Adrastia made a show of looking around at the cafe they sat in. "I guess? I miss home. Not sure I'll really get used to this place if I'm being honest."
There wasn't much else to say, was there? The last time Adrastia really remembered opening up to Jude she was telling them they weren't friends. That hadn't changed a whole lot with this situation. She had lost all her other friends. Her family. All she had was her team and they weren't even a team anymore.
"I'm going to try and... make things normal. Blade's somewhere for sure, but I'm not sure how we're going to find her. She doesn't have powers, so she can just... vanish into the world. Especially if she's in Japan. And since she doesn't even want to use her real name..."
The odds of them finding her by chance were low. Jude had some ideas for how to figure things out, but... well, most of them required money.
"I know this isn't the ending we wanted. But it's a chance that everyone fought to gave us, so I'm not going to risk losing it. They fought for this. For this chance. And there's still a chance more people will come through. I'm not..." Jude hesitated for a moment, thinking of his dad more than anyone else. "I'm not going to give up on that."
Adrastia brought the palm of her hand down on the table. Hard. "Dammit, Jude. I really don't want to hear it, okay? I know they did. I know. I was there, remember?
"But guess what? Our friends and families are still gone. The team is through. Everything I even gave up my normal life for is over. It's fucked up and I'm allowed to feel a little damn sad about it. And nothing will be normal again. It really can't."
She huffed, lifted her hand from the table and set both of them in her lap. She was glad for the darkened glasses now.
This wasn't what he'd expected, but it should have been. He should have known this was coming. The team had all just lost everyone for good, the same way he'd lost everyone months ago.
He'd had time. He'd mostly moved past it. But it was a fresh wound for everyone else.
"You guys could come stay with Officer Genovese," Jude said. "He's got extra rooms. He could fit us all."
And it'd be just like old times, in so many words.
"I'd really rather not, Jude. No offense but I've had enough of being in little rooms a hall away from you guys. Especially now. We can't be heroes and I'm not sure we actually had a lot in common outside of that. And you and I..."
Adrastia went silent. Like death. She was mostly saying these things to push him away. She was still made, yes, but hurt too. And looking at Jude didn't make her feel better, as it should have. She felt worse if she felt anything at all.
Maybe six months ago, Jude would have sat there and been hurt. He wouldn't have understood what was happening. But he had time and experience. He had... maybe not understanding, but at least a general idea. He could connect the dots. He knew that this wasn't just mad.
She was hurt. She was upset. She'd lost a lot.
"I'm not going to push you away, and I'm not going to leave you alone. You don't really get that option. Because when I was in your place, that's what would have helped me."
And he hadn't gotten it. He'd been left alone, to his own devices, to figure things out on his own.
Adrastia gave Jude a look he probably couldn't even see.
"Honestly, Jude. I needed you guys when I wanted to save a close friend. Now? I just... I want to be left alone. We all needed help. None of us got it. Then this shit?"
Rory held her head, rubbed at her temples until she could barely think. "And I really don't need you patronizing me now."
"So what am I supposed to do here?" Jude said. Giltenn could tell him their best guess based on how Adrastia was acting, but they were beyond useless at figuring out what to do. Giltenn didn't handle social. That was Jude's job.
A job he didn't feel he was very good at.
"What am I supposed to do, leave you here and just never speak to you again? We're friends." He wasn't going to let her take that away from him again.
"No. Jude. Friends help friends. Friends trust friends. We weren't friends. We were just a really good team and now that's gone. I'm not Adrastia and you're not Jude and last I checked Rory and Angelo didn't exactly hang out or get along. We were living in some fantasy and it's gone now."
Which was frustrating. All Rory had going for her was Adrastia. She couldn't even name what she wanted to do after school now. Maybe she'd had a plan for it before but the now was different. It was uncertain and changed. Twisted from its original, secure concept.
Jude looked serious. He was serious. He felt like Adrastia was falling away all over again. She'd started months ago, but the world ending had meant there hadn't really been time to sit around wondering about what would happen after. There hadn't been thinking about school or college or anything else. There had only been thinking about survival.
"We're friends. We are friends." He should have told her that when she'd first written her note all those months ago.
Adrastia made a show of looking around at the cafe they sat in. "I guess? I miss home. Not sure I'll really get used to this place if I'm being honest."
