[she doesn't know that the world is turning just for her]

skill: [none]

Euphemia knew alone, and Euphemia didn’t like alone. She knew loneliness intimately when she was spirited across universes, and then once again when she was subsequently restored to this one. She knew loneliness when mother died, when father disappeared, when they buried her brother. She knew loneliness deep inside the confines of her den, while her sisters all snuggled close to their respective others.

Unfortunately, with Kuhn long departed and Genghis washed away, loneliness was her closest friend. That's why, when she stared loneliness right in the face, she didn’t let it off the hook easily.

Euphemia quirked up a brow, looking at him as he looked down at her. He didn’t appear to want to answer her now either, and Euphemia was already mentally preparing her dissertation to Mir on how voicelessness appeared to be a learned trait, a choice, rather than one inherently imbued by a cruel god. Just before she almost gave up and pealed away for a fairer victim, he responded.

Euphemia couldn’t hide her smile. That’s fine, she surmised. but you're probably going to die out there. Bears are waking up from hibernation... a bear took on four or five of my pack, and it almost won. This fact isn’t what made her smile, for the idea of his death nor the injuries of her packmates made her happy, but he gave her all the positive reinforcement she needed in order to continue this one-sided conversation.

Is that what you want? the maiden questioned intensely. to die?

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