bout to get fruit punched

Lore gulped, surprised at how loud the tiny sound in her throat was. Mother's words still frightened her, even if she didn't want to admit it. And she wouldn't admit it, because she wanted more than anything else to capture that sheen of pride in Thalia's eyes. "What if... what if I stay and fight and I'm focused on the fight and then something comes up from behind me?" Lore babbled quickly, looking over her own shoulder so suddenly that she startled herself. Her mother's next question brought her back out of her anxious reverie and she turned slowly back to Thalia, mulling over her answer.

"I... I was too afraid to open my eyes once I was inside," she admitted, her voice quiet and small. Would she be angry? "How can I not be so afraid?" Lore added, quickly, to try and show that she didn't mean to act like this. She wanted very badly to do whatever was correct, she just wasn't sure how to go about it. Surely her mother could show her how to do everything right the first time, so nothing like this would ever happen again.

If only.

"speech"