"As long as you let me sing at you in there," Meer said, in a predictably sing-song voice, "We'd never forget your birthday. Sarah's as considerate as I am stubborn." She laughed, but it was also how she genuinely felt: Sarah was soft and caring and gentle, and Meer was all sharp-edges, the Trelawney sister most likely to get in a fight. Between them, there was no escaping a birthday or sisterly concern.

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