[ She keeps her head down and mulls over the question for a while, wondering how much she should say or reveal... but eventually she continues: ]

...I’ve always been alone, you know. Ever since I was young. I’ve never been important enough to anyone that they didn’t decide to leave me behind for something else. That changed when I went to Seisho, but before then it was always that way.

Everyone here though... I may not be friends with everyone, but the people I have interacted with have been so kind and wonderful to me. I’m not saying I’m important to the group but... I feel like people care.

None of this is right. No one should have had to die or be this traumatized. And so I just... feel this need to protect them.

[ And then she pauses again.

“Things like that really shouldn’t go on forever.” ]

...And maybe it’s also time I stopped living a life of encores.