First Sentinel @sentinel-thefirst - Tumblr Blog

“ Long, was this sentinel’s slumber. What happened to its fellows, this sentinel wonders? ”

———★———

Greetings dear traveller. It would appear you've stumbled upon one of the five gilded sentinels of the Citadel. This sentinel has long been in slumber, and now has much to learn of the state of the world. Stay for as long as you like, traveller, and help guide this sentinel if you can.

third-sentinel

Trinn makes itself known after another few moments of watching them.

Hello Sibling. Hello Ray.

@sentinel-thefirst

sentinel-thefirst

[When Trinn appeared, the sentinel promptly stopped walking and gave its sibling a bow as greetings.]

Greetings, third of make. Searching for you, this sentinel and Ravka were. She seems to know you and, after encountering and helping her, this sentinel thought it best to lead her to you.

[If Trinn looked, it would likely notice the claw marks on the sentinel's shell and the slightly torn edge of its cloak.]

@ravka-the-mutant (If you wish to respond next.)

ravka-the-mutant

[Ravka stops.]

[For once, her constant movement ceases. The wild around her brushes at her ankles, as if to reclaim her being, stretching up to draw her into the earth, now that she is finally still.]

[She's travelled so far (killed so many), and yet it's only turned her in circles.]

[...Was this not what she wanted?]

[Contact. Accelerating pulses reanimate tensions that should have been long buried. Surroundings fade away as fear slicks the air, turning it to molasses, and she can't breathe. The room is no longer a haven, but a cage. She's been trapped. She needs out. There's danger. Danger. Danger. Danger Danger DangerDangerdaNGERD]

(--Hey. Are you there?)

(--Wh--)

(You crushed our food.)

[She blinks, looks down to where her claws have fallen by her sides, and finds them clenched into fists. Sure enough, the carcass she was holding earlier has been mangled beyond coherent form, hemo slowly dripping from her claws and staining the pure grasses beneath her.]

(...Do you want me to handle this one?)

[...Was that all real? What did it all mean? Was she supposed to just... what? Just forget? Forget that all happened?]

[She looks to the sentinel closer to her. Its cloak has gashes along its edges, with much of the decorative embroidery there sheared off. The window of missing fabric reveals serrated gashes along the otherwise unmarred metal of its abdomen. A testament to its earlier strife. With her.]

[And yet, she stands here behind the Sentinel, neither stalking it as a predator nor preparing to run as prey. Her claws are not raised for battle, nor are her muscles tight with the adrenaline of life-or-death struggle. She's only... here. Calmly existing beside it, despite everything.]

[Amazing.]

[...Across from it, Third stands waiting. Its expression is unreadable to her—something she is confused by, and she isn't sure she appreciates. As a hunter, she prided herself upon being able to read the field of battle; to know every aspect of it and its players. To be unable to perceive the thoughts of her adversary is not something she is accustomed to.]

[But she's not standing here as a hunter, is she?]

[No. She's only here. There is no battlefield—no test of strength or mental fortitude. No war. This is neutral ground.]

[There will be no schemes, no tricks, no traps.]

[None.]

(...)

(No.)

[So she only waits for Third to provide its own answers for her unspoken questions.]

(I think I need to do this.)

(@third-sentinel)

third-sentinel

It watches the pair quietly as its Sibling-Superior speaks to it. The woman squishes her meal into something unrecognizable.

They are calm, but there are signs of battle.

So your name-title is Ravka? It hears and understands.

Thank you, First of Make. This Sentinel is in your debt. Repair-help, required?

@sentinel-thefirst

sentinel-thefirst

[When Trinn thanked the sentinel, it bowed in response.]

This sentinel merely wanted to help. In debt, you are not.

As for repairs, assistance is not required, but appreciated regardless. This sentinel plans to head for the Architect.

Do you require assistance before it departs, third of make?

