"Hm." Strange that she had to consider the question; it felt as if months had flown by without her noticing. Too, the months before her sister's arrival had been uneventful, lonely ones. When Fiona had arrived, it felt like waking up from a long and dreamless sleep, as if that was the moment she had truly arrived, herself. Her brow furrowed as she thought back, fighting rising frustration at her own failing memory. "I moved in around Christmas," she said, thinking aloud. "So almost a year, I guess." She laughed, shaking her head once more, bobbing more fervently in the water. "Time flies."
She found his choice of wording interesting: 'A pattern,' she thought, seemed a very particular way of putting the sentiment, though she knew at once what he meant. He was indeed a regimented sort of person, that was clear. She imagined a move must have been difficult for him. The thought brought an answering pang in her chest, her heart going thoroughly out to this relative stranger. "It's good you have someone here you know," she said. "That makes any transition smoother, I think. Even when your job or the city or the building itself seems weird, at least you have a sounding board who can tell you you're not crazy." She smiled, sighing softly. "I can't tell you how often my sister complains about the pizza here. A lot of other things, too, but very often the pizza."