sometime after day 5

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Sam’s never really reached out to the Nest in general like this before, but at this point - well, he’s running out of options. The work he’s done on his mental walls has paid off, and nothing escapes his thick cloud layer except his words, and the soft hint of wind and feathers that flavors his mental link. ]

( Seems like we got a bit of down time, and I’m looking to put it to good use. I’m getting better with my symbiote ability, but I need someone who’ll let me practice it with them.

Simple explanation is that it’s healing, with a side effect that means it’s gonna hurt. Most likely for me. I can get into specifics if you’re up for it. ) [ If it doesn’t bother them or they’re willing to overlook that it means Sam getting hurt, he means, but seeing as he’s communicating with the Nest in general, he’s not gonna say that.

He already knows more than who person who is bothered by it and never seems willing to let Sam use it on them. ]

( I’ll take as many as I can get, more training can’t hurt. )

Comments

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Parker is the first person who comes to Sam's mind, as well, even though she's his own brood mate. Maybe especially because she's his own brood mate, and her distance from the Nest creates a frustrating hollowness. ]

( There's sensible reluctance and then there's stubborn jackasses who're gonna screw us all over. Haven't decided on what the line between them is. )

[adamance]

( I'd say it depends. There are those who only recognize the reality in their minds. )

[sizeofyourbaggage]

( That your way of saying there are some people with their heads so far up their asses that they only see what they want to see and ignore anything that might mean they're wrong? )

[ Cause yeah, Sam definitely agrees. ]

[adamance]

( Yes. ) [There's a long pause.] ( Though people are prone to that behavior sometimes regardless. It's the ones who are permanently stuck on that behavior who worry me. )

[Lexa may seem inflexible at times, but she had been a good commander because of her ability to balance tradition with new ideals.

She just knows now that she has to do more of the latter here if she's going to survive.]

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ And - Sam has to agree with her again, there. He wouldn't necessarily say that's he prone to that kind of behavior, but he can admit there's times that he's stubborn as hell. ]

( Some time I'd like to compare notes on the ones you see like that and the ones I've noticed. )

[adamance]

( I'd be surprised if they were any different. Our group isn't that large. )

[sizeofyourbaggage]

( Feels like it, some days. With how many of us end up going back to sleep. )

[adamance]

( Yes.

If only there were a way to prevent that. Then we would continue to be surrounded by known entities, though in some cases, I wonder why someone hasn't rested yet. )

[sizeofyourbaggage]

( If there’s a pattern, I haven’t been able to figure it out yet. ) [ He’s been trying, is the obvious implication, but he doesn’t figure that he needs to implicitly say that. ] ( If you don’t mind sharing - is there anything you noticed before it happened with you? )

[adamance]

( No. And what might be true for me wouldn't make sense for others. )

[Her bond with the Nest had been strained, but that doesn't begin to explain what was happening with Angel, for instance, before she finally slipped away for good.]