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Samara looked up from one of Abby’s books when she heard a loud mewing outside the bedroom door. She put her index finger to mark her place as she closed the book, pushing herself out of the small bed to let the spotted cat in.
He danced between her legs, his chirps and calls still loud. A familiar cry, the one for hunger, which was odd because the former Spectre was always on time with feeding Joker. She figured it was just simply a slip of memory.
The grays in Abby’s hair was more dominant than her dark brunette hair, and certain daily things were regularly being forgotten.
She fell asleep more often during their meditation.
She picked at food.
She fumbled with the guns she loved to care for, opting to nap instead.
More than once, she had asked Samara to get the groceries or to run simple errands, saying that she couldn’t because everything ached where machine met flesh.
Samara wished she could help her, help ease the process of aging. The way it swooped in on some humans, she knew it wasn’t fair to someone who had already experienced so much in their lives.
Leaving the bedroom, she followed the cat towards the cockpit of the ship.
Abby had said she liked it when he ate up there, him reminding her of Joker (which had prompted his name). There would always be a Joker on her ship. He would scold her otherwise in the rare times they met up.
The Justicar stopped at the calendar in the little dining room, noting that the rare meet up time was scheduled for a couple of days. She would get the two something special to drink so that they could talk about the old days, swap stories of what they were doing now that they were older and rounder.
She smiled and chuckled to herself, loving the way that it was Abby’s turn to blush now when she was doted with admiration. A sweet bit of revenge for when they first were together. The human had always adored trying to make her blush during… intimate times.
It was amazing how times had changed in the last almost… thirty years. With how things were now, it truly was another lifetime.
A loud meow ripped her rudely from her thoughts, and she scolded the cat quietly. “I am going, I am going.”
She crossed the distance to the cockpit in a few strides, only a little surprised to see the head of gray hair poking from the side of the chair, the long braid curled on the floor. “Abigail, napping there will make your neck ache.”
No reply. Normally, she would get a sleepy retort.
I’m not sleeping, I’m just resting my eyes!
I wasn’t asleep, I was craning my head to look at that star cluster.
I dropped something and got stuck in this position.
Maybe she was deep asleep…?
Samara felt her stomach drop violently, like when she had a feeling that something had happened.
The book in her hand dropped as she shakily made another step closer to the chair, peering at Abby. Joker climbed onto her lap, meowing and purring up a storm as he kneaded his paws into her lap.
Abigail Shepard looked at peace, the faintest of smiles on her lips. The constant furrow of her eyebrows had finally disappeared. The tenseness in her body from being a soldier and on alert for so long, was eased into the chair. There was a softness to her features, as if she had dreamed of something nice before she had slipped to the other Realm.
Samara crouched down, hands cupping at the woman’s face, forehead resting on hers. Tears burned at her eyes and she shakily breathed out, attempting to keep her composure.
She wasn’t supposed to have belongings.
The Code made it clear.
She had made it clear. The things she had once owned were gone- either sold or given away or burned or just simply left behind. None of the things on this ship belonged to her, but there was… one thing she had kept in these times.
The Justicar closed her eyes, lightly kissing her lips, wishing that there would be some trace of heat there, but found only cold. “Sleep well, Abigail,” she whispered, throat tightening. “You have had a grand… warrior’s life… and the Goddess will be there to meet you when you wake.”
Joker curled up on her lap into a tight ball, the thoughts of hunger no longer present.
She bit her bottom lip, eyes tightening. “You will not have to wait for me long, so do not fret.” As she stood, she hovered to kiss her forehead once more, wiping her face with the back of her sleeve.
She would get something special to drink for Jeff.