ELRETH
When they'd finished laughing, Elreth rubbed Rika's arm. "Look, I love that you're thinking about him and about us, and seriously, if you can deadpan like that you're going to fit in just fine. But… please don't worry about Gar. I mean, I get it, he's huge. But he's like Dad—he's always been scary when he's mad, but you really can trust him. And with Gar, even when he was at his worst he was always self-destructive, never trying to hurt others… though you could have fooled me at times," she growled at the end.
Rika nods. "I know," she said, smiling wider. "I thought Gar was silly about needing to get married before we slept together. But something shifted for me. I trust him, now. I can feel it."