the  smile  that  forms  on  emori’s  lips is  enough  to  bring  raven  a  happinesss  she  hasn’t  truly  felt  in  a  long  time.   over  the  time,  they’ve  created  a  connection  that  raven  didn’t  know  she  needed.   so  she  can’t  help  but  be  saddened  at  emori’s  next  words.   raven  looks  at  emori  and  sees  a  brilliant  mind  but  her  people  thought  so  low  of  her  that  she  questioned  her  own  worth.   

 ‘    you  always   were  a  part  of  it,  despite  what  others  said.   ’     she  knows  emori  values  her  opinion,   so  may  this  can  help  convince  her  of  her  true  worth.     ‘   i  was  eighteen,  a  couple  days  after  my  birthday.   finn,  my  boyfriend  at  that  time,  managed  to  find  a  way  to  so  i  could  go  despite  failing  my  exams.   and  i  knew  then,  that  this  was  what  i  was  meant  to  do.   ’     emori  has  already  opened  up  to  her,   the  least  raven  could  do  was  tell  her  story. 

she looks down for a moment,  taking a deep breath and nodding her head.  ❝  yeah,  i know,  ❞   she mutters.  she did everything she could to keep living in that world  ----  one survivor’s move after the next;  it didn’t matter who got caught in the fire,  as long as she survived,  as long as she defied all odds set against her.  it’s different now;  she can’t imagine sacrificing anyone else for her own life anymore.  at least not here;  these people have shown her what it’s like to have a real support system,  a real family.  they’re a unit;  it’s no longer just her amongst other people.  she’s WITH them.  she doesn’t imagine that going anywhere.  ❝  but it’s not just about survival anymore  ---  this feels like the first time i’m actually living,  ❞   she admits.  

she  can’t  help  the  smile  that  breaks  out  her  lips.    raven  sometimes  wonders  is  this  was  what  sinclair  felt  when  he  watched  her  learn  and  succeed.   one  thing  was  sure,   she  was  right  to  take  a  chance  with  emori  and  this  moment  proves  that.    ‘    yeah,  you  did.   ’     she  says  with  pride.   emori  was  very  smart  and  she  had  the  same  curiousity  for  knowledge  that  raven  had,   it  was  only  a  matter  of  time  when  she’d  take  her  first  spacewalk. 

‘   it  almost  like  you  can  touch  the  universe.   ’    raven  was  still  thrilled  after  every  spacewalk,  she  couldn’t  imagine  how  amazing  it  felt  to  emori  when  all  of  that  was  new  to  her.   neverthless,  it  was  amazing  to  be  able  to  teach  someone  as  excited  about  space  and  mechanics  as  she  was. 

it’s the validation that comes from raven that instantly sets emori at ease,  reminding her why she’s been working so hard to achieve this.  to be working side by side with someone she respects,  someone she resonates with in some way  ---  it’s everything she never knew she wanted until now.  she feels part of something so much bigger than she’s ever felt before  ---   and that joy radiates over her features as she smiles back at raven proudly. 

he inches ever closer to agreement, but a sense of dread persists, contemplating as his tongue probes a tooth knocked loose in the fight with the runners that had preceded this  -  the taste of blood running down his throat, liquid iron. pressing closer to emori, palm of his hand flattening across her shoulder, jay dips some, until their eyes are almost level. “you sure? ‘cause i trust you.” her opinion means everything. a lazy blink of eyes, and jay straightens, puffing out exhaustion in a drawn-out exhale. “okay  —  a few days.” a nod of their head, and a smile they attempt to shape into something resembling encouragement follows (that falls just short of the mark.) “just… stay close, alright?”