#[a moment of peace]#pharloomblr #roleplay #roleplay blog #[on the hunt]#[stalking]#[exorcism]#third-sentinel #ravka-the-mutant #[ooc:] I am sorry for taking so long to respond. I’ve been struggling to do…much of anything really.#Motivation has been a huge struggle for literally everything lately and I don’t know how to fix it. 😭

sentinel-thefirst

[It did not move. It did not speak. All the sentinel did was watch, hoping Ravka heard it and would begin calming down. It did not want to have to fight her. It did not want to hurt her. It did not.]

[The sentinel tensed slightly at Ravka growing more defensive and the glow building on her claws. She was hyperventilating. It still did not move. It should not. It would only worsen the situation. One would think the sentinel was deactivated if not for its eyes still holding light in them.]

[Slowly, after several minutes, after the unseen conversation Ravka had within herself, she began to calm. Her shell stops shaking and she carefully pulls herself out of her defensive stance. The glow that surrounded her claws had faded too. If the sentinel could truly breathe, it would've let out a quiet sigh of relief.]

Sorry, is this sentinel, Ravka. It had never intended to scare you, and it is sorry that it has. Glad, is it, that you have calmed.

[Trailing off, it watched as Ravka stabbed a claw into one of her hands, drawing hemolymph. Ensuring she could see it, the sentinel rose to get a closer look as she crouched to write something. It kept its distance and only drew close enough to see what she wrote.]

[Show.]

[The sentinel tilted its head at that.]

Show? Do you wish to show this sentinel something? Or for this sentinel you lead you to where third of make may be?

...This sentinel realizes you likely mean third of make. Disregard its questions. This sentinel can lead you to it, yes.

Uncertain, is this sentinel, where it is at the moment admittedly, but this sentinel knows where to look.

...Do you wish to go now?

ravka-the-mutant

[She sucks in a sharp breath for a moment, flexing her claws in place,]

(Second thoughts?)

(...)

(no.)

[before a single, sure nod is asserted.]

(Let's go.)

sentinel-thefirst

[Quietly, the sentinel rose from where it sat beside the pool of water and gave Ravka a polite bow.]

Very well. This sentinel requests that you follow it.

[With that, the construct began to lead the way through the Citadel. It lead Ravka to a location or two it thought its sibling could be. Upon discerning the Third Sentinel wasn’t within the Citadel, the automaton began leading her to one other place it thought its sibling might be.]

[Down through the Citadel, out of the Grand Gate, through the Blasted Steps, all the way down to Shellwood did it lead her. As they descended, the sentinel helped Ravka whenever she needed it.]

[It wasn’t sure exactly where in these woods its sibling resided, but it did have vague knowledge of Trinn spending some time here.]

[It came to a stop beside one of the many ponds in Shellwood, turning to face Ravka.]

It apologizes for making this journey longer than perhaps necessary. It had to be sure third of make was not within the Citadel before venturing to these woods.

Unsure, is this sentinel, exactly where its siblings spends its time most here, but it knows third of make is here within the wood. Third of make will be found in due time.

Are you alright so far?

ravka-the-mutant

[She gives a nod in response, but it's evident that she's not completely there. As she has followed, the scenery has become more and more enveloped by towering plant life and natural browns and greens, vines and roots diving and twisting throughout the terrain, inked by blots of shadow from the canopy and cave ceiling above. With the shift in setting, her thoughts have begun to wander -- she starts to lag a few extra paces behind as her thoughts carry her away.]

(...the forest is beautiful.)

(I never took you as the type to say that kind of thing.)

(...)

(...I'm glad you think so. I've always been more of a city girl myself, but... it makes sense you'd feel more at home here, in the wild. 'Sides, I've always appreciated a good hike.)

(...)

(I never saw it before.)

(...What?)

(When we were in the forest with Third... I never saw how pretty it all was. I was too...)

(...too...)

(...)

*...

(Hey. Listen. I know that things got bad, and I know you feel like you messed shit up real hard. But listen -- what matters now is that you're going to fix it. Look ahead. We'll be fine.)

(How can you be so sure? You keep saying that, but do you really know if Third will let us back into its good graces? We did a terrible thing. I did a terrible thing.)

(...Yeah. It's a rough situation. But from your perspective at the time, it betrayed you first, and I have a feeling that Third is smart enough to put two and two together on that one. You're right to be nervous, but it's worth it to give it a shot.)

