Queen's Rapture

"Brought back again...and here I've been snatched from the brink twice myself, though I didn't know it."

As if Shania needs to be reminded. As if the comparison between her and the lost troubador isn't already painfully obvious (that's right, she needs it like a hole in her head).

It's not like it's any less ironic for her, Shania, that the act of final death is called Homecoming, considering that she never really had much of a home to come in to, biological family or not. The soldiers...as many chances as they like, indeed, born over and over into this or that colony, taking a veritable tour of their nation, and Shania's never even heard of any being ostracized. Miyabi, clumsy as can be, still came out fine. Still had her fate taken care of by being buddied up to that Noah's precious Mio.

Well, but don't let's make it about jealousy, now, shall we? The point is that Shania and Miyabi are here, together, among people that once knew them who've drifted, somewhat, on. Shania can't speak for Ghondor, because she really just doesn't want to, but she knows Sena and Mio would be practically bursting to have them both back again, available for the talking and the tasking. One thing about Ouroboros is that they just never seem to stop getting on the move.

Shania doesn't feel particularly artistic right about now, but she does feel like spitefully stopping and sitting in one place, not giving anyone the satisfaction of having at her to make an investigation of her dramatic disappearance(s) and mysterious (double-)return.

Miyabi has always seemed harmless, from what Shania's heard of her (oh, and she's been listening). Mostly delicate, a little bit troubled, treated as a mystery even though she needn't be. Not the star off-seer, ideal of all hopefuls, as that had been Crys, and Shania'd never gotten to properly meet C, but an earnest try.

Why, Miyabi's nothing but a piece of window dressing herself. Has anyone ever told her that?

But Shania won't. She won't give herself the satisfaction, either.

Homecoming. The only true choice a soldier ever has, and they don't even have that if they don't have anyone there with them willing to take the final shot (of course, any of them would be willing, they'd have to be majorly screwy not to, or else be holding a fruitless grudge). It's the toss of a coin whether or not one's got it better than the other.

"Would you rather have known, Miyabi?"

Not a conciliatory, easy-keel question like Noah or Mio might have asked. Shania shudders to feel the cold threat tumble off her tongue.

The wobble in Miyabi's eyes as she receives it shows that she's not frozen just yet, even if the imperfect off-seer's plight had had her losing feeling. "Known...known what? That Consul Y was coercing me?"

Well, that too, but, "No, when you first died. When you pulled yourself out of the escape pod." Shania ignores Miyabi's fresh shock, to be reminded of this by a virtual stranger. "What did you think would happen?"

"Ah... I'd once wanted to reach Homecoming with Sena and Mio, as one does. And so, I knew the chances of that ever coming true again were shot to pieces, in that moment."

Then Miyabi reaches out, grasps Shania's hand.

"But I'm here now."