Lizbeth was oddly inexperienced in having friends for someone her age. While the first half of her life was spent with her classmates keeping her at a distance, the last few years had been spent with Lizbeth keeping them away. There had been a few friendly acquaintances here or there, but for the most part, she couldn’t let herself take the risk that Milo might try to hurt them. She was fully prepared to keep her head down and to herself once they arrived in Scarlet Oak – at least until she met Alanna. There was something about the other woman that made her feel like she wouldn’t judge her, even when she was at her most ridiculous. Though she had been extremely careful to make sure that Milo never knew that she had a friend in the complex, it had taken all of two visits to Alanna’s apartment before Lizbeth put a ward on her against any curse her brother could dream up. She had nearly gone crazy with worry when Alanna had gone missing for days; there was no convincing her that Milo hadn’t had a hand in it, at least not until she had heard what had happened on the news. She never pressured her friend to give her details of what had happened, though she made it more than clear how happy she was that Alanna was safe and (relatively) sound.
Lizbeth bounced all the way to the other woman’s apartment. Clutched to her chest were all the ingredients to make macaroni and cheese. She felt as though she had been walking on a cloud since her meeting with Liliya. Even despite working a double the day before, she felt as though nothing could possibly darken her mood. At exactly ten minutes since she sent off her last text, Lizbeth was knocking on Alanna’s door. She barely had time to pull up a bright smile in greeting before she had to fumble her way quickly through the crack that was held open for her. “Come on, Callalily, you know you wouldn’t last five minutes outside.” Lizbeth skittered off to the kitchen to set down lunch so she could properly great Alanna’s cat. It took her all of a half-second before she returned to the animal and forced her on her back for a full body rub. “You’d be scratching at the door, begging Alanna to take you back.” She laughed at her friend’s pet before releasing her and turning a bright smile to the other woman. “How was your weekend?” Yes, she was bursting with the urge to tell Alanna about meeting Liliya, but it wouldn’t be like her not to ask how someone else was doing first. At this point in the conversation, Lizbeth would have already made her way over for a hug, but after the first time she had jumped Alanna for one and the other woman had gone stiff as a board in her arms, she had realized that hugging wasn’t something that Alanna enjoyed. So instead, she went over to the kitchen and started lunch for the two of them.