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[She aches for this boy. She holds onto his hand like a tether at sea. She doesn't know what his life was like before, but she's learning what he's like now; the evidence lain before her in Alex's panicking breaths when they landed in their pod, in his dedication to solving the crime at the inn, the way Alex's brain put together pieces that otherwise may have remained unconnected. She sees who Alex is now, shaking and struggling to breathe despite the magic making it possible.

She sees herself, years ago, watching Terry Fawles drink poison and bleed out on the stand despite her best efforts.]

Maybe you have. We all let people down, Alex.

But those failures... they don't cheapen our victories.

They don't make the lives we save less worth saving.

Edited 2019-09-21 17:19 (UTC)

[ Tod. Terry. Ms. Lewton. Billy. Carter. George, Blake, Christa, Mr. Murnau, Kate Stephen Lisa Sally Dave Joey Brooke Derick the flight attendant who smiled at him the crying baby the man with Lou Gehrig's disease--

Every face. Every single person. All almost three-hundred people, piled up on his back, fingers curled around his neck. Every. One.

He winces and shuts his eyes tight. ]

I've only saved one. By dying. And the... The Hunger...

[ He couldn't even save her. ]

One person is enough. One person is worth saving.

[Alex is so hurt, that pain spreads. Mia doesn't feel like she can truly motivate him, not the way her sister can, but she has to try- has to help him see that he just needs to believe. Mia moves her hands to Alex's shoulders, bracing him, trying to keep him steady, trying to ground him. She has no idea if anything she's saying is even working.]

And it isn't over. The Hunger doesn't have to win.

You haven't lost. You haven't failed. Not yet.

[ Something physical to keep him rooted there. He looks up, eyes finally focusing.

And, slowly, he nods. ]

She was. Is. She was worth everything. [ But the Hunger- no. His shoulders droop, as if he's going to collapse. There's a lot more give in this underwater world, though, so no, he doesn't. ]

I just- ...All I had...when I died...was that awful place. I don't...really know how much I can buy, that- that there's more.

There has to be more. And you have to believe in more. Your belief is stronger than death.

[Maybe it's because it was how she was taught, or maybe it's because of what Alex said earlier, but Mia starts to talk about death as though it's a separate entity, too.]

And death knows that. That's- that's why it tries to control you with fear.

[Alex might not know it, but these are all pieced-together answers from Mia reflecting on what she's learned about spirits and the afterlife as a channeler. A scared spirit has all the more chance of that spiritual torture after death, requiring all those rituals her family performed, anyway. And maybe that's not what Alex was going through, but it's all they have. It's the only shred of hope Mia has to offer him.]

[ That's...actually kind of nice, honestly. Most people don't talk about death like that. With It's will. More than anything else, that draws him in. His gaze blurs- can you cry underwater? Can people tell if you are?

He swallows a gasp and curls inward, just a little. ]

It's a fuck. [ Eloquence, gone. Roughly wiping his eyes. It's embarrassing, to cry in front of someone, especially an older woman. ] And I- fuck, I'm sorry it- ...it got you too.

[Well, if there was any chance of Alex not getting hugged, it's gone now. Mia puts her arms around that six-foot-tall boy and pulls him close to her, holding him tight.]

It's alright.

[She tells him, lifting a hand to pet Alex's hair.]

I told you-- it's not the end. [And she has to believe that. For herself, for Alex... For Maya and Phoenix, too.]

You and me are gonna kick death's ass.

[There, that was hip and cool with the teens, right]

[ It's awkward. He'd swapped bodies with this woman. He doesn't like people he knows to see him cry, let alone someone...like this. Someone grown and responsible.

But really, he's tired. And he doesn't want to pull away. He towers over her, which is weird, but then, they're underwater and he'd just witnessed the memory of her murder, so all of this was going to be weird.

He chokes a sob. Hates it. But, he leans into the comfort, almost laughing as she tries to be cool. Almost. ]

S- yeah. Sure.

[ He has to believe it. He has to. It's like what Will told him, if he can't believe it...then he's just giving up before even trying. ]

[Even if it weren't mentally awkward it sure would be physically-- but Mia doesn't act like it's awkward. She holds him with all the strength of a big sister, an anchor in the water.]

So don't give up. We're right here with you.

You are so much stronger than you think.

[ He sniffs, trying deeply to compose himself and rubbing at his eyes. It's... He's returning the hug, sort of. But after a moment- ]

Th- thanks. [ Even if he doesn't completely believe it. It feels nice, that someone else does.

The position does cause him to pull away, eventually, but it's gently. ]

...Thanks. I don't- ...it doesn't...get easier. To talk about.

[A long sigh-- which even Mia has to admit it's weird taking in a long breath of water. She gives Alex's arms a squeeze as a break to that hug.]

No, it sure doesn't. But... you can talk to me, when you need to.

[Big sis got ur back.]

[ There really are a lot of them here, who are dead. Were dead. Astounding and horrifying...isn't it? ]

...Me too. Yeah? ...I've got...a lot of experience with it. Death.

[And Mia has the energy to chuckle about it, somehow. Quiet, but still a chuckle.]

We'll have to start a club at this rate.

There'll certainly be...a few of us.

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