"Right. It's weird. One of those things you don't really think about until you do." And even then she's barely peeled back the subconscious consequences to a lengthy quarantine. That loneliness which presses stubbornly on her chest? Her tendency to form contentious workplace relationships? Surely that's not a symptom of anything, no way.

"How lucky are we to have landed in a place with such a lively nightlife?" Ripley teases. Her arms settle at the shorter woman's shoulders. "It almost makes up for the demons."