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[ She doesn't know how to respond to that, initially. Her life. For a second she doesn't even know what that means, and then she realizes it's strange that she can't visualize that, her life without this. She had goals at one point. A plan. And it has gone away so fast. ]

This...is my life, Rex. This shit we have to do. [ As she speaks, she thinks she knows how he'll protest, and she starts trying to fight the argument in advance. ] It's our life. Everyone here, they deserve to know what the fuck is going on. I'm not going to ruin our chances of figuring that out by not doing anything.

[ Something needs to have an answer. When she'd become a god, she'd been so sure all of it was worthless- she needed a point. The machine had given it to her. And now, here, she's got something else to study, something nobody else seems to be as interested in. ]

If there's no one else here trying to find a way to deal with Lachesis and Atropos and all the rest of it, I have to. I don't want to ignore the dying shit, it's-

[ She wants to ignore it. Forget about it for a little while. But she's not acknowledging that. ]

It's just that I don't want an entire city nuked again because none of us found the right tiny little detail or whatever.

Focusing on you doesn't mean not focusing on anything else. We can't be on all the time. None of us can, as much as we may try.

[ He tries. God knows he tries. But he's come to accept his limitations in the past months - or maybe it's that he's come to accept the way life ought to be rather than the way life is. ] We take time for what's important. Martin's soccer games, those dinners we have, when Andy and I -- [ His mouth forms a thin line. ] Well.

[ They have more time now, technically speaking. The both of them. What an awful way to put it. ]

I would never ask anyone to stray from their duty. But it's important too. That's all I'm saying.

[ She wants to say watch me. Because she feels useless if she's not working, not finding the answers she not only craves, but she knows people need. Rex wants her to calm down, but she's never truly calm, not really, even when she's sure she's the calmest person in the room. It's so hard to be. Being at peace- it's not right here.

But there's a tenderness in her chest, knowing what's important to him. She has to reassure Martin about things so often, but he never has to worry; Rex adores that kid. And as for Andy...she's not trying to bring him false hope, but. ]

Andy...should come back, Rex. People usually do. [ Usually. ]

I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so pissy about it. And- all this.

[ It is not a kindness to want Andy to come back. He does, of course, but it's not something he's keen on voicing aloud; he may not consider himself to be particularly superstitious, but it seems disloyal to do so. She has been alive for a very, very long time - and even after just twelve years of life, he's able to comprehend how torturous that must be. Will she come back? Perhaps. Should she? Really? Perhaps not.

He shakes his head, doesn't address it. ]

Considering the circumstances, you've earned being a little pissy. [ She had been upset when he'd arrived. The mitigating circumstances haven't disappeared - it's just that, for Rex, another unfortunate circumstance has been piled on top of that. Cassandra's been dealing with that for all this time. ]

It's all right. Let's just get this done. We'll sort it out another day.

[ He has a tendency to want to get things done immediately, but even Rex has his limits. They're on a time limit, but nothing will come of talking about it today. ]

[ She makes a small huff at him pointing but she's earned the right to be mad- yeah, she knows. ] What I mean is, I shouldn't be giving you shit when you just came to help. I'm not used to...people coming around without me having to deal with their shit, I guess.

[ She starts to put a few of the dishes away, following his suggestion even when she usually wouldn't. But this reminds her of another topic, one that worries her. ]

Rex, you...might not want to come around here too much. Honestly? I don't want Woden targeting you all again. He basically terrorized your entire house. If he's doing it to get at me, I don't want him just doing it all over again when he gets back.

Maybe you ought to get used to it, then.

[ Rex isn't going anywhere - or at least, he doesn't intend to, just as he doesn't intend to lay his baggage at Cassandra's door. He knows their motley little group has their fair share of issues, but the one thing he can say to recommend them is that they care. They care enough to try to take care of their own without burdening them, to help without any expectations of having their help returned. If Cassandra's been without that sort of thing for this long, it only makes it all the more important to have back-up on their side. Cassandra likes to mumble about how terrible Rex's life has been - something he staunchly disagrees with - but he's never suffered a lack of support. ]

Do you have any reason to believe that both times he came 'round, he was doing it specifically because of our relationship with you? Seems to me like he was doing it for the sake of it, your presence notwithstanding.

[ She looks away a bit. She doesn't want to blame the kid, but... ] When he first came to that house? It might just have been that he- or his doppelganger, whatever- had a grudge against Martin. And that's not even getting at the fact that Dio lives with you. They've- they've got a history.

[ An awful, awful one. She doesn't like to elaborate, and on top of that, she tends to hope Dio can bring up that story only to the people he wants to know. ]

But Woden's a fucking pervert, Rex, and he's always thought I was...I don't know, his ideal woman to fuck with, I guess? In all variations of that phrase. [ She sounds disgusted to say it. ] I can definitely believe he'd do something like that to mess with my head. He thinks it's the best thing in the goddamn world to see people he hates squirm.

