A/N: Shaped this out of excess material from another of my fanfics, 'The bird and her children'. It's a prequel to chapter 5 of 'The bird and her children' but can also be read on it's own.
Placed in the book universe.
"It was so nice to see you, Alma. Now that you've gotten a few charges of your own I simply don't get the chance to see you as much anymore!" Miss Nightjar hugged Alma tight, patting her cheek and smiling, basically handling the woman next to her like a child. Of course Alma was more than fully grown now, but compared to the older Ymbryne she was still a baby, and Miss Nightjar never really let go of her inner image of the child Alma had been the first time they met, either. Alma didn't blame her, though, instead relaxing and enjoying the moment of peace when no one expected her to be in charge, as they normally did.
When she was with other Ymbrynes who were older and more skilled than her, they automatically took charge, and it was so to let them do it, fading into the background like she'd always done when she was younger and shyer.
Alma smiled at the older woman at the door and nodded. She loved all her ymbryne sisters unconditionally, for they were the closest thing she had to a family, and though she called them sisters, many were more akin to mothers for her. "It was nice to see you too, Clarissa. I always miss all you other Ymbrynes when I'm out and about with my children. It get so lonely and tiresome."
Though it was not a joke Miss Nightjar laughed, clearly amused by the younger Ymbrynes confession, and Alma felt herself blushing a little, embarrassed. She felt like she was a student giving her teacher an endearing but incorrect answer to a question. "Oh dear, I promise you'll get used to it sweetie. A few more children, and you'll see that being on your own becomes the norm rather than the exception. That's how it works for all of us who do it on our own."
There's something bittersweet about the way her sister Ymbryne put the words, and Alma know, that she used to share her loop with someone once, but that now she is alone. Miss Tresh moved on and made her own loop, and though she knew there was no hard feelings between the two, she could imagine the kind of solitude it left behind.
"Unfortunately" Alma answered, frowning at first but quickly exchanging it for a small smile as to not give away what she was thinking. "But it doesn't mean I have to enjoy being alone. It's only the curse of my craft, not my choice."
She knew that she often came across as a lone wolf, but Alma was in fact a quite socially woman, who enjoyed being in the company of others. The only problem was, that many of the people closest to her had proved to be hateful and deceiving, and Alma had therefore chosen to distance herself in an attempt to protect her heart, which had come with the disadvantage of being marked as a lone wolf. The only people she still trusted with almost naive devotion, was her Ymbryne sisters, who she knew would ever come to hurt on of their own.
"Could have fooled me, darling. Goodbye, Alma, and stay safe." With the last remark, Miss Nightjar decided the conversation had been dragged out long enough, and closed her door carefully, leaving Alma alone out on the porch. She knew that she was meant to leave and return to her children, who were waiting for her at their camp on the other side of town outside the loop, guarded by another of her sisters, Miss Glassbillow, but she felt unwilling.
Walking away from a loop and a sister always filled her with a feeling of abandon and loneliness that she hated. It was her weakest moment, and though she was convinced she would be hardened in time, she could still feel her heart aching every time she went back to being on her own along with her children.
"Yet it's what you do. An Ymbryne live for her children. Without her children, an Ymbryne is nothing." Alma whispered to herself, takign a deep breath and straightening her back as she started to move, walking along the street until she finally reached the loop entrance, a shop entrance that would lead her out into a small alley on a street in Northern Swansea.