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Chani'd been in Ravenwood for several days now, growing more and more lonely and depressed by the minute. None of her old friends could find anything to cheer her up. Right now she was sitting by the house she'd grown up in, skipping stones in the nearby pond idley. She missed her friends. She missed Deiter. She missed her tavern. She sighed and kept her face down as Arrakis approached again undoubtedly to cheer her up.
"Hey little one..." He sat down next to his sister. "You okay?"
She eyed her brother with a forced weary expression. "Yes, brother, I'm fine."
He bit his lower lip, gesturing in the direction he'd come to her. "Y'know, Li's been wondering about you. He uhm... Wanted you to come down to the winding mile with me n' Locke."
She looked her brother straight in the eye. "The winding mile? Why?" She craned her neck and looked around, scanning the brush. "Locke! Get out here!"
Locke emerged from the bushes with his hands up, grumbling. "Damnit all, how do you do that Chani?!" He grinned good naturedly and stooped down in front of her. "Li's been all edgy about his grandaughter coming in from Moonlast. The gal doesn't have any family left but him, so she's stuck in this little knothole until he think she's up to leaving. He wants 'er to make some friends well she's around, so figured better have you around to keep me n' Arrakis outta trouble."
Chani looked uncertain. "Er... Well...
Locke shrugged. "Aw c'mon girl! It's better then sitting around here moping, eh? I mean, Chani... If anybody can sympathize with you right now it's me n' Arrakis. But gimme a break, is it gonna do you any good to just sit here and howl at the moon?"
So the three of them set off to the mouth of the winding mile, where the rangers spent much of their time. There they met Li and his grandaughter Lynae.
Locke's jaw dropped immediately as he saw Lynae. He'd heard she was a very pretty girl, but not like this! He looked over at Arrakis and saw him staring as well.
Lynae looked to her grandfather, then to the three rangers, then back to Li again. She was quietly twiddling her thumbs, apparently rather edgy. Her eyes, as bright a green as Li's and as wide as a doe's, were focused on something distant. Distracting herself, she reached back and adjusted the long, elegant copper braid her hair was in. She then looked to Li as he introduced her.
Li cleared his throat. "Lynae." He gestured to each of the rangers in turn. "This is Arrakis Ravenwood, his sister Chani Ravenwood, and..." He smirked at his favorite student. "The idiot on the end with the dazed grin is Locke Foresthide." Locke's face flushed deep red as he clamped his jaw shut and looked at his boots.
Lynae offered them all a reclusive smile. "It's nice to meet you all."
Chani smiled, finding she liked Lynae already. They were akin in some manner at least, feeling rather alone. Maybe they could become friends. She looked at Locke, smirked, and flicked his tapered ear. "Stop staring Locke!"
Two more days passed and Chani and Lynae had indeed become good friends, spending a lot of time at the Ravenwood home just talking and skipping stones. Arrakis and more often Locke popped in occasionally too, but for now the two girls were alone.
"So Chani, tell me more of this Deiter..."
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