[ raleigh still doesn't sleep well or easily, but she's pretty close to dropping off wrapped in his arms with sweat cooling on her chest and back. but his question rouses her from dozing, and she half stretches and half turns to curl her arms around him securely. ]
And dark.
[ she has memories of alaska that predate k-day and the kaiju war and the anchorage shatterdome. she was born in anchorage before she nearly died there, vacationed on the beaches (bundled up in layers and long underwear, unable to hear herself think because of the cold wind howling) where she'd washed up in gipsy. she'd driven past her elementary school whenever she and yancy went for drinks at the dive bar their mother had gone into labor with jaz after eating the spicy buffalo wings at.
she has fond memories of running around with her brother, building snow men and making snow angles and — one time, the swing set had been frozen, but raleigh had insisted it still worked and the cheap carbon steel had snapped when she'd started swinging and for a second raleigh thought she'd died, but no, there was yancy and he was laughing at her, and breathing hurt because of how hard she'd landed on her back, but raleigh was laughing too. there were many evenings of fires in the fire place and endless cups of hot chocolate and so many snow days. there was ice fishing and running through the woods with the neighbors dogs, pretending she was some sort of wild child.
...alaska is home. was home. now home is wherever mako is, but that doesn't change the fact nostalgia is rising in her throat like bile.
still — if she were to describe her lovely state to someone who's never been there, might as well be honest. raleigh swallows and sighs. ]
And really bi — [ oh, speaking of big, big yawn. ] — really big. It's boring sometimes. But quiet. It's —
[ home. ]
— nice.
[ and then, quietly and after several heartbeats. ]
I'd like to go back. Even if I don't take the lieutenant position, I'd like to go back and visit.
it did, i am not returning this novel — you did all the exposition we need :3
[ raleigh still doesn't sleep well or easily, but she's pretty close to dropping off wrapped in his arms with sweat cooling on her chest and back. but his question rouses her from dozing, and she half stretches and half turns to curl her arms around him securely. ]
And dark.
[ she has memories of alaska that predate k-day and the kaiju war and the anchorage shatterdome. she was born in anchorage before she nearly died there, vacationed on the beaches (bundled up in layers and long underwear, unable to hear herself think because of the cold wind howling) where she'd washed up in gipsy. she'd driven past her elementary school whenever she and yancy went for drinks at the dive bar their mother had gone into labor with jaz after eating the spicy buffalo wings at.
she has fond memories of running around with her brother, building snow men and making snow angles and — one time, the swing set had been frozen, but raleigh had insisted it still worked and the cheap carbon steel had snapped when she'd started swinging and for a second raleigh thought she'd died, but no, there was yancy and he was laughing at her, and breathing hurt because of how hard she'd landed on her back, but raleigh was laughing too. there were many evenings of fires in the fire place and endless cups of hot chocolate and so many snow days. there was ice fishing and running through the woods with the neighbors dogs, pretending she was some sort of wild child.
...alaska is home. was home. now home is wherever mako is, but that doesn't change the fact nostalgia is rising in her throat like bile.
still — if she were to describe her lovely state to someone who's never been there, might as well be honest. raleigh swallows and sighs. ]
And really bi — [ oh, speaking of big, big yawn. ] — really big. It's boring sometimes. But quiet. It's —
[ home. ]
— nice.
[ and then, quietly and after several heartbeats. ]
I'd like to go back. Even if I don't take the lieutenant position, I'd like to go back and visit.