The young girl jumped out of bed. "Sensei is teaching me again. She's so fun!" The girl's Raven black hair seemed almost as animated as herself. She walked into the living room of the house she and her Sensei lived in.

"Sensei" was a woman who resembled the girl in some way, namely her hair. She smiled at the young girl. "Heya, Rose. Ready for today?"

Rose nodded. She had only lived here a few weeks, yet Sensei treated her exactly like a younger sister. "Yes, Sensei."

Sensei nodded. "Rose, I told you to only call me that in public. Here you can use my name; Riéne. Or Ms. Askati if you feel uncomfortable saying my first name."

Rose smiled joyfully. "Okay, Ms. Askati. What are we learning today?"

Riéne laughed at the young girl's enthusiasm. "My my, Rose, as eager as ever I see. Today we're learning some basic reading skills. But after, I have a treat for you."

Rose tilted her head. "A treat?" The six year old hasn't been given a treat from Riéne yet.

Riéne nodded. "Yes, a treat. I made some Rose Tea. It just needs time to cool down."

Rose's mouth opened. She had been told Rose Tea is a very uncommon tea, that's sweeter than sugar. "I want some."

Riéne chuckled. "After the lesson, Rose. Here," she handed Rose a book, "I wrote some practice lines in here for you. This notebook is important to me, so after you come back to repeat the phrases without needing to look I want it back. Okay?"

Rose nodded cheerfully. "Okay, sister!"

Riéne paled. "Did you just... call me "sister"?"

Rose tilted her head. "Yeah, why? Does Sensei not like it?"

Riéne shook her head. "No, it's fine, Rose. If you want to see me like that, it's fine with me." She smiled. "Now, go read."

Rose nodded and ran back to her room with the book. Riéne smiled at her. "Rose... I would like to call you "sister" too, but I'm afraid I can't. So stay cheerful, every day."