chromosomes | CONTACT ;; eachdraidh

Sometimes I'm not sure who to trust, and I think that's because of the war back home. But I do trust you.

[ Her gaze turns somewhere off-locket, quiet. ]

Maybe I'll explore this place soon. Fly by the Station and say hello.

[ His own voice lowers to match, gaze dropping. ]

I know the feeling. Both of them. But if you want to come say hi, I'll be here.

[ Except she won't get around to it. Except she'll vanish and leave a shard and there will be more questions than answers, as always. ]

I'm just getting restless. Merlin knows what my place is in all this. I knew, back in England. Maybe my parents didn't agree but I knew. It's hard when you feel like you haven't... got ownership of what's going on, if that makes sense.

[ And then her smile twists as if to say, I'm sixteen, what do I know? ]

[ And he will miss her. He will mourn the little sister, the friend, the comrade; he will keep the others closer, because he couldn't help the first one he met.

And John will never forget. ]

It makes sense. It's- honestly, it's the opposite for me. Back home, it was- follow orders, don't argue, do what they tell you no matter what you think of it. Here... I can choose, here.

[ She will, but not by choice. If she had it her way, she'd leave a letter, would never dream of disappearing without goodbye. Back home, she thinks she'll write one to her family if the Death Eaters take her. No such back-up plan here. She would be so sorry. ]

Choice is important.

[ Maybe she knows more than a sixteen year old ought. ]

We were told to do all that, follow with no questions asked. We didn't agree. [ She smiles. ] So we started a rebellion. I've never done very well with being told what to do in the first place, but more than anything, I like to know why. Still not sure I know what that is, here. Maybe I'm not asking the right questions.

[ She rolls onto her back so that she's profile to the locket. ]

If you were wondering why I couldn't fall asleep, I reckon you know now. Can't shut up.

Yeah, but you're not in the military. It's my job -- protect, serve, do what the higher-ups tell you to because they've got information that you don't. But it turns out they didn't give a shit about protecting or serving anyone but themselves.

[ And by the time it really sank in, by the time he was ready to do something about it, everyone was dead or dying. ]

I know the feeling.