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He grins at her, at that reaction, and pockets the notebook again. "Yes, Nana. That's exactly what that means. And - you weren't? Really? I was." He laughs a little and gestures towards the railing. "Come walk with me? Now that you're a free girl again."

Nana nods, still hesitant and a little shell-shocked about all this. She really wasn't expecting this! It's a lot to take in all at once, Dr. Sheehan! But she follows him as they start to walk.

"I'll have to leave pretty soon," she muses, more to herself than to Sheehan. "I don't want to be here long enough that the Admiral thinks I should be paired. It's not fair to whoever I'd be stuck with and leave behind."

"I know," he answers. "I know. But you have some time before pairings usually go out." He doesn't have a particular destination in mind, just something to do with his feet. "You should have a chance to say goodbye to your friends, too."

"I will," Nana says, with a little nod. "I'm not going to just abandon the people who I care about here. The least I can do is say goodbye."

Graduation has still thrown her for a loop. But talking about her friends has calmed Nana down in ways that she finds it hard to express.

"I think they'd like that. Are you taking Lettuce with you?" he wonders.

"I don't know," Nana admits. "I don't want to leave him behind, but at the same time, it's kind of mean to suddenly bring a frog to my roommate and tell her that he's living with us now."

"Ask your friends," he suggests. "If they don't take him and you don't want to bring him home, then I can take him," he assures her. "I don't mind, but - I want your friends to have a chance."

"I will," Nana says, with a little nod. "I don't think any of them will be able to do that, but there's no harm in asking."

"You never know."

He's quiet for a moment before he looks over to her. "I'm proud of you, Nana. Really proud."

There's a pause and a small little smile before, "Thanks. I know you actually mean it and it's just...that's nice to hear."

"I do," he assures her. "And hey, since you're sticking around, I would love to have you at my wedding."

Wait a moment.

"Wedding? You're getting married? To who?"

He actually looks a little sheepish. "Nana, I - I really have been secretive with you. I'm sorry. It's Arthur. We've been seeing each other for a year."

"Oh!"

There's a pause, a little frown on Nana's face, before,

"Well really, you shouldn't have judged me for keeping a secret. You're just as bad!"

He rubs the back of his neck, nodding. "Yeah, I fucked that up a little, but we were - quiet with it for so long, together, that it just seemed weird to come out and say it."

"You should probably go out and say it before you get married."

No shit, Sheehan.

"Or at least, tell everybody who needs to know."

"I am saying it, Nana!" he protests. "Right now. To you and the other people I care about. The other people who matter."

"Most people hear about the fact that someone has a boyfriend before they're going to get married! When are you two getting married anyway?"

Nana is very obviously judging her warden and his choices.

He meets that judgement with a laugh. "In a few days. John is planning most of it."

Nana frowns a little. Obviously, she still does not like John and is a bit apprehensive about John planning all of the party. There's a moment before she muses,

"Is anybody checking what he's doing? After all, there's undoubtedly a few human traditions that you and Arthur would want that he doesn't know about."

"I appreciate you looking out for me," he says pleasantly, almost teasing. "I know that John isn't your favorite person."

"He isn't," Nana says. There's a moment as she takes a minute to put her thoughts in order.

"Everybody's got a role to play. It's got multiple aspects. Some of them we choose, some of them are innate to us. I can't play the role of a bird or a fish. You can try and modify it, of course. I could get a jetpack or scuba gear. But there's a difference between modifying it and trying to run away from it. John...he seems to completely ignore his assigned role."

He tuts softly. "That sounds like the old Nana talking," he tells her. "People don't play roles. They're people. And John is- his own person."

Nana shakes her head before pointing out, "Both can be the same. You're playing a role but you're also a person. You've just got to find a way to balance them out. And John...he tries too hard."

"I suppose it's easy to see that way." He shoves his hands in his pockets. "What role do I play?"

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