[ april i log: if home is where the heart is ]

[barrayarmods]

Who: Everyone
What: The sun finally comes out in proper spring, the labs are full of excitement, and Piotr prepares for real war. Your princess is in another castle.
When: April 1st - 18th
Where: the Barrayaran camp, the Cetagandan base, Riverfall Village
Warnings: TBD

Quick links:
Riverfall
Barrayar: Camp / Missions
Cetaganda: Base / Missions

TIMELINE
4/5 Eavesdropping Eta
4/6 Eavesdropping Sigma
4/8 Eavesdropping Mu
4/10 Mystery Plot
4/11 - 4/12 Resources: Weapons & Equipment

riverfall
The locals are celebrating the much-welcome coming of spring, and it is a warm one. Pleasant mountain breezes carry the far-off scent of the ocean, and bit by bit, the Barrayaran flora is beginning to bloom. Wildflowers spring up all over, adding a lively splash of color to the camp and village on the backdrop of Barrayar's rust-red native flora.

While the villagers aren't exactly hosting a festival, the entire village is pitching in to sow the spring crops, delayed by the cold freeze. But they lost a quarter of their population to the flu, and they're short on hands. So Barrayarans and outsiders alike come to the village to help, the villagers welcoming them into their homes for the night, as it's a half a day's hike between the camp and the village. While it isn't quite summer yet, the village children are already starting to splash around near the waterfall, inviting others by way of playfully splashing water on them as they pass by.

After the battle, however, the mood in the village turns to ash. With another dozen dead to bury, they've lost almost half their population in the last few months, only 48 of them left, and some of their homes were damaged or destroyed by plasma fire during the fight. Mercifully, their fields were untouched, but the village is littered with bodies, the site of a massacre. Barrayaran soldiers carry off their own dead as well as the Cetagandans, while the villagers burn death offerings beyond the fields.

barrayar
Morale is finally on the rise with the brightening weather, especially with their food stores replenished and the full recovery of the flu in the camp. Their numbers are down, but the Cetagandans' are even worse, and the tactical situation has changed. With half the Cetagandans' force either dead or out of commission, a window of opportunity presents itself. Piotr decides that need to recapture Vorkosigan Vashnoi -- if the city weren't occupied, then Micah's kidnapping by the Cetagandans could have been prevented. The base is an easy target right now with its defenses down -- until reinforcements arrive -- and the reconnaissance they'd done on the base's power generators a few months ago will finally be put to use. They may have a chance at using this to drive the occupying forces out of the city, too.

But they don't have a chance of successfully taking hold of the city without the rest of Piotr's army. About a month before the first outsiders arrived, the location of Piotr's previous camp was discovered by the Cetagandans, and the army split in two to return to fallback locations. The plan was always to rendezvous as soon as possible and reunite the army, and they need to rejoin forces now more than ever. Scouts are sent off into the mountains, looking to make contact with their comrades, and they're in luck -- the other half of Piotr's army, currently led by Major Rifkin, one of his missing general staff.

The last few months haven't been kind to the Barrayarans' supply of weapons and equipment. There's no way they could launch a successful assault on the base with their meager supplies, so Piotr sends several parties to make contact with the underground civilian resistance in Vorkosigan Vashnoi and stock up, then smuggle the weapons out of the city.

They're also low on weapons and equipment, which means Piotr is sending several parties back to Vorkosigan Vashnoi to stock up. Piotr and Ezar have contacts in the city, valuable allies who are part of the underground civilian resistance. They can provide the goods -- but one of the teams will be responsible for making sure the weapons are smuggled safely out of the city with the assistance of other members of the civilian resistance.

With Micah in Cetagandan hands, they are no doubt making progress on the Star Gate Project. Piotr, however, is convinced of Micah's sympathies, and their work could still be to their benefit -- or at least, to the outsiders'. And if nothing else, Micah would be the ideal candidate for sabotage should it come down to it. But for now, Piotr is interested in keeping Micah alive. Micah is a personal friend of Prince Xav's as well as a sympathizer, and their care was entrusted to Piotr, a matter of honor. So for now, his orders to his informants are merely to keep a close eye on Micah and their activities, even befriend them, but not to let slip their true sympathies to Barrayar. And now, with Sonia held captive, Piotr wants more than ever to make new informant contacts on the Cetagandans.

camp
Morale is on the rise, steady and surely. People are feeling good, enjoying the sun and warmth, a relief and a blessing after the weeks of cold and near-starvation. And so the soldiers do what Barrayarans always do when they're in good spirits: they drink. Evenings spent around bonfires playing cards or chest, drinking wine and mead, and they're a lot friendlier to the outsiders these days. Even the new ones have proven themselves with all the aid they gave during the epidemic, so if you're invited over for a drink and a game with the soldiers, don't be too surprised.