(...Okay. I trust you.)

(Thank you. That means a lot to me.)

(Let's keep going.)

(...)

(Okay, what's that look for.)

[She keeps behind the Sentinel as her attention slowly returns to the world around her. Eventually she regains enough of her presence to find the mind to start harassing the nearby wildlife. She looks over one bug, cutting them off as they try to flee and watching them struggle as they slowly realize that they're corner, before dropping them and moving onto the next one once she's had her fun.]

[...At least she's finally letting go of some of that tension...]

[Eventually she grows tired of her little games and just skewers one before chomping down on it as she returns to following behind the Sentinel. She catches its eyes mid-bite and tosses an incredulous stare, all but outright asking, "Yeah? You gonna say something?"]

[She's doing it again. She's testing you. Gods, what an asshole. Seriously.]

(Wow. You're a real asshole, you know that? You're--)

(Heheh.)

(Heh. You're an asshole.)

sentinel-thefirst

[The sentinel kept an eye on woods around it, while also making sure it didn’t accidentally abandon Ravka. So far, it hasn't yet seen any sign of Trinn, but to be fair, its sibling is rather skilled at concealing itself.]

[After a few moments, it noticed Ravka slowing in pace. The automaton briefly glanced back to see her seemingly admiring the woods around them. It was about to return its own gaze to the forest when Ravka set off to harass some wildlife, to which it simply paused and watched.]

[It didn't try to stop her. Instead, it figured she probably needed this, to release some unseen tension.]

[Then Ravka stared at it, silently daring it to say something. It only tilted its head slightly.]

If you mean for this sentinel to bid you stop, it will not. You are not killing needlessly. You've slain only one wildbug. So long as you keep your hunt to a small fraction of the wildlife, so long as you leave possible travelling Pilgrims be, it will not stop you.

This sentinel understands you may need this.

ravka-the-mutant

(...Yeah. That makes--)

(Yeah.)

(--that makes sense.)

[She only shrugs after a moment and continues walking, casually munching on her snack.]

third-sentinel

Trinn makes itself known after another few moments of watching them.

Hello Sibling. Hello Ray.

@sentinel-thefirst

sentinel-thefirst

[When Trinn appeared, the sentinel promptly stopped walking and gave its sibling a bow as greetings.]

Greetings, third of make. Searching for you, this sentinel and Ravka were. She seems to know you and, after encountering and helping her, this sentinel thought it best to lead her to you.

[If Trinn looked, it would likely notice the claw marks on the sentinel's shell and the slightly torn edge of its cloak.]

@ravka-the-mutant (If you wish to respond next.)

#[moments of peace]#ask blog #roleplay #roleplay blog #pharloomblr #third-sentinel #ravka-the-mutant #[ooc:] I wasn't sure if I should include that note about First's current state so if you guys feel like I should remove it I will.

sentinel-thefirst

[It did not move. It did not speak. All the sentinel did was watch, hoping Ravka heard it and would begin calming down. It did not want to have to fight her. It did not want to hurt her. It did not.]

[The sentinel tensed slightly at Ravka growing more defensive and the glow building on her claws. She was hyperventilating. It still did not move. It should not. It would only worsen the situation. One would think the sentinel was deactivated if not for its eyes still holding light in them.]

[Slowly, after several minutes, after the unseen conversation Ravka had within herself, she began to calm. Her shell stops shaking and she carefully pulls herself out of her defensive stance. The glow that surrounded her claws had faded too. If the sentinel could truly breathe, it would've let out a quiet sigh of relief.]

Sorry, is this sentinel, Ravka. It had never intended to scare you, and it is sorry that it has. Glad, is it, that you have calmed.

[Trailing off, it watched as Ravka stabbed a claw into one of her hands, drawing hemolymph. Ensuring she could see it, the sentinel rose to get a closer look as she crouched to write something. It kept its distance and only drew close enough to see what she wrote.]

[Show.]

[The sentinel tilted its head at that.]

Show? Do you wish to show this sentinel something? Or for this sentinel you lead you to where third of make may be?

