text; a bit past midnight!

[quackery]

so if you somehow had the choice to stay here or go home right now what would you do? pretend you don't have, like, a few days to think it over or anything. you just have to pick. 60 seconds or less! i just want to see what people would do

[No ulterior motives here; she really is simply curious to hear what people have to say about the topic. Listening to different opinions on a large subject like this is a good way to spend a night - or morning, as it were.]

Comments

[quackery]

ahh that's one of the best things about being here i think! getting the opportunity to meet people you wouldn't have otherwise, or people you wouldn't have known as well :)

[controlledvariable]

it can be a little weird sometimes but yeah, it's nice to get that chance

what about you, ahiru, would you stay or go?

[quackery]

[There's a pause before the next message comes through.]

i don't know. a few weeks ago i think i definitely would have gone, but things are sort of different now, you know?

[controlledvariable]

me too

we have to make sure we fix things

[quackery]

exactly

and i mean even more than that it's like... don't get me wrong i knew the ue was awful before this, but i wasn't here for the virus they sent over or the time they destroyed that world so i guess this kind of just proved it even more. i want to help as much as i can

[controlledvariable]

i get it, i think that moment was seeing the world destroyed, for me

we'll figure it out. it might take us a while, but between all of us, we'll find a way to save everyone

[quackery]

yeah. i think right now everyone's so angry there's no way they're not determined enough to find a way

[controlledvariable]

anger can be good for that

[things she knows from experience]

[quackery]

mhm. i think any strong emotion can (sadness and fear and stuff) and i doubt there's anyone who doesn't care in some way about what happened

so we'll fix it soon

[controlledvariable]

i think anger works best sometimes 'cause other things can freeze you up instead of helping.

but yeah, we'll fix it

[quackery]

i don't know about that. i am like, take fear for example. if you're scared of losing somebody you're going to try even harder to make sure nothing happens to them

[controlledvariable]

i guess so

i don't really work well with fear

[She can't help thinking of Nikolai.]

[quackery]

well i mean if you're really really scared i think it might not be helpful

but i think in most cases every feeling is worthwhile and useful and good

[controlledvariable]

you sound like a very emotionally healthy teenager

[There's no tone, in text, but she means that as a compliment.]

[quackery]

[A pause before the response comes through.]

haha i can't tell if that's supposed to be a good thing or not!

[controlledvariable]

good thing, sorry! most people your age don't really have their shit together, but it seems like you do

[She sure as hell didn't.]

[quackery]

[Though Steph can't see it, it brings a smile - not necessarily because she believes it herself, but because she's glad that's the way she comes across.]

thank you :)

haha i'm not like a whole bunch younger than you i don't think though! i'm 16

[controlledvariable]

20, but 16 for me feels like a lifetime ago

[Anything before Sionis feels like a lifetime ago.]

[quackery]

why's that?

private

[controlledvariable]

a lot has happened since then

and i'm not really the same girl i was when i was sixteen. for the best, mostly. i think.

private

[quackery]

what happened

i mean if you don't mind saying

private

[controlledvariable]

[There's so many ways she can answer that, but Ahiru doesn't need to hear about Steph having a daughter or nearly getting killed or her father dying, so she sticks with something simple:]

people stared caring about me

[Her mom got clean and for the first time in her life it felt like she had a mom. Plus Tim and Cass, as well as the Birds taking care of her.

That's what changed, really. All the bad things might have impacted her, but what's made the real difference is thats she wasn't alone anymore. It softened so much of her anger.]

private

[quackery]

[She understands that all too well.]

yeah sometimes that's all it takes

i'm glad you found people who're good to you

private

[controlledvariable]

[She also doesn't say that most of them ending up leaving her anyway. That's not the point, and it'd just sound bitter.]

a lot of other stuff happened too but i think that was the important thing

private

[quackery]

was the other stuff good stuff