"[color=skyblue]Go on, get out of here. Go relax, go hang out in the observatory. Go be happy. I’ll see you guys tonight.[/color]"

Quinn hesitated. She [i]was[/i] happy here. But...she [i]had[/i] been in medical for a couple days, and she was ready to go. So she slid away and out of the bed, headed to the door. Then, as she was reaching her hand out, she half-turned, looking over her shoulder. "[color=ffe63d]Three hugs.[/color]"

Then she gave Dahlia a soft smile. It felt strange on her face. But it felt good too, and it seemed like the right thing to do.

She was very used to navigating through medical by this point. Orderlies and nurses waved as they passed, giving her bright smiles. She blinked. She was a bit of a semi-regular resident of rooms in medical by this point, but that had never happened before. This was weird.

She didn't quite put it together until she walked out into the central plaza, basking underneath the parasol of pastel leaves. It was like greeting an old friend. And she was suddenly surrounded by excited whispers. She looked around. People pointed to friends as she passed. Congratulation were called to her as she walked to the elevator. And everyone was smiling. 

It hadn't really hit her until that point, but she was...a [i]real[/i] pilot now, wasn't she? A duel. A singularity. Both back to back.

There were few people in the elevator. She supposed that made sense; it was after lunch rush, most people on the station were working. What time was it? She slipped her phone out of her pants pocket. A little past two, it looked like. She didn't even look as she pressed the button for the second floor of the plaza. She knew [i]exactly[/i] where she was headed, and she let the tsubaki trees guide her like a beacon.

Tohoki Grill was just like she remembered it (she didn't really know what she'd expected). The lighting, the false daylight, the amazing smell. People parted around her. Everyone...kinda loved her, didn't they? It was nice, all the crowds of people that seemed to her to follow in her wake. It reminded her of—

Her mood dimmed. But it couldn't be totally repressed. She'd...she'd really done it.

The head chef was talking to a customer. As she walked in, though, he excused himself, then gave her that huge smile and nearly jogged over to her, guiding her to the seat where she always sat when she ate here alone. She let him, gladly, then turned to him, face the absolute picture of sincerity.

"[color=ffe63d]I bet it was the salmon. Can I have it again?[/color]"

She did. The yuzu soda too. 

It was just as good the second time.