midway | heaven / firefly

[ He'll take a moment to find his balance before gliding further in... It's not that bad. ]

Recreation...? I guess reading poetry. Or napping.

[Can't sleep.]

I like to take walks when I have the time.

[She'll start gliding forward, getting used to the balance on these.]

Sorry?

[ ??? ]

You have trouble sleeping?

[ Shakes her head. ]

I don't have trouble, I only need to rest for a little while to get my energy back.

[ Inconvenient if weapons needed a full 8 hours, you see. ]

Ah, I'm envious.

Sometimes I get so tired I fall asleep in the middle of reading a book and find myself waking it to the spine jammed into my face.

[ How long have you gone without sleep? ]

Are you bad at taking care of yourself, Claude?

[ Stumbles just a little at the question. ]

I don't think so. I'm smart enough to know I can't work without sleep.

It just doesn't always come easily. Or conveniently.

I know it can be hard for some people.

[ Somebody close to her sure does stay awake for 20 hours a time. And drives. ]

Maomao said that there were teas for that.

Yeah, chamomile. If only it was that easy.

[ There's probably a reflective surface somewhere. Maybe the rink barrier? Anyway. Suddenly... a scene will start playing...

—The war had been limited to skirmishes along the border up until now; the Empire testing your resolve and ability to fend off their attacks, but now they're beginning their assault in earnest. And you're dreading it.

Just holding everything together these past few months has taken everything that you have—managing the Roundtable and their petty squabbles, devising strategies and tactics against incoming attacks, and ensuring towns are properly prepared for a sudden halt in trade.

How are you going to ensure you make it through whatever comes next? ]

[ She lets it happen in front of her, and then she turns to Claude. ]

Sorry.

[ Because it's rude to watch a piece of somebody's life being dragged up against their will. ]

But... I think all of life is like that. You can only move forward.

It's alright.

[ He is a deeply private person, but he's also a little numb to this. ]

You're right. I've always kept my vision focused on the future. [ ... ] But sometimes it's hard to keep the present from falling apart.

The present can be hard to live with. No one can control everything that happens.

[ Even if you plan for one thing, somebody else might show up and disrupt those plans. ]