Useless and Missing a Piece, Much Like Me

"Easy, kid." Hands are stuffed in its pockets. "You're shiverin'."

There's no real expression on the strangers face, more staring past the two girls rather than at them directly. It listens though, both to the human child and its peers(?) in its ear. They're right to not trust it, there's no blame there. It would avoid itself too if it could; the horrible human it was (was it even human anymore? After this long?). If it didn't have a craving, maybe it wouldn't be meeting like this.

Regardless, the hesitant girl takes its offering off, making it shift uncomfortably. Even in the state it was in, there was a pang of 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 there. It wasn't quite sure what it was and at this point, it had started assuming every feeling was just hunger. That 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 pangs again, catching the other child flicker in front of it before the scarf can be taken back.

𝕾𝖍𝖊'𝖘 𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖉, 𝖎𝖘𝖓'𝖙 𝖘𝖍𝖊? 𝕴𝖘𝖓'𝖙 𝖘𝖍𝖊?

Not like its friends(?) at all. No, no... its friends(?) were 𝖒𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘. Either way, the dead one seemed upset. It looks up at her, hands going back to its pockets. Then is smiles.

"Ah, it's fine. I got a spare. That one was already warmed though." It shits it's own tattered bag, which rattles audibly. "Good on ya two for not just trustin' any old stranger that wanders about. Though, I can't quite make out what the late lil lady's sayin', sorry."

It was odd, back when it first got here, any ghosts and the like would make it feel... unstable. Nowadays, it just made it feel sad. "Ain't too fond of me, I assume? Can't say I blame her, it ain't exactly common to come across anything sentient out here, let alone alive. 'N' when ya do, they usually want ya dead as they''ll be if they mess with ya."

"You at least got folks back there waitin' for ya right...?" Again, that 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘. "Ain't alone out here...?"

"You'll have to excuse my sister, she's quite protective," she replies simply, not explaining what was said any further. "We've been here for long enough not to trust anything at face value... Surely that makes sense, if you've seen enough of this place? Though Abigail is certainly more aggressive about such things than I-" She shoots the specter a look, to try and tell her to step down for the moment. Aggression would likely get them nowhere, or at least this was what Wendy believed.

Though, it asks about people that might be with them, and she shakes her head. It was rare to see much of anyone in this realm, and for the moment the two girls were all each other had. Not as though Wendy minded all that much, Abigail was enough company for her to keep. "No, it's only Abigail and I. You need not worry about such a thing, though, we can handle ourselves just fine." Even if her sister was the one doing most of the fighting, due to her sheer power, the two of them worked together to make sure at least the living sister would be okay. It was a dynamic good enough for them, who needed adults with a team like theirs?

She tries not to let a pang of sadness show on her face as her mind wanders to her father for a moment. Now was not the time... Not in front of this stranger.

Winter wasn't the easiest time in the Constant; food was scarce, the sounds of anything even remotely alive even moreso. Unless you knew what you were doing or were just as harsh as the frigid weather around you. Merciless and constantly on the move.

Wakeki was one of those things at least. Everyone else(?) around her pushing her to be the former than the latter and it usually giving into peer(?) pressure. After all, they(?) had a point; even if food couldn't be cooked. Tracking it down was still a warm meal.

Case in point; the tracks that it had been convinced(?) to follow. Small. Smaller than its own. Human? Child? Children meant potential camps. Camps meant it'd be set for weeks, even when the meals ran cold. The thought alone made its peers(?) twitch and snarl in excitement, only encouraging every step it took.

Soon it isn't just its steps that it hears, nor its own form it sees among its friends(?). A child and someone else. Like its peers but also not. It strolls over, taking the scarf around her neck (Which meal's home did she find that in?) and drapes it over the human child.

"You kids're gonna freeze out here without a lil extra warmth y'know. Ya close by a camp or somethin' in case ya gotta warm up?"

She keeps her flower close to her body in order to keep it warm, and goes toward the rabbit traps to check if anything had fallen into them. It's a tiring trek, certainly, but she needs food. And for Krampus to stay away, she'd need Abigail out to help collect all the rabbits. So, off the two of them go.

And yet, she is set on her quest, so she isn't quite paying attention before she feels the fabric around her. It's warm, and she does like the feeling, but any sort of relief is squashed by the knowledge that Abigail couldn't have done that. Though the scarf remains on her neck, she quickly moves backward, fishing for the hatchet stored in her backpack on instinct. She doesn't swing yet, she doesn't tend to strike upon others unless they take her first. But she's poised, ready to strike. If the Constant has taught her anything, it was that she should always be ready for trouble.

It speaks in regards to her camp... It should seem like a harmless question, but it doesn't feel quite that innocent. So, she knows to keep it vague for the moment. No need to lead a stranger somewhere so important. "Yes, we do. But I've some things I need to check on before I go back-" she replies, tone as flat as possible, in hopes that she wouldn't betray her apprehension. "Thank you for the concern, but I do have things in order." Even if she truly doesn't want to, she heads to take the scarf off her shoulders and hand it back over. "You shouldn't give things away so easily, you know, especially not in a time like this."

[ MOVEMENT DETECTED. TURNING OFF IDLE MODE. ] N's screen swaps to a loading symbol for a few moments, then to bright yellow eyes. the little human is awake. he maintains eye contact for a few silent seconds, then gives a small smile and a tiny wave.

"hey, buddy!" he rises to all fours, stretching; he moves into a sitting position adjacent to where the girl is, stinger pointedly directed away from her. he sets his hands on his knees.

