Complete Private It’s Been a Long Time Coming

[Luthien]

 

𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙲𝙷𝙽𝙴𝙸𝙳𝙴𝚁'𝚂 𝙲𝙰𝙻𝙸𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙽𝙸𝙰 𝚁𝙴𝚂𝙸𝙳𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴
𝙲𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚂𝚔𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝟷𝟶:𝟹𝟶𝙰𝙼

"Whoaaa..." She’d known Ronja’s family was quite loaded, that much had been apparent whenever the girls had facetimed one another for conversations and Val had earned glimpses of the interiors of Ronja’s home. It was another thing entirely to actually see the residence as the Uber pulled over, the admiration clear in her voice as she glanced out the window.

　

 [ Ronja  ]

 Riemenschneider's Residence has been shared.​

　

Ride just pulled over and damn girl ​

　

Your looks a m a z i n g ​

​

It didn’t took long for the blonde to take out the large suitcase she’d prepared for the occasion, though the contents within had left ample room for whatever trinkets and souvenirs the blonde decided to purchase and take back home on her return. The flight itself had been exhausting, as traveling often seemed to be, but whatever tiredness clung to her during the ride over had been replaced entirely by the fact she’d be meeting Ronja—the real Ronja—face to face in just a few moments.

A small nod of appreciation and a wave were given to her Uber rider before she watched them drive away, taking a moment to rate them with five star for their amicable service, before she patiently waited by the gate.

@Ronja

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja was just finishing another stroke of her piece of art. She was spending most of her early morning in her workshop, which was the only way she could keep her mind occupied while not being in Terrasphere. Today, she couldn't allow herself to be closed out from the reality, after all, her friend was coming!

And it didn't take long for her phone to sparkle with a notification, that made the girl quickly reach for it, holding it with both of her hands and smiling widely.

　

 [ Val ]

Ride just pulled over and damn girl

　

Your looks a m a z i n g

　

　

Thanks! ​

　

Okay, Lena will get there in a minute.​

​

Ronja then swapped the chat away the chat, calling the headmaid and telling her about the guest waiting near the gate. After warning it, Ronja started moving away on her wheelchair, trying to get to her room as soon as possible...

When the gates finally opened, a maid, tall enough to tower over Valeria, approached through the path of cobblestone that lead to the mansion by the end of it. It wasn't far by any means, and walking there wouldn't take more than a couple minutes in a good pace, but the woman's presence insisted to escort the guest in.

The maid stood quiet until Valeria approached enough. It was almost like she was a NPC, that needed a certain range to prompt a message, or maybe even to aggro.

But soon enough, the maid bowed slightly.

"Ms. Morelli."

The maid greeted with a cold stone voice, even if it didn't sound particularly harsh. No, in fact it sounded like nothing. If she were quiet, it would have the same tone, perhaps.

"Ms. Riemenschneider is eagerly waiting for you."

Gesturing for the guest to follow, the maid waited for Valeria to start moving before she started walking herself, leading the woman through the intuitive path. It didn't take long for them to get to the actual house, and as they did, Lena guided Valeria to the hall, offering to take anything she had, such as jackets or bags.

"She will be here soon. Feel free to wait at the living room."

Another gesture, even if it was clear that the living room was there. The interior was contemporary and it had an open space, making it easy to spot almost any part of the house, as long as it was on the ground floor. After 'welcoming' Valeria, Lena walked away, going upstairs.

 

[Luthien]

It wasn’t long before a couple of dings! chimed out of her phone, the smile on her lips growing as fingers tapped away another message on the screen.

　

 [ Ronja  ]

Thanks!

　

Okay, Lena will get there in a minute.

　

　

Okay, no rush~​

​

She’d switched to her camera next, making sure that Ronja’s house was visible in the background as the blonde posed for a selfie—winking with a wide smile on her lips while the hand that wasn’t holding up the phone did a peace sign next to her cheek. A happy hum echoed from the girl as she swayed in place, quickly tapping a message to go along with the picture and sending it to Ari so he’d know she had arrived safely.

The sound of the opening gates that finally caused the blonde to tuck her phone away into the backpocket of her shorts, a jittery excitement coursing through her as Valeria grabs the handle of her suitcase. "A-Ah, Lena right…?" The fact that her eyes were able to discern the woman even from a distance doesn’t register in her mind as Val nervously calls out to her.

