[ she can pretend until she gets there, can ignore what she knows is real up until that point of wrapping her hand around his elbow, and then he's there. the same height, the same shoulders, the same stubble and short cropped hair, and Karen freezes.
for a single moment, Karen just stands like that - the water churning around them, the sounds of the walls creaking around them. it's hard to imagine- that after everything back home, after all they went through and everything she heard, everything that happened, it's here that she sees him. here, matt stands.
you were dead a voice in the back of her head almost says, even when she knows that was never right. even when she never really believed it. they kept telling me you were dead. and how long has it been, since then? how long that he hasn't been dead, that he's just-
karen pulls her hand back - not quite stepping away from him, but the feeling is there. she frowns, even when she can't stop her eyes from checking him over, making sure he's actually fine, even as he says it. she doesn't believe it, even when there's nothing to tell her otherwise. ]
There's a code. [ her eyes go back to the window, the glass outside, and then back to matt. there's so much she wants to say, so much she'll need to, but he's right. ] I've been looking, but- [ she doesn't want to say it, can't say it. I haven't found anything yet. she refuses to admit as much, her eyes back on the room, any of the other desks. it's got to be somewhere, it has to, but-
karen. ]
Don't. [ she says in response, immediately. she doesn't even know if he was planning to apologize, doesn't know if had planned to explain himself. all she does know is that she doesn't want to hear it right now.
another beat passes, and she sighs, taking him by the elbow and pulling him along against the current with her as she makes her way to another corner of desks. ] Here- just. Stay close, I'm going to keep looking.
SHAKES U
for a single moment, Karen just stands like that - the water churning around them, the sounds of the walls creaking around them. it's hard to imagine- that after everything back home, after all they went through and everything she heard, everything that happened, it's here that she sees him. here, matt stands.
you were dead a voice in the back of her head almost says, even when she knows that was never right. even when she never really believed it. they kept telling me you were dead. and how long has it been, since then? how long that he hasn't been dead, that he's just-
karen pulls her hand back - not quite stepping away from him, but the feeling is there. she frowns, even when she can't stop her eyes from checking him over, making sure he's actually fine, even as he says it. she doesn't believe it, even when there's nothing to tell her otherwise. ]
There's a code. [ her eyes go back to the window, the glass outside, and then back to matt. there's so much she wants to say, so much she'll need to, but he's right. ] I've been looking, but- [ she doesn't want to say it, can't say it. I haven't found anything yet. she refuses to admit as much, her eyes back on the room, any of the other desks. it's got to be somewhere, it has to, but-
karen. ]
Don't. [ she says in response, immediately. she doesn't even know if he was planning to apologize, doesn't know if had planned to explain himself. all she does know is that she doesn't want to hear it right now.
another beat passes, and she sighs, taking him by the elbow and pulling him along against the current with her as she makes her way to another corner of desks. ] Here- just. Stay close, I'm going to keep looking.