"But Hera, I don't [i]want[/i] to stand alone. I want to stand with her. I swore I would, always." What value was an oath if he only kept it when things were easy? If his word could be broken by a cross-universe voyage, then what good was it? "Besides, there's nothing wrong between us. Whatever’s the matter with me, it doesn’t feel fair to blame the both of us for my shortcomings." And that was just good, common sense.

*************************************************

"I believe I mentioned the tragic past?" She waved her flask in a vaguely past-ward direction. "Take your pick: Perhaps it was discovering all my good intentions could not overcome my pride, vanity, and the cruelty of wicked souls. Only took me years of earnest collaboration with them to realize I’d been played. And to think, I once believed [i]I[/i] would be the one changing [i]them![/i] Me! Armed with the right words, speaking them in the right way, what heart couldn’t I change? Obviously, Lakkos would have discovered a better way of life years ago if I’d had the decency to be born sooner.” She directed a derisive snort to her younger self. “A naive lie. Or perhaps, a truth meant for a better person. Maybe that was what did me in.”

Her ears perked up, and a slow smile curled across her face. “Oh, here’s a good one: Of all the shuttles in the family hangar, when it came time to leave my life behind, what did I take but the biggest one? Surely I would need room for all the friends, family, and associates who would want to leave with me, no? Imagine my surprise when we only used two seats. Including my own!” What a grand joke! The two of them, alone, in a shuttle that could’ve held her entire household with room to spare. She couldn’t help but laugh; what a fool she was! “Myself and dear Alethea only, who would’ve run off without me had I refused the idea. When just days prior, there’d have been a stampede to share a ride with the Queen of the Arena. Ha! Some good a silvered tongue is when you’ve not the silver to back it up.” Wasn’t she a card? Wasn’t she in rare good form today? 

“I’d thought,” (Had she?) “We’d at least have convinced a few to follow us.” But no one had listened. “I thought about ordering the staff aboard too, but, hrm, not the wisest thing, to have a disloyal crew when you’re about to stab someone else in the back.” It’d been a mistake to tell them anyway. Should’ve left alone, or left no one to tell the tale. “It’s hard enough to fight off all your terrible co-workers without” Half measures. They catch up to you, don’t they? “Without, having to” They told her. “Go through...” She found you.

“A-anyone. Else.”

Ah. Oh no. Bad. [i]Bad.[/i] Laughed too much. “Excuse me, I just.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Her fur came back damp with tears. “I just need a moment.” Come on, Vasilia, pull yourself together. So you don’t get to have nice people; what else is new? Clarissa wasn’t nice people anyway. Bad luck, getting tangled up in her. You’re better off without her, now. Or. You were.

Her hands flew to her pockets, checking them again and again and coming up empty but having nothing better to do with them then check yet again. Of course she didn’t bring a handkerchief to guard duty, who would? [s]He would.[/s] Like a [i]child[/i] she dried her eyes at the expense of her sleeves, and before long they were mottled with unsightly wet splotches. “Forgive me, I. I’m not usually in such a state.” No, she was usually much better about the awful things she’d done to the people she’d made the mistake of loving. A thousand pardons, Lady Hestia. She will take care not to love you too, just as soon as she collects herself.

Captain. [i]Captain[/i] Vasilia heaved a great sigh, sinking against the command table along with the tattered remnants of her composure. “Well. There you have it. What a mystery, that we haven’t met before.” Miracle of miracles, was she [i]still[/i] here, listening to her?! Her gaze drifted to the now-empty mug of cocoa, set above her. “...I don’t suppose you have another mug of that you could spare?”