Reviewer: It Was Me Signed [Report This]
Date: September 29 2024 5:11 AM Title: Chapter 18 - Reunion

So yeah, the reunion lived up to the hype!

I love how emotional Alice is at seeing Jordan again! Her being on the verge of tears of joy throughout the chapter is so endearing! And that the moment we see a few of those tears escape is when Jordan slips back into their old routine is absolutely perfect!

Normally I'm not big into the "little guy" trope (there's nothing wrong with it, but I feel like it's overused), but it works really well here. It's sort of a friendly teasing and a sign of affection at the same time now that Alice knows it's Jordan that's in her hand. It just feels different the way that Alice uses it here.

Back to Jordan and his slipping back into their old rapport together, it was a nice touch to let him have that moment of disorientation, those few seconds where his relief and happiness clash with his embarrassment and sense of vulnerability, only to have him get over it because it's Alice and offer her the comfort of their usual banter. In a way, he took control of the situation there, and I love that.

I also enjoyed the culmination of his quickly formed bond with Leila at the start of the chapter. That "trust jump" into Alice's waiting hands was the perfect way to show how much his thoughts about Leila have changed. He's moved by her effort to help him, and he has come to trust the person that did this to him like he would the closest of friends. It would have been really hard to see this moment happening even if you had told us outright back in the earlier chapters that it was coming, but it felt so natural here.

I also appreciate a little touch you put in this chapter. It may not seem like much, but noting that Alice adjusted her hands slightly to ensure Leila and Jordan's comfort is one of those moments that make gentle stories so great, at least to me. That she was so considerate that she wanted to make sure they were comfortable, even as the night air was chilling her a bit, and that she can offer them that comfort with such a simple, casual movement of her hands ... I can't quite explain it, but it's just so gratifying to read, and it makes me think the world of Alice. Well done!

I like that Jordan went to bat for Emily. We saw that he was empathizing with her and wanted to help her despite everything in the last chapter, but for him to calm Alice down and tell her that Emily, the person that literally just tried to keep him as a pet, isn't a bad person shows how serious he is about this. That him doing this calmed Alice down show that, deep down, she knows he's right, even if she's too pissed to acknowledge it at the moment (and understandably so!).

Emily calling out to them, apologizing and begging them not to hate her was fucking heartbreaking! Like I said in my last review, she knew what she was doing was wrong, and I still say she didn't really want to do it but felt like she had to, like this was her only chance to have a friend (and, again, maybe a lover; I'm still pushing that crush theory!). So I feel like her apology is 100 percent sincere, rather than just coming because she got caught and didn't have what she wanted anymore. And despite what she did, I do hope there are better times ahead for her.

 Back to Alice, I like that she thought about whether Leila wanted to go back to her village right away. That also had to be comforting for Leila to hear. Even if she trusts Alice completely, I'm sure there's some voice in the back of her brain yelling at her that this human is going to try to keep her. So Alice offering to take her back to the forest so that she could go home surely gave her a sense of relief and ensure that her trust in Alice was well placed.

I think this also feeds into Leila's feelings at the end of the chapter. She's so happy to see the two friends finally reunited (after no doubt feeling like shit after realizing how painful their separation was), but she also considers the risk she took in trusting Alice. I'm just glad she decided that the risk was worth the reward.

Jordan really is a smooth talker. Even if he doesn't mean to be. It was so touching for him to tell her that he's finally okay because he's with her. Her reaction was great, too. Overcome with emotion and just barely able to keep those feelings at bay with a few more teasing words. And them telling themselves that they missed each other so much, what a wonderful moment!

Another minor piece of constructive criticism (unless I missed something, which is a strong possibility): I wasn't sure how exactly Alice came to know that Emily was knowingly keeping Jordan as a pet. Maybe Jordan explained the situation telepathically to Leila before the rescue? I don't recall seeing anything like that, but maybe it was done "off screen." If I didn't miss anything, the story would have benefited from a sentence or two explaining this before Alice got upset about it.

But again, this is fairly minor in the grand scheme of things. A (potential) inconsistency in the story. It doesn't take away from how great this chapter is in the least!

Finally, am I the only one that was left wondering how Emily is going to explain to Molly and Maria how she lost her little sister's new pet?

Author's Response:

I'm glad the reunion lived up to expectations! I was worried it wasn't impactful enough or too casual but I really did want them go ease back into their banter after a moment of doubt since they're best friends and well, even if Jordan is a bit embarassed and scared, he still knows it's Alice, so he manages to get himself together to joke around a bit, with some help from Leila.

 The whole 'little guy' thing I can agree on that it's used a lot but I do love using it, whether it's for playful teasing or when they don't know what else to call the shrunken person.

Alice is the kind of person that's willing to put others before herself, especially when it comes to Jordan. She's not entirely selfless and has her own needs but she's definitely the nurturing and protective type, which she's shown several times before.

Emily definitely knew all along she was in the wrong, but seeing Alice stare at her angrily actually brought it home to her that she messed up badly, and she fears she'll be by herself again, and hated by the two friends.

I can explain how Alice knew what was up. Leila told Alice in chapter 16 that Maria and Molly were bringing Jordan back with them to keep as a pet, so she was at least aware of that part. And since Leila rescued him from Emily's room, while Emily never bothered to contact Alice, she pretty much put two and two together that Emily was keeping him. Maybe I could have shown Alice piecing it together or Leila keeping her updated through telepathic communication in this latest chapter but I wasn't sure how to keep the event flowing naturally since there wasn't that much time for discussion since they had to get out of there. But the information was laid out for her so I hope that still makes sense that she knows!

And finally, since the story isn't told from Emily's POV during this part, we're left wondering what she's going through right now and how she'll tell her family what happened (she might make up an excuse or something), though that's certainly something I can add somewhere. I appreciate the detailed review, as always!