[IC Inbox -- Snowblind]

[heavensreader]

Is it worki - oh. Ahem. This is Kesara Freamon. Please leave your message here and I will call back on you as soon as I can.







Wait, is it still - argh, how do I ma-

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[heavensreader]

You have to do it now.

[Still begging, but she begins to find some force. There are tears choking her throat and she can't stop them so she might as well use them. She hates crying. She hates it so much and she doesn't know when she'll ever be able to stop now.]

You have to, please, please. Or tomorrow you might say tomorrow again and then again and then it'll never be better...

[She's not only talking about the blood, though she barely realises that herself.]

[spoileralert]

[ She starts to protest, and instead just sighs. For a long while she's quiet, head back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. ]

It's okay, Kes. I promise. I'll call you at noon tomorrow.

[heavensreader]

[Kesara has no words for how much she's starting to hate these words, I promise.]

You'd better. [She wants to be angry. Being angry would be so good. So clean.] If you die I'll - if die and Zach comes back - I'll tell him.

[She doesn't think it's going to be an effective threat. But she says it like she means it.]

[spoileralert]

[ That actually makes her crack half a smile. ]

Deal. But it's not my fault if an anomaly gets me after I call you.

[heavensreader]

[The smile is wildly unexpected, and feels like an explosion under the ribs. A kind of hope sudden and intense enough to hurt.]

Deal. If it's a real anomaly. If it is then - then we'll wait for you, too.

[spoileralert]

You better not. If I die again I fully expect you guys to find the way out before I come back.

[ If she dies again she probably isn't coming back, end of story. ]

[heavensreader]

I -

[She swallows. She wants Steph to keep smiling. She doesn't care what she has to say to make it so, what wild optimistic lies.]

We'll - we'll have it all cleared out for you. No dark dank tunnels or slippery ice or anything.

[spoileralert]

Good.

[ Steph knows it's all lies. But that's what comfort is, mostly - the lies we tell each other to make the world seem brighter than it really is. ]

Tomorrow. We should both get some rest.

[ Sleep may not happen. But rest should. ]