If You Love Me, Let Me Go: 5

Posted on Fri Oct 2nd, 2026 @ 3:07pm by Civilian Kerilia Dosivi [PPC] & Civilian Teevs Dosivi

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Dosivi Quarters
Timeline: July 2nd 2398
646 words - 1.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Kerilia sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror, checking her outfit for what was probably the eighth time. Maybe ninth. She lost track. The attire itself was fine; a simple brown vest with three blue stripes travelling diagonally from her shoulder down to the waistband, a cream-coloured long sleeve shirt underneath, and dark grey slacks. Simple, but also cute. But it wasn’t her clothes. It was probably her imagination, but they didn’t sit right on her body. She tugged the collar of the shirt and adjusted the vest again. Her eyes shifted upward. She gave her dark brown waves a little more definition with a curling iron and pinned some of it back. A couple strands framed her face.

Her dark green eyes settled on the dermaglyph. Front and centre.

She was nervous. Friends missed her. They told her that other classmates had noticed her absence. What would they think of her? Of the mark? What might they ask her? She was going on a Friday, so she could process the experience over the weekend to decide if she really felt ready. By her request, Teevs had asked the instructors to not make her return a big deal. No celebrations or anything fancy. She just wanted a normal day.

Well, as normal as can be after not attending school for a month.

Teevs was on the couch waiting for her to get ready. It seemed like she was taking a long time, so he stood to go knock on her door. “Kerilia, you ready?” he asked.

Kerilia watched her reflection as her shoulders tensed from the knock. It brought back the memory of Ailova intruding into the bathroom, the anxiety crawling up her spine like an army of ants. Tate had told her that it was normal for these moments to happen, and she briefly shut her eyes to take some deep breaths. “Yeah, just a minute,” she called out to Teevs. Looking at the dermaglyph again, she gave it a look that warned it to be on its best behaviour before turning to the door to her bedroom. She pressed the button on the wall, and the door slid open.

Teevs was about to return to the couch to wait until Kerilia’s door opened. He took her in for a few seconds. There was some self doubt in her eyes, like she wasn’t sure about something. “You look great,” he complimented, offering her a caring smile. “How do you feel?”

“A little nervous,” Kerilia responded truthfully. After a pause, she added, “ok, maybe a bit nervous.”

That nudged Teevs’ care into the realm of mild concern. He nodded, understanding of her response. He'd be lying to himself if he wasn't nervous too. “Do you still want to go? I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

Kerilia gave a little shake of her head to dismiss his concerns. “I want things to go back to normal, and school is normal. I want to go."

That was reasonable. Teevs offered his hand, and when she grasped his, he gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m only a call away if you need me, pheya." Seeing a little bit of lingering hesitation, Teevs watched her for a couple seconds. Despite her words, she still seemed uncertain. Maybe a grounding presence would help. "I'll walk you, and if you ever feel like turning back, just squeeze my hand."

Kerilia looked at their joined hands before nodding to Teevs. Then, her lips shifted into the smallest hint of a smile.

Teevs caught the expression and gave her a caring look. It was the first time all month she had really, genuinely smiled, and while he was pleased he also didn't want to shy her away from it. With a nod, he led her toward the door. "Let's get you to school."