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"Any chance you can tellto last?"

"Until we have the anse require"

FIFTEEN

TARVER

SHE STAYS CRUMPLED ON THE BLANKET, and I deliberately putter around, giving her a little ti about Lilac LaRoux over the past few days, it’s that she doesn’t like to fall apart in front of people, even when it’s justified I find the razor ina couple of steps back toward civilization--a coh rasp of the blade on my skin keeps ood news around even and flat I’m confident we’ve left our feline friends behind in the forest I’ve found burrows that tellwill end up in rasses that I foraged is bound to yield up so Lilac a break froht cheer her up

But now there’s a horrible weight in the pit of , sweating, how dilated her pupils were Hallucinations can be a sign of a nu that in Lilac’s case, it’s sih to make it across the ht be able to get some variety into your diet, Miss LaRoux," I say briskly, running out of things to pretend to fiddle with and sinking down beside her "When they terraforoes in is edible, more or less Once you’re on a steady diet of ration bars, your definition of ‘edible’ changes pretty radically, I’d say"

Her gaze flicks up tobattle isn’t what she needs right now, and in the face of suchleft that I can think of I offer her a sh she doesn’t quite s the human contact

"I’ll test theather up soht These aren’t the standard plants I usually see co, but I can’t see why the principle wouldn’t be the sarass here for a tiny fire, so we can heat up the canteen for some soup, at any rate"

She nods, which is a s to cal open the first stalk of grass--a stout, woody thing at the base, green and juicy at the tip, about the saht to her how strange it is that I don’t recognize these plants--terrafor flora and fauna are completely standard The corporations don’t mess with a forentially related to the ones I’ins to appear in tiny beads, I rub it across the sensitive skin on the inside of ?" She’s still subdued, but at least she’s looking at so for an allergic reaction If it doesn’t h to round two, the taste test"

She nods, watching ain "There’s a dip in the land to the east, looks like a river We’ll cross over and follow it across the plains so we’ve got plenty of water We can even wash, if you like, make ourselves presentable for when the cavalry arrive"

She bows her head and takes a deep breath "I expect you to check it thoroughly forin it"

Pay dirt, it’s a joke I’ like an idiot, more than her attempt at humor deserves She doesn’t seem to notice "Space crocodiles are no problem," I say "You just tickle them under the chin and they roll over I was posted to New Florence last year, and I uy who kept one as a pet, shipped it hoe He punched airholes in his bag, and the croc made it just fine"

She treatssoer, we can leave the voices behind She can get so That’s whatat the thought of home--it’s why I need to try not to think about ht happen tolike this, with time to remember gling crocodiles What adventures you’ve had, Major," sheout

"Well, I’ve seen plenty of places in the last couple of years, but not h my piles of plants "Look at these" I hold up a handful of small, delicate floith purple petals that stand out unevenly against a brilliant yellow center Their underside is the sarass of the plains, so that when they close as the sun goes down, they can hide "Just like us, a little ruht, yes?"

She breathes out slowly as she reaches for the here" She picks one flower out ofmine as she does The one she’s chosen is warped, two of the petals growing together, asymmetrical I realize she’s probably never seen the imperfect beauty of the natural world