"Is it paranoia or fact when you see Tsavitee machinations around every corner?" Kira asked him.
Jin played devil's advocate. "You could be seeing things after Graydon's history lesson."
Kira nodded. Very true. Not every plot or accident in her life led to them.
"But then, it's happened before. More than once," Jin said.
Also true.
"What do we do?" Jin asked.
"I'm thinking on it."
Jin sighed. "That’s what worries me."
*
Kira hovered at the edge of Quillon’s med bay, torn between crossing into his domain and leaving. Her daily treatments had ended shortly before her encounter with the primus, and there was no real reason for her presence here.
It had been over a day since she’d woken up with Harlow keeping vigil.
Since then, she’d decided she had questions. Many, many questions. Somehow, much to her surprise, Quillon had become one of the few she trusted to give her the answers she needed.
“If you’re going to linger, you might as well do it inside,” Elodie said from the end of the hall.
The healer continued toward her, brushing past Kira and Finn with barely a glance.
The healer’s presence gave Kira the incentive she needed to cross the threshold. She followed as Elodie headed for a table with the bag she was carrying. The healer reached inside, pulling out several delicious smelling containers of food and setting them on the table.
“I didn’t realize you had a treatment, so there isn’t much. You’re welcome to what food we have,” Elodie said without looking up.
“I don’t have an appointment today. I don’t expect you to feed me,” Kira said, one finger tapping restlessly against her thigh.
Since the first confrontation when Kira had insisted Elodie not be privy to the details of her diagnosis, the healer had made herself noticeably absent during Kira’s morning treatments.
Elodie finally looked up. “In that case, Quillon should be here soon. I’m sure you’ll want to wait until he returns.”
Kira nodded, drifting around the room as Elodie sat and began serving herself a spoonful of the many dishes she’d unpacked.
Finn waited next to the door, his expression typically blank.
“It was brave, what you did for Devon,” Elodie said after several minutes. Her eyes lingered on the inhibitor still locked around Kira’s wrist. “Stupid with that hampering you, but brave all the same.”
“You’re not the first person who has said something to that effect,” Kira admitted.
Elodie snorted and sat back. “I can imagine. They do like to harp on a person.”
Kira sent a look at the healer, surprised to hear such a sentiment echoed by one of Roake’s members. She’d thought they all happily toed the same line.
Elodie laughed. “I’ll admit it’s not always easy to live with these people, having them critique your decisions like a bunch of overprotective siblings.”
“Then why do it?” Kira asked.
Elodie sobered. “Because the alternative is far worse. To be alone? To have no one care enough to call you on your bullshit? I’ll take the small irritations this lot gives me any day over such a bleak existence.”
Kira considered her words. “Fair point.”
Solitude—true solitude—wasn’t easy. It preyed on the soul, filing it down to the bare bones. Lucky for Kira, she wasn’t alone. She had Jin. Always.
