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laurie are you still out somewhere? i came back last night but i didnt want to disturb you
and i didnt realize nearly a whole month had gone by at all until i ported back to the base
has it really been a month? i cant believe it
thats nearly my whole summer vacation and the porter made me miss my birthday
does it still count even if you missed it? do i have to wait a whole year again?
will i see you at home?

OMG SASHA!!
I thought you might have left forever and it was awful, because I would've had like five things to apologize for just hanging in the air forever and I really didn't want it to end like that.
And that was a really bad run-on sentence but whatever!
Yes. I'll be home. I'm on my way right now, okay?
I'll be right there.

apologize for what? did we get into a fight before i ported out and dont remember?
okay im in the kitchen

No, but all of that stuff happened!
I'll explain when I get there if I have to, but now I'm going to stop texting and I'm going to run the rest of the way.

Edited 2015-07-29 03:59 (UTC)

[ And in Laurie clatters with an unusual amount of noise for her. She doesn't even shut the front door all of the way, and has to turn back after a few strides to fix the issue. It's straight to the kitchen, then, and straight to Sasha. She's dressed in her Kanaya-made superhero duds with her hair tied back, and her expression is somewhere precarious between laughing and crying.

She moves to give Sasha a hug before she can bring herself to say anything, even though there's a lot to be said. It probably seems weird, given the time-slides that are in play. She might look kinda pathetic, but she's happy and so immensely relieved. So she just squeezes tightly and squeaks out. ] Hi. I'm really glad you're back.

[ Laurie's attire catches Sasha's attention, getting a slightly raised brow and a question at the tip of her tongue that's swallowed back when Laurie's arms wrap around her. Sasha can sense the joy and feel the warmth coming off of her, so while she meets Laurie with initial surprise she quickly reciprocates the hug.

She looks like she hasn't slept much, but really, she only got about a few hours of shut eye before she woke up. ]

I didn't mean to worry you. It was only when I got back to the house I realized how much time had passed. It's so weird; it feels like not even yesterday I was here.

I know. [ Laurie releases Sasha and takes a half-step back, blinking rapidly for a second to try and not shed a tear or two. She's totally not that fussy. She refuses. ] I mean, I don't know-know. I've never 'ported out or anything, but that's what everybody says, right?

[ Deep breath, let it out. ] Were you home at all? Are you okay?

[ She sees Laurie fighting back the tears and can't help a smile. That's Laurie for you.

She steps back toward one of the chairs at the table, sinking down into it. There's no plate of food in front of her or anything cooking on the stove or in the microwave. She had come into the kitchen looking for food, but the second she had grabbed the bread her appetite faded rapidly. She's just not feeling that hungry, she guesses. ]

It's really weird... [ She repeats, rubbing the back of her neck as she tries to find the words to articulate the experience. ] It feels like time has and hasn't passed? I was home for a bit, but then I was here again.

[ Her expression falls. ]

... thinking about it is giving me a headache.

[ Laurie turns to lean onto one of the nearby counters, and she thinks about offering to make Sasha something to eat, but... She'd probably already have something if she's hungry, right? And then there's the inherent confusion and the fall of expression.

Laurie shakes her head as if to refuse the subject. ] Don't worry about it, then. I'm sure readjusting takes time.

I hope I still have my job!

[ She sinks further into her chair at the thought. She doesn't want to have to look for another job, not when she feels she's been doing an excellent job at the shelter. ]

What's been going on anyway? I looked at the network, but I don't get what people are talking about.

[ She want to assure Sasha, again, that she can probably get her job back. A month is much longer than three days, though. If they've already hired somebody else, then the position might be hard to get back. She's about to try and smooth things over by stating that there are probably other shelters that she's qualified to work for, or even vet offices, but... Right. What's been going on?

Laurie hums thoughtfully and tries to pull together a decent summary in her mind. What's been on the Network? And what happened before that? ]

There are some people who experienced, like... some kind of illusion, I guess? Some people saw the future --or more than one future?-- and some people saw the past. I don't know if anybody's said what caused it. There was some swear-in gunk before that, and... There was a party before that.

Saw the past?

[ And the future? Sasha looks up at Laurie uncertainly, her eyes slimming a moment. It sounds like she's missed a lot. ]

This gets more and more confusing...

[ She might be better off asking Armin for an explanation or at least putting it into words she'll understand. For now, she sits back up in her chair and shakes her head. ]

Maybe it's better I wasn't here.

Maybe, or... I mean, everything skipped me altogether, so maybe it would've been the same for you. [ She hunches her shoulders up for a moment, something like a prolonged shrug, before she shifts and hops, lifting herself to sit on the countertop. She sits in thought for second or two, swinging her legs lightly and looking down at her shoes. ] I guess June was busy, but July... I dunno'. I felt really stuck.

Here's hoping for August, right?

Summer's nearly over, too.