Of course, sometimes get taken a little too far, and some soldiers start up some drunken swordfight contests, which probably seemed like a great idea at the time. But you know what they say: it's all fun and games until somebody accidentally gets stabbed in the side. Piotr quickly shuts this down, and anyone involved, outsiders included, is likely to receive punishment, probably in the form of manual labor despite any hangover. The camp is down by over thirty men after last month, but on the (slightly morbid) bright side, at least this means that the outsiders finally get two tents to themselves, which is good considering the warming weather.

After the Princess's capture, however, the mood starts to shift back downhill. They're still not remotely ready to launch their attack on the Cetagandan base, let alone rescue Sonia. Both Piotr and Olivia are in vicious spirits; if you thought Piotr's previous demeanor was dour, he was a ray of frigging sunshine in comparison to now. Now he's furious, frustrated, and he has even less patience for time-wasting bullshit than usual.

missions
Overall, the outsiders' contributions to the spring planting on the village farm is helpful and greatly appreciated: they're able to fully sow their fields, and with the weather, they're hoping for a good summer harvest. However, no one should let Carolina around farming equipment ever again.

Hunting parties were sent out to stock up on food stores, with overall success. Some of the outsiders are proving themselves to be pretty competent hunters, much to the Barrayarans' appreciation.

Scouts were sent out to comb through the Dendarii Mountains for the other half of the army. With some help from the outsiders, William and Wash in particular, they're able to make contact with the other half of Piotr's army to coordinate and reunite their efforts.

Several parties were sent into Vorkosigan Vashnoi to make contact with the underground civilian resistance, which has a strong presence there, and smuggle weapons out of the city. There's a dangerous chase by Cetagandan patrols, but ultimately they're able to make it out of the city safetly and successfully return with the goods.

On the 10th, a Cetagandan patrol unexpectedly shows up in Riverfall when Sonia, Gavalas, and several others are there. A fight breaks out across the whole village, resulting in more than 30 casualties, including two Vorkosigan armsmen, and the Cetagandans successfully capture Sonia back to their base.

The unabridged mission results can be found here.

cetaganda
Zahal is furious at Piotr's successful biowarfare attack on his base, however accidental. It's devastated his ranks, and while they still outnumber the Barrayarans about forty to one, it's still a serious blow. The ghem-General decides that they need to force a forfeit, and they'll have to do it as quickly as possible, before Vorkosigan can strike them while they're down. The Cetagandan patrols double down and start swarming the mountains in search of the guerrilla camp.

The Star Gate Project is well underway with Micah on board, who is cooperating for the time being, though not happily. Most of their waking hours seem to be spent in the lab, though they're around the mess at mealtimes. They are certainly interested in the work -- it's totally unprecedented -- but their true sympathies lie with Barrayar, and they are entirely uncomfortable working for the Cetagandans. They're currently focusing their research efforts on possible power supplies and solving the problem of what, exactly, is getting people from the wormhole to the planet surface. To speed things along in the lab, the Cetagandans are asking for more help with their research -- anyone with any relevant knowledge is highly encouraged to step forward. And any informants for the Barrayarans are being instructed to keep an eye on Micah, too, as well as their progress on the project.

The Handmaiden of the Star Crèche is seen about the base, for certain definitions of seen -- she travels exclusive in an opaque luminescent force bubble, often escorted by one or two of her ba servitors. At the beginning of the month, Haut Sei announces the gene therapy trials they're conducting: if you're one of the exotics who lost genetically inherited powers, or were made human from some other type of being entirely, you are invited to participate in a new, experimental kind of gene therapy. Why participate? Well, they're aiming to restore any lost powers you might have had, although there's no guarantee of success, and such an experimental treatment does, of course, come with risks. But what's a little reward without risk?

base
The base feels unusually dreary in the wake of the epidemic, and with thousands of dead, it's impossible to have a service funeral for each of them individually. And so dozens of collective funerals are held, each of them solemn and steeped in ornate ceremony. The Cetagandans take their dead as seriously as anybody, and no nonsense will be permitted during the funerals. The base is only operating at half capacity, with only about 5,000 soldiers ready for active duty. Zahal has put in a request for reinforcements from Vorbarr Sultana, but that request has yet to be answered.