A moment lapses where they both continue to stand in their respective spots, before the blonde finally takes a few tentative steps closer towards the head maid. It’s already a challenge to get a read on the woman, more so now with the sunlight bouncing off her spectacles and hiding her gaze away from Valeria—the Lena she’d seen during her video calls with Ronja paled in comparison to finally meeting her in flesh and blood.

"Ms. Morelli." The words almost sound foreign when spoken by the older woman, and it takes a moment before Valeria realizes she’d been addressed by her second last name. "Y-Yup, that’s me! Ahahaa, it’s nice to finally meet you…?"

Part of her immediately wished to kick herself for perhaps talking too much, her subconscious quietly alert and on edge at the inability to figure out the woman before her. Lena is the one to finally break the silence as she motions towards the mansion, the blonde opting for a nod instead of attempting to use her words a third time before she follows behind the maid.

Only the sound of the suitcase’s wheels against the cobblestone accompany them for the short walk to the main entrance, another quiet gasp of admiration leaving the blonde as she’s finally allowed to step inside. "She will be here soon. Feel free to wait at the living room." She could’ve sworn a cold chill ran up her spine as the woman spoke again, careful as she removed the verdant jacket and handed it over to Lena along with her suitcase.

"T-That’s alright, tell her there’s no rush… really!" Her hands drift closer together, fingers silently picking at one another as Valeria becomes self conscious of what she’s currently wearing. At the time it had seemed like a perfect idea, a comfy outfit for traveling and hanging out with a dear friend. Now as she stands within the foyer, gazing towards the open spaced living room she’s been directed to, the blonde can’t help but wonder if she should’ve perhaps dressed up a bit more.

Tentative steps finally take her close to one of the sofas, opting to stand close to it instead of sitting down, before her gaze seeks to distract her nerves a bit as she looks around the contemporary decor. She hums in appreciation to the stark contrast and the cool tones used, careful to remain close to where Lena last left her—the last thing she wishes is to do anything that might piss off Ronja’s head maid and bodyguard.

@Ronja

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

For most of Val's questions and words, Lena responded with quiet nods and grunts. Far more reserved in her usual retort, compared to when Ronja's girlfriend had took her visit.

Ronja tried to not let her friend wait for too long. Especially when she would probably be dealing with the typical problem Lena caused to any guest that she has never met before. If anything, at least she probably would be less harsh considering it wasn't her girlfriend, but "just" a friend.

Not that it would make things any good, so it was enough encouragement for the woman to hurry up, getting herself ready and taking off her workshop apron before she could finally move away with her wheelchair.

The door knocked, and Ronja slipped a quick- "Coming..!" in german before she opened her door, revealing the maid.

"Ms Morelli is already waiting for you."

The maid said, taking a side step and waiting for Ronja to move so she could lead her to the living room, but the woman smiled, shaking her head and raising her hand as if to gently dismiss the help.

"Thank you very much... Lena. I will be going... by myself."

Her confidence was higher than before, even more than the time Nico visited her on the hospital, and even from the time she visited her own home. She knew she could do it by herself now instead of letting others get to her, and the determination made the maid pause for a moment, nodding in acknowledgement for the woman's choice.

"I will be taking care of the house, then."

Getting to the elevator, Ronja quickly made her way to the living room, with her finally appearing on her friend's sight, glancing around for a moment and brightening up as she approached, with a big smile that contrasted with her more lethargic brim in her eyes.

"Val... It is really you..."

She giggled faintly, looking at her friend.

It was those feelings all over again, of seeing someone she had met in Terrasphere, but this time in flesh and bones right before her eyes.

The second person she had invited home too, after so long.

She approached her friend as much as she could, looking up at her with a sparkly gaze, before opening her arms for hug. "How was the trip... All the way here..? I hope it didn't trouble you..."

 

[Luthien]

She couldn’t help but admire the view that the floor to ceiling high windows provided of the outdoors, a small ‘o’ shape on her lips as Valeria scanned the parts that she could see from here. It wasn’t a secret for her that her friend’s family was quite well off, though part of her realized perhaps she hadn’t quite understood how well they’d actually been doing for themselves.

