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@maverick You've reached John Sheppard, please leave a message. voice | video | text

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Take Finn with you.

I don't care if you go outside the wall in pairs, but alone? You're asking for trouble. Some people do it, sure, but that doesn't mean it's smart.

[childofaxios]

Sir--

[ It's a protest, even though she knows he's right about the danger. ]

I don't think he'll trust me unless I come alone.

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I wouldn't go by myself, and I'm older, smarter, and stronger than you. That's not an insult, it's a fact.

How do you even know this guy? Is he living off-grid by choice, or did he get kicked out? How do you know there isn't more than just him out there? What if it's an ambush? Hell, what if he eats people?

A sixteen-year-old might be his idea of veal.

[childofaxios]

I've already done it once.

That's part of what I'm trying to find out. He sent his dog into town to steal food. He told me to leave when I found him. If there's a reason he's not in prison, out there alone--

[ Sometimes she hates the way John makes her feel like a kid. Uncertainly: ] He seemed like he needed help.

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You've already done it once? Then why the hell are you asking me?

It obviously doesn't matter what I think, you're just going to go ahead and do it anyway.

[Yes, he's mad.]

Tell me when, where, and for how long. At the very least, I expect you to check in as soon as you get there, and report your ETA when you leave.

[childofaxios]

[ His anger cuts right through her, and that in and of itself leaves her speechless for several seconds that feel like they last forever.

She doesn't want him to be angry with her. Now she feels like a kid and she feels small in a way she hasn't since her last argument with her mother. ]

Sir, I. [ There's nothing to follow that. She feels written off, a predicted casualty based on her own stupidity.

Even quieter: ] I didn't intend to go that far out the first time. I was--

[ She's reminded of how stupid she found herself in the moment, when James had asked her why she came that far. ] I was trying to catch the dog.

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You were trying to catch the dog.

[John's voice is clipped, but lacks its earlier heat.]

And now you intend to go that far out.

Just because nothing went wrong the first time, doesn't mean it won't.

[childofaxios]

I know, sir. But--

He was honest with me. He wanted me to leave, to let me leave, even when I told him it would be simpler to kill me if he wanted to stay hidden. There's a reason he's out there, and I think if I help him he'll tell me why.

Or he'll tell you why.

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And why would he tell me?

[childofaxios]

I think he was military. Your kind of military. And he thinks I'm a kid.

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You are a kid.

A pain in the ass one, I might add.

But I guess you've thought this through.

[childofaxios]

[ FULL SASS MODE: ] Yes, sir.

I don't act on impulse.

[ One can almost here the awkwardness in her pause. ]

I don't typically act on impulse.

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Uh huh.

I'm trusting you Silva. Don't make me regret it.