Haut Sei officially assumes her authority on base as Handmaiden of the Star Crèche, although Diya is, in name, still the head of the genetics project. Sei's ba entourage is most often seen in her company, but occasionally Ba Talim, one of her most faithful, may be seen on its own around the base, possibly on errand for its lady.

Diya is somewhat more present around the base now that the plague is over, but she still most frequently found in the labs or the gardens, and often in the company of Haut Sei, always in her force bubble, making Diya look strangely naked in comparison. The ghem around the base who have recovered are marking earnest attempts at brightening the morbid atmosphere that's settled over the base by decorating the barracks areas with fresh art -- literally freshly engineerd botanical creations, or sometimes hybrid biological-zoological creations…ah, Cetagandan art.

Princess Sonia is taken into custody on the 10th and housed in a cell. The Cetagandans offer her relative freedom to move about the base if she'll only give them her parole; she stubbornly and furiously refuses for the first several days, but the misery of being stuck in a cell by herself gets to her and she reluctantly agrees. Micah, the Cetagandans' other captive, though less strictly guarded, can most often be found in the labs and the mess. Although they're getting to know some of the exotics extrauniversals, they're still ill at ease here and not thrilled to be here. It isn't entirely clear, though, whether Micah's long hours in the labs are by their choice or at the Cetagandans' behest.

missions
The mess is shorthanded, and the exotics' help is much appreciated. A few of them even manage to impress the Cetagandan mess officer a little, who clearly takes the craft very seriously. (They all do.) A few of you, though…you can stick to dishwashing duty, thanks.

As is now established tradition among the exotics (because anything done twice on Barrayar is tradition, and they have done this way more than twice), several people go eavesdropping. On the 5th, Kurt and Pearl overhear Zahal receiving an Imperial writ to turn the entire Star Gate Project over to the Star Crèche. On the 6th, Jasper and Symmetra are caught listening in on a very personal conversation between Diya and Sei, and Diya's overambitious hopes for herself. On the 8th, Byerly and Lapis eavesdrop on a curious conversation between Ba Talim and Diya, hinting that the decision to cull Diya may have been somewhat personal after all.

In the labs, things go more or less alright, although things keep breaking or exploding. A plasma power pack explodes in the lab with Jasper and Whirl (which may or may not be Whirl's fault), though Jasper saves Micah from serious injury. In another stroke of spectacularly bad luck, one of the Necklin rods they've been using for testing falls and crashes down into one of the lab areas, and it's thanks to Natasha that Micah sustains anything more than minor injury.

On the 10th, a Cetagandan patrol unexpectedly shows up in Riverfall when Sonia, Gavalas, and several others are there. A fight breaks out across the whole village, resulting in more than 30 casualties, including two Vorkosigan armsmen, and the Cetagandans successfully capture Sonia back to their base.

The unabridged mission results can be found here.

Note: Negri, Diya and Gail are available for threading by request. Please hit up Madi (Negri & Diya) or Ammay (Gail) if you'd like some CR with the ghem-Lieutenant!

Comments

Byerly Vorrutyer, OTA

[vorrutyer]

Cetagandan base, before the 10th
[ Byerly is as insouciant as ever. Lounging around, plucking away at violins and harps...Occasionally doing some real work in the labs and in the kitchens, though he manages to somehow make this work look rather disreputable and half-assed even though he's as productive as anyone else. He always welcomes company - will, indeed, generally call someone over with a broad flirtatious wink, or a little call of - ]

You there.

Cetagandan base, after the 10th
[ After Sonia is captured, it's admittedly more of the same. Flirting, laughing, making eyes at people. But he doesn't play music any longer; the instruments are set completely to the side. Nor does he attempt art. Instead, he seems to have become even lazier, lounging in the gardens and in hallways - although no one who's truly idle would be quite that ferociously watchful. His eyes don't miss anything at all. ]

Riverfall Village
[ He can be found in Riverfall a few times: once on the 6th, and once on the 12th. He's there on the former date for his dead-drop with Miles. He seems relaxed and cheerful, chatting with the villagers, although he's always cognizant of when a former comrade approaches - because they might be there to kill him, after all. He won't necessarily run away, but there's clear wariness behind the smile.

