[ York is in the mess hall when he hears the news. To most people stuck in the Habitat, it's probably good news: they're all being sent home. To someone like him, however, who's very certain he's dead and there's nothing to go back to? It's less ideal.
He buses his tray, having suddenly lost his appetite, and heads back to what's become his and Carolina's room -- he finds her pacing there, looking stressed. ]
[ carolina wants to go home. she wants to go back to helping wash get back on his feet (the right way, this time; she's learned her lesson) and keeping an eye on the reds and blues, wants to be with her people again. but some of her people are here and she'll never see them again if she does go home. even if she doesn't necessarily consider herself their leader anymore, the freelancers are still hers to protect. it's been nice getting to know ct, nice getting to be friends with maine again, no matter the circumstances, and york...
screw that, she's not leaving him. she's still trying to figure out how to pitch an argument to their captors for why she should be able to take her teammates home with her when york comes back to interrupt her pacing.
she forces herself to stop and look at him, but her posture still gives her distress away as she struggles to find the right words for a few long seconds, thinking about the possibility of just staying here with york and how much that would suck, even if it crosses her mind, before she finally gets out— ]
[ There's no hesitation, in fact she barely gets the words out before he's affirming that he wants to and stepping towards her. Then doubt crosses his expression. ]
Do you think they can do that? Send me to a future where I don't exist?
[ the affirmation makes carolina feel better, at least, even if she's still tense. ]
I don't see why they wouldn't be able to. We're from the same continuous timeline and even if you went back to when you were, you wouldn't be able to change anything. [ which is maybe a little too blunt, but if anyone's used to that from her, york is. ] It's not like I'm going back in time to save you so I don't think we'd be risking a paradox. I mean, we— I don't see how it could be a problem.
[ She's right -- even if he didn't remember, Delta has confirmed that he was dead, and that his armor shut down. He can't change that. But he's alive here, he can go to a different time. The future is malleable, right?
...time travel is confusing, but honestly he doesn't care all that much. If they can do it, he wants to go home with Carolina. ]
Then I'm going with you. [ An easy decision. He closes the distance between them and takes both her hands, smiling. ] I get to meet your new family.
[ carolina's still a little worried, not as confident as she means to be, but york takes her hands and it helps and she forces herself to let out a slow exhale, calming herself down. that's one less goodbye she has to consider and she can talk to the others soon enough.
right now, she just wants to let york make her feel better, offering a weak smile at the mention of her new family. ]
They're the worst. Infuriating and loud and won't listen to anyone, most of the time. Not even one another.
[ she gives a little shake of her head, obviously fond of her team but wanting york to be prepared for them at their worst, because she never knows when their worst will be. ]
I wouldn't trade them for anything but I sure as hell wouldn't have picked them.
[ not being able to pick her family is a reminder that stings a bit more than it should, but carolina's little frown could mean a lot of things. just a sign she's stuck in her head but trying not to be, worrying but knowing that doesn't do any good. she lets york tug her closer, though, enough space between them for their hands and little else. ]
You've all gotten your asses kicked by Tex a lot?
[ it's a weak joke, but she's pretty sure she's not wrong. ]
[ she never knows what to do when york starts that anyway, how she's supposed to handle it, and now she can't help but worry about how her teammates are going to respond to it, too. they are going to give her so much shit about him.
but at least she'll be home, at least she'll have a second chance with york. for all the bullshit they've been through here, carolina is letting herself trust that the aliens are being honest about sending them home. not letting herself worry about that at least. ]
carolina's not complaining about the hug, though, looping her arms around york's waist as she slouches a little to tuck her head under his chin. ]
I promise that at least one of them is any brand of obnoxious you could possibly think of. The best we can hope for is that they're already distracted by something new by the time you show up. That should make things go over a little quieter. [ she pauses, making a thoughtful little noise. ] Or Tex could make a good distraction.
No, I haven't. But I was going to offer the option to CT and Maine, if either of them wanted it, and Tex is still a Blue, so...
[ a blue and a freelancer and one of alpha's fragments, all reasons carolina might care about tex in theory but still struggles with it in practice. they've gotten more comfortable with one another over the last few months, but carolina rarely actually wants to talk to her.
but york actually likes her, so there's an idea. ]
You could always save me the trouble and talk to her, instead.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the announcement;
He buses his tray, having suddenly lost his appetite, and heads back to what's become his and Carolina's room -- he finds her pacing there, looking stressed. ]
I don't suppose I could ask them to stay.
[ Not that he'd really want to, without her. ]
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screw that, she's not leaving him. she's still trying to figure out how to pitch an argument to their captors for why she should be able to take her teammates home with her when york comes back to interrupt her pacing.
she forces herself to stop and look at him, but her posture still gives her distress away as she struggles to find the right words for a few long seconds, thinking about the possibility of just staying here with york and how much that would suck, even if it crosses her mind, before she finally gets out— ]
I want you to come with me.
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[ There's no hesitation, in fact she barely gets the words out before he's affirming that he wants to and stepping towards her. Then doubt crosses his expression. ]
Do you think they can do that? Send me to a future where I don't exist?
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I don't see why they wouldn't be able to. We're from the same continuous timeline and even if you went back to when you were, you wouldn't be able to change anything. [ which is maybe a little too blunt, but if anyone's used to that from her, york is. ] It's not like I'm going back in time to save you so I don't think we'd be risking a paradox. I mean, we— I don't see how it could be a problem.
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...time travel is confusing, but honestly he doesn't care all that much. If they can do it, he wants to go home with Carolina. ]
Then I'm going with you. [ An easy decision. He closes the distance between them and takes both her hands, smiling. ] I get to meet your new family.
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right now, she just wants to let york make her feel better, offering a weak smile at the mention of her new family. ]
You're going to hate them.
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Why do you say that?
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[ she gives a little shake of her head, obviously fond of her team but wanting york to be prepared for them at their worst, because she never knows when their worst will be. ]
I wouldn't trade them for anything but I sure as hell wouldn't have picked them.
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They say you can't pick your family, right? It'll be fine.
Besides, we already have something in common.
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You've all gotten your asses kicked by Tex a lot?
[ it's a weak joke, but she's pretty sure she's not wrong. ]
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That too. But I meant that we love you.
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That seems like a pretty questionable thing to bond over, you know.
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Are you trying to get me to start flattering you? Because this going to lead to me flattering you.
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[ she never knows what to do when york starts that anyway, how she's supposed to handle it, and now she can't help but worry about how her teammates are going to respond to it, too. they are going to give her so much shit about him.
but at least she'll be home, at least she'll have a second chance with york. for all the bullshit they've been through here, carolina is letting herself trust that the aliens are being honest about sending them home. not letting herself worry about that at least. ]
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And I guess I'll have to limit it to private spaces back in your world? Are they that brand of obnoxious?
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[ they're the worst, she already said this.
carolina's not complaining about the hug, though, looping her arms around york's waist as she slouches a little to tuck her head under his chin. ]
I promise that at least one of them is any brand of obnoxious you could possibly think of. The best we can hope for is that they're already distracted by something new by the time you show up. That should make things go over a little quieter. [ she pauses, making a thoughtful little noise. ] Or Tex could make a good distraction.
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Have you talked to Tex about coming back with us?
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[ a blue and a freelancer and one of alpha's fragments, all reasons carolina might care about tex in theory but still struggles with it in practice. they've gotten more comfortable with one another over the last few months, but carolina rarely actually wants to talk to her.
but york actually likes her, so there's an idea. ]
You could always save me the trouble and talk to her, instead.