[She stops herself, hiccuping on her own words, unable to effectively halt the verbal stumbling. Trying to cover this up by pulling the NV away to try and encrypt the call.]
I'm asking you ... because ... I feel like I can trust you. And I can't push Terra any farther than I already have.
[Slow exhale.]
You know a lot more than I do about how things are in the Port. I need help.
[His first and strongest instinct is to deny, deny, deny. And it's not that those halting words mean he won't—this isn't his story to tell, not his secret to share.
But he knows what it is for distances to build up between friends until there's nothing but fear they'll never be overcome.
[That was literally physically painful for her to type, okay. It also came like twenty minutes after the first text and if he sent anything inbetween it went ignored, sorry bro.]
[Stop. Stop, Aqua. Is this really a point that she should be arguing? Is he really in a state to be reasoned with anyway? He seemed so angry when she asked about Xemnas, but now ...]
... You aren't like him. Not if he's as terrible as you say.
[She holds her breath for a moment, thinking this over carefully.]
Can you just ... answer one more question? And then I'll go? Please.
Maybe not. I don't want to be. But we've got more in common than I'd like.
Aqua, remember when I said I ended up with a bad crowd after I was created? He was part of it. Our leader, Number I. He was the first person I ever met. He named me.
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