Welcome to Gaia! ::

And so it goes.

Washington Becker soon found his place in the machine that was Deus Ex island, just another cog spinning endlessly in place. It was comfortable stagnation, familiar and homely, for the most part.

But some things had changed.

His pillows only smelled of her on some nights, for one. More often than not, he woke alone, in a an empty silence. Sometimes he felt like a vessel waiting to be filled.

A body without a soul.

He had to push these thoughts aside. Like a garden long neglected, their ties were tenuous now, worn and ugly and tangled, overrun with wild shoots and choking weeds. It his fault more than hers; in his absence she had grown apart, into something other and he -

He had pruned, cultivated and contained. Trimmed roots, trained leaves. Perhaps that was why the differences, the discordant notes, were so easy to accept. Many things had changed - and yet some things hadn't.

His pillows still smelled of her on some nights.

It was evening now, and Wash rapped patiently on the door of room 203.

Wash couldn't help it - he smiled, slow and warm. It was so good to see her, he thought peacefully. So tempting to just go in and let himself bask in her presence.

"Sasha. Evenin'. Hope I'm not disturbin' you," he began. He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He still stood at the door, unwilling to cross the threshold.

"Just wanted t' see if you had time to talk." He rolled his shoulders and leaned slightly against the door frame, still maintaining a distance between their bodies.. "Thought maybe we could go for a walk."

He realized it was a strange request, especially since he had hardly earned the right to make any requests. But - he had been thinking about things, lately. She was one of the only friends he had left on this island - more than a friend, really. A confidant he had not deserved.

"That is, if y'don't mind. It's real nice out."

Wash couldn't help it - he looked relieved. It was nerve-wracking, now, interacting with her - she kept letting him in when she by all rights should slam the door in his face.

But her smile... It warmed him more than the sun ever could.

"Mmm-hmmm," he murmured in response.

Outside, it was comfortably cool - a little n** in the air that hinted to the end of a long, dry summer. Beyond the fog the moon lent a faint glow, so that it was bright even in the darkness. He squeezed her fingers reflexively, leading them down the lit pathways and toward the shore.

A familiar place, heavy with memories of more pleasant times.

"Thank you," he said finally, after a comfortable silence. "I know I ain't done anything to deserve this."

To deserve you.

He fell quiet.

"Do you ever think about the future?" He asked suddenly. "Y'know. Besides, like, just tryin' to make it through the next big mission."

There weren't many older hunters there, after all, but there were a few besides the good doctor, he was pretty sure.

"I mean," he added, half in admiration and half as a confession, "Look'it you. You seem like you really got it - always so, industrious. Y'know what you want, and bam," he said, gesturing toward the sky with his free hand, "you go for it."

He let his hand fall. "An' me," he continued, "I dunno. I feel like I just been driftin' along."