First little lie ♰ Keep me breathing as the water rises up again

[beingdifferent]

[The first image the camera captures is a pair of large brown eyes, blinking sleepily before widening. They dart back and forth as their owner pulls the communicator back, showing a small pale face framed by dark curls, mouth curled into a frown. Zoom back a little more and the starry expanse from the deck is visible in the background.

The girl in the foreground bites at her bottom lip, licks it, looks around again before frowning at the communicator. She pulls it up closer, staring at the screen, and speaks one word with a distinct note of fear in her voice.]

...Mommy?

Comments

[deadly_ned]

I don't actually know yet. Usually the Admiral doesn't say until the day of.

[beingdifferent]

Then how can you know whether to bring a jacket?

[deadly_ned]

[This makes the Piemaker grin. Esther, why is this the thing you are most concerned about?]

I'd...prepare for anything, really. But usually we have an hour or so to prepare.

[beingdifferent]

[Because nobody wants to be cold, obviously!]

What kind of anything do you prepare for?

[deadly_ned]

Oh, just...it depends. It really can be.


Anything.

[beingdifferent]

Dinosaurs?

[deadly_ned]

Sometimes. Yes. Sometimes there are dinosaurs.

[beingdifferent]

Have you seen one?

[deadly_ned]

No. Not yet. Maybe one day.

[beingdifferent]

Don't worry. We might find one this time.

[deadly_ned]

You like dinosaurs?

[beingdifferent]

I like animals.

[deadly_ned]

Do you have a pet?

[beingdifferent]

I have an aquarium at home!

[deadly_ned]

That counts.

I, um. I think we have a shark tank on one of the floors. Somewhere.

[beingdifferent]

You're joking! With a real shark?

[deadly_ned]

Yes. The shark is real.

[beingdifferent]

Does it eat people?

[deadly_ned]

I've never seen it eat anything even vaguely people-shaped.

[beingdifferent]

So it's a little shark.

[deadly_ned]

Yes. Yes, it's a little shark.

[beingdifferent]

Then I'd like to meet it! I've never seen a shark before, only pictures.

[deadly_ned]

I've seen sharks before. Uhm. Eating people. In a...an aqua show.

But this one's too little to eat anyone.