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He can feel it, the knot in his chest unspooling, easing up. He glances at her bag, then shakes his head.
"Let's get back, first. Your place." Since his is smaller than hers. He puts a hand on her shoulder and urges her back towards the stairwell.
"Let's get back, first. Your place." Since his is smaller than hers. He puts a hand on her shoulder and urges her back towards the stairwell.
[ She ponders that for a moment and shakes her head. ]
No one for good reasons.
No one for good reasons.
Tess nods, and she lowers the egg into the bag only to feel it flinch when it sets down against her gun and the other things she has packed in there. She closes the bag up anyway. They’ll figure out what’s going on soon.
“I wonder what’s inside. It’s huge.”
“I wonder what’s inside. It’s huge.”
I think you're likely right.
Well, let me know when we're playin'.
Well, let me know when we're playin'.
"Some kinda bird," he guesses. "Don't know how it's making us feel things, though. Don't like that."
Will do. I'll bug Misty to set a time, seeing as it's her ranch.
"Me either," she replies, shifting the bag's strap against her shoulder.
She pauses.
"You think other people are getting called to it, too, and we're just the first ones here?"
She's not sure she'd fight for it, if it came to it, but she finds herself preparing for the possibility anyway.
She pauses.
"You think other people are getting called to it, too, and we're just the first ones here?"
She's not sure she'd fight for it, if it came to it, but she finds herself preparing for the possibility anyway.
Really? No one you'd want as warden or inmate?
If any of my guys showed up as inmates, I wouldn't want them to see me differently than they know now. And... I think I'd do something stupid if any of them came here as wardens.
"Got to be," he agrees. "Be a fine fucking coincidence if it's just the two of us."
He really doesn't want other people to get to it, though. That's troublesome.
He really doesn't want other people to get to it, though. That's troublesome.
"More of a coincidence than us being paired in the first place?" she remarks, leading them back off the deck, taking corners slow. "Most people here won't fuss if we have it, but some..."
She can imagine how competitive someone like William might get for a mysterious item.
She can imagine how competitive someone like William might get for a mysterious item.
He'll take that as a compliment, and focuses on the rest. "We're not telling William," he says, definitely thinking along the same lines.
Tess has to bite back a smirk.
“You read my mind.”
The trip back to her cabin is quick, but by the egg is persistently whining about being jostled around in a backpack.
“You read my mind.”
The trip back to her cabin is quick, but by the egg is persistently whining about being jostled around in a backpack.
I guess you already got one of 'em. Even if she's from the future.
Arthur can feel it, and eventually he reaches out to put a hand on it through the fabric. He can stop when they get there, and he stays a little clear of the egg when she takes it out.
He really doesn't like how this feels.
He really doesn't like how this feels.
Tess glances back at him when he reaches to touch it, but she doesn't say anything. She just lets them into her room, and she shucks off the bag onto her bed and fishes the egg out, holding it up to the light to see if there's any transparency to the shell. None. The egg just seems happy to be out of the bag, but it's still whining for more than that.
"There's something fucked up about this."
"There's something fucked up about this."
Yep. I'm glad I barely know her. Easier to stay passive.
[Train-induced family delusions aside.]
[Train-induced family delusions aside.]
"You're telling me," he agrees, stepping back and crossing his arms. "I don't like it."
Which the egg just hates to hear. The pang he feels makes him physically wince and step forward, closer to the egg.
Which the egg just hates to hear. The pang he feels makes him physically wince and step forward, closer to the egg.
Her gaze drifts to him when he winces. She'd consider herself pretty good at managing pain and discomfort, but if she can avoid some measure of it, she'll try. Easier to play along than fight it every step.
"You might have to put on a smile anyway," she remarks, running a thumb over the shell and then holding it out to him. Your turn, cowboy.
"You might have to put on a smile anyway," she remarks, running a thumb over the shell and then holding it out to him. Your turn, cowboy.
He does it, because it's her, asking it of him. He takes the egg, and it fits easily into the cradle of his arm. It's warm, and beaming contenment when it settles there.
And Arthur just looks miserable.
And Arthur just looks miserable.
I'm glad I got out of there. I don't need reminders of home.
[It's easier to have cargo than a kid, anyway.]
[It's easier to have cargo than a kid, anyway.]
The corner of her mouth curls. His life may not be any more child-friendly than hers, but there's something cute about big tough guys with something small and defenseless.
"You look like you'd let William have it if he came after you for it," she teases, but she'll leave it there.
"You look like you'd let William have it if he came after you for it," she teases, but she'll leave it there.
He shakes his head, firmly, looking down at it. He hadn't seen Isaac at this age, so it's not memories that have him in their grasp. Not really.
"Get on the network and ask anyone else if they had something weird happen," he asks. Not quite an order, but they need to know sooner rather than later.
"Get on the network and ask anyone else if they had something weird happen," he asks. Not quite an order, but they need to know sooner rather than later.
She fishes out her communicator to tap out messages to a few people. She skims the network too, but it's quiet at this hour. "Looks like at least one other person found one, so there must be more."
The Grandmaster's post is the first one up, and she glances over the brewing conversation with a curious little hmm.
"The other people who've found them are warden and inmate."
The Grandmaster's post is the first one up, and she glances over the brewing conversation with a curious little hmm.
"The other people who've found them are warden and inmate."
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