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((The Mon/Wen/Fri Double -- page 1 of 2))
"Oh, is that right?" said Lynnette, and she returned the favor by giving Gina's upper arm a quick squeeze. "Hmm."

Gina didn't back away. "Don't say a word. I already know."

"I wasn't going to say anything."

"Then don't think anything, either."

Lynnette just laughed. It was true that compared to her, Gina really was just skin and bones. "Are you sure you're getting enough to eat?"

"I've always been a light eater," said Gina. "It's hard to make myself eat more. I don't like feeling too full."

"Mm," hummed Madison, who had wandered closer again to help with the apparent body inspections, "sounds like a pretty good problem to have."

"Yeah," Lynnette agreed, "I wouldn't say that out loud too often, if I were you. You're liable to make your fellow women resent you."

"I--ah... hmm."

Madison held an index finger up to her own chin while she poked and prodded Gina's face and neck. "If you exercised more, I bet you'd build an appetite faster."

Gina groaned. "I hate exercising..."

"That's the wrong mindset," said Lynnette. "There are lots of different types of exercise. I'm sure you could find something you enjoy."

"And when you start seeing results, you'll enjoy it even more," added Madison, still prodding.

Gina finally batted Madison's hand away. "Agh, you're both into fitness?"

Madison gave a light shrug. "Well, I haven't had much else to do lately, so..."

That was something Lynnette wanted to know more about. "Why are you here, by the way?"

"Oh, that's a long story," said Madison, "but, um, well--"

And with Gina's approval and occasional assistance, Madison explained her unique circumstances. She was in hiding from something called "Andalero"--a mysterious group of highly influential people whom she had apparently pissed off badly enough to want her dead. Roman had rescued her in Steccat and brought her here to Atreya--and ultimately, to Warrenhold.