Of all the ways Dahlia had expected this to go, hearing [i]Quinn[/i] apologize to [i]her[/i] had not been one of them. But then, that was silly; of course she’d apologize. Not because she’d done anything wrong—Dahlia was vehemently sure of that—but because it must have felt awful. They weren’t fighting, they weren’t enemies. They were family, and there’d been a misunderstanding. 

“[color=skyblue]No,[/color]” Dahlia said, following her to the couch to sit down beside her. “[color=skyblue]No, there is—and it wasn’t your fault. Quinn, watching you win that duel was…I can’t even describe how relieved I was. I was scared, [i]really[/i] scared, and when you’re scared you don’t…you don’t think of the thing that’s scaring you as anything but…well, scary.[/color]”

She reached out, flipping Quinn’s braid from behind her. It needed brushing—she’d do that tomorrow. “[color=skyblue][i]I[/i] don’t. But [i]you[/i] do. You did. You saw Roaki for more than just an opponent, you saw her for what she really was. And even when she was sitting on the floor of that cell, completely helpless, I [i]still[/i] couldn’t see her as anything but a threat to you. That…that was wrong.[/color]

“[color=skyblue]There’s something wrong with me, Quinn. There’s something wrong with every pilot, and every program, and every[i]one[/i] that thinks what you did wasn’t right, or that what’s happening to her here [i]is[/i].[/color]” She could feel it—her eyes growing hot. She held herself together though, even if she was admitting a mistake—perhaps especially because of that—she needed to be the big sister, still. “[color=skyblue]I don’t ever want you to think I’m not with you. I don’t ever want you to be disappointed in me. And if you are, that’s [i]not[/i] your fault, it’s mine. So I mean it. I’m gonna be better. I might mess up, I might not be perfect, but a long time ago I wanted to be just like you, and somewhere along the way I gave up. Now I know I can still try.[/color]”