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[viking_seer]

"Anderson here. Leave a message and I'll get back to you. Thanks."

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[viking_seer]

[ Saga is not going into what he'd done to her. Because the seeing is the least of it and she's not getting into the other parts. That's not a 'right now' problem. ]

I've been thinking of the stars outside the ship as the Sea of Night from Grandfather's songs. I'm not sure I'm wrong about that.

[nonfictional]

You think they predicted this whole thing?

[ Alan wouldn't be surprised in the least. ]

[viking_seer]

[ She shakes her head.

Then she wobbles a hand. ]

I think they know more than I realized. I'm not sure of anything beyond that.

[nonfictional]

I can never really figure them out. Them or Ahti.

[ Ahti is a whole other can of worms. ]

[viking_seer]

I think it's a side effect of seeing so much for so long.

[ It's something she's thought about for a while. Her name means 'seer', after all. She's the Seer in every song. ]

Sometimes I wonder if that's why-

[ It's a little personal so she reformats. ]

I swallowed a lot of what my power told me for a long time. A lot of people don't like to hear the truth. And knowing it can be hard.

[nonfictional]

[ There's something there. Not hesitation, but Saga stops herself and Alan takes gentle note of it. ]

It's... difficult to fit in when you're growing up, too. Having mystical powers probably wouldn't have helped.

[viking_seer]

I... had them, fortunately or unfortunately. Got me in some trouble too, as a kid. But I learned to just... keep my mouth shut about what I knew. Use it in other ways.

[nonfictional]

Let me guess: they told you you had an 'over-reactive imagination?'

[viking_seer]

Something like that. Or I got accused of listening at doors.

[ Adults get very defensive when kids know their secrets. ]

[nonfictional]

[ Alright, he's gotta ask: ]

You over compensate for it? Teacher's pet it, or did you act out?

[viking_seer]

You're forgetting option three: just shutting the hell up about it.

[ Her tone is wry even if back then, it'd been frustrating as hell. ]

Just because I knew things didn't mean I had to tell anyone. Instead, I started trying to figure out ways to find out the information without just knowing it.

It's probably what got me started on my work.

[nonfictional]

That makes a lot of sense. [ A beat. ]

You have anyone that ever helped you out? I wound up getting into trouble, but my friend Barry usually got us out. Real smooth talker.

[viking_seer]

I had my mom, mostly. That was... pretty much it.

[ She'd always been a bit of a loner. It made it easier. Having people around were people she'd learn things about, things she couldn't share. She wasn't alone, but she'd tended to slide between one or two good friends that drifted in and out of her life. ]

No one who stuck around past college, anyway. Other than David, I mean.

[nonfictional]

Your husband.

[ Alan's smile thins, not out of any particular emotion but just due to the serious turn the conversation is taking. ]

He really seems to care about you and your kid. That's good. You've got one hell of a support system now, at least.

[ Including Alan. He's got your back, Saga! ]

[viking_seer]

David's great. He really stepped up when Logan happened. And he's so good with her. I'm... grateful. That he's such a good father. That he's supported me and my career.

[ But she definitely caught that last part. ]

I do. It's... it's good. I miss it. Them. [ a breath out ] But I've got a while before I can head back, I think.

[nonfictional]

[ Alan's surprised, but intrigued. She's obviously graduating someone else or she wouldn't be here, but that means... ]

What's your second wish?

[viking_seer]

[ She glances over at him with a wry smile. ]

Right now? Undecided. If it happens before I know exactly what I want, I'm going to offer it to John and Arthur and that group. See if I can help them out with their problem.

The other thought was offer it to Faden. Pretty sure it'd help everyone if the FBC got a good cleaning out.

[ Maybe by her third, she'll figure out if she really wants to force a meeting with her father. ]

[nonfictional]

Then what's stopping you from going home?

[ There's nothing accusatory in his voice--Alan's genuinely confused. ]

[viking_seer]

[ She looks over at Alan, a little confused, before she shakes her head. Really, she should know better. ]

The fact that I don't know who, or what, I am. And here, I have time to figure it out. Time to experiment. People who can maybe help me.

[ She sighs and shakes her head. ]

I need to know what I need to know to keep my family safe and support Logan if she has... anything like this from me. She deserves better than to grow up being confused or worse, if some- if someone approaches her, she should have all the answers so she doesn't get them from him.

[nonfictional]

[ It makes sense when she words it like that. The only thing Saga really lacks at the moment is time--a luxury Alan had a lot of, despite the stakes of his sanity slowly dwindling. ]

Are you sure she has what you have? There might be a chance she doesn't and thinks you're...

[ He trails off, lips pulling into a thin, hard line. ]

...Not right, I guess. How much are you going to tell her?

[viking_seer]

I'm not sure of anything, honestly. [ A deep breath in. ] But I don't want to lie to her. And I don't want to hide things from her, not if I can help it.

[ She shakes her head. ]

I don't know what I'll be telling her. So maybe once I do, I'll know how much of it she should get. It's a problem for Saga of the Future for right now.

[ I've got enough of my own. ]

[nonfictional]

Right.

[ Saga can't afford to think of that right now. Has to take the concept and put it neatly onto a shelf in her mind for later, because there's a lot in front of her. An innmate. Self-discovery. Exploration. ]

[viking_seer]

[ She looks over at Alan and gives him a crooked smile. ]

...do you think I'm wrong about that? That I should just head back?

[nonfictional]

[ Alan's facial expression is fairly easy to read--a grimace of a smile, tone easy despite the subject matter weighing the conversation down. ]

I'm trying to work on this thing where I don't try to control or predict anyone's future. But I think you know what's best for you. It's your superpower. Along with the Seer stuff, obviously.

[viking_seer]

[ Learning the difference between conversation and advice and those other things is part of it, Alan. Maybe she's giving you a chance to work on that. ]

I know that Logan will be in a better position if her mom has everything figured out and she can hit the ground running when the clock starts up again. That's all I know on this one.