The Time from Before

Melancholy

"Sasha, get over here!" Harper shouted, her voice echoing across the vast field. She had her hands cupped around her mouth to amplify her voice, hoping to catch the attention of the mischievous girl.

"No!" Sasha yelled back; her voice full of glee. She was running away from Harper, zigzagging back and forth as she ran.

"Ugh." Harper sighed, feeling frustrated. She stopped for a moment, stretched her limbs, and leaned down on the ground. She pressed her feet snuggly onto the dirt, feeling the traction. Then she sprinted, using all her strength.

She's fast.

Really fast.

In only moments, Harper crossed almost fifty meters forward, closing the gap between her and Sasha. She reached out with her arm, grabbing Sasha by the waist before she had a chance to react.

"Gotcha!" Harper laughed, picking Sasha up into her arms. She spun around with Sasha, making her squeal.

Sasha squirmed in Harper's grip, trying to break free. She pouted and crossed her arms, pretending to be angry.

"Let me go! You're no fun!" Sasha complained.

"Oh, come on. Don't be like that." Harper said, tickling Sasha's sides. "You know I'm just looking out for you."

Sasha giggled and wriggled some more. "But I want to play more! There's so much to see and do here!"

Harper shook her head. "Maybe later. Right now, we need to get back. It's getting late and you need something to eat."

Sasha frowned. "But I'm not hungry! And it's not that late!"

Harper looked at the sky, which was turning orange as the sun began to set. She knew they had to hurry back before it got dark. She also knew that Sasha needed to eat something nutritious, not just the candy and snacks she had been sneaking from Allen's stash. Of which he had, for some reason.

She swung Sasha around onto her back and secured her with one arm. "Trust me, you are hungry. And it is late. Now stop arguing and let's go."

Despite Sasha's protests, the young girl couldn't do much other than pout.

Harper had her own opinions on that contract Allen made with Marina, but she put it off for the time being. She didn't understand why he would trust those strange creatures so easily, and honestly, she didn't trust them one bit. She understands why Allen decided to trust those Inklings in the first place, but even then... It's just strange. She might come around, but for the time being, she'll stick with humans. Although, Marina does get an exception, given the fact the two have bonded. Mostly bonded. Kind of.

The only one she could really complain to was herself, as complaining to Allen, who is her superior mind you, was less than ideal. Marina probably wouldn't be a good candidate either, as she was a huge part in the creation of the contract in the first place.

Besides, all Harper had to do was keep an eye on Sasha for a few days, and then she would be free to fix up the bunker again. Being a mechanic was growing on her, unfortunately.

It gave her time to think, time to breathe, and most importantly, time to be alone. No one to yell at her, no one to talk to her, and not a soul to even breathe in her presence. And not only that, she had been writing down field notes recently. In other words, a diary. It was embarrassing to write in a diary with people around, and with all this free time Harper had been getting, she had hours to write down what she wanted in peace.

She managed to hide it well, and convinced Cv-7 that it was private material, and told it not to inform Allen about it unless he asked. Which, of course, was in the Arctos Doctrine.