Hey There! Oh, Isolation is being Re-Written! If you want to see the original story (for whatever reason), a Google Doc is available here!
This must be weighing you down a bit.
"Huh"? Bran blurted out to Tor'me, his eyes still glued to the window.
"I said I'm sorry to both of you for not being able to have Joshua stay,"
'Ichael doesn't know how to respond to any of this. After having been so excited to get to stay here, all of a sudden it felt dirty to do anything other than think about Joshua. About him leaving, not feeling like he should stay here. About any of the things they could've done differently to let him feel better about being here. To make him feel the joy 'Ichael has felt because of this place and the people here.
The joy that had intoxicated 'Ichael not too long ago.
Bran sighed, leaning further down the railing. "I'm more upset with myself than you; at least you seemed to be doing a better job than me."
"I don't blame you for getting upset," Tor'me immediately said. "I know this hurts." He stepped away from Bran and sat next to 'Ichael, facing away from the window just like them. He extended a hand to them, palm facing up questioningly. 'Ichael took a second before their hand naturally grasped his, stroking their fingers over Tor'me's fur as Tor'me did the same over their skin. Tor'me looked 'Ichael in the eyes and chuckled as he smiled, showing some teeth before his lips came back together.
'Ichael wasn't quite sure why this came so naturally to them, but they smiled back to Tor'me. It felt good, in spite of everything that's happened recently. Even when trying to show the plaza off to Bran didn't seem to do the trick. It even seemed to make Sarah laugh a bit from behind 'Ichael, reminding them of her existence.
"You both tried," she began. "Unfortunately, this is something we've been seeing a lot, working with all the other missing... kids."
"They've not accepted this very well either?" Bran replied, turning back to look at Sarah.
"Not all of them. A lot of them are still working under the assumption that they surrendered to an alien power, not that they're going to receive humanitarian aid and rehabilitation. They're all adjusting differently; that is, mostly the non-officers."
Bran came to sit down on her left side, opposite 'Ichael. He leaned towards her, listening to everything she said.
"Do you... Do you see anything 'out of the ordinary' with Joshua?" Bran asked.
Sarah turned to him, thinking for a bit. "No," she said back, shaking her head a little. "Not really. He's just invested more emotionally into the fake city than you two have."
"But I'm an officer," Bran started, quickly stumbling back on his words to correct himself. "Was. An officer. We all-- 'Ichael, Joshua and I all experienced a lot of the same stuff. I have had to protect both of them during plenty of it! Why wouldn't--"
"Bran, I can't tell you why Joshua wouldn't want to leave," Sarah interrupted, trying to keep her tone soft. "The only person who can actually tell us... is Joshua, and I know that isn't reassuring." After letting the words hang in the air, she puts a hand on Bran's shoulder. "Look. Sooner than later, Joshua isn't going to have a choice anymore. Galvana is not staying around for much longer. It literally can't. Worst case scenario, he'll be brought back here, and he'll have to learn how to manage without that part of his life. I know that's a bit harsh, but... he's not really giving us a choice either, is he?"
Bran starts crying. He can't help it. The tears, the air in his lungs... It's all just coming out now. "Sorry," he messily says, pulling away from Sarah's hand and turning away to wipe his eyes.
Tor'me walks over to Bran, kneels down and pulls something out of a pocket somewhere. A napkin. Bran takes it and cleans his face up.
As 'Ichael watches, he can see tears coming out of Tor'me's eyes too.