IC contact for lastvoyages

[littlebattles]

[If I don't have an active post up, feel free to use this post to have your character call, videochat, text, or knock on June's door.]

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[littlebattles]

And what if the better choice is going it alone?

Plenty of people have let me down and screwed me over, but I've never screwed myself over.

[fork_off]

And when you get yourself stuck in a spot you can't get out of on your own? Are you content to just die that way?

[littlebattles]

No. But I'm pretty good at getting out of jams on my own.

[fork_off]

Pretty good isn't perfect.

[littlebattles]

If you want perfection out of anything, Thomas, you're going to be waiting for a long time.

[fork_off]

I don't want perfection, I want to know that you won't die from stupidity when you leave!

[littlebattles]

[It's the implied concern more than the harsh tone that makes her hesitate, looking over at him.]

You're actually worried about me.

[Not about what trouble she might cause, but about her.]

[fork_off]

[He blinks at her for a moment. He hadn't realized she'd not understood that.]

Of course I'm worried about you. That's why I want to help you. You're my friend.

[littlebattles]

You want to help me because of your deal.

[She's not quite accusing him of lying, but. It is why the wardens are here.]

But as long as I graduate, you'll get it no matter what happens to me after.

[fork_off]

[He sighs.]

My deal is why I came here and decided to help an inmate, yes. But I care about you as more than the means to an end. And I do care about what happens to you after you graduate.

[littlebattles]

Would you be here if you weren't getting anything in return for it?

[fork_off]

At the very least, it would mean I was alive, so yes. And I like helping people.

[littlebattles]

If the deal were the only thing keeping you here, I wouldn't blame you.

[fork_off]

It's not, though. It truly isn't. Even if you graduated tomorrow, I'd still stay.

[He'd probably visit home briefly, but he'd come back.]

[littlebattles]

Did you run out of people to help at home?

[June doesn't think the Barge is nearly as bad as some people act like it is, but all the same, she can't imagine choosing to stay long-term.]

[fork_off]

I have friends here. People I have come to care about. I wouldn't throw that away so lightly.

[The only people he really misses from home are Francis and James. And he's used to not seeing them for years. The perils of sea exploration.]

[littlebattles]

Everybody has a breaking point.

[Her tone is light, like she's playing the words off as a joke, but there's an undercurrent of seriousness there.]

[fork_off]

Of course they do. But I survived years in the Arctic. Twice. I think I can take what this place throws at me.

[littlebattles]

[The fact that he doesn't deny it helps, a bit. She likes realists.]

Glad to hear it, boss.

I can handle what the world throws at me, too. I've done a pretty good job of it so far.

[Yes, June, that's why you're constantly only a half-step ahead of trouble.]

[fork_off]

You do seem to have weathered hardships better than most would. I do think you are quite a strong person.

[He does. He also thinks she'd be stronger if she faced her past instead of constantly running from it.]

[littlebattles]

I'm glad we agree.

[And that, she hopes, will let her sidestep every other part of this conversation. With any luck, he'll remember the agreement - the good note - more than the rest of it.]

Was there anything else?

[fork_off]

No, not today.

[He can't think of any more questions, right now. And hopefully he's given her something to think about.]

Unless you have any questions for me?

[littlebattles]

No.

[She says, possibly a little too quickly. She softens the words with a smile.]

No, I'm fine. Thanks, though.

[fork_off]

You're quite welcome. If you ever have any questions, do drop me a line. It goes both ways.

[He hopes that, if he's open with her, she might trust him enough to relax and be more open in return.]