"It's not an over-exaggeration when it's true, Anna-banana." Laura wasn't one to talk, of course, always running a few minutes late. Time was a relative concept for all of them.
Anna's mention of more important matters made the grin on Laura's face fade and flicker for a moment, until she forced herself to grin again. With werewolves for a family, hiding emotions hadn't been a skill she'd learned until her early 20s, when she'd first moved away to college. And then she'd grown adapt at it, hiding things from her family when she came home during breaks, hiding things from Derek when he was living with her, hiding things even now. Surprisingly, it had been Talia's help that made it possible, and Talia only considered it part of training for Laura's future role.
Now, it came in handy, when she could affect a nonchalant attitude regarding the stuff going on and act like it wasn't that big of a deal, rather than the twisted knots it left inside her.
It was selfish to consider her emotions about it, when there were others suffering more. Derek, especially.
"You should use those matters to fuel your writing," Laura suggested, after a moment of silence, realizing her sister was waiting for her. "Isn't that how writing works, anyway?
"But wait - don't answer yet. We have to order food. Quick, look through your menu and figure out what you want."
Laura waved their waitress over and in order to give Anna a chance to decide on what to eat, kept changing her mind on her order, eventually settling on a salad, with a steak on the side.