#FreedomFalls – August 22, 2024

Va'ynna is wearing her thick heated winter coat with the hood up, which is a good job at keeping her warm. She is only wearing thin knitted gloves, so her hands are in her pockets. In spite of Enila's shorter opening hours still being in effect, she does appear tired and a bit distant.

Victoria is wearing a long coat and a beanie to protect herself from the cold, her hands in her pockets. She appears to be in her normal nonchalant mood, she looks over at Va'ynna. "Hey, you doing alright?"

Va'ynna looks towards Victoria, snapping out of her thoughts with an automatic answer of, "I'm fine." She then returns to looking ahead of her as she actually processes the question. "Or... no, I'm not," she says. "I know it's stupid, but I still haven't contacted Nari."

Victoria moves close enough to Va'ynna so she can hook their arms together while still keeping both of their hands in their respective pockets. "Haven't found the time yet, or getting some anxiety about it all?"

Va'ynna frowns. "There has been... plenty of time," she says, leaving the other option on the table. "Enila would give me as much as I need, she has said as much, and I... believe her." She keeps looking ahead of her. "I wish I didn't have the option; that... was easier."

Victoria remains silent for a moment before speaking up. "Well, I will say this. If you do contact her, I can be there with you. If you need the emotional support." She wanted to give Va'ynna the option of having someone with her while making the call, to see if that made the choice easier for her or not.

Va'ynna considers it for a moment, still looking ahead. "That...," she shakes her head. "As much as I'd like that, Enila... probably wouldn't agree, but... I will ask." She glances towards Victoria as she pauses. "I... wish I could give a final 'no'," she says. "Let go, but... I don't think I can without... Enila keeping it open."

Victoria lets out a little sigh. "Yeah, I can understand that. But this might be one of those times where no matter what you choice, you still gonna wonder if it was the right thing or not." She leans into Va'ynna for a quick moment. "But whatever you choice, I'll be there to help out as best as I can."

Va'ynna frowns. "What... would I even get out of it?" she asks, not expecting an answer. "She is... nothing but lies and secrets. She tracked my omni-tool. She and Uvena used to be bondmates, and I... only learned that from Uvena recently."

Victoria choices to remain silent at first, believing that was the better choice at the moment. "Wait, Uvena and her were bondmates? How long ago was that?"

Va'ynna nods. "I know, right? They ended things some years before I was born, but they were together... for very long," she says. "Until Nari's work... stopped being amenable to being in a relationship." She sighs. "Uvena said it broke her heart." They pass by the convenience store, and despite how many times they have since the kidnapping that took place here, she still tenses up a little.

Victoria seems to be thinking over the information before noticing Va'ynna tensing up near the convenience store. Vicky removes her hand from her pocket and puts her hands into Va'ynna's pocket to hold the asari's hand. "But that raises some question right there, like Nari was there when you were growing up right?" Vicky is thinking out loud, she might be putting puzzles pieces together

Va'ynna takes the offered hand and holds on tightly, a smile showing up in spite of the conversation. "Like I said, they... ended things before I was born, and... just cut all contact," she says, barely believing it herself. "Or, if they had any, they must have hid it very well."

Victoria gives a slight shrug. "That just feels odd to me. But I might be trying to make a connection out of nothing." She gives Va'ynna's hand a squeeze and smiles at her. "Don't worry about what I am saying, I'm probably just making a mountain out of a molehill."

Va'ynna raises an eyebrow. "Nari is not my father," she says, making a guess at what puzzle Victoria is trying to solve; her voice growing a bit faint as she looks back at the road ahead. "Uvena.... she... she wouldn't lie about that."

Victoria rubs the back of her head with her free hand and gives an awkward laugh. "Yeah sorry about that, just my brain making connections that ain't there."

Va'ynna sighs. "It's... fine," she says. "It doesn't really... matter." Even though the fateful corner store is well behind them, she does not let go of Victoria's hand.