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[noburden]

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JILL WARRICK, 30

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[whatsinfrontofyou]

It's—well, it's not actually a long story. He was a member of my team. And he's handsome, and thoughtful, and fascinating, and also absolutely infuriating.

But he's not here.

[noburden]

[Oh. Oh, no. This is--sweet.]

Sounds like someone able to keep up with you, then.

[Vex has a big personality, after all.]

You miss him?

[whatsinfrontofyou]

I do. But mostly I try not to think about it. It would get in the way... and honestly, it's all...

[She struggles with the words briefly, fighting with what she wants to say as much as how she wants to say it.]

It gets in the way with what we need to do here. And it doesn't matter, anyway. I never had the chance to tell him.

And the gods know it wouldn't have worked out.

[noburden]

[She can sense the struggle. Likely because she understands the situation intimately. She hesitates before sharing,]

I... have a similar situation at home as well.

It does matter, Vex. Even if you never told him how you feel. That doesn't make it... invalid, or unimportant. It's something in your heart still.

[whatsinfrontofyou]

It would be easier if it weren't. Love... never ends well for me.

[But she knows more than a few people who seem to be trying here, of all places.]

It sounds like I came to the right person. Do you want to swap war stories?

[noburden]

It's scary, isn't it? Allowing yourself to be so vulnerable.

[Hence why she hasn't done a thing about it herself.]

If it would help give you some peace of mind, I'd be happy to, Vex.

[whatsinfrontofyou]

It's poor planning, being vulnerable like this.

[But in a strange way, it does feel better to let it out.]

Only if you're comfortable sharing. It might be nice not to be the only one navel gazing.

[noburden]

I don't mind. Admittedly, I'm very curious about a man that's caught your heart.

[whatsinfrontofyou]

He's an inventor, and a nobleman.

And we met when I busted him out of prison.

[She says the last with some humor. She seems to meet a fair number of people when they're in prison.]

[noburden]

[Inventor makes her think of Mid, but nobleman does make her think of Clive--though even without him here, she's reluctant to say something he himself might not admit.]

I would ask how a nobleman finds himself in prison, but from experience, I know there are ways... and you tend to be there, don't you?

[whatsinfrontofyou]

It's a long story. And a rather depressing one, though I'd say it had a happy ending.

A necromancer and her vampire husband killed most of his family. You could say he was a bit down on his luck after his escape.

[noburden]

I suppose that would make life infinitely harder for anyone. Poor man.

[whatsinfrontofyou]

Percy is stronger than he seems at first blush. He'd have to be to have survived.

We did take back his home, in the end, and save his sister. He hadn't lost quite all of his family.

We also killed the Briarwoods, and good fucking riddance to them.

[noburden]

And you were by his side through all of that.

[whatsinfrontofyou]

As a friend.

Even when he pointed his fucking gun at me—it's something of a long story, but his quest for revenge got him attached to a... well, a demon.

[noburden]

[What the fuck is a gun--well, she can guess with context clues.]

... so there's a lot of history between the two of you. To put it lightly.

[whatsinfrontofyou]

You can say that. Though most of it in a relatively short time.

There's always something, isn't there.

[noburden]

Is that always a bad thing? Those somethings are often what bring people together.

[whatsinfrontofyou]

True. It might be nice if what was bringing us together wasn't always vampires and dragons.

But it does create a bond, and you see the real face of someone.

I have the feeling you might know something about that.

[noburden]

I do. Those dearest to me have stood by my side during the worst of times. I know their hearts almost better than I know my own.

[whatsinfrontofyou]

It's a mess. I miss him.

It wasn't supposed to get complicated, but now...

[noburden]

What exactly would make it complicated? Were you together right now, of course.

[whatsinfrontofyou]

Fucking several other people? Some of whom are less casual than planned.

[noburden]

[Oh. That.]

It's... a matter of survival, here. For the most part.

[whatsinfrontofyou]

It was supposed to be.

And who cares if it was a little fun. I love Percy, but... we weren't together. It's not as though I've betrayed his trust.

But darling, it's starting to feel as though I'm being unfair to people here who have grown dear.