This is fine. It's fine. We're fine.

[sharpasanarrow]

[Well that was.

Something.

Underneath everyone’s door they’ll find a slip of paper, in shaky calligraphy, that reads:

INVITATION

Meet in the Dining Room.

Do not bring alcohol of any sort.

Upon arrival into the Dining Room it’s clear that this is very much...not a party.

The center of the room is cleared of all tables, and instead has all the chairs arranged in a circle, facing inwards. On the tables pushed to the side are jugs of water, cups, plates of saltines, and several hastily-made pamplets that read on the front ”How to cope with Child homicide” that contains an advisory list:

1. Try not to think about it.
2. Do not get hysterical.
3. Crying is permitted, but keep it within a reasonable volume. (For the consideration of fellow mourners)
4. Maintain civility
5. Do not plunder the belongings of the deceased.
6. No drinking or gambling your sorrows away. Set an example.

Standing in front of one of the chairs already is Mr.Arrow. He clears his throat as people start to slowly come in.]

I gathered you all here because I believed it would be conductive to group morale if we all worked through our feelings regarding recent events. Talk about your feelings with one another, but not with me.

[He steps back a little, out of the circle of chairs, in what seems to be an invitation for people to sit down and discuss with one another.]

Comments

[pinkflip]

[ Her heart clenches. Leia said they needed her here. Hiro... Hiro needs her here.

She reaches a trembling pinky up and intertwines it with Hiro's. ]

You too, okay?

[upgradeit]

[Hiro smiles at her, even if it's a little sad, shaking their intertwined hands up and down.]

Whoever breaks their word has to swallow a thousand needles.

[pinkflip]

Wh- what...?!

[ With how little she expects that, it actually shocks her into a shaky laugh. ]

[upgradeit]

Do you guys seriously not say that outside of San Fransokyo? Marco didn't know it either.

[It's a normal-ass thing to say after a pinkie promise???? He doesn't understand.]

[pinkflip]

[ God, despite herself a smile flops on to her face, sad like Hiro's but more real than any of the tight, ironed-on ones she's been wearing throughout the night. ]

We don't have a San Fransokyo where I'm from, sooo, nope. I think it's just a you-thing. [ ... ] We do have "cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye," though.

[upgradeit]

I knew there was one about needles in eyes too! [He sounds happier than he has since he freaked out on her during the trial.] I just couldn't remember it when I made Marco promise me he wouldn't kill anybody.

[Wait, wait. There's a more important question though:]

What do you guys have if you don't have a San Fransokyo, though? It hasn't been San Francisco since, like . . . the 1900s.

[pinkflip]

[ She shrugs, honestly just happy to hear Hiro more upbeat. God, this feels normal now. ...She's missed the unnatural feeling normal. Why can't she just make up her mind? ]

We just have plain old San Francisco, sorry to say. And it's 1996, before you get any ideas.

[ the whole timeline thing, it's. annoying. ]

[upgradeit]

[??????????????????????????]

But 2006 was the 100 year anniversary of San Fransokyo? And that was, like, way before I was born.

[pinkflip]

Oh, come on. A super-genius like you hasn't figured it out yet? [ The half-smile on her lips combined with how tired she looks, it just makes her look older. ] Duh. It's not that I'm from the past and you're from the future. It's that we're from different...whatchamacallits. Dimensions? Timelines? How else could stuff like this be possible?

[upgradeit]

[????????????????????????

HE'S AN ENGINEER, NOT A QUANTUM PHYSICIST.]

Then what happened to San Francisco after the earthquake? [Kim, you're casually shattering Literally Everything He's Ever Known.] I mean, I know we're from different - but how?? I am doing so badly in quantum theory, you would not believe.

[pinkflip]

[ She nudges him with her shoulder. ]

They just rebuilt, silly. I don't really know what makes them different, just that they are. Sometimes things are just weird like that.

[ this is the philosophy she's gotten used to, with the last three years of her life ]

[upgradeit]

[He's too logical for this shit, but at least it's keeping his mind off earlier.]

. . . If we ever get out of here, I'm gonna get a degree in quantum physics so all of this makes sense. [It still won't, because quantum physics is bullshit but.] I'm gonna become a time travel expert so I can visit you all.

[pinkflip]

I'm absolutely sure you can. [ She slings an arm around his shoulder, pulling him into a sideways hug. ] That'd be nice, Hiro.