Gone. Scattered. Another attempt, dashed.

She knows she should not linger on it, and so she doesn't. She fights to keep herself from ruminating, from spiraling through the failures. Is she to blame for them? She doesn't think on it. Instead, she follows Apple off the island, knowing there's not much left for her. And she will not keep in a place full of memories.

Apple does not travel far, and Honoka doesn't mind. Honoka's body has become more muscled and trim in the past few months, her hunting and fighting keeping her on her toes. The taste of blood is the one thing that keeps her going. And she will serve as sentry for this, not presuming herself advisor despite her own noble birth. Apple is not Izumi; perhaps this new Lady would need her less. She will not stick her nose where it does not belong.

Or so she tells herself, when Apple stops before the cave.

Honoka can't imagine what it must have been like, those months of torture and experimentation. She knows only her own panic, and she steps forwards to Apple's side, clearing her throat and speaking with less severity in her tone as possible. "Would you like for me to scout the tunnel?"