85,22 - It gets easier

[ichoosefight]

[ Audio ]

So, I haven’t really been around anybody since port.

[ Most notably she hasn’t really been going to the gym. So when she says she hasn’t been around, she really means she’s locked herself up in her room. ]

Which isn’t so bad, I mean port was rough, but I feel like I’ve been neglecting my friends. And probably any newcomers who haven’t been told about floods and how people sometimes fall overboard at port, which I pretty much consider my main civic duty now that I don’t have an inmate. So anyway, what I’m trying to say is I’m sorry I’m a bad friend and I promise I’ll do better. And that I hope nothing horrible has happened that I could have helped with, because that would be just my luck.

Anyone I haven’t met yet, I’m Steph, and in case nobody’s told you sometimes people fall overboard when we take to port and it pretty much sucks for everyone.

Comments

[bringsbadnews]

[Sees that self blame and knows all about it.]

There's no changing the past, but it sounds like you're going to do all that you can now.

[ichoosefight]

For whatever it's worth, yeah. I got lucky, nothing blew up while I was in seclusion.

[bringsbadnews]

And if something had blown up, it would have been your fault?

[ichoosefight]

Normally I would have to say yes, but I've been very careful not to touch anything I'm not supposed to.

Then again that might be why nothing has blown up.

[bringsbadnews]

If you forget about the sun, does it stop turning? [Grins, so she knows he doesn't mean any ill will.]

[ichoosefight]

Never heard that one before. What's it from?

[bringsbadnews]

My head. [Smirks.] It means things just happen, regardless of our involvement or not.

[ichoosefight]

I knew that already. I just want my friends to be able to rely on me, you know? Usually I'm there for them.

[bringsbadnews]

I get it. It's important to be reliable and accountable, just don't be too hard on yourself. [One day, some day, he will take his own advice more seriously.]

[ichoosefight]

Thanks. I forget to do that sometimes. [ To not be too hard on herself, not... you know. ]

I don't think we've actually met. Angel, right? I was still in the infirmary [ hiding ] when you introduced yourself.

[bringsbadnews]

Right. I'm not surprised to hear that, from what I've been told I arrived at a chaotic time.

[ichoosefight]

Like I said, port was rough.

[bringsbadnews]

It's over now and it sounds like you're moving on, sometimes that's all any of us can do.

[ichoosefight]

We do a lot of that here on the barge. Or we try to, anyway.

[bringsbadnews]

In a way, that's the point of this place, isn't it? [Part of redemption means moving on from past mistakes and regrets.]

[ichoosefight]

For some people. For others it's a lot more complicated than just moving on. It's not as though everyone here does whatever it is they're doing wrong because they can't let go of some traumatic incident.