mental link; the sound of silence

[huntsmachines]

[ Aloy has been trying to ignore that empty buzzing at the back of her head. She never got a chance to know most of her broodmates very well but their presence had been comforting. Now she was alone again. She could ignore it but unlike being alone normally, this one comes with a keen sense of awareness that she is alone and that she shouldn't be. ]

( It's so quiet without the rest of my brood. )

[ It feels strange to say that, but it's true. ]

( What do I do? )

[ She's not using to being connected to anyone this way and she's definitely not used to missing them. ]

Comments

[huntsmachines]

( I know. It just feels so strange to me to have this loss happen. I didn't expect it. And it feels... different. Strange. )

[ It's hard for Aloy to pin down exactly what she means and she's searching for the right words, still. ]

[adamance]

( It's rare for it to happen so quickly.

But you have acted on your own before. You're better prepared than most. )

[There is a weird mix of certainty and trepidation with these words, as if she believes what she's saying, but knows what set Aloy off before. Lexa doesn't want to engage in an argument again.]

[huntsmachines]

[ There's a pang of pain there. Remembering someone else who was lost, torn away from her. It had been different, Rost had been closer. But the memory of his death still feels close. It had only been a few weeks, hadn't it? ]

( I am. I don't like it really, but being alone is... normal. But this time I'm not really alone. )

[ She's quiet for a moment. ]

( I have all of you. )

[adamance]

[There is no mental acknowledgement of that. Perhaps she would have before their argument, but it's hard to say. Either way, it's clear that she maintains a distance.]

( There is a difference between the Nest and your brood. You'd be wise to remember that. )

[Prince's explanation of how he's survived this long is the foundation of these words. Lexa lives to live, to fight on for something truly selfish for the first time in her life, but she knows that there's a chance that she's on borrowed time.]