[ She sighs. From the sounds of it she wouldn't have wanted to gotten entangled in whatever trouble imPorts found themselves in this time, but she's still disappointed that July's over and there's only a few weeks left before school re-opens. ]

What have you been doing this whole time? I noticed all my stuff was where it was in my room... thank you.

[ A beat. ]

Is Tobias still here?

Don't worry about it. I... I didn't even think about moving anything yet. I think I'd have held out for as long as possible. [ She doesn't answer with what she's been doing with any more than a little shrug and and an expression that includes a wrinkles nose and a little frown. She hasn't been doing anything. She's wrapped up school, she goes to work, she goes superheroing even if she's not great at it... Nothing good. Nothing useful. ]

Yeah. Toby's here, and still... You know, quiet during the day, usually gone at night. I found out he and Dorian Gray are from the same world. And then we met Peter Pan.

That's about it.

[ That only earns Laurie a curious tilt of the head. The name "Peter Pan" isn't familiar at all. ]

Peter Pan? Who is that?

Oh, um... He's a famous character, in my world. And lot of other worlds, I guess. He's in plays and books and movies and stuff. He's a boy who never grows up, and he flies and fights pirates and stuff.

[ How much of this is actually true of this real Peter Pan, she has no idea. That's the myth stuff, though! ]

He's staying out in the woods, here. He had a party after he arrived, and me and Tobias went by accident. [ More or less. ]

Never?

[ Asked in an almost incredulous tone of voice. She's trying to wrap her head around the idea of someone who doesn't age despite the fact she's met immortals. Still, immortal doesn't necessarily mean they stay the exact same age forever, does it? ]

And he's here? What's this Pan like?

Yep. [ Never grows up. Is totally here. And what's he like..? ] I'm more used to, like, Disney Peter Pan, but I don't think he's much like that, so... I don't know. He's closer to teenager-y than I would've figured, and he's very direct and kind of wild-seeming.

[ The whole thing's a little odd, maybe, but so's a lot of stuff here. ] You know, just your run-of-the-mill children's character suddenly existing in real life. No big deal, right?

[ If she knew more about Disney she might have freaked out a bit to know Peter Pan now existed, but since she didn't have the books they have in this world growing up or many stories to pass around Sasha isn't quite sure how she would react at all. ]

That is weird... but a lot of things about other worlds are weird to me. Just that none of them have titans is kind of strange! Even if it's a good thing.

[ Yeah, titans are a bad thing. Thinking on this point leads her to consider something that she hadn't before, though. Her world's weird compared to some others. Superheroes are a known aspect, mutants are a thing, cosmic and alternate-universe shenanigans aren't unheard of... It's still nothing like Sasha's world, though. Sasha's world is very different and apart from most world's she's ever heard of. ]

I think you must come from a kinda unique place, now that you say that. Unfortunately unique, I guess, but... Still.

Have I mentioned that I'm glad you're back? [ Because yeah. That world. ] Not that I want to keep you from anything, but... I like the idea of you being here a whole lot better.

[ She pauses, letting those words sink further in before she offers a small, warm smile. ]

I'm glad to be back, too. And that you're here.

[ As much as she misses home, she misses the more peaceful times. The downtime in between training or missions where she and the rest of the 104th goofed off or watched as Eren and Jean got into petty arguments, or when she and Connie would start fooling around where their superiors couldn't see them.

She can't say she would rather be home right now. Not when there's a titan bigger than the Colossal Titan headed toward the city and they've got to find some way to kill. Not when she can't seem to get a proper night's rest for fear of something lurking in the shadows threatening her friends' lives and hers. ]

Why did you say you had to apologize earlier?

[ Oh. Right. The little smile and the warmth that's built up in her expression crumbles under that question. She looks instantly embarrassed, hunching her shoulders and ducking her head. ]

Oh, yeah. That. Um... [ Alright. Sasha didn't seem angry before or anything, and she's obviously not worried about it now, so she could do this! She looks up again in an attempt to be direct and totally not a wimp about it, reaching up with both hands to tuck her hair behind her ears. ] Just-- You know, the whole Reggie thing. I'm sorry I made out with your, um... Your guy that you're seeing. That. First and foremost.

Oh... ah!

[ Both hands rise as if to tell Laurie to relax. Her own eyes widen with surprise and there's a tint of red in her cheeks that wasn't there about five seconds ago. ]

Reggie isn't— he isn't my boyfriend! We're not seeing each other really so...

[ It had been an awkward scenario to stumble upon, but she's nowhere near angry about it. ]

I thought you liked him.

What? No! God, no. [ So, okay, even if she's come to certain conclusions about the sort of person that's going to find her worth the time of day, Reggie's still abrasive-seeming and potentially a pretty questionable guy. She doesn't want to air any of that, though. Her judgement's probably flawed for various reasons. ] I barely know him! And even if you're not seeing each other, I wouldn't normally come onto a guy who's interested in my friend.

I just... It was part of the whole Lucifer thing. It made me more pathetic and desperate than usual. That's all.

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