[He repeats. For confirmation. For understanding. For a sort of amazement in the idea. It sounds incredible. Like so much of what's out here. Like they'd always hoped to see, setting foot on a field of ice thick enough to hold metal and human alike, fragile enough to shatter under alien fire.]
[His breathing slows. Forcibly. Aided by her words. He wasn't kidding when he asked her for anything, any words at all. Anything to take the focus off the caged, prowling thing held in the back of his mind, weary, but ready to leap at the slightest provocation once again. Until now. Until there's another focus.]
[The colors she offers, the fractal images in the forest, kindling to life blue-green-yellow faces, voices. Outlined in those glowing colors. Family. All of them together. You can do this, we can do this. And God they're covered in goo and it's ridiculous and...]
[They can laugh.]
[The smile he tilts toward her is strained. Fragile like the memory of Kerberos before the shattering light. It's real, though.]
I wish I could've seen it.
[His real fingers, human, just a little too cold from strain, curl around hers in answer. The next words fervent, edging closer to calm but not quite falling over the edge. But better. Better.]
no subject
[He repeats. For confirmation. For understanding. For a sort of amazement in the idea. It sounds incredible. Like so much of what's out here. Like they'd always hoped to see, setting foot on a field of ice thick enough to hold metal and human alike, fragile enough to shatter under alien fire.]
[His breathing slows. Forcibly. Aided by her words. He wasn't kidding when he asked her for anything, any words at all. Anything to take the focus off the caged, prowling thing held in the back of his mind, weary, but ready to leap at the slightest provocation once again. Until now. Until there's another focus.]
[The colors she offers, the fractal images in the forest, kindling to life blue-green-yellow faces, voices. Outlined in those glowing colors. Family. All of them together. You can do this, we can do this. And God they're covered in goo and it's ridiculous and...]
[They can laugh.]
[The smile he tilts toward her is strained. Fragile like the memory of Kerberos before the shattering light. It's real, though.]
I wish I could've seen it.
[His real fingers, human, just a little too cold from strain, curl around hers in answer. The next words fervent, edging closer to calm but not quite falling over the edge. But better. Better.]
Thank you.