On the 12th, that's completely abandoned. His cover, after all, doesn't matter any longer. The only thing that's important is getting Sonia out. So his prior wariness is abandoned in favor of recklessly arranging meetings with his Barrayaran contacts. ]

Wildcard
[ let me know if you want something else ]

Riverfall, 6th

[dendarii]

[ Miles is right on schedule, as always. That shiner By gave him has purpled up quite fantastically, but he doesn't mind it; hell, it gave him a bit more cred with the rest of the soldiers. In some way Byerly did him a favor.

He gets up from where he'd been leaning against a tree and flashes Byerly a grin. ]

Well? How goes the arrival?

[vorrutyer]

[ Byerly raises his hand in greeting, then drops it with a sigh. ]

Ah, the arrival. Very erotically charged. The Handmaiden is quite sexy - if you have a fetish for soap bubbles, that is.

[dendarii]

[ Miles snorts at that. ]

One person does, apparently. What does she think?

let's say this actually happens on the ninth so they can gossip about eavesdropping

[vorrutyer]

Ah, Diya, you mean? Poor thing.

Riverfall-ish, 12th? lmk if this works or if i should change anyth!

[protocol]

[ Wash doesn't arrive on schedule. He always arrives early.

This is early even for him, though, paranoid to a fault as always, but in this he feels more than a little justified. Byerly's communications with him hadn't exactly been ordinary, and normally Wash wouldn't be goddamn considering it even slightly even having affirmation of his loyalties from Miles -- but after what's happened recently, well. He's throwing caution to the wind. He's given his word to Miles that he won't run off on his own to the base, but this isn't quite that, isn't it.

He has a prearranged meeting with Natasha, too, but more news can only be better, and Wash is under the assumption now that Byerly probably isn't aware he's working as a handler himself, best to keep it that way. Miles likely doesn't know Byerly's arranging to meet him, even. Wash is exhausted and entirely looks it when he shows up at their meeting spot in the woods, hasn't slept since the Sonia, just returned from Vorkosigan Vashnoi, but he pushes himself through, as always. Byerly's twisty instructions had led him to the base of a small cliff, and he checks around it, just instinctively, for something, anything. It's a little too neat of a setup for an ambush.

But there's nothing, and eventually he's satisfied enough to just -- wait. Leaning back against the cliff, one arm folded over his chest, idly spinning a knife in the other. Sorry about coming armed, Byerly, but at least he's showing you the knife. It'd stay hidden usually, but his lungs still feel twisted up in a mix of awful anxiety, leaden and heavy with guilt. Keeping his hands busy is something that eases it, even just a little. ]

perfect

[vorrutyer]

[ On-schedule, at the appointed time, an acorn drops from above and hits Wash on the head.

Byerly leans down over the cliff. He looks a bit the worse for wear - he has a twig tangled in his hair, and there are scuffs on his hands. The journey up to the clifftop was not easy for him - not least because he looks a little greenish in his current position. Byerly Vorrutyer is deathly afraid of heights, you see. ]

Let's talk.

[protocol]

[ Tired as he is, Wash always snaps to attention the moment there's anything he associates with danger, and his response to something being dropped at him is instinctive, reaching up quickly enough to deflect it with his free hand -- ambidextrous, you see. It bounces off his forearm, and Wash manages to catch it as it falls.

An acorn. He glances at it, lifts an eyebrow, tosses it somewhere over his shoulder as he pushes himself away from the face of the cliff, looking up -- and there he is. Byerly fucking Vorrutyer. Looking just a bit nauseous. ]

If you're going to throw up, give me a little heads up to get out of the way, Vorrutyer. [ So dryly, staring up at him, still spinning the knife in his hand. ] I'm not that kind of guy.

riverfall, 6th of april

[littlemissfutility]

[Beth hasn't been in Riverfall for a while; it's taken time for her to get the strength back for the long walk to the village, and even now, she was a little out of breath by the time they made it here. She's spent the day visiting the families she's grown fond of and starting to figure out the balalaika they wouldn't let her refuse, the kind of busy, pleasant afternoon that makes cold weather and influenza worthwhile.

