Wasting my time

She listened to his account of how he ended up here. While she felt a bit of passing interest at the mention of a friend, she focused more on his question and let the hows and whys of his arrival slip from her mind as she contemplated her response. "Not a whole lot," she began, finding it difficult to decide where to fix her gaze as she nearly stumbled over her words. Normally Mara liked the idea that Inverno was entirely separate from the rest of her life. Yes, he knew she'd been a pretty horrible creature in her past, but he didn't know all of it and he didn't know much of anything about her kids. He was Vern, the new and unspoiled piece of her life that held her together these days even if he didn't know it.

But maybe it would be better to share? Why not, he asked, right? With a soft exhale, she gestured toward the den. "I used to live here. A few years ago. I had... kids. Not all of it was... ideal. But it was nice I suppose. I miss the nice parts sometimes." Less than eloquent, but, there it was.