The one wherein a Dragon cries

On some level I am not surprised.  When Sabrina took Elsoph up on his offer to come play in an R&D lab of her own, I'd had a gut feeling that she'd get wrapped up in being able to pursue her technical dreams.  We'd stayed in touch, seeing each other, or speaking over a Cortex link, as often as we could, but on some level I knew the distance was a problem.

I hadn't realized how deeply she'd feel the loss of Hale's Moon, but I should have.  She'd lost a home on Blackburne when the Reavers had overrun the downport.  Even though she was living with me on Hale's by then, she'd felt the loss as had all the others who'd called that place home.  The move to Dragon's Egg was even less comfortable for her than it was for me.  Probably why she accepted the position back on the Orbital, then gone with it when Corporate made the decision to move it.  We'd both called the Orbital home for a time, living on the boat docked in the lower hangar.

Now, she'd chosen to walk away.  Not that I really blamed her.  I even understood why she'd left me a Haiku to say good bye rather than having the a talk that would have been more painful for both of us.

Time has changed us much
I no longer have a home
Into the sunset

Part of me wanted to track her down and have the talk we should have had, while the rest of me knew and understood her reasoning.  I had to remember that old saying: "If you love someone set them free.  If they love you too, they will return."  The thing was the variations in how that old saying ended.  The classical "If they don't return, it was not meant to be."  Or the more irreverent "If they do not return, hunt them down and kill them."

Most people who knew me would expect me to follow the latter interpretation of that saying, but I wouldn't.  I loved 'Brina.  I always will.  But if our marriage wasn't meant to be, I'm willing to let go of it.  I won't be happy to let go of it.  But I am willing.

I just wonder if I'll be able to stay on Dragon's Egg myself.  Lily and AuroraBlue have both been very mobile, but spending far more time on Al Raquis than on Dragon's Egg - a world I have extensive contacts on, but don't feel comfortable on myself.  Simon's been away for weeks without even a SitRep to let me know his mission status, and the colony doesn't actually need me for anything.  I have the house, of course, but other than Haley it's empty.

But that means Haley is the only one who can see the Dragon cry.

Inevitable. 
Time and distance came between.
A hard driven wedge


I will not cast blame
Saying goodbye to my love
Even Dragons cry