"You're trying to get into her head."
Of course I am.
"Isn't that a bit dangerous? Might distract her."
We both know she won't budge.
"Quite right you are, student of mine."
Yrix and Lunae communicated privately, ignoring the loud prattling of Venrith. They could witness well enough the carnage on the command table's display, alongside the elegance with which Sonera battled the Vesper using both sword and dance. But only a keen Psion could spot the true pageant raging on in the young wolf's mind.
Been a while since anyone called her that.
"You aren't concerned with the shape of her edge?"
Swords from your past, I take it.
"Honey," Yrix nearly laughed. "I use those to this day."
Lunae hated how much Yrix sounded like her mother, what with that sassy, quippy tone. It reminded her of the fake, playful love she had received all her life. She'd promise to give Sonera something better.
"Careful in there. She might not need your help."
She certainly doesn't need yours.
"I wouldn't be so sure."
Lunae visibly shut her eyes, a detail overlooked by all but Yrix. She knew what her student was attempting. And as reckless as it was, she could appreciate the tenacity that came with it.
"Don't you ever feel a bit self-centered? Inserting yourself so callously whenever Sonera is preoccupied."
Don't you ever feel like a shameless psychopath?
Lunae made sure to cut off her connection after that last bite, focusing her efforts on entering Sonera's mindscape. She was well aware of the presence within, but if it could be helped or further understood, she had to try. Afterall, Lila wasn't stopped so meekly when it came to her beloved Ivy.
And neither will I.
From an outsider's perspective, Lunae was doing nothing but standing in her own silence. But within the Psionic mind, she was already hurtling through vast empty spaces. It wasn't long then before she landed against a hard yet polished wooden floor.
Should have brought Lila.
She wasn't familiar with human architecture. But she could tell it meant something to Sonera; the segmented flooring and slippery texture meant for a skilled dancer who needn't worry about tumbling like a novice.
Where was this before?
What has she been hiding from me?
Lunae couldn't see a soul in the small room, a single ray of sunlight illuminating its dusty contents. Not an inch of blame had been placed on Sonera for this revelation. If anything, Lunae was biting her own lip for missing it before.
She always had bits and pieces. But Sonera, for a mere human, was shrouded in mystery.
"Hello?" Lunae called out, meshing her fingers together at waist height.
She hardly considered how entrancing she'd appear on the real planet Mars. But no amount of perfect beauty could draw out Sonera. Lunae would have to search.
Not far.
Sonera's mindscape was surprisingly shallow. Not but a corner away sat a figure with silver hair, dressed in a white leotard and wearing ballet shoes covered in red bandages. Yet just as with Ivy's expedition, which Lunae had already documented during her time inside Lila, the Sonera that manifested before her was no doubt a younger version.
Born of the mindscape.
The young girl didn't have her prosthetic limbs, nor was she a Psion. But most noticeable of all was that little twinkle of hope in her eyes. Like she was longing for something.
For the first time, Lunae approached with genuine caution.
"Hey there," she smiled, bending down with that shy look she so often relied on. "You okay?"
The girl was staring at her own foot, sitting cross-legged in total silence. Lunae could feel her exhaustion, languishing at the sight of her weary feet. Making sure her left eye was covered by her hair, she took a step closer.
"Little Sonera."
The young girl turned, her silver hair flowing through the air. In typical fashion, Sonera didn't say a word.
"Do you need help?"
Sonera shook her head, staring back down at the floor to hide her eyes.
"I think you do."
The princess knelt down by her side, combing Sonera's hair with a gentle hand. She made sure the girl didn't notice her painted nails retract, a calculated move so as to improve her technique. A smart play, given how quickly Sonera's bare shoulders began to slump.
"Has anyone ever told you your hair is beautiful?"
Sonera never considered it. The other girls in the Bratva wouldn't pay her that sort of compliment, and Three was too reserved. Though of course, the latter of those two factors in her life had a greater impact.
Her heart rate is elevating.
Tread lightly.
"It's not enough," Sonera replied in a shallow, raspy voice.
"I think it is."
Lunae was reserved in her opinion. Internally, she found it difficult to resist a thin, delicate girl in ballet attire. Sonera wore it perfectly.
"I don't…know you," Sonera's gaze remained stuck to the floor.
"I'm not from here," Lunae whispered in a comforting tone, letting her other hand drape across Sonera's lap. "I'm from far, far away. A place so distant that I can't judge you as they do. It's not in my nature."
Sonera finally looked up, her radiant eyes filled with wonder. She knew Lunae was an alien. That much was apparent given her beauty alone.
"Who…"
Lunae exhaled carefully, so as to amplify her sincerity. "Someone who cares."
"Real life isn't like the stories Three told me," Sonera whispered, picking at her bandages with a nervous grip.
She's shivering now.
"I'm here to tell you it is." Lunae's fragrant scent washed over Sonera as she spoke. "It always has been."
"He won't ever be with me, will he?"
Lunae had no desire to talk down on Three. She didn't perceive his memory to be a competition. In fact, it was just another angle to chip away at Sonera's delicate frame.
But she knew what he had become. Lunae could practically feel the sour visage looming over her. But she was not afraid.
Not anymore.
She gazed towards the faint light with defiance in her eyes, barely making out the visage of a twisted face with rows of rampantly expressive eyes.
"My mother won't let me die," Lunae spoke in a tongue Sonera couldn't understand. "I realize that now. That's a problem for you, isn't it?"
The visage of Sonera didn't react, as if she weren't allowed to participate.
"As long as I'm here, you will NEVER take her. That is the one and only promise my people won't break. Do you hear me?"
The distorted, haunted face didn't respond. Neirophen, as her mother called him, barely even registered Lunae's presence. But the fact that she wasn't smited by a god wave told her all she needed to know.
"You asked who I am?" Lunae looked back down at Sonera, peering over her shoulder to capture a perfect glimpse of the girl's nervous face. "I'm yours."
It was the only other thing she took pride in. The complete fantasy of her presence, entering someone's life with her alluring appearance, and vowing that they had already earned her. All that was left to finish Lunae's self-gratification was the hush sound of Sonera's heart.
"Now fight for me," Lunae whispered. "Kill those arrogant pests who stand between us. Come back to me."
I love you.