At least it doesn't take long of her laying there to have him awaken, it feels much less strange to stare now that he's functional and moving. He's quite perky for someone in this bleak of an environment, but that's probably just because he wouldn't need food and shelter in the same way that she does. She does not comment on it, however, because she knows better than to bite the hand that feeds her. Instead, she only offers a wave when he greets her, as she moves to a sitting position herself.

It aches to move into it, but she tries not to let it show too much. Sure, this automaton seems to be nice, but who knows what he may want in return for helping her, or if there's something lying below the surface that she needed to watch out for. She'll keep herself wary, just like with most things... Even if he's showing concern, she keeps her guard up.

"I'm still tired... And my body hurts..." she states candidly. She could only hope that this would subside soon, especially if she were to ever find a way back to the Constant. Though, in thinking about it, she realizes she hasn't checked upon Abigail. Sure, the flower could survive the cooler temperatures of winter, but this was something else entirely.

I like you / I hate you / I dislike you/ I love you / You are family / I would take a bullet for you / I would shoot you / I would lie to your face / I would say something cruel to you on purpose / I would say something cruel to you accidentally / I would cheat on you / I would physically hurt you / You annoy me/ You amuse me / I’d laugh at you / I’d laugh with you / I’d manipulate you / You scare me / You confuse me / I wish I knew you better / I trust you / I don’t trust you / You inspire me / I consider you an equal / You are beneath me / You’re better than me / I would trust you with my life / I think you’re mean / I think you’re petty / I think you’re childish / I think you’re smart / I think you’re stupid / I think you’re a bad person / I think you’re a good person / I’m not sure what kind of person you are / I wish you would listen to me / I want to make you proud / I wish you would notice me / I want to impress you / I would hurt other people for you / I’m not sure how to make you happy / I’m a bad influence on you / You deserve better than me / We make a great team / I’d have a one night stand with you / I’d have a relationship with you / I would marry you / I fantasize about our life together / I would trust you with my most treasured belonging / I would tell you my darkest secrets / You disgust me / You intimidate me / I hope I intimidate you / I’d hug you / I’d let you hug me / I’m scared of losing you / I don’t think you like me / I want to be better for you / I respect you / I don’t respect you / You’re my mentor / You’re my friend / You’re my best friend / I have a crush on you / I could easily watch you die / I’d get drunk with you / I’d party with you / I’d comfort you / I’d prank you / I’d spike your drink / I’d act behind your back / I’d abandon you / I’d hurt you to get what I want / I would choose my happiness over yours / I would choose your happiness over mine / I despise how much I care for you / I need you / I’m dependent on you / I don’t know what I’d do without you / I’m scared of you leaving me / I’d give my life for you / You frustrate me / I’d call for you in a time of need / I would protect you / I’d visit you in hospital / I’d carry you if you were hurt / I’d feel guilty if I hurt you / I’d let you be near me when I am vulnerable / I’d ignore a phone call from you / I’d call you at 3am / I’d break you out of jail / I’d get angry at you / I would shout at you / You’re too loud / You’re too quiet / You’re too sensitive / You can’t take a joke / You embarrass me / I feel nothing for you / You’re reckless / You’re bossy / You bore me / I would ask your advice / I would blame you for something I did / I would cry in your arms / You have the power to hurt me more than anyone else /

BISCUITS—she's shivering. she's breathing, but a quick scan yields precisely how chilled the human is. N moves through the snow with ease, metallic wings unfurling in order to provide some temporary shelter from the wind. yellow eyes flicker to and fro, looking over the girl. N begins to tally the nearest enclosed space with better air quality. [ QUERY RETURN: 5 RESULTS. ROUTING TO NEAREST BUNKER... ]

“c'mon little guy, i gotcha...” N bends down and scoops up the girl, nestling her against his chest. he then turns and takes off; not enough altitude to be detrimental to the organic's declining health, but enough to be swifter than he would be on foot.

it's a few minutes before he locates a bunker. he doesn't waste any time, lifting the hatch open with one hand and scampering in. it closes with a loud CLANG behind him. the disassembly drone moves down the halls with purpose. old oil stains the walls. if he remembers this sector correctly, there should be a filtration system in a room connected to the mines... there! N runs into the room, metal screeching on metal as he stops short. the robot gingerly sets the human down on the floor, swiftly turning around to locate the control panel.

once he does so, N fiddles with the buttons to little avail. he grits his teeth, swapping his arm out a few times to see if there's any appendage that would possibly help with hacking. sword, gun, various weapons... all useless! he releases a hissing breath, then sticks his hand in his mouth and drenches his fingers with saliva. he pries under the busted panel a bit, touching the operational circuitry. luckily, the conduit works, but not without shocking him a little.

the doors of the room seal shut and the ventilation begins to kick in. N sighs with relief, turning back to the human. the air problem has been taken care of, but the temperature is still frigid down here. he moves over to her, dropping to all fours. he paces, then lies on his side and curls around her slightly; not close enough to touch, but close enough that the heat he emits should gradually warm her up. ( rapid temperature switches are detrimental to organics if he remembers correctly. )

And then, she realizes that she isn't quite alone. She's not entirely sure what's in front of her, the screen in front of her eyes not exactly familiar to her. She'd be warier about this, the only automaton that she was aware of being of the murderous variety, but she was still alive now, right? That, and she can't find it in herself to move from the warmth that radiated from the robot. So, she just looks at this being for a while, only really able to take in details about his head without moving too much.

She remembers then, that despite how hazy those memories were, she had seen this robot before. She had thought it a hallucination, but she supposes that it was real, if she was still alive at the moment. That adds more questions to her brain, mostly to the tune of "Why did you save me?" Maybe it would seem ungrateful to ask, but it comes more to curiosity than anything. They hadn't known each other, after all, and while cooperation was something she was used to, this planet seemed much different from the Constant.