are you getting on with your new brother?"
"Oh, great!" said Miya, nibbling at her half. "I mean, pretty good. I wanted to bring him around to meet you earlier, actually, but you weren't here."
"What's he like? I haven't really met any northern islanders before."
"I have, but he's kind of different to the ones I've met—you know, usually they're all, I don't know, big and friendly and smiling and laughing all the time. Sola's kind of
Sola slowly pulled a book from the shelf and opened it.
"Or you can just sit in here and read. It's pretty nice, means you don't have to worry about forgetting to return a book like ONCE and Dad giving one of his little speeches that start with 'I'm just a little bit disappointed in you, Miya'. Ugh. I hate those. Um."
Sola stood in front of the shelf, perfectly still, only moving to turn the page.
"I'll ... just leave you to it. I know what it's like when you really get into a book. Uh, maybe I'll go try to find Penny, apologise for this morning. Are you okay here? Do you want a cinnamon bun? Y'know ... to be going on with?"
Sola nodded slowly, still reading.
"Okay then."
Miya put a cinnamon bun on the little table between the two chairs, looked around the room, put her hands together, and then left, closing the door quietly behind herself. In the corridor outside, she allowed herself a brief triumphant smirk.
"Mission: Make Sola Happy ... huge success!"
*
"There you are! I've been looking EVERYWHERE for you, literally EVERYWHERE."
"Did you check the northern jungle? Inaccessible Bay? Did you travel to Paradise Island and the Highland and to Al-Rhal and Spirea?"
"Well, no, but—"
"Then you didn't look literally everywhere," said Penny, smiling at her friend.
"You and your fancy talking!"
"Do you want to come in now?"
" 'kay. I brought you some cinnamon buns. Some of them accidentally got eaten, though."
"Oh, thanks Miya. It's a bit close to dinner right now to have them, though. Maybe for afters."
"You're always so 'proper'!"
"Come in, anyway."
Miya followed Penny into the little cottage. It was small but densely furnished, shelves and cabinets and cupboards crammed into the hallway and kitchen, and almost every free bit of wall had something on it—paintings and carvings and decorative wall-hangings, mostly.
"Where's your mum?" Miya asked, looking at a framed painting of a town nestled amongst green hills.
"Out with Bradley, getting stuff for dinner. Want some tea? I have to light the stove anyway."
"Sure! Um, I'm sorry about being rude earlier, I didn't mean to be, I'm just really—"
"It's okay. I know what you were trying to say."
Miya flopped into a big, comfortable kitchen chair.
"It's all just so complicated," she muttered.
"If only we had a bigger navy, right?" said Penny, making sure the stove was properly lit, then closing the iron door and straightening. "Or someone that would help us."
"Yeah ... too bad everyone hates us."
"That's not entirely accurate," said Penny, as she filled the kettle.
"Are you saying there's someone that doesn't hate us?"
"No, you said 'too bad everyone hates us', but you should have said 'too bad everyone hates ... me'."
Miya's jaw dropped in mock-shock.
"Ouch!" she said. "That's kind of mean, Penny!"
"I know. It's sort of like revenge for you being rude this morning."
"Oh. Well, that's okay then."
"It'll take a while for the stove to heat up. Wanna split a cinnamon bun while we wait?"
"I knew you were going to say that. Before I said 'you're always so proper' but that wasn't entirely accurate, actually I should have said 'you always PRETEND to be so proper'," said Miya, tearing one of the buns in half. "You can have the big bit."
"That's unusually generous of you," said Penny, accepting the half and taking a very large, very unladylike bite out of it.
"It's only because I've already eaten like three this afternoon already."
"I figured as much. Hey, how are you getting on with your new brother?"
"Oh, great!" said Miya, nibbling at her half. "I mean, pretty good. I wanted to bring him around to meet you earlier, actually, but you weren't here."
"What's he like? I haven't really met any northern islanders before."
"I have, but he's kind of different to the ones I've met—you know, usually they're all, I don't know, big and friendly and smiling and laughing all the time. Sola's kind of
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