DE, I love you dearly, but you got the mental illness rep so dead on that my friend whose favorite frame, aesthetically, is Harrow… struggled through CoH (auditory processing issues and inability to recognize emotions, from the tism) and has to skip a lot of Lyon’s dialogue (due to not wanting to get mired in that depth of schizophrenia again).
I’m really amused but also really impressed, thanks for the really accurate rep and helping to spark convos about that.
Even tho I am not 100% sure how I would handled it myself, I wished my Operator could meet Lyon.
I am not romancing him (even tho it totally would have been an option for me, Lyon is interesting, sweet and let's be honest, really attractive) but that doesn't mean I can't give him some other kind of friend and 'sibling'-like relationship, with the Operator (My Drifter is already friends with him sooo.)
See, back then when I did the whole Rell quest... I became an absolute mess. It was my first time experiencing an autistic character in game or rather I guess, really realizing what autism is (or at least one kind of it's spectrum? Excuse my words, just trying to find a way to word myself). Rell being abounded for what he was while also being the one to hold back Wally? Fussing together with Harrow to handle it, no matter how painful and I guess hopeless it is in some way? Shit, even to this day it makes me almost sob. But yeah, from that point Harrow became my favorite Warframe (Nowadays it is him + Kullervo) I mean if you don't look at the story, his gameplay and design is also just *chef kiss*.
Anyway, back to Operator and Lyon. At least in my case I think the Operator has a really special connection to Harrow. Afterall, I think the kid themself realized how much Rell has been through and is probably feeling pretty guilty that Rell had to go through this mostly alone in the sense of the other Tennos. And knowing what... Lyon said *coughs coughs* Spoilers that I am not going to name because this is not the point here *coughs coughs*, there is a connection between him Rell and