vivi e lascia vivere

Everest

'Okay.' So long as Mateo would ask, Everest would let his friend take the lead. Unlike his mother who would self-sacrifice herself until there was nothing left at all, Everest had enough self-preservation to stop short of carving himself up for the benefit of others. Or at least, he'd need to be asked to do so.

It's companionable silence (he thinks) that lingers between them as they make their way up the steep climb. Everest's mind is filled with thoughts of his upcoming re-test for his pilot's license, and though he's been used as free labour practicing being around people at Flora's tavern, he isn't quite sure he's got the hang of it. 'Is there always so much touching in Taverns?' The aviator asks without context. "It seems to me that there are certain places where informal contact occurs much more frequently, regardless of the normal patron-server boundary."

I've done the math, checked the facts
And there's no changing that