Anyone that laid eyes on this would no doubt think that her friend was very fortunate, lucky even, to have been born with what plenty of people would say was a silver spoon in her mouth…

"Val... It is really you..."

A soft and familiar voice had finally snapped the blonde out of her own thoughts. The light jolt of her shoulders as she’d spun around showed she’d been surprised a bit, while a myriad of emotions swam within her gaze as she focused on the brunette. Life truly was a cruel mistress. Always rewarding and favoring those that didn’t deserve it, while kicking down and causing strife for the few good souls that deserved so much more than they got.

The faint giggles caused a warm smile to pull at her lips, whatever internal conflicts she currently held with life and its unkind treatment to her friend momentarily forgotten.

"Ronja…"

There was a small awkwardness that always accompanied meeting someone dear to you face-to-face for the first time, that sliver of uncertainty that they might not like you—the real you—once all the barriers were down and the curtain finally drawn. The nerves that accompanied it had been persistent within the pit of her stomach since the plane had landed, but the moment Ronja opened her arms for a hug she felt them being swept away.

"It's so good to finally meet you like this!"

Her steps had quickly closed the distance between them, arms wrapping around her friend for a tight embrace as a sense of relief washed over her—it had taken a long time, too long if the blonde was honest, for them to finally meet. "It was alright, slept through most of it really." Two things often held true for red-eye flights. One, it was easier to pass airport security and board them considering not many fancied being awake at such ungodly hours. Two, they were often peaceful enough for fliers to catch up on their lost sleep until they arrived at their destination.

Reluctantly at first her arms finally let go of Ronja as she pulled back from their hug, the ponytail she wore her hair on swaying softly from side to side. "Don’t say that, it wasn’t any trouble at all… and even if it had been I’d do it again just to get a chance to spend time with you~"

@Ronja

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Val's embrace was returned with as much warmth by Ronja, that held her friend dear in the hug that lingered. It was like finally meeting someone that you have been missing, except in this case, they had never met in person in first place, which made the feeling strangely unique, and maybe even more special. Ronja was slightly used to it already, but it still felt nice.

"It really is... I'm glad we could finally meet." It sure felt much more different than in-game, and even more different than on voice calls. Still, the sense of familiarity and of new faces was rather ticklish on her feelings.

The hug slowly parted, and Ronja knew better than to let it linger even longer and leaving it in an awkward note, even if she didn't want to let it go either. "Slept all the way through it..? Well... At least you will be all awake now." She smiled, and her cheeks flushed as her friend dismissed the possibility of it being a trouble, but not only that, considering it would be worth to deal with, if it meant they would spend some time together.

"Thank you... I am glad you think that way..."

She clasped her hands.

"Maybe... Someday I can convince Lena to let me... Visit you... And Nico... Maybe Harper too... But I don't know where she lives..." She wondered about it for a moment, but then calmed down, turning her chair for a moment.

"Why don't I show you around..?" She suggested.

 

[Luthien]

Her fingers squeezed Ronja’s back fondly as the brunette clasped them, a bright smile on her face as she nodded in affirmation to her friend’s earlier statement. "Fully rested and ready to spend the day away with you~" She hadn’t wanted to miss anything after waiting so long for this moment, so she’d made sure to spend her time wisely before arriving.

"Oh that would be amazing!" The thought of Ronja visiting her back home was thrilling, though she was quick to add a small clause to it. "So long as it’s not in the dead of winter, all the good places close early then and the cold can be quite the drag when going outside."

Perfect to stay holed up in her room with some hot cocoa for sure, but that was about the extent of it really—she doubted Ronja would enjoy that experience too much. "Y-Yeah, visiting them would be great too." Her voice tripped at the mention of Nico, she’d heard nothing from her after Ari’s accidental food poisoning, before the blonde recovered quickly.

"You know, now that you mention it, I’ve no idea where in the world Harper lives either…" Or her IRL name for that matter, there were plenty of things about the tigress Valeria was just now realizing she didn’t know despite enjoying her company in-game.

The suggestion of a house tour quickly caused those thoughts to be forgotten, a smile on her lips as Val nodded. "I’d love it, but only if it’s not too much trouble." She hadn’t missed the dark shadows underneath Ronja’s eyes, or the way her words seemed to come in between breaths as the brunette spoke. The last thing she wanted was to cause unnecessary stress on her friend, Valeria wanted this to be a time they both enjoyed without exhausting Ronja past her limits.