...This sentinel realizes you likely mean third of make. Disregard its questions. This sentinel can lead you to it, yes.

Uncertain, is this sentinel, where it is at the moment admittedly, but this sentinel knows where to look.

...Do you wish to go now?

ravka-the-mutant

[She sucks in a sharp breath for a moment, flexing her claws in place,]

(Second thoughts?)

(...)

(no.)

[before a single, sure nod is asserted.]

(Let's go.)

sentinel-thefirst

[Quietly, the sentinel rose from where it sat beside the pool of water and gave Ravka a polite bow.]

Very well. This sentinel requests that you follow it.

[With that, the construct began to lead the way through the Citadel. It lead Ravka to a location or two it thought its sibling could be. Upon discerning the Third Sentinel wasn’t within the Citadel, the automaton began leading her to one other place it thought its sibling might be.]

[Down through the Citadel, out of the Grand Gate, through the Blasted Steps, all the way down to Shellwood did it lead her. As they descended, the sentinel helped Ravka whenever she needed it.]

[It wasn’t sure exactly where in these woods its sibling resided, but it did have vague knowledge of Trinn spending some time here.]

[It came to a stop beside one of the many ponds in Shellwood, turning to face Ravka.]

It apologizes for making this journey longer than perhaps necessary. It had to be sure third of make was not within the Citadel before venturing to these woods.

Unsure, is this sentinel, exactly where its siblings spends its time most here, but it knows third of make is here within the wood. Third of make will be found in due time.

Are you alright so far?

ravka-the-mutant

[She gives a nod in response, but it's evident that she's not completely there. As she has followed, the scenery has become more and more enveloped by towering plant life and natural browns and greens, vines and roots diving and twisting throughout the terrain, inked by blots of shadow from the canopy and cave ceiling above. With the shift in setting, her thoughts have begun to wander -- she starts to lag a few extra paces behind as her thoughts carry her away.]

(...the forest is beautiful.)

(I never took you as the type to say that kind of thing.)

(...)

(...I'm glad you think so. I've always been more of a city girl myself, but... it makes sense you'd feel more at home here, in the wild. 'Sides, I've always appreciated a good hike.)

(...)

(I never saw it before.)

(...What?)

(When we were in the forest with Third... I never saw how pretty it all was. I was too...)

(...too...)

(...)

*...

(Hey. Listen. I know that things got bad, and I know you feel like you messed shit up real hard. But listen -- what matters now is that you're going to fix it. Look ahead. We'll be fine.)

(How can you be so sure? You keep saying that, but do you really know if Third will let us back into its good graces? We did a terrible thing. I did a terrible thing.)

(...Yeah. It's a rough situation. But from your perspective at the time, it betrayed you first, and I have a feeling that Third is smart enough to put two and two together on that one. You're right to be nervous, but it's worth it to give it a shot.)

(...Okay. I trust you.)

(Thank you. That means a lot to me.)

(Let's keep going.)

(...)

(Okay, what's that look for.)

[She keeps behind the Sentinel as her attention slowly returns to the world around her. Eventually she regains enough of her presence to find the mind to start harassing the nearby wildlife. She looks over one bug, cutting them off as they try to flee and watching them struggle as they slowly realize that they're corner, before dropping them and moving onto the next one once she's had her fun.]

[...At least she's finally letting go of some of that tension...]

[Eventually she grows tired of her little games and just skewers one before chomping down on it as she returns to following behind the Sentinel. She catches its eyes mid-bite and tosses an incredulous stare, all but outright asking, "Yeah? You gonna say something?"]

[She's doing it again. She's testing you. Gods, what an asshole. Seriously.]

(Wow. You're a real asshole, you know that? You're--)

(Heheh.)

(Heh. You're an asshole.)

sentinel-thefirst

[The sentinel kept an eye on woods around it, while also making sure it didn’t accidentally abandon Ravka. So far, it hasn't yet seen any sign of Trinn, but to be fair, its sibling is rather skilled at concealing itself.]

[After a few moments, it noticed Ravka slowing in pace. The automaton briefly glanced back to see her seemingly admiring the woods around them. It was about to return its own gaze to the forest when Ravka set off to harass some wildlife, to which it simply paused and watched.]

