Come Home

One moment, Talwyn and Ratchet were together searching for clues about Clank's capture. The next moment, he was traveling across the galaxy away from her. Ratchet had everything he needed to continue the mission on his own. As much as Talwyn wanted to go with him, she respected his decision to do it alone.

The youths only knew each other for a short time, yet it felt like an eternity. Both of them grew up without a real family or many friends. Both being fearless adventurers with a thirst for adventure. It was like finding your perfect match. Talwyn felt overwhelmed with anxiety after her perfect match had taken off. Even though she knew he had to take risks for his dear best friend. She knew how important Clank was to him.

But still, the fear of losing the person she loved the most was almost too much for her to handle. Days turned into weeks, then months went by without having any direct contact. After everything that happened with Tachyon and the Dimensionator, Talwyn couldn't help but worry about whatever was to come. She didn't fully understand who "Nefarious" was, however, she knew Ratchet was in for some serious trouble.

On slower days, Talwyn would call various radio stations to request songs and dedicate them to Ratchet. "Ratchet, please be careful and come home soon." is what she asked the radio hosts to say in case they decided to take her request. The first time she sent in a request, she wasn't certain Ratchet actually heard it. So, she requested another song for a different station. Then another. And another.

As time went on, her anxiety only grew. Sure, Ratchet was no stranger to deadly situations. Anyone who's known him for a few minutes knew that. But the fear of losing him was unbearable.

Talwyn already lost her father years ago when he went missing while she was still a child. After that, she always tried to not allow herself to love someone too much in fear of losing them, too. Even as an adult, the memory of losing her father kept her up at night. The mere possibility of losing Ratchet only increased the number of sleepless nights for her.

Sure, Talwyn had Cronk and Zephyr to keep her company for all her life. She loved them like family. But her love for Ratchet burned brighter than any star in the entire galaxy. Being without his warm embrace and not seeing his sweet smile everyday devastated Talwyn and burdened her with loneliness.

Every night when she went to bed, Talwyn would lay awake for hours, staring up at the ceiling. Her eyes would burn as she completely lacked the motivation to close them. Hours of tossing and turning would go by before she felt even slightly comfortable enough to finally sleep.

Before his departure, Ratchet told Talwyn not to worry and that he would be back before she knew it. She put all of her love and trust into him. She hoped he was right. Soon enough, Talwyn knew Ratchet would come home safely. Soon enough they would be in each other's arms once again.

Song inspiration: "ilomilo" by Billie Eilish

I just came back from my vacation and I had a good time! It's going to take a few days for me to fully recover from the jetlag and whatnot. But in general, I am doing well. While I was on a Billie Eilish spree, this song made me think of Talwyn and Ratchet right away. I couldn't help but wonder what the poor girl was going through during the events of A Crack in Time. So I just had to write this out :D I know it's short, but I hope you enjoyed!