"Fortunately you'll basically never have to get anywhere on a time limit. Let's try finding an alien. The map on the upper right will show you where the nearest aliens are."

The nice thing about maps is that they just tell you what direction you're supposed to walk in, and then you can walk in it. 

The alien looks like Gwen.

The alien looks like Gwen, but she's-- it's-- not, it is as certain as 2 + 2 equaling four, and something is wrong. Looking at the alien feels like catching a glimpse of a drone from your hiding place, or like knowing that you haven't triple-checked the windows and the sun is beginning to set. This is a thing that should not be and it is going to hurt you and there is nothing you can do. 

Sasha's first three reactions can wait. 

"Okay," he says, "we found —" not her, and Lev wants to be able to talk to them so not it either, "them. We only fight them if they come near Eros, so now what." 

There's a burst of static, and "right now, we're just trying to see if you can handle being near them."

Well, there's part of him that's panicking, and there's part of him that desperately wants to hug Gwen — not the alien, actual Gwen, which is good because there's no way he can have it so he doesn't have any impulses to hold back — and part of him that wants to cry, but that was true for the first two days on the road and also the whole time he was scavenging so you know what, he can deal with it. 

"Okay." 

"Hey," very quiet. "I've still got you. Everyone freaks out the first few times, I've got you —" 

"Yeah," just as quiet. "You've got me." Why can't there be physical contact in the dream world — it is probably for the better that Sasha can't physically touch anything in the dream world, but still. 

"You haven't screamed yet, you're doing quite well."

The alien ambles up to Marlo curiously and attempts to poke his anima. 

Marlo holds very, very still. 

"Whatever reaction I'm going to have, I'll have it after I take the headset off, don't comment yet." 

The anima cracks.

"That wraps it up for today. Marlo, Sasha, out."

Once they're out, that's when the crying starts. 

The person he wants to be hugging right now is Lev or Gwen or maybe Natalie and not Marlo — but the anima was just damaged and Marlo is the person who's there — he clings to Marlo anyway.

A sobbing person in his arms is exactly the kind of problem he's equipped to deal with. Marlo puts a hand on the back of Sasha's head and lets him cry it out. 

"You did well."

He nods and says something that might be "thank you" and doesn't look up from Marlo's shoulder. 

Chis leaves.

When Chris gets back the two of them will be sitting on the floor, Sasha curled up in Marlo's lap; his face is still tucked into Marlo's shoulder but he isn't crying anymore. 

It's not Chris.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Wouldn't have been crying if I wasn't." 

Lev kneels down and hugs Sasha.

That's good. Lev is good at hugs. "Love you. — I mean it, though, I wouldn't have been crying if I wasn't okay." 

"That's good. They're still awful. --Hi, Marlo."