Since they were old enough to, the two of them had been reading together. It was perfect, Franke thought: they didn't have to talk, and it involved her favorite thing--books. Phylus was nice enough company. But sometimes she thought she wanted something a little more.

One day, Phylus was over in her library, poking around. Uncharacteristically, they began to talk.

...and talk, and talk. And talk. And soon they weren't reading at all but having a full-blown conversation about the universe and its workings and all of trollkind and then, well, quadrants...

...And soon she was in his lap.