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[after the Narrenschiff]

[routemistress]

Iris' bus materialises almost silently, like a cat creeping in at dawn, and she comes out a little unsteady on her feet - this is partly the last of the death toll and partly the bottle of tequila in her hand.

She doesn't call out. She stands there breathing in every scent on the air until he comes to her.

Re: [after the Narrenschiff]

[anewlanguage]

He has a few goats with him today. They race ahead of him and investigate Iris before he gets to her.

"Welcome home," he says, giving her a broad grin.

Re: [after the Narrenschiff]

[routemistress]

She eyes the goats but makes no attempt to approach them. The work of convincing a bunch of suspicious ungulates that a wolf-smelling stranger isn't here to kill them can be Future Iris' problem - present Iris just stands there not killing them till Cain's in reach, when she leans against him.

"We 'ad a Barge thing. We got kidnapped by another bloody ship, we 'ad to fight free in the finish."

She puts her arms around Cain. He's real and solid, and he smells of time and beaches and a little bit of pig. Her bus is right behind her and no one has the power to take him away. She finishes in a small voice.

"There was a version of you on there."

Re: [after the Narrenschiff]

[anewlanguage]

The goats scatter but Cain doesn't go after them, just pulls Iris closer. "Aw, darlin'..." He kisses the top of her head. "Made you a little homesick, did it? What was he like?"

Re: [after the Narrenschiff]

[routemistress]

She's silent for a long moment, thinking of the differences.

"I could've been. 'E was still you - but staggering under a ton of self-loathing with nowt to 'old 'imself together but professional pride and grinning into the face of destruction. And the ship 'e was on wasn't like the barge. They weren't returning anyone to life, just keeping 'em trapped indefinitely and preying on other ships to keep going. And 'e was good at that. It was like seeing you nail yourself in a coffin."

She runs her fingers along the muscles down his spine.

"So I 'ad to come. I couldn't leave that the last sight I 'ad of you."

Re: [after the Narrenschiff]

[anewlanguage]

He holds her close, mulling all that over. "Can't say that if I hadn't met you I wouldn't have jumped at the chance to do what he did."

Live life as a pirate, for the sake of living. "I was doing almost that before I got to the Barge."