[It didn't try to stop her. Instead, it figured she probably needed this, to release some unseen tension.]

[Then Ravka stared at it, silently daring it to say something. It only tilted its head slightly.]

If you mean for this sentinel to bid you stop, it will not. You are not killing needlessly. You've slain only one wildbug. So long as you keep your hunt to a small fraction of the wildlife, so long as you leave possible travelling Pilgrims be, it will not stop you.

This sentinel understands you may need this.

#[a moment of peace]#ask blog #roleplay #roleplay blog #pharloomblr #ravka-the-mutant

sentinel-thefirst

[It did not move. It did not speak. All the sentinel did was watch, hoping Ravka heard it and would begin calming down. It did not want to have to fight her. It did not want to hurt her. It did not.]

[The sentinel tensed slightly at Ravka growing more defensive and the glow building on her claws. She was hyperventilating. It still did not move. It should not. It would only worsen the situation. One would think the sentinel was deactivated if not for its eyes still holding light in them.]

[Slowly, after several minutes, after the unseen conversation Ravka had within herself, she began to calm. Her shell stops shaking and she carefully pulls herself out of her defensive stance. The glow that surrounded her claws had faded too. If the sentinel could truly breathe, it would've let out a quiet sigh of relief.]

Sorry, is this sentinel, Ravka. It had never intended to scare you, and it is sorry that it has. Glad, is it, that you have calmed.

[Trailing off, it watched as Ravka stabbed a claw into one of her hands, drawing hemolymph. Ensuring she could see it, the sentinel rose to get a closer look as she crouched to write something. It kept its distance and only drew close enough to see what she wrote.]

[Show.]

[The sentinel tilted its head at that.]

Show? Do you wish to show this sentinel something? Or for this sentinel you lead you to where third of make may be?

...This sentinel realizes you likely mean third of make. Disregard its questions. This sentinel can lead you to it, yes.

Uncertain, is this sentinel, where it is at the moment admittedly, but this sentinel knows where to look.

...Do you wish to go now?

ravka-the-mutant

[She sucks in a sharp breath for a moment, flexing her claws in place,]

(Second thoughts?)

(...)

(no.)

[before a single, sure nod is asserted.]

(Let's go.)

sentinel-thefirst

[Quietly, the sentinel rose from where it sat beside the pool of water and gave Ravka a polite bow.]

Very well. This sentinel requests that you follow it.

[With that, the construct began to lead the way through the Citadel. It lead Ravka to a location or two it thought its sibling could be. Upon discerning the Third Sentinel wasn’t within the Citadel, the automaton began leading her to one other place it thought its sibling might be.]

[Down through the Citadel, out of the Grand Gate, through the Blasted Steps, all the way down to Shellwood did it lead her. As they descended, the sentinel helped Ravka whenever she needed it.]

[It wasn’t sure exactly where in these woods its sibling resided, but it did have vague knowledge of Trinn spending some time here.]

[It came to a stop beside one of the many ponds in Shellwood, turning to face Ravka.]

It apologizes for making this journey longer than perhaps necessary. It had to be sure third of make was not within the Citadel before venturing to these woods.

Unsure, is this sentinel, exactly where its siblings spends its time most here, but it knows third of make is here within the wood. Third of make will be found in due time.

Are you alright so far?

#[a moment of peace]#ask blog #roleplay #roleplay blog #pharloomblr #ravka-the-mutant #[ooc:] I think you should be good to ping Trinn in your response unless you want me to edit and summon Trinn here. :3

sentinel-thefirst

[In the room past the spa, the sentinel was going through discarded cloth, hidden drawers, and spots where one might find medical supplies. No matter where it looked though, it couldn't find anything that it could use to dress Ravka's wounds, should she have any. That was...inconvenient. Surely, this would be a good place to have medical supplies?]

[Oh- wait. There they are. Shoved into the back of a hidden drawer were some rolls of bandages and other such supplies. Seemed there was not much left. The sentinel took a note of that; it would need to restock the spa if they were running low.]