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

A brim of excitement ran across Ronja's eyes at the positive response Val had regarding a visit to her house. Of course, she didn't miss the more reserved reaction about Nico, but it wasn't for no reason... Ronja had allowed it to slip her mind for a moment, and made things momentarily awkward, but she didn't allow it to linger.

"I will find it out someday..." She chuckled faintly, gesturing for her friend to follow. "Come with me... Let's star with the interior... And then I can show you the backyard..." Which wasn't exaggeratedly big, but it had a very respectful size and even a garden.

Her smile perked up once again, and she turned around with her wheelchair, leading her friend deeper into the house, going past the first turn, and reaching for a door. "This is the multimedia room..." She said, pushing the door open, revealing a spatious room with two parts: the first half had shelves with books, and poufs and armchairs. The books weren't academic at all, more inclined for entertainment. On the second half, it had couches and armchairs in a mini 'cinema', with a large screen and several devices, including some video-games.

"We made it a small library too... But we have book shelves through all the house..."

The ones scattered around the house, however, were more decorative than anything else.

 

[Luthien]

"Imagine if it turns out that Harper lives close by, wouldn’t that be hilarious?" A soft chuckle escaped her lips at the thought, reminded of the surprise she’d received herself upon learning that Vashti had only been a couple doors down from her own home all along. "The chances might be low… but certainly not impossible."

A nod was given when the tour began, the smile that perked up the brunette’s face mirrored by Val as she followed her. "Lead the way, and if you need a hand… remember I got two to spare~" There was a playful lilt at the end of her words, but she wanted to make sure her friend was aware that she could rely on her help if needed.

After all, that’s what friends are for.

She made sure to stick close to Ronja without actually intruding in the space required for the wheelchair she was maneuvering as they went, small hums of appreciating escaping here and there as she took in the decor around the space. "Whoa, I’ve seen pics and vids of people’s cinemas in my social feed before… but man, nothing compares to actually seeing it live." The space alone that the double room occupied was already impressive enough, not to mention the attention to detail and the large selection she could spot on the shelves.

@Ronja

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja giggled at the idea. "It would be an amazing coincidence..." She mused about it, wondering if the tigress would be that close. In fact, she even wondered how Harper was outside of the game, was she that passionate and ferocious? She did know she was a judo practitioner, so perhaps...

"Thanks..." She looked to her friend with a small smile when she offered help in case Ronja needed. Hopefully she wouldn't need that much help, but Ronja knew it wasn't bad to ask for some, if she really needed it.

Val's reaction to the room made Ronja let out a faint chuckle.

"It is probably because this one... Is a little bigger than the usual..." She tapped her hand on the wheel of her chair. "I need some space to move in our rooms..." Ronja explained briefly, moving closer to the couch, and resting a hand on its arm.

"We can watch or play something... Later... If you want..." Ronja offered.

 

[Luthien]

She wasn’t one to believe in coincidences… and yet it seemed that her life was littered with them no matter where Valeria looked. Part of her preferred to think that it was the strings of fate that had brought them all together, and the little “coincidences” that played out were a byproduct of that.

"Who knows, the world’s smaller than we think." Maybe not, but it certainly felt that way as the years went by and technology continued to shorten the gap that once existed between them all. Suddenly having friends on the other side of the world wasn’t as wild of an idea as it would’ve been during the time her grandparents had been children themselves.

The smile that Ronja gave her was returned in full as the brunette acknowledged her offer to assist, though nothing else was said about the matter after that. She was content to follow her friend as they explored the house together and, when Ronja explained the reasoning behind this room being quite large, the blonde nodded in understanding. "Yeah, that definitely makes sense."

Even the most compact set of wheels would still need enough room to maneuver correctly, a detail that Valeria hadn’t properly thought about until now. Now Valeria could see the entertainment room wasn’t the only place that had taken the care to make itself comfortable for her friend. Whoever had been hired to design and build this house had made sure to keep it open and spacious, without compromising the overall layout and style of the structure. Even the hallways she’d seen so far were wider than the norm, but that detail had gone unnoticed to Val until now.

