Nostalgic Changes - Chapter 1, part 1
Synopsis: The experiment is over at last. The subjects are free to leave. Now, they’re left to pick up the pieces and figure out what to do from here.
(aka “let them be happy damn it” feat. “did you know that ptsd exists”, the collection)
~
Chapter 1: Daffodil
"We'll still talk, right?"
"Of course, Sia. Make sure to send me as many pictures as you can, okay?" Rio said.
"I... I will." Sissela said, smiling. Near her, Adela gave polite, though almost silent goodbyes to Rozzi and Alex.
“Make sure to be safe out there, kid!” He ruffled Sissela’s hair a little, and she shook her head slightly like a dog.
"I'm gonna miss everyone so muuuuch!" Eleven said, wiping her eyes after breaking the hug with Hyejin.
"We'll miss you too."
Eleven hugged Isol. He decided to let her, just this once. After separating the hug, she looked up at him and smiled. He pat her head. "Be, uh... be safe."
"I'll try to be!"
The group of people went to enter the plane, with a few turning back to wave before entering. Then, the plane was off, and the island was several subjects lighter.
Eva went towards the other subjects. “Apparently the next plane’s in a couple days.”
“Thank god.” The tall Rozzi went back to crossing her arms.
“Can’t wait to leave, huh?”
“What, can you, Luke?”
“I can.”
She sighed. They all went to head back.
"Hey, uh, Isol?" Hyunwoo approached him.
"What is it?"
"Where do you plan on going? Once you leave?"
"....back where I was before the experiment started. Why?"
"Ah, it's just... if that's how it goes, we won't be able to stay in touch then."
"Probably not."
The conversation died there. Eva hummed, now deep in thought.
~
Eva approached the place where Isol was sitting. "Is this seat taken?"
"No." He said, sounding rather annoyed.
He didn't like the telekinetic girl much, even if the distaste didn't seem to be mutual. She was close to the researchers, she seemingly had access to their information as she often knew details of people's pasts that she had no other way to know, and she often didn't hold her tongue when it came to other people's secrets.
He was also very sick of getting hit in the face by flying swords.
She sat down, and adjusted herself. Thanks to her posture, she somehow seemed taller than Isol. "So." Eva said, tracing her finger along the small table between them. "I'm curious. How've you been feeling about going back home?"
"It'll be the same. Wasn't that different, from here to there."
"You've made connections here, though. Ironically, this was all probably less miserable for you, since most people here are alright. But," she laughed softly, "that probably brought with it the downside of being the one with the braincell in the group."
"Then it'll just be easier." Isol looked away. "It'll be better to work with people who know what they're doing. I'm.... fine. With going back."
"It's alright to not want to go back." She said rather earnestly. "You don't have to deny it."
"I'm not denying anything."
"Nah, you are. I understand it, feeling conflicted. You think you have to go back, but you don't want to leave the connections you made behind, right? But you can still keep them."
"That's easy for you to say. I can't keep any of them, they'd just become liabilities."
Eva smiled rather sadly. "You're worried about that because you're stuck fighting other people's wars, right? But you don't need to go right back to this after leaving."
"Don't I?"
"Mhmm, not really. I mean, there's other people here who chose a different path. Sissela didn't go back to her old life, Chiara didn't go back to her old life. The only good idea in this experiment was that, once it was done, everyone in it could change their future if they wanted to. You can choose where to go. So what's stopping you?"
Isol hesitated. "It's... It's all I know. What else could I even do?"
"You're still young. You have plenty of time to find something else you can do, something you like doing."
"I'm 'still young'? Didn't know you were secretly a hundred years old."
"Pfft- okay, i did sound like a boomer there."
"Boomer?"
"Right, haha. That's a western thing, you don't really have a way to know. It's a name for- ........this is a fairly important conversation, I shouldn't derail it like this."
"But I need to know what it means", he deadpanned.
"Just ask Yuki later. Point is," she looked at him with a serious expression, "right now, you have the opportunity to leave it behind you and start a better life that's yours, no one else's. You have the chance to never need to kill again. I think you should take it."
He leaned back, somehow more relaxed. "You know this isn't really any of your business, don't you?"
"I know. I'm just showing you the door, you still have to decide how you'll open it."
He didn't answer. She caught on, and the two stood there, in a silent, newfound solidarity.