[ Julie believes that kind of thinking is useless, but she won't deny having felt idle jealousy toward people born into other versions of her Earth, where there was no Captain Trips. Jealousy of people in her world with the better luck to be born a hundred or more years earlier. All that matters is where they are now. But yeah, it does absolutely suck to know what great things exist and she can no longer have them. ]

He's such a big fuckin' hero all the time. [ She chuckles, doesn't maintain her mask of coolness quite as well as she usually likes to. Her cheeks begin to grow sore where her smile is more genuine than her normal persona allows. ] Don't let him hear you say it, though. He can't bring himself to admit the truth.

[ Poking fun at a familiar trait.

She reaches up with one hand to hold his, lacing her fingers between his. There's no use in crying over spilt milk. They've already cleaned the table -- why wonder about how it could have been if you never knocked over the glass? ]

It's impossible to be that many people's shadow. You had their backs. You helped bring 'em home. That's what matters. We're all back together, where we're supposed to be. None of ours died.

[ And honestly, Julie cares very little about most of the natives. She doesn't care how selfish it is. She cannot spread herself thin enough to worry about them, not when she's had her own life to contend with.

She pulls his hand to her mouth and kisses his knuckles fondly. ]

You should come by mine in the Horizon, I'll show you what I can do without durast powers. Cheater.