[ Ah. Cue the long pause. Now is the time to turn Rise's words over again and again in her head, thinking about what the other girl has to say and what they've both been through together. ]

Sorry, Rise. It's a little late for that.

[ She turns, twining hands around a lock of hair. ]

Just because I haven't lived in your world doesn't mean I don't know what it's like. In this case, I mean... [ a shrug ]

I've been living for someone else my entire life. The reason I want to stay in Cerealia is so that I can choose for myself.