"Avice, come on," he said, his voice sounding strained. "You're alive now, but what about the next dangerous mission? What about next time? I can't..." He ran his fingers through his already disheveled hair. "You need to help me, here. I can't..."
She didn't hesitate, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace. "No next time, okay? No more dangerous missions."
Despite his best intentions, his hands lightly brushed through her hair. "But... what if people come after us?"
He hesitated, obviously still concerned. His hand rested on her back, his brow furrowed. "But... we're just sidestepping the problem."
"It's unlikely there even will be a problem," she said softly. "We just need to be careful for a bit."
"No, you don't understand," he said, frustrated. "You died because you didn't go back to the ship. You died, Avice."
She pulled away. "You know how I feel. I've had you die on me twice. Twice. Did you even take that into consideration?"
She stood up, her voice fierce although her expression looked as if she would cry at any moment. "And it's my fault! It's always my fault if someone gets hurt. It's always going to be my fault because I'm too stubborn or scared to do anything about it!"
"Avice," he said, his voice deadly quiet. "I can't be with someone who I have to constantly worry is going to put herself in danger. I can't do that."
She glared at him, her voice tense and sharp. "You can't be with someone like that? Fine. Then don't." She stormed towards the door, shutting it behind her.
He watched her go before sighing and standing up, slipping his bag over his shoulder. He turned to look back at his room one last time before blowing out the candle and shutting the door behind him.
Avice had returned to her room, sitting against her door as she hastily wiped away tears. "Pathetic.. Pathetic."
Jack met Natalia on the main deck. Her arms were crossed as she considered him. "Is it time?" Jack nodded slightly.
Avice joined Jack a moment later, her items with her. She didn't say anything, but seemed a bit hopeful.
