[ Aira snorts at that. ] They have the lottery here? Not just like a death lottery?

[ She'll pass either way. Lotteries are a sucker's game, and those she doesn't play. There's a pause, and Aira's gaze shifts askance. ]

How about...

[ More hesitating. Sheesh, now that she's buying into this more, the prospect of hearing something bad is kind of freaky. There's a lump in her throat now, and she swallows dryly. ]

I wanna know if my friends will be okay without me. My dad, too.

[ She'd die from embarrassment if they were around to hear that, but, well. They aren't. Turns out that she misses them more than she ever thought she would. ]