About a week. You want to come see me? [She's trying, and not entirely failing, to hide some relief. Somebody leaving that sudden always means there's the chance they never make it back. "Later" means "never" often enough for her that she looks for it hidden in what other people say.]

[It actually took a lot for him to come back. But particular conversations helped.] Of course.

[He looks down at his hand in surprise, but then up at her in sympathy. In the other, he just offers her some flowers.] The planet I'm living on is still mostly undeveloped. I know that it's not poisonous, and they're a bit like lilies. [And with the taken hand, he gives one of hers a small squeeze.]

You've got a world to put together, don't you. [She lets a smile slip in and takes the flowers, not yet concerned about taking care of them when he's here and she's got something to say.] How long was it for you?

Just a week. I wasn't gone that long. I was concerned the Admiral might skew my time away drastically. [And he would have missed several chances he needed to keep up with.]

I wouldn't trust him to let me come back.

[It can wait, she's got to wait a little longer.] But you got to see your girl.

Yes, I did. We received your Christmas gift. [He carefully dodges the giant issue in the room.] Thank you.

[She smiles, a little embarrassed.] Was hoping she'd like it. It's like something for you, if it makes her happy.

Thought she might be so cute you'd never come back.

She looked cute enough to remind me that I had a very good friend lose her daughter, and she's depending on me to give her back. [As difficult as it is.]

That's good. [It comes out wrong, she already knows, so she just presses on further into what she doesn't want to have to say.] Listen, I... I'm sorry you had to go. [It's her own doing, telling him, she knows that, when she shod have come up with a better story. Nobody needed to know.]

You didn't kill yourself, and you're not responsible for him representing everything I despise. I once failed to allow an interstellar union to form because I hated those traits in a few, arrogant fools. I held my beliefs over the future of the people close to me.

That's why I left. I can't let an idiot who doesn't know what he has sway my decisions again. Don't blame yourself. He doesn't deserve that anymore. He never deserved that.

Edited (random letter) 2013-02-18 05:26 am (UTC)

Gonna make it so you don't have to worry about me anymore. After seeing what that did to enough people... [She shakes her head, more distressed about how much it's screwed up three or four other people than everything she's been hoping for being torn up.]

But I'm glad you didn't let it take you over. It wouldn't have been worth it.

[He's still not entirely sure of that.]

I do wish it hadn't taken him going that far.

I think it had to.

Why did it? It's... admittedly, it's frustrating to see warnings disregarded. I know they can be wrong. Did you at least start considering the fact that he might? Were you prepared for it at all?

[He's asking genuinely. He's remembering all the warnings he gave Dylan, and how they unfortunately didn't work.]

[She knows he doesn't want detail, but she can barely even talk around it still.]

I'd thought if anything like that was going to happen, it would have already. When he first met me, and he really wanted to.