#it's doomed

He squeezed her hand. "Hello, my love."

No reply came to him. There never was, but he liked to think that she listened anyway.

Emmrich continued, "I left the Necropolis for the first time today. I felt like a stranger, an otherworldly observer, watching the colors of the lives flickering around me. It was so odd, seeing everyone move about their day, like nothing has changed at all. But everything is different now."

His eyes lingered on her face, remembering how the colors used to shine for her, too.

"As I was walking along the street, I saw a cat, black and white with a pink nose. It curled around my legs, and so I stopped to pet it. It appeared to be rather well-fed. I wonder if I'll see it again."

She always went out of her way to pet the cats, every single one.