[ of course. of course he didn't understand. how could he? her brow falls - not from painful memories but in preparation for the conversation to come. ]

...the Mountain Dogs no longer take Rika's life. The circumstances that led to her death have changed, for the most part.

[ she takes a small step back, preemptively and unconsciously distancing herself from the closest thing she has to a father figure. ]

No matter how perfectly I remake them.