"Your parents really care a lot for you." A gentle smile accompanied her words as she looked at Ronja, before she nodded enthusiastically at the idea proposed by her friend. "That sounds like the perfect plan, really~"

@Ronja

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

"It is." Ronja reminded herself of when she was surprised by the fact Nico and Val knew each other, and that brought a faint smile to her lips. "It really is..."

She nodded, not only to that fact, but also for the mention of her parents, that did make Ronja to avert her eyes for a moment, but not in a dismissive and a negative way. "They really do..." Her eyes then returned to her friend's, with a faint giggle escaping her lips. "... Sometimes, more than they should..."

The woman tilted her head. "As you could see... With Lena..." She already guessed that her headmaid wasn't particularly the most welcoming one, which was essentially the only professional flaw she had.

"... She didn't cause you any trouble... Did she..?" Ronja asked, wondering if Val wasn't mistreated. After what had happened to Nico, Ronja had a very serious talk with her maid- Probably the most serious talk she had ever had with her.

Something that even prompted calls with her parents... And it was something she wished she could have avoided.

 

[Luthien]

"Better to have parents that care, even if they’re overbearing at times—" She didn’t miss the way Ronja’s eyes shifted as the conversation turned towards her parents. It was a topic they’d never discussed much between them, though from what Val could tell it didn’t seem like Ronja had a terrible relationship with them. "—than one who couldn’t care less about the wellbeing of their child."

A low chuckle escaped at the mention of Lena, there was no denying that her aura was quite intimidating—if not downright frightening—but considering Ronja was living out here by her lonesome, and her own physical condition, well… Valeria couldn’t fault her friend’s parents for caring so much. "Nah, she wasn’t any trouble at all."

Sure, the woman had a look on her face that could kill, but for all Val knew that was just Lena’s default expression—it wouldn’t be fair of her to gripe about the headmaid because she didn’t smile. An involuntary shiver ran along her spine at the thought, somehow the blonde wasn’t sure if she wanted to be in the room the day Lena cracked one of those…

"She’s concise and straight to the point," Neither of them were terrible qualities to have, although a part of her wondered if the woman had a different side to herself when it was only Ronja and herself. "It’s very clear she cares a lot about you… but man, I pity the fool that gets on her bad side."

@Ronja

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja smiled softly at the words, nodding faintly. "Yes... I love them... They can just be a little too much at times..." She said, not hinting any distaste at it, just the mention of the mild convenience that it caused once in a while, and most likely it would increase now that she was actually inviting people to her home.

Relief washed Ronja's chest at the reveal that Lena seemed to be a bit more under control this time. "That's good... She bothered Nico so much..." She sighed, shaking her head and looking at Val.

"She does... I know her since very young... She is..." Ronja wondered if it was appropriate, deciding it didn't matter if it was or not right away. "... a family... By now..."

A nervous chuckle escaped Ronja's lips at the mention of a fool getting on her bad side, and so quietly, almost as if she was speaking to herself, Ronja muttered while looking away: "The fool will probaby be no more." And she rolled the wheels to move forward, closer to the door.

"Come... I want to show you... The rest of the ground floor..."

 

[Luthien]

Despite the tough cards that the universe had dealt her friend Val was glad to see it’d also given her a blessing here and there too. A soft chuckle escaped upon hearing Ronja lament her parents could be too much at times, a feeling the blonde knew very well while she’d lived with her grandparents. "I know it sounds silly right now… but you’ll miss it one day."

She hoped that time didn’t come soon for the brunette though, Ronja deserved to enjoy everything life could offer her for as long as possible. "Pffft, I can only imagine..." An amused snort accompanied her words upon hearing the head maid had given the pinkette a hard time, though she doubted Nico hadn’t been expecting as much.

"Only fair if you ask me," The wink she shot Ronja matched the playfulness of her quip as her steps followed behind the brunette for their home tour. "After ally our parents aren’t here, so someone had to give her the ‘new girlfriend vetoing’ treatment in their stead~"

@Ronja

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

"Hello mama..." Ronja joked at Val's words, hinting that she had heard this same talk before, except not from her friend's mouth.

