[ it's more echoes between them, places where their lives cross but are just different enough. andy's not sure there is anyone who can really grasp her life, because she's never met a human as old as she is. ]

[ she huffs a laugh, though it's quiet and maybe a little jaded. ] You go forward even when it's dragging you there kicking and screaming.

[ it's hard to have a choice when you can't die. ]

There's no one left who knew me then. There could be something closer, if all this works out - [ she gestures, vaguely, at the station, at the mission and the orbs. ] - but the only thing left of that time is my name and my axe, both of which have changed as much over time as I have.

Joe and Nicky are a few thousand years too late for that. Don't get me wrong - I'm so lucky to have them and I would kill for them both a thousand times over, but they're so young. There are parts of me they just can't grasp yet. [ they're both fast approaching one thousand. it's still so very young. ]

I can't go forward without them, but sometimes I need to go backwards alone.