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Everything seems to crumble with one word. Winn is back- a visit, he says, to check in- and everyone is eager to see him. Querl is eager to see him too, and to hear news of his other friends in the 31st century. He draws Winn aside when he can, to greet him and ask after Mon-El, Imra… then he asks about Nura.
“Who?” Winn looks confused.
He has a sense of freezing water dripping down his spine, chilling him to his core.
“Nura Nal. Dreamgirl. From Naltor.” Though he manages to keep his voice down- there is a part of him that wants to shout, to shake Winn because he must know Nura, he must, and how could he forget? He is not a twelfth level intellect, but Winn Schott is not stupid- his tone grows more urgent as he tries to jog Winn’s memory, dread seeping into every thought track he has.
“I… I don’t think I’ve met her, I guess? Nura Nal? Like Nia over there?”
“Yes.” The word comes out stiffly. “Nura Nal, are you certain you do not know her?”
Winn is shaking his head, looking concerned. “Brainy, are you ok?”
Querl is most certainly not ‘ok’, and as thousands of statistics register in his head, he feels like he might be sick… this is his fault. He let go, followed as his heart led instead of following sound logic, and now… “Nura is gone…” His hands ball up then stretch out as he tries to comprehend this. He looks to Nia again and feels a sort of all encompassing ache. “I have to fix this…”
“Fix it? Brainy?”
But Querl is already walking towards Nia. “I have to fix this.” He breathes again, and there is a physical pain in his chest that does not make sense because the heart cannot literally break from emotion, yet here it is.
“Nia,” His voice come out louder than he means. She turns, smiling, but that smile falters when she looks at him.
“Brainy…?”