With their skin touching, she can feel his feelings a lot more keenly. The regret and the blame and the sadness have been much dulled, over the decades. They don't feel fresh, now, even in the retelling. He misses Luida very much, and he misses Nai even more, but the pain is a background fact, now. It's not something he dwells on.

And when she hugs him, there's another feeling, there. Gratitude, warmth, surprise... and then it's gone, and he stops projecting altogether.

"Julai was built around and on top of the ruins of February. And I haven't seen Conrad since, but I think..." He takes a deep breath then looks at Morgan. "I think he's still alive, and I think he's the scientist who's been working on the modified humans. I'm not sure why, what he's hoping to accomplish, but I think it's still in service of my brother."

"So... he's doing horrific experimentation on humans to try to undo the mistakes he made by. Experimenting on plants. Er, Tesla specifically, I guess."

"When all you've got is a hammer..."

She makes a face.

"Yeah, whatever. But all of the religious doctrine had some truth to it, so, not everything I've learned in my life is a lie. Just... worded crazily."

"Nai attracts crazy people like moths to a flame," Zash sighs. "Some of them are from Conrad's experiments, I can't imagine it's good for people's sanity. The experiments in Julai, for immortality, that Vernon mentioned," he adds, to Yvette. "That you thought I was an escaped subject from. I think that's Conrad, I think this is part of it."

"Wonderful." She gives Zash another squeeze and then releases him from the hug, scooting away, but still keeping hold of his (non robotic) hand. She can tell he likes the contact, even if he's stopped projecting.

"Least I got a name for the guy instead of just 'The Doctor.'"

"... Yeah. Some comfort. Um. Good job not being crazy, by the way, that is really impressive considering how you've been treated."

"Aw! Thanks! I mean I'm totally bonkers but I'm like, the most functional horrific tortured experiment I know, so. Yeah I'm pretty cool!"

"Eh, I think you're the normal kind of bonkers that everyone else on this planet is."

"You're just saying that so I'll call you my uncle."

"No comment!"

"Ha!" And then she stands, stretching. "All right, we've had showers, grub, and storytime. I say we leave and make camp elsewhere."

".... But there are actual beds here!!!" says someone who... can already begin to see the train of logic. Damn it.

"Yeah, so we can be real cozy when people show up to the one landmark in this area, next to our giant food and water source that they will all be wanting if they have any braincells in their heads."

"... Objection rescinded, I'm mostly just unhappy and spoiled."

"Don't worry, we can snuggle up to sleep, I'm almost as comfortable as a bed."

"I recognize that you're joking, but I am so incredibly not used to how goddamned cold it gets out here that actually I will take you up on that!!!"

But yes, they can all get in the car and see about leaving before anyone else shows up.

Heeeeeee had not been expecting her to take him up on it. And now he doesn't see a graceful way out of it. Maybe he doesn't want to.

Anyway yes away from this place.

Morgan is an expert in surviving in the wastes! She will direct them Terminal-wards for a ways, then into an unassuming hole in the ground that isn't visible on the horizon, and then, yes, they can sleep. Morgan will take first watch. Because they will be having watches, no this is not negotiable, this is the best thing about traveling with other people at all, c'mon.

It has, by this point, gotten dark, and in the way deserts do: really fucking cold.

Yvette is, as is her tradition, bundled up in available blankets in the backseat of the (her) car, looking miserable.

"I will not hold you to cuddle time if it would genuinely make you uncomfortable," she sniffs imperiously to Zash, teeth nearly chattering. But man would she appreciate it.

"...you might be uncomfortable. I was lying when I said I was nearly as comfortable as a bed," he says, pulling his jacket off and then lowering the neck of his shirt to show a metal plate that seems to be embedded into the flesh between his shoulder and his neck.

"Not as uncomfortable as I am right now. I gave Morgan one of my blankets to wrap her stupid laser gun up because dust is bad for electronics. Get your ass in here if you're gonna."

"Yes, ma'am." They can snuggle up, and without his fluffy jacket—which he's draped over them as an extra blanket, though he himself is pretty warm already—she can definitely feel that there are multiple of those metal plates elsewhere on his body, as well as parts whose texture feels wrong somehow, under the fabric of his shirt.

And from up close, without his shades on, she can see that his eyes are a striking kind of blue that doesn't really occur in humans. It's the same colour as the glow of plants.