Alfred was touching on something Jo hadn't yet allowed herself to delve deeply into. Thus far, her grief centered around herself — her injuries and her experience. Taking on the burden of knowing her foolishness had caused the death of two men — two seemingly good men was simply too much to bear at present. Because, regardless of whatever true statements Alfred offered, the facts remained that her direct actions caused the explosion. It was her fault, and, really, she wasn't yet ready to process that further than her own being.
"It was hardly a random incident," she replied quietly. "Not like my brother-in-law's death. No one could have predicted he would be struck by a carriage during a heavy fog." That very well could happen again, likely would to countless others over time. That was a stroke of fate or an unlucky roll of the dice. Jo's stupidity wasn't random, it was the naive behavior by a woman who didn't yet intimately understand grief and frustration.
Jo curled her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around them. "Blaming myself is the only rationale that makes sense. Direct cause and effect." Her expression deepened into a heavy frown. "Did you feel that way when you were shipwrecked?"
beautiful set by mj
![[Image: V9Vf0R0.png]](https://i.imgur.com/V9Vf0R0.png)
"It was hardly a random incident," she replied quietly. "Not like my brother-in-law's death. No one could have predicted he would be struck by a carriage during a heavy fog." That very well could happen again, likely would to countless others over time. That was a stroke of fate or an unlucky roll of the dice. Jo's stupidity wasn't random, it was the naive behavior by a woman who didn't yet intimately understand grief and frustration.
Jo curled her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around them. "Blaming myself is the only rationale that makes sense. Direct cause and effect." Her expression deepened into a heavy frown. "Did you feel that way when you were shipwrecked?"
![[Image: V9Vf0R0.png]](https://i.imgur.com/V9Vf0R0.png)