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"Mmm You didn’t like it much You have the foulest nize half the languages you can swear in I’lad I’m not one of your soldiers Still, it was rather educational"

"Been posted to too many places You pick stuff up from the locals, wherever the old cultures have survived" I reach up to trace her hairline withto reevaluate my opinion of you"

"Well, the context helped"

We’re quiet for a little, and I sood hand She turns her head a little in response, and I see that bruise standing out on her cheek again, livid against her fair skin I can actually see the faint iainst her skin

I’m the only one around here who could have done it I sn the sick guilt that co else "Have the whispers shown up? I reht, unless we did visit a restaurant, and you’re holding out on me I can’t tell whether it was a fever, or visions"

"The fever, I think" She hesitates, eyes flicking fro I can’t I want to press her, ask her what she’s seen, but then she shakes her head "I haven’t seen anything since the valley, and your parents’ house You did, though You called me all sorts of different people I never realized how nice it hen you just called ain as she settles closer I don’t want her to hly inappropriate I knowup a stor wildly My mother would be so proud"

"Inappropriate," sheShe sounds aainst her hair "When the cavalry coine what they’d think of this"

Yes, iirl like you would look at a guy like irl who, under any other circulance

"I have to ht, li," she replies, quick and sharp There’s a steel there I haven’t heard since the early days of our stay here "We’re staying put I’ll go back into the ship and see what I can find"

There’s soh note, full of tension It ether tomorrow, or the next day at worst"

She shifts and sits up, shaking her head, chewing on her lip again I want a little to reach after her, and pull her back down next to ood in there A few more days and I don’t think you’d be able to spendill"

"What’s in there, Lilac?" But the answer’s settling in the pit ofthe question

"It’s--you know, there’s no power or anything Everything’s gone bad, rotting" She barely gets that word out before she cuts herself off, jaw clenching as she shuts her eyes Her freckles stand out against the whiteness of her skin

That knot in ht Not everyone o back in there, Lilac Whatever you brought out, we have enough"

"Stop it" It’s a strained whisper "I’d have been eaten our second day here if it wasn’t for you Ti"

"You’ve already done that" I reach for her hand to wrapthe escape pod Let’s just stop trying to keep track of who’s saved who"

"Tarver, you’reit harder" Her eyes are squeezed shut now "It’s dark in there, and cold, and it’shere with you is none of those things But there are things we need in there If I were the one as sick--" I can see the wetness along her lashes, but she refuses to blink and let the tears roll down her cheeks What happened to her in that ship?

I breathe out slowly and try to inject soh all I want to do is hold on to her so tightly she has to give up the idea of going back in there alone "I wouldn’t go in there It’s a pretty sis in there it would be good to have What’s better is to have two people functioning What’s worst of all is to have both of us down for the count We need to be well more than we need ins to ease down beside ain, then stops She draws the Gleidel out frorip first "I suppose I ought to give this back now You should teach h I wouldn’t have knohat to do with it"

It’s a jolt to realize I was so sick I didn’t evenit down besidemy arm around her once more "Maybe when I’m a little better, and I can run to a safe distance"