She pondered about how fair it acutally was, and a sigh slipped her lips. "I only wished... Lena hadn't gone as far as she did..." There was no justification for her actions last time, which prompted a serious talk that hopefully would cease such a hostile approach from every happening again. And from what Val had told so far, it seemed that it had worked.

As she moved deeper into the ground floor, it was clear that the ground floor as a whole kept the idea of an open space. It wasn't hard to spot the dining room from afar, that had glass to divide its space from the generous gourmet space, that had a wide opening toward the exterior and with a nice and large pool on it, that as expected, had bars and other accessibility tools for it, with a third of the pool having a low depth.

"... I hope... You brought some swimsuit with you..." She chuckled faintly, letting her know that she could get to the pool during her visit.

 

[Luthien]

The smart quip from her friend’s mouth earned a snort of amusement from Val as they walked. "As if, I can barely take care of myself." Honestly there were some days that Val was actually surprised how well life had turned out for her in the grand scheme of things, though the blonde was keenly aware that she owed a large part of it to her grandparents.

"W-Wait…" At first she’d thought it had just been some light spooking, something that might’ve startled the pinkette enough to be on her best behavior, but as their conversation circled back to the topic Val couldn’t help but feel whatever she’d initially thought might come drastically short to the reality of things. "How far did she go, Ronja?"

Though she still appreciated the interior layout design and its decor it wasn’t hard to see that the blonde’s attention was focused more on their conversation, though the mention of swimsuits caused Val to chuckle softly. "Couldn’t decide on which ones to bring, so I ended up packing three~" If there was one thing she missed about the island it would be the perfect year-round beach weather it had and, while Cali wasn’t exactly in the tropics like Puerto Rico, at least it was friendlier for sunbathing and pool splashing than Michigan’s current weather.

@Ronja

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja laughed at Val's response, shaking her head and not really meddling to see how much her friend could take care of herself. Ronja herself always had to be taken care of by someone else, and she knew very little about independence. Granted, after everything that has been happening, the girl has been craving for more autonomy, and had been trying to make progress on it.

Even if it wasn't exactly fruitful.

At the concern of her friend, Ronja sighed, glancing her her. "It is better... For you to not know..." She adviced, and by that, she didn't open her mouth to elaborate further no matter how confused Val looked, even if she felt a bit apologetic about it.

When the girl revealed bringing three swimsuits, Ronja's eyes widened, slightly sparkly. "Oh... You came really prepared..." Her smile was big and warm. To think her friend was that excited!

"Let's make sure... You will wear all of them..." She clasped her hands together. "We will have a lot of fun..."

 

[Luthien]

The confusion she felt must’ve been plastered all over her face, enough so that the brunette offered Val an apologetic smile in return, but it was clear Ronja was unwilling to share anything further about the topic. "... something tells me I should be really grateful Lena and you had that talk." The head maid was already intimidating enough as it was, and she’d rather not go through any nightmare inducing scenarios while visiting her friend.

"You know it," A wide and cheeky grin was given as Ronja commented about her preparations, winking in return as the blonde continued to follow. "Nothing beats lounging at the pool when it comes to relaxing~"

After all, the goal of this trip was for the girls to unwind and relax away from the troubles and dangers that lurked within their favorite VR game. Not that this would be hard to do, Val already enjoyed spending time with Ronja ingame anyways—and the blonde was certain that wasn’t going to change just because they were sharing IRL time together now.

"Hey Ronja, what’s your favorite treat?"

@Ronja

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja smiled awkwardly. Perhaps it was truly a good idea that they had a talk.

"It really doesn't... The pool is really nice..." It was also a place she could move with much more autonomy. She could even 'walk' for a long time without any assistance.

"Ice cream is really... The best..." She admitted, always loving the frozen sweet, being a big sweet tooth herself. It helped to wake her up, on top of being incredibly tasty. "... Can you believe... Lena makes... a wonderful ice cream..? She has this meanie face..." Ronja's expression suddenly shifted to a scowl, to emphasize Lena's expression.

"But she makes really sweet things..." Ronja's hands pressed together, feeling dreamy for an ice cream after they spoke.

Her eyes then locked on Val, and she returned:

"How about you..? I am sure we can have... your favorite treat today..." She wondered, wishing to know her friend's preferences too. It would help to make her feel more welcomed.