Veronica's eyes drifted away from the starry sky to take in her friend, who stood tall on his very own shoulders, even as he shrunk himself into his pockets โ in fact, it seemed like every time Ellis found his way back to Briar Glen, he looked a little less like the dreamer boy engraved in the fabric of her memory, and more like his own man, seasoned by these stories of distant lands he brought back with him. "Rings now, really? On Jupiter? Most peculiar, that was never described in what literature I've read." Most likely it was the outcome of novel observations from abroad. The pettiest sense of envy reared its head at her. "Darn it, Davenport โ I'll soon look oh-so-common next to you, with all the foreign knowledge and adventure you're no doubt amassing for your repertoire." Though she hoped her smile conveyed the truth of it, really โ that she was happy for him, and glad to see him again. "Not soon enough." She sighed, leaning into the railing with arms crossed. "I swear, if I have to endure one more fortune-hunting lord droning on about my so-called charms, I might just fling myself into the punch bowl and drown my sorrows in fruit and brandy."