[Gathering up the supplies, the automaton returned to the main chamber where Ravka was floating in the middle of one of the pools and...glowing? That was...strange. The sentinel tilted its head at her as it approached, supplies in claw.]

Returned, this sentinel has. It sees you are enjoying yourself Ravka. It managed to find some medical supplies hidden away, though not much. Later, this sentinel shall restock.

[It watched Ravka for a few moments, trying to discern why she was glowing. Coming to a stop on the walkway, it could see the streaks of white light that danced across her shell, rapidly healing wounds in her chitin big and small. The sentinel had no idea why that was happening. To it, the spa was simply a place to relax, with soothing water to ease a bug's shell. Had the bugs of the Citadel infused the water with something that could heal oneself? Intriguing.]

This sentinel sees these medical supplies are unnecessary. Healing you, the water is. Unsure as to how or why, this sentinel is, but it is glad the water is healing you. Bandages, medicine, they can do the same, though much slower.

Curious though, is this sentinel, why the water is making you glow...an effect of the healing properties? Or something else? It is unsure.

Perhaps it doesn't matter. Regardless, this sentinel sees you have not yet cleansed yourself of the hemolymph on your shell.

Do you simply wish to relax for the time being or...?

. . .

...This sentinel has realized it did not give you anything to use to clean the hemolymph. For that, it apologizes and will provide.

[Setting the medical supplies down away from the water, the sentinel went and collected rags, towels, soap, the like for Ravka. It was rude of it to expect her to clean off the hemolymph on her shell and not give anything to do so. It shall remedy that.]

[It returned as swiftly as it left, and set the materials down near the pool where Ravka floated.]

Here. This sentinel apologizes for not gathering these sooner.

Take all the time you need. This sentinel will not rush you and understands if you would prefer to relax for a time.

ravka-the-mutant

(Wowwwwaahahah. Wow. OK.)

(...awabbauhhh.)

(Yeah.)

[She finally calms down enough for her senses to register as thoughts.]

(This is... SO weird. I used to come here to relax, but now... I've never felt like this here. Now, I feel like I could run full-sprint for days. I feel like... like lightning.)

[She rights herself in the water, coming to a standing position, and makes a few testing hopping motions, before she jumps clear out of the water and onto the tiled floor in one leap. She grins, pleased with herself, but then she refocuses. It doesn't seem like she's even noticed the Sentinel standing nearby.]

(Hey, I was enjoying the water. Why'd you leave.)

(Come on. I thought you'd be the one who wanted to get all this energy out of our system. Don't you feel it too?)

(...I... I do. Yeah, you're right.)

[Her shell tenses as she enters a staggered stance, as if to fight, then places her weight on her back foot, winding an arm back with her lead claw ahead of her.]

[She remains there for several moments. Her shell only continues to tense, energy building, coiling in her limbs...]

[She's lining up a blow on an imaginary target.]

[With a half-snarl, half-yell, a vicious growl upon her maw, she explodes off her hind leg and thrusts her rear arm forward, claw snapping through the air with an audible *CRACK!* as she drives an open palm through her imaginary enemy.]

[She's very pleased with this result.]

[And then she notices that she's literally glowing.]

(...Woah.)

[She draws her outstretched, luminescent claw closer to her face, observing the glow curiously.]

(What is this..?)

(Were we always able to do this?)

(Sometimes it just happens whenever we fight.)

(...I think I remember that. But... we were just in a spa. Not a fight. I mean, I know the Citadel spa's water is infused with soul, but this is ridiculous. This whole experience has been strange, really; what the hell is going on with--)

The ward.

Body cut to pieces, a weapon takes its place.

Soul turned silk its prime fuel.

...

*...Oh.

*When we fight, it happens because of the silk.

*The spa water gave an excess of soul that was converted into silk, which is why it's happening now.

...

*They designed it to be like this, didn't they?

(...)

(...What--)

(Nothing. I think the Sentinel has been waiting for us to clean ourselves. We should do that.)

[At some point, she must have noticed the Sentinel waiting with fresh toiletries. She collects them without so much as acknowledging the Sentinel before dipping back into the water and beginning to scrub. The motions are robotic.]

