are you safe from yourself?

NOE

So it's gonna be forever
Or it's gonna go down in flames

Noe didn't miss the pained expression that crossed Maea's face, even as the woman moved to make herself more comfortable upon the branch. The engineer swallowed hard; to be the bearer of bad news to an infected person's friend was more painful than she'd imagined it might be. "Yeah, that tracks," she said glumly. "When you're infected, the Family feels like... well, like your family. Like your very best friends. Or at least, that's how it was for me."

She pushed aside memories of things she'd done with Vox. Things that were totally normal friend things to do, except for the fact that they hadn't really been totally normal friends. Had they?

It was a question that haunted her thoughts every day since.

As for whether or not she'd learned anything useful, Noe shook her head, shame coloring her cheeks. "No, I'm afraid not." Then, almost defensively: "When you're a Friend of the Family, you don't really ask a lot of questions. It's like, everything they say and everything they are just... makes sense. And arguments against them don't, because you feel like there has to be another explanation to excuse whatever it is they've done."

She shifted, suddenly uncomfortable under Maea's scrutiny. "I'm looking for roses, too. D'you wanna look together? I haven't searched that way yet..."

fin

You can tell me when it's over
If the high was worth the pain