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[goldvogel]

Three weeks.

There were days when the mere thought made her want to scream. At other times it simply drew her attention back to the feeling of guilt that kept eating away at her heart. For three weeks she had been trapped in this place, confronted by its madness and unable to find a way back. And at the same time her ship, her people were in

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[fallen_ancient]

After days of slipping in and out of the Compound as nearly unseen as she might, a shadow between trees, a sun dapple on the river - here then gone leaving nothing but the whisper of an impression of her presence behind - Morgan tired of fire-heated coffee, trifling meals, and cave floors. In truth, for all that Morgan preferred seclusion and meditation to crowds, she had never been an ascetic. Discarding luxuries was a simple matter, but having to hunt her own food was quite another.

This morning, meditation on the Parchment having put her into a peaceful and kind frame of reference, she glided into the recreation room to share a quiet moment and some coffee with whomever she might find. The woman she did find had newly arrived, Morgan knew, as she made a habit of tracking the newcomers to see they did not disrupt the lives of her friends - and, although she rarely admitted it, to see that they settled in. This one radiated a core strength Morgan found appealing, all of her actions considered and considerate that Morgan had seen.

[goldvogel]

Kathryn hadn't noticed her entering the room and the unfamiliar voice, however gentle its tone, almost made her jump out of her chair.

She didn't know the woman, in fact she couldn't even remember having seen her before. On the other hand, she hadn't been very attentive towards her fellow islanders so she might just have overlooked her. She seemed friendly, though, and there was something calm about her, that she found pleasent in her own upset state of mind, almost soothing.

As the name registered, she vaguely remembered some childhood stories that her mother had told her, but she'd never been much into mythology. And even if the recollection had been an unpleasant one, the impression she got from this woman was certainly not.

She attempted to smile and cover her momentary weakness: "Kathryn Janeway. I'm sorry that I reacted like this just now, I'm afraid I was so lost in thought that hadn't noticed you." She didn't want Morgan to think it was her fault, after all.

[fallen_ancient]

"Please," Morgan said mildly, mouth quirking slightly at the corners. "There is no need to apologize. If anything, it is I who owe you an apology for startling you."

Dismissing the issue with a graceful flicker of her fingers, Morgan sipped her coffee again before lowering it to rest on her thigh. "I did not wish to disturb you when I came in, so I made myself still. Forgive me. Observation is a bad habit of mine."

[goldvogel]

"It's alright." Kathryn smiled, remembering her own, much less subtly observations over the last few weeks. "I wouldn't call it a bad habit either."

By now her mind was concentrating on the present again, leaving the disturbing thoughts of a few moments before behind. At least for now. She glanced at Morgan's cup, noticing the faint scent of coffee. "Is that coffee you have there?", she asked, thinking that perhaps she might get herself another cup as well, lack of sleep or not.

[fallen_ancient]

"I suppose it is only a bad habit in the sense that some find it invasive and disconcerting." And also in the sense that she had been making a joke. Timothy would have found it amusing, but then his humor was as dry and stunted as her own.

Lifting the coffee, she smiled. "It is. Would you like a cup? We might adjourn to the kitchen and continue the discussion of my bad habits." The small smile that curved her mouth suggested she was teasing, but with Morgan, it could be difficult to tell.

[goldvogel]

Kathryn pushed herself up from her chair, already feeling better now that she was actually doing something.

"I would love to", she replied, referring to her own bad habit, the coffee. "And if you'd like to discuss bad habits, I think I might be able to contribute quite a lot to that discussion myself." She smiled as well by now, "Such as coffee, for example."

She wasn't sure why, but talking to this woman made her feel better and more relaxed than she'd been in days.