Soma didn't mind Tony's periodic silences in the least; she herself was hardly used to normal conversations with anyone other than the Colonel, and she found she rather liked the boy's quiet demeanor.

"Yes, it is." Her description seemed to react with Tony, and she tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing in confusion and a trace of suspicion before she hid both again. Perhaps he had been there before when he was younger, that was all.

What else was there to say about Russia? She'd only really lived there for a few months. "The eastern part of Russia was separated from the west a long time ago. The west became part of the Advanced European Union - that includes France, England, Germany, and their surrounding countries. The east is part of the Human Reform League, which includes India and China. That's where I live with my commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Smirnov."

An image of the house rose up, unbidden, for the briefest of moments, neatly cut lawn and polished wooden furniture and photographs lined up over the fireplace, and Soma paused for a moment, caught by surprise by a wave of emotion she thought she'd never feel.

Was this what being homesick was like?