She's being pulled along outside by a five-year-old--one whose faith in her ability to follow long, rambling stories in Barrayaran Russian is completely unearned--when she sees a familiar figure up the road. Byerly's the kind of person you can recognize in silhouette, by slouch alone, and with the sun shining on him, he's unmistakable. Her breath freezes in her lungs.

As quick as she can, she frees herself from her compatriot's hand, murmuring sorry, sorry in Russian (every actual explanation or directive requires words she doesn't know) and stalking up the street toward Byerly, her hand ready at the handle of her knife.]

[vorrutyer]

[ When she's about thirty paces away, he turns. He looks at her. His face is unsmiling; she might as well be a stranger for how impassive he looks, how indifferent.

He looks a little tired, now. A little less thin though. They're not starving him at the Cetagandan base, clearly; he's recovered from the famine-leanness he got from that misery in February.

He speaks when she's fifteen paces from him. ]

Are you going to stab me?

[littlemissfutility]

[Beth's still a little hollow-cheeked from the last few weeks--especially the parts when she couldn't keep anything down but water. Some hardship's done nothing to dim the anger in her eyes. That he can come here to the village, working against all the villagers' interests, and hold his head up is shameful.

What else do you expect from Byerly?]

I should. [She keeps coming toward him, pace steady, knife still sheathed.] It'd be quicker than starving to death.

After the tenth.

[harderfasterwrecker]

[ She looks fairly determined. That's plain and easy to see. She's also got what look like about three chronos under her arm. No one has stopped her in the hall yet, but mostly that might be because she looks very intent. She's humming to herself in a particularly out of tune manner that speaks of someone that has absolutely no ear for their own pitch.

She stops just short of him, before rolling her eyes and flicking a mangled looking hand in his direction, pointing at a chrono affixed to the wall behind him. ]

Oi, mate. You're in my way. [ And then. A moment later, not even long enough to properly respond.] Whiiiiiiich....means scoot. Out of my way.

sorry for this awful joke

[vorrutyer]

[ Byerly does not scoot. He does not even wiggle. He does not, furthermore, act as though he even heard her question. Instead, he just turns his gaze on her, and he asks with surpassing mildness, without a wink or a hint of irony: ]

Excuse me, madam, would you happen to have the time?

After the 10th

[symmetricks]

[ It will be relatively easy for him to notice eyes on him, in that case.

Up until now, their conversations have been cordial, even friendly, but now? Satya stares at him with ice in her gaze, looking for any tell or giveaway. She missed something, she had to have. How? How could she so entirely misjudge a person?

It won't happen again. Carelessness isn't like her. ]

[vorrutyer]

[ Byerly has a few guesses as to why she's glaring at him so coldly. Or, more precisely - he has one guess who goes by a few different names, depending on which particular layer of deception suits her best.

Well. The best way to deal with that sort of chilliness is by ignoring it completely. So he meets her eye, and blinks at her, and then raises a hand in greeting, smiling at her in a way that's a perfect mixture of friendliness and puzzlement. ]

Satya. Hello.

[symmetricks]

[ He smiles. He threatened her life to attack Lakshmi and he smiles afterword. She's not sure whether she's more hurt or angry, but anger serves better in the moment, and she strides forward until they're within speaking distance. ]

You dare.

Before the 10th!

[moneytwin]

I do have a name, darling~

[There's a wink over the table as Vex pauses mid-stir of batter, tossing her braid back over one shoulder with a shrug. Who would have thought so much experience with camp fires would make her better suited to cooking duty? Not her anyway]

It's still a little early to taste test, if that's what you're hoping for.

[vorrutyer]

Is it?

[ He grins lazily back at her, leaning against the wall. With open flirtation, he says: ]

So what must I do to get a bit of a taste?

[moneytwin]

Well, since you're here, and you've reach on me, how about picking your favourite spice from that shelf behind you.

[ It's one of the rare few times Vex gets to add a few desserts in with the main meals, as much for the ghem to try something from her culture (curious about it as they are) as it is an excuse for a tasty treat - and really, who can say no to cookies when it's not wasting supplies? ]

wildcard

[withanh]

Truth be told, Micah has probably been working too much. Betan lab safety practices always stressed the importance of not working for too long, emphasizing and encouraging breaks and resting periods, because overtiredness in any lab is a potential disaster. But the Cetagandans want it done, and even more than that, it's the only real distraction Micah has from this entire situation. It's hard to find anything but misery in it. The only light in it is the fascinating work they're getting to do, and admittedly their mealtime conversations with Deanna are nice, but it doesn't change the fact that they're effectively a prisoner here, and for only God knows how long. They haven't even been able to see the Princess, just to see if she's alright -- they've never met Xav's daughter, but they'd like to -- but it turns out the Cetagandans aren't crazy about the idea of the only sympathizer on the base visiting their captive Barrayaran.

