[Martel's hands tighten on her knees as the unreal years separating her from her friends suddenly hit her like so many bricks. How presumptuous had she been, asking them to pretend nothing had happened? Somehow, her mind had provided an image of their lives in which things had gone on as they always had, with the... events Mithos and Yuan had mentioned haphazardly added to the general picture. But nothing else. She hadn't considered that maybe there were new things, new people, that they would not want to pretend had not happened.

Martel has no idea how long she has stayed silent when she trusts her voice enough to speak again.]

...I lost it. The ring. It.. it dropped. So you... please don't feel you have to hold yourself to that.

[She bites her lower lip.]

I'd only really thought of myself when I came. I'm sorry.