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[synthedick]

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[synthedick]

People from my neck of the woods. Brotherhood. Hell, even just people with nowhere else to go. Seem to be a lot of them here, too.

[Nick can't help but wonder if it's on purpose sometimes; it's hard to believe the gods when they have so much control over so many things, but claim to have none over that Door of theirs.]

[circumitus]

Guess it's more convenient for the gods when the Door brings in people who have no other option but to stay, if it beats the alternative.

[Some people here are dead, or dealing with much worse -- like Rey and, she suspects, Danse as well.

[Still, the gods claim they don't control the Door, so that doesn't count for much the people who don't fit that bill.]

[synthedick]

[And then there are those who opt to stay, like Nick. It's home now, and he's not about to leave his family behind, especially when...]

From the way Danse put it, there isn't much of a Commonwealth to go back to at all. Some future I haven't lived yet, and am being judged for anyway.

[Not that being judged for something beyond his control isn't old news.]

[circumitus]

[Rey isn't surprised to hear it's that bad; seems to be a theme with this place.]

Not much you can do about that. But I do know a thing or two of what that's like.

[Only instead of a future, it was for a past she didn't remember, and had been a completely different person.]

[synthedick]

Yeah. You would, wouldn't you?

[He gives her a rueful kind of smile.]

Guess it's a good thing I'm hoping we can turn this place into something better. Someplace worth staying in, especially for those folks where it does beat the alternative. If we can ever all get on the same page about that, things might just turn out all right.

[circumitus]

[Oddly enough, it's never occurred to Rey that Nick would fall into that "alternative" category. He's never seemed to express much interest in going back home, but she's also questioned whether his intentions of staying here have more to do with her than the state of things in his world. Not that she minds; it's just good to know.]

That's a tall order. [Especially since Rey just about nearly sabotaged her friendship with Sharon over being on different pages on the matter.] Guess it's a nice thought, though.

[synthedick]

[If ever asked, Nick would definitely tell Rey the people here are what matter to him, as home is where you make it; however, he's sure she knows.]

That's the ideal. Things rarely go that way, but it doesn't hurt to dream.

[Not that machines like him can dream in the literal sense -- not without the gods' intervention -- but the point still stands.]

Guess I'll go give Shadow a call, or see if I can't catch him sometime soon. I oughtta sit down and have a talk with him as it is.

[circumitus]

No, can't say that it does.

[Depends on the dream and the one dreaming it, though -- in Rey's humble opinion.

[Her expression is forced neutral as Nick swings the topic back to Shadow again. Not her favorite subject as of late, but necessary.]

Okay. [She pauses, folding her arms over her chest.] I know you want to see the good in some people, but... Just keep in mind, they have to want to change, and they have to try. You can't force that.

[From the sounds of it, this one hasn't been trying hard enough. But again, her opinion, and not one that can stop Nick from caring either way.]