So I kept wanting to talk about Tierfal, only then I realized that nothing short of an entire page would give me enough room to ramble on as much as I was likely (read: utterly certain) to. This exchange pretty much summarizes our relationship:

Eltea:     Hee hee. Look at this:
              (“\(.:...:.)/”)
              RAAAR
Tierfal:  ES MONSTER
              OMG
              (runs in circles around flaming wreck of Tokyo)

By which I mean, I’m extremely strange and often act like I’m about four years old, and she’s patient enough to put up with me, and we understand each other when nobody else would. I’m almost as comfortable talking to Tierfal as I am talking to myself, and that’s saying something, because I’m an extremely private person. To the point of being paranoid. Tierfal can tell you.

Anyway, we met in 2000, when I wandered into sixth grade (now you can figure out how old I am) with a mouth full of braces, mismatched socks, and a shyness that verged on terror that verged on ludicrousness. I was very frightened of Tierfal and her self-confidence (exactly what I lacked), but in spite of the fact that we were somewhat different from each other then, we became close friends. In the years since, we’ve changed each other enough that we’re like two sides of the same person - she’s the assured, organized, responsible one, and I’m the hapless, stubborn, hyperactive one. In both writing and life, we complement each other perfectly - we’re extremely similar with just the right differences to get along. I seriously cannot remember how I existed before I knew Tierfal. I must have been very, very lonely. I seem to recall that at lunchtime, I would either read in a corner or walk around and around the playground balancing on the wooden rim. I now read very fast and am good at balance beam, but that’s still not as cool as knowing her.

Now, you’ve probably noticed by this time that I tend to talk about Tierfal as though I’m in love with her. Some people may suspect that I am, considering how much we joke about it. (And the funniest thing is that, even if they’re pretty sure we’re joking, there’s probably just that little doubt…) And it’s true that if I was a boy, I wouldn’t be typing this - I’d be outside her window with flowers. However, hopefully you’ve noticed that I’m not a boy - so I’m just platonically in love with her, because she’s one of the kindest and smartest people I know and basically half of my soul. You might as well check out her website, because if you want to be my friend, you have to be her friend too. It wouldn’t work otherwise - it’d be like trying to be friends with only one of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde without the other.

Okay, that was the worst analogy I’ve ever made.

Let’s try again. It would be like trying to be friends with only one of Raggedy Ann and Andy without the other. JUST ONE DOESN’T WORK, IT’S TWO OR NOTHING. But yeah. If we were in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I think she’d actually be Mr. Utterson, the sensible guy, and I’d be Dr. Jekyll who’s slightly crazy, and me PMS-ing would be Mr. Hyde. Though the fictional pair we’re most similar to is probably Elizabeth and Jane from Pride and Prejudice, with her being the former and my being the latter. She’s the witty, spunky protagonist, and I’m the bright, naïve sidekick/sister. Together, we’re unstoppable.

And much love to Tierfal, because I know you’re reading this. ;)