The mural was a crashed spaceship, compact and unique, it reminded Kate of an ocean beacon, triangular with large base, the centre had crumpled in the centre circle, it reminded Kate of Genevieve's nose, if somehow it had been punctured by a tiny bullet. The hull had spikes all over it, likely ten-foot-long tungsten alloy needles. Beranger bullets from the earth turret systems. The ship's punctured armour had atmospheric burns, telling a story of their own. Earth had said, no, they'd come anyway. They'd been popped like a tyre but were too close to atmosphere to die in space, meaning everyone inside had burned alive in entry. And since the ship had not exploded they'd caught to stay alive, meaning theirs deaths had no been quick.
Now strings hung off of each of those needles like a spider's web.
A vast range of colours painted the web from hundreds upon hundreds of flags tied to those strings.
All of those flags were... people? Kids even?
"Gen." Kate murmured, voice so soft. "Genevieve over here."
Genevieve didn't face her but she twitched and blinked, as if realizing that she was not in some other universe but in the truck with the rest of them.
The erect knee stance lost its blood flow shrinking and bleeding away until her butt touched the chair again.
"Come to me girl, you're almost me there" Gen seemed to remember herself for a second time and Kate gave a tsk which caught Gen off guard. Kate just kept waving her over, "do me a favour Gen, I'm smothered in anxiety. Normally when that happens I play with my brother's blonde hair. It helps him relax too, just by my being there for him. But really it helps me. Saves me from pain. Please save me from pain."
Gen wasn't dumb, Kate was clearly lying, but at the same time there were sprinkles of truth there, enough that Gen had to look at Eric, of all people, at that time. Kate caught his shrug and to Kate's surprise, it worked. Looking as awkward as Kate had ever seen, Gen made the choice, breathed then put her knees together, lay on her side and sidled forwards, dropped forwards until she pinned her head to Kate's chest.
"No bad touches." Gen warned and Kate burst out laughing, hugging her head to smother her in cleavage.
Gen laughed and fell silent as Kate stroked her head. Unfortunately Kate's spine was facing Eric so she could not face him. She grabbed the screen turned it to her face with purpose. As expected there was a camera there and Eric's face appeared.
Lip reader Mode active.
"What?"
He mouthed out silently.
"What the hell was that?"
Kate mouthed back.
"I was letting you know what the reality is like."
"So was she! But then you targeted Sakura."
"Are you defending her already?"
"Wait, have I been misunderstanding something between you and Sakura?"
Eric said nothing. The car revved, the hum quickly became a whine as the punished he accelerator while reversing and shifted the vehicles duties, to forwards. She could feel the crunch of snow and asphalt against the wheel.
They lurched forwards, the wheels massive and wide would suffer nothing as adorable as resistance in any form, for a slit second G forces pushed her down and before her head could complain, a near electric sizzle filled the car and it all the interior pressure vanished, and what had pressed down on her before nursed and cuddled her like a lover showing their appreciation.
"It's not hate."
Came the prompter in front of Kate's face. She'd originally thought that rev drive had been was the end of a conversation, a dramatic 'exit' of sorts.
"Don't you dare something like 'it's complicated."
Kate complained.