Their feet hurt. They'd cut themself off at eleven hours in the lab today, when their vision finally started crossing, and they'd shed their lab coat and got themself a coffee to wake back up a little. Not to go back to work -- it's settling into late evening, and Micah doubts the wisdom of pulling an all-nighter. So instead they turn to wander the gardens with coffee in hand, finally sitting down at the edge of an elaborately framed koi pond to rest their feet. They really ought to ask one of the science officers if they can get some better shoes.

The koi are undoubtedly genengineered, given the astonishing array of colors they come in. But somehow the bright jewel tones seem to complement the pond's small surrounding. Idly, Micah snaps a small branch off a neatly sculpted bush and prods gently at the water with it, catching the attention of the fish.

[vorrutyer]

"Hello."

Byerly has not, of course, been stalking Micah. Of course not. To stalk indicates malicious intent, or some degree of creepiness. His intentions are nothing but gentlemanly: his only desire is to show the graceful and intelligent herm a good time, ensure that they experience a brief relief from the weight of their work - and figure out what needs to be done in order to extract them from the clutches of an evil empire. So not stalking them. He's simply been following them, waiting for an opportune moment to join them.

And this is an opportune moment. No question of that. Micah alone, near a pond (with the attendant lapping water that makes audio surveillance a pain in the ass, meaning that this is a slightly safer space to talk), looking like they're in a good mood. And he's quite certain he's about to improve that, as he turns towards them a bottle labeled Vorkosigan District.

"A gift."

[withanh]

Micah, in that interestingly meditative state between slight overtiredness and coffee, looks up from the koi pond at Byerly, blinking. They don't look exactly startled, but they certainly weren't expecting to see much of anyone here at night, let alone Byerly. Then again, Micah has never found anything about Byerly very predictable other than his demeanor. He's...very slippery.

"Hello," they repeat, and then their blinking gaze turns to the bottle and oh, their eyes go a little bit wide. That's...one hell of a gift, conjured up out of nowhere. They look back up at Byerly, mouth open. "Where did you manage to get that? And -- what are you doing out here so late?"

Not that he couldn't be asking Micah the very same question. They just hadn't thought anyone else would be strolling the gardens at this hour.

post-kidnapping shenanigans

[natalia_vdova]

[After the ordeal in Riverfall, Natasha doesn't take things well. Where normally she was charming with that underlying studiousness, pleasantries that hid sharp eyes, there's a wariness about her now to the perceptive.

She has no one else to go to, really. It's not that she trusts him entirely- although it's likely more than she should- but she needs someone to talk to. For a half-dozen reasons she doesn't usually tell anyone about, Sonia being taken hits her in all the worst ways. She needs to do something.]

Byerly--

[There's a weight to how she says his name. Her hands white-knuckled, clenched too tight, and her smile lacks that usual warmth, but it's the look in her eyes that gives her away the most. There's something clawingly anxious in those blue eyes, and it turns what would normally have been a coy question into something softer.]

Talk to me.

[vorrutyer]

Oh, with great pleasure, my lady.

[ His voice is as pleasant as ever, his smile is as polished - save for the fact that it doesn't reach his eyes. No, his eyes are hard and a little desperate. His expression, on the whole, looks brittle.

Still. Lightly, he says: ]

Have a seat. My word, but this weather is a blessing, is it not?

[natalia_vdova]

[She sighs, and takes a seat, and she actually looks as petite as she is. She's not handling this well, but then she never does. Emotions. She likes them in other people and never in herself. She can see the look in his eyes, and there's some peace in at least not being the only one on tilt.

But this hits so many different points it's hard to compartmentalize without a pretty lie to hide behind. If this was Diya she would have something fake to hide behind, but she lost the lie about being just a ballet dancer a while ago.]

It's certainly warmer, though I almost miss the cold.

[Her voice is soft, a sigh as she shakes her head, and god but part of her almost wants to ask what do we do as if he might have answers she doesn't. As if Wash hadn't explicitly told her not to do anything.]