* Keiko follows after Rose, wearing winter gear like the other two escapees
were. She still lets out a few little spaced out sobs before saying quietly,
"They're still so lost. How could I leave them? My mother's sobbing tore me
apart, but I..."
* Roseli looks at Keiko, slightly bemused, then shifts Heinrick on her one
shoulder. "I don't know. Have to admit, I'm surprised."
<Roseli> You even left your guardian behind.
* Keiko is silent a moment, then replies, "I can only support so many people."
* Roseli nods. "I shouldn't have left the girls alone. But as you said..."
* Keiko is silent a moment, then chuckles weakly and says, "I guess that makes
me an honorary guardian of sorts." She rubs her face. "I feel terrible enough
for it."
* Roseli smiles a little. "We're not heartless." Pause. "Togo's not heartless."
* Keiko looks up at Rose, then says quietly, "You hide it inside of ice so well.
I... can't blame you."
* Roseli looks at Keiko. "What do you mean?"
* Keiko is silent a moment, then bites her lip. AFter a few she whispers, "You
were a mother, once, weren't you?"
* Roseli stops and stares at Keiko, her lips tightening into a thin line. After
a long moment, she returns to her walking into the building.
<Roseli> Once.
<Roseli> How did you know?
* Keiko replies quietly, "Your werewolf friend was... eager to tell me of you
instead of herself." A moment, then, "So she told me both."
<Roseli> Thought she might.
* Roseli opens the door for Keiko.
* Keiko walks through and then says, "I... felt as if you should know." She puts
her fingers to the bridge of her nose and says quietly, "I already miss her."
* Roseli heads in after Keiko and keeps going behind her. "She really your
mother?"
* Keiko replies, "In all the ways that matter, I'm her daughter, she's my
mother."
<Roseli> I see.
* Keiko is quiet a moment, then says, "I can't even be sure what my genes would
say anymore."
<Keiko> So how would anyone know either way?
* Roseli shrugs. "Had the scientists scrape through the piles of genemod Jamie
went through."
<Roseli> Yours probably isn't as bad.
<Roseli> If you're ever curious enough, might talk to Heinrick about it.
* Keiko shakes her head. "No, I don't... it doesn't matter." A deep sigh.
"Doesn't matter."
<Roseli> Up to you.  I think it matters to Jamie a great deal.  Even if she
doesn't know it.
* Keiko looks over at Rose and says, "What matters?"
* Roseli takes a turn and keeps going, approaching the room with the cells and
the entrance they originally came through. "What she was originally like."
* Keiko wraps her arms around herself and says quietly, "I don't care about
that. Can we find another way?"
<Roseli> Another way?
* Keiko gestures. "The cells. I've had enough of them."
<Roseli> I understand, but we don't have a lot of time.
* Roseli holsters her gun. "Try not to look. I'll guide you if you trust me."
* Keiko presses her lips together and draws in a breath through her nose, then,
"It's not about my eyes."
* Roseli nods. "I'm sorry." She heads through quickly. "Who ran this place? Do
you know?"
* Keiko replies, "Grozvi. Light hair, brown eyes, large, scientist."
<Roseli> Hm.
<Roseli> Think I killed him.
* Keiko is silent a moment, then, "I wish I had. He deserved it. Giving all of
those girls tumors just... just to make them more powerful." She shudders.
<Keiko> And that's only... he deserved it.
* Roseli lets out a breath. "I'm glad we got you out.
* Keiko glances up at her, then back forward. "That seems... unheartless of
you."
* Roseli clucks her tongue. "Well. I would have let you go."
<Roseli> If you wanted it.
* Roseli opens the door to the outside.
* Keiko frowns and mutters, "You know what I wanted. I just couldn't have it
all."
<Roseli> If you wanted it more than other things, then.
* Keiko is silent a moment, then says quietly, "Roseli... choosing between the
only person who ever loved you, and... two people who need you. Either way, I
lose."