*[Somehow, the water doesn't feel as nice anymore.]

...

[She's clean.]

sentinel-thefirst

[The sentinel simply stands there and watches as Ravka leapt out of the water and struck at the air. It was clear that the water of the spa had not only healed her wounds but also filled her with energy. From her grin, she seemed almost joyful and pleased with herself.]

[But within a moment, that faded. The joy and the pleasure just seemed to dissipate. Ravka robotically took the towels and rags the sentinel held, and scrubbed away the hemolymph that stained her shell.]

[The way her mood changed was interesting to the sentinel. It wondered what happened that made Ravka's previous grin fade into something more empty and cold. What was she thinking about?]

[It wasn't long until Ravka had cleaned off the hemolymph. The sentinel collected the used towels and whatnot, as well as the unused medical supplies, and put it all away in the next room. When it returned, it was holding a white cloak, like the ones the Choirbugs wear. This cloak appeared to be missing the emblem of Pharloom that the Choirbugs usually wear.]

Uncertain, is this sentinel, if you would like a cloak or if you prefer to be without. Regardless, it thought it should offer.

[The sentinel quietly seated itself on the walkway besides the pool Ravka was in, cloak in claw for when Ravka wished to take it.]

[It was silent for a while, thinking.]

...This sentinel is unsure of what to do from here. Your wounds are healed and the hemolymph has been washed away. You are safe and you are calm, yes? Foolishly, this sentinel has not thought ahead, of what to do after those tasks were completed.

. . .

...It supposes a good question to ask is: do you have anywhere you can go, Ravka? A place to stay, bugs to be with, anything such as that?

If you do not, you can stay at this sentinel's home for the time being, until you and it can find a place your own. It is within the Citadel and should be relatively safe for you.

This sentinel has not yet explored all of Pharloom in recent times, so it will likely ask for the assistance of one of its fellows....perhaps third of make. If this Sentinel recalls, third of make is well-versed in present day Pharloom.

ravka-the-mutant

(We should go with it.)

(Are you sure?... Last time--)

(That was just a misunderstanding. Third has shown itself to have only good intentions.)

(...and besides. It was really nice when we had that. I want to go back.)

(Can we go back?)

(...Oka--)

[She jolts at the mention of Third.]

(...What...?)

*Crap.

*Did she notice?

*...Not now, we were so close--

(...)

(What's wr--)

(That's not Third.)

*Shit.

(I-- what are you--)

(THAT'S NOT THIRD.)

[Something set her off. She leaps out of the waters again, liquid splashing out of the spa in a raging torrent as she rushes backwards away from the Sentinel, skidding to a crouching, defensive stance. The relaxed air of the spa rushes out of the room with her.]

(Hey, wait, HOLD ON--!)

(WHO IS THAT?)

"KRRRRRAA!!"

[Her expression, so blank just a moment ago, is again distorted by the ferocity of a wild animal, tinged with fear and confusion. Any sense of stability is gone; she's a bomb ready to go off, a hiss escaping her maw.]

[She points at the Sentinel with a tense claw, snarling. She's all but ready to fight to a bloody pulp again; it seems like she's only barely restraining herself. But why? What happened?]

"ssSSKRAAHHHNN..SSSSS...SSAHHH!!"

[She only continues to point and snarl -- not advancing but not quite running away... She's waiting for something.]

sentinel-thefirst

[It had trailed off, giving room for Ravka to do something in response. But as it mentioned its sibling, she seemed to flinch, like it said something hurtful or cruel. The sentinel tilted its head. Did it say something wrong?]

[It must have, because Ravka bolted out of the water, very clearly afraid, confused, and most of all, furious. The sentinel straightened up from where it sat beside the water, completely and utterly surprised by Ravka’s sudden fear and fury. It stared at her, its confusion mirroring hers.]

…Did this sentinel say something wrong? From your expression, this sentinel sees you are afraid, confused, and angry. Is…is everything alright?

