Her head moves back and forth slowly. "I know it has to be hard with your memory." A sad smile colonizes her face as she once again takes Lal's shoulders before moving one hand over the girl's bangs, smoothing them into place and away from her tears.

"I know - I've always known - that I was going to have to fight my past for my whole life." Her eyebrows move into her bangs as she sucks in a breath through her teeth. "And, apparently, I'm going to fight it going into this one, too."

She puts two fingers under Lal's chin, lifting it gently so her dark eyes meet Tasha's lighter ones. "So will you." With that, Lal is folded into Tasha's arms for a tight hug.

With her face safely facing away, she adds. "You're allowed to hate your world. You're even allowed to miss it. But..." Her body tightens and she channels it into the hug. "The things that never happened still matter. Remember that for me. No matter how long you have." She steps back, and smooths Lal's clothing around her shoulders.

"Should we get to throwing around holograms now?"