* Keiko shudders and walks out the door, finishing, "Even when there's something
I can do, there's nothing I can do but... be there to stand in the way."
* Roseli walks out after Keiko, letting the door shut behind her. She points,
"That way," and starts trudging through the snow.
* Keiko trudges. A little silence sounds good, now.
* Roseli breaks the silence, unfortunately, but there's some warmth behind her
voice now: "Just do what you need to do. If you do what's best, even at times
like these, you should go through life with few regrets."
* Keiko replies, pained, "Either way, I can't escape the pain, Roseli. My mother's
heart breaking as I push her away... even when Luana sees me again, I tore her
apart just thinking of..." she kicks at a piece of snow. "I hate today. I hate
this place. Nothing but the voices of dead girls and loss."
* Roseli nods.
<Roseli> I'm sorry we didn't get to you sooner.
* Keiko glances at Rose, then back forward, saying in a cold voice, "It could
have been so much worse."
* Roseli shakes her head. "Your mother completely refused to cooperate with us
unless we gave you custody. I didn't have the authority to do it, so a lot of
time was lost..."
<Roseli> I tried to track you down the old-fashioned way, but it was useless. 
Completely useless.
<Roseli> (s/you/her)
<Roseli> (For up there, about custody.)
* Keiko is silent a moment, then says quietly, "She was ready to die to save me,
Roseli."
<Keiko> She can't shoot any better than I can.
<Roseli> I know.
* Keiko is silent after that for a bit. What are the chances of Rose broaching a
subject?
* Roseli is silent for a moment, too, then sighs. "I was just apologizing for
not finding you sooner."
* Keiko looks over at her and says, after a moment, "I... thank you. It's hard
for me to know sometimes." She shakes her head. "It... didn't seem quite like
you."
<Roseli> I don't apologize for many things.  Like I said, try to keep the
regrets down.  But there were things I could have done better, and for that, I'm
sorry.
<Roseli> I was worried about giving you over to your mother.  You should
understand, Keiko.  I didn't even think she *was* your mother.  It was just a
woman who showed up, claimed to know where you were, and refused to help us
unless we promised to give you to her.
* Keiko frowns and questions, "Wait, you... so did you?"
<Roseli> Did I what?
<Keiko> Promise to give me to her?
* Roseli lets out a long sigh. "Orders as given." Pause. "But I, at least,
wanted to know what you thought."
<Roseli> I can't speak for Heinrick.
* Keiko is silent a moment, then puts her hand to her head. "Luana must... not
have believed I would want to leave. She doesn't understand."
* Roseli shakes her head. "No. But Togo does have a heart. She's not in bad
hands, in a way."
* Keiko snorts and replies dourly, "Nene on the left, Lydia on the right...
we're not even human to the majority of Section 1, let alone the rest of the
world."
* Roseli shrugs with one shoulder - the one not holding up Heinrick. "Just do
what you have to do."
* Keiko nods slightly and goes, "Yeah." She rubs her chest and adds, "As long as
Heinrick doesn't figure anything out."
<Roseli> Hm?
* Roseli checks Heinrick, maybe to make sure he's still unconscious.
* Keiko mumbles, "I'd... rather he thought she fell in the river or...
something."
<Roseli> Your mother?
* Keiko nods slightly.
<Roseli> He's going to know the truth, unless you kill or silence me.  I have a
job to do.
* Keiko smiles wanly. "I can't do either."
* Roseli smiles a bit. "Sorry. It goes in the report." Pause. "But I won't tell
him about our conversation here."
* Keiko nods slightly and says quietly, "Probably for the best. Luana knows now
too."
* Roseli nods.
* Keiko smiles oddly to herself. "Maybe... at some point, she'll find someone to
take my place."
* Roseli studies Keiko for a moment, then keeps on walking. No comment there.
* Keiko has no more comments either!
<Roseli> (Okay, we done now?)
<Keiko> (Think so!)
<Roseli> [Isn't it touching?  The End!]