[The automaton didn’t move from where it sat. It didn’t reach for Ravka or its longpin, nor did it move to stand up. If she was afraid of it, then it must remain calm and not do something foolish. It did not want to hurt her or for her to end up hurting herself.]

[Why was she afraid of it now, though? What did it do? Surely it had been doing what it should have. It was calm, it was gentle, it made sure she would feel safe. So what did it do? Ravka had been calm since the end of their battle earlier, so what did it do wrong? She had been calm…until it…]

[Oh.]

…You thought this sentinel was one of its siblings. You thought it was someone else. Third of make, most likely, since that is the name-title you reacted to. This sentinel apologizes. It must not have introduced itself and in failing to do so, led you to believe it was another.

This sentinel so, so sorry.

This sentinel is the first of its make, or simply First Sentinel.

Please know it was never this sentinel’s intention to trick you like this. Since its battle with you, this sentinel’s intention has remained the same. To help you.

If you would prefer third of make helps you, this sentinel can go find it.

[Just like before, the sentinel kept its voice calm and gentle. It did not want to scare or anger Ravka more than it already had. The sentinel still had not moved from its spot beside the water.]

ravka-the-mutant

(Hey, calm-- CALM DOWN! STAY--)

(WHO. IS THAT.)

(I-- they're-- just hold on, let them EXPLAIN, WE'RE FINE, they've only shown good intentions just PLEASE, HOLD ON--!)

(LET. ME. GO.)

(Not-- ghh-- not until you realize that not everyone has to be your godsdamned enemy-- hkk-- and STOP-- DRIVING AWAY-- THE PEOPLE-- WHO JUST. WANT. TO HELP--!)

"KKKKRKKKKRRRR--"

[At first, as the Sentinel tries to probe her for answers, she only heightens her defense. Hyperventilation begins to take hold. Her claws begin to glow with the sharp shimmer of silk, muffled by layers of exoskeleton and chitin, and her snarls grow more pointed as each word passes by without providing an answer. But she doesn't move.]

[She lets the Sentinel explain. Or perhaps she's only barely holding herself back from running or attacking. But she remains rooted.]

(I--)

*Deep. Breaths.

(I'm sorry for getting mad again. Please, just-- just think about why we're alive. They've only helped us, just like Third.)

(They're not. An enemy.)

[slowly, as the Sentinel explains,]

[she calms down.]

[the glow begins to fade]

[and her shaking quells, just slightly.]

(...)

(...Third's sibling?)

*I figured.

(...First. Hey. They know Third. They're family. And they've shown themselves to be just as kind.)

(It's fine.)

(We're fine.)

[eventually, as the Sentinel finishes explaining,]

[she lowers her claw]

[and her expression loses its edge.]

(We trusted them before, and we're better for it now.)

(There's no reason why that has to change.)

(...)

[after a long silence, she draws to her full height]

[and relaxes her arms fully.]

[she just stands there, silent, gaze pointed at a tile on the ground, unfocused -- remnants of confusion still etched in her eyes.]

(...I'm sorry.)

(It's OK. I know this is hard. Nobody can blame you, you couldn't have known otherwise.)

(I'm glad that you're getting better. We can work off the steam hunting later, but for now, I'm very, very glad.)

(Thank you.)

(...)

(Do you want to find Third? Or maybe some other time... We don't have to go now, of course.)

(...If you want, we can go alone, too.)

(...)

(...I think...)

[...]

(...Alright.)

(I'll tell them for you.)

[Eventually, she wakes up from her daydream, refocusing. She closes her eyes and breaths deep.]

[Suddenly, she jabs a sharp clawtip into the palm of her other claw. It breaks chitin and bleeds. The pain doesn't phase her in any visible way, if she even feels it at all.]

[She points her gaze at the sentinel as she kneels down, before it falls to the floor again as she turns around.]

[with the bloody clawtip, she writes:]

S h O W

[She examines her work briefly before standing and walking over to the spa's waters and dipping her injured claw in it. A soft glow once again illuminates the air. After a few long moments, she lifts her claw out. The wound is gone.

[She turns back around to face the Sentinel. Her eyes are strangely quiet, but hardened.]

(Thank you. Truly.)