Doppelganger or not, we have reason to believe that he'd go after Martin regardless - and with him, Andy. I'm not convinced our being here would significantly worsen things, but there's no need for us to come by.

[ Which is a simple way of saying that while he's not convinced of Cassandra's reasoning, he won't disobey her wishes for the hell of it. They don't need to come here when Cassandra is able to come to them instead. As long as she's not pushing them all away in the first place, it's workable.

Rex's vigilance won't change either way. As far as he's concerned, Woden is dangerous to everyone he holds dear, whether he's directly interfered in their lives or not. It's only a matter of time. ]

Will you be all right here? On your own? [ That's the more pressing thought at the moment. Rex may be inexperienced in types like Woden, but the idea of someone harassing Cassandra simply because of what she is is a distressing one, to say the least - not too unlike what he hears people say about Twi'leks, if he's got this right. ] You've mentioned his... proclivities before.

I'm not sure I want to speculate on if he has any particular reason for brainwashing Andy, besides Martin and I knowing her...

[ Particularly because, right now, she can tell Rex doesn't want to stay on the topic too much. ]

I'll be fine. Even if he comes after me, I'd rather it be just me than a bunch of people who just got unlucky enough to live with me. I barely knew the people I lived with, anyway- it's not like I was safer that way.

[ She still has lingering disgust in her voice, but it's faded. To some extent, she's defeated. She'd love to find a way to stop Woden for good- until then, though, she's just surviving. ]

My preference would be for you not to be in danger in the first place.

[ He glances around the apartment with renewed interest, eyes roving over the place, searching for what he knows to look for: blindspots, where to find cover, where one could reasonably find themselves trapped. ]

Do you have an alarm system? Cameras?

No, but I have divine powers? And I'd like to add that both of your suggestions are things I wouldn't put it beyond Woden to hack.

[ She's not going to roll her eyes at this or anything; after all, she knows Rex is just looking after her. But the general feeling is in her voice. ]

Seriously, Rex, I can take care of that shit. If you spend your entire time here puttering around like I'm fragile I'm genuinely going to lose my mind.

Fragility has nothing to do with it.

[ Andy's immortal. He's seen her take a blow to the head that would kill a lesser man immediately, has watched her be gored by some horrible wild animal, and she'd come out fine. One brush with Woden, and now she's dead.

He could say that. He doesn't. It doesn't seem worth it. It'll just make them both feel more like shit than they already do. ]

Others having powers hasn't prevented me from worrying before, and it's not going to prevent me from worrying me now. Here and at home. [ He worries about General Skywalker, for heaven's sake. He's lost count of the amount of times he's harangued the man about wearing some proper armour, the amount of times he's asked him to just keep his damn head down and practice some caution. He always rolled his eyes at him but, to his credit, usually complied with a roll of his eyes, fondness at the edges of his expression. All right, Rex, he'd always said, with the air of someone doing it because it would make him happy, not because he believed it necessary.

That had been good enough for Rex. ]

Do me a favour and humour me until the food gets here.

[ Surely she can manage that much. ]

[ Okay, now she is going to roll her eyes. That doesn't sound like he isn't puttering, to her. ]

No wonder you're the one taking care of a kid. [ She mumbles it, but not quietly enough that she's trying to hide it. She's teasing him, kind of, in a roundabout way. ]

Fine, go ahead and scour my entire apartment for security flaws. As if at least one major organization isn't already tracking us, in our own blood. [ She waves her arm with the nanite tattoo, as if to accentuate her point. ] I'm sure we can squash all attempts at kidnapping in advance and then settle down to a wonderful dinner.

[ It's a bit mean. But there's affection in her tone, somewhere. ]

[ Rex gives Cassandra a look that means that he absolutely heard what she said and has simply deigned not to honour it with a proper response. When it comes to his men, it's the sort of look that has them scampering off to do their duty, tail between their legs. When it comes to those who have become close to him in this place, it's the sort of look that just makes them snort, much to Rex's everlasting chagrin. ]

Thank you, [ he says instead, primly, as though all she had said was yes, I will allow you to scour my apartment. ] Then that's exactly what I'll do.

[ And she sighs and lets him go do it.

It does bother her, sure; the acknowledgement of how vulnerable she really is. But she's grateful, too, that someone is willing to look out for her in this way. Not that she'd admit it. Or embrace it. Or anything of the sort.

(and then later they ate lo mein and tried not to have more emotions and it was a good night and nothing else bad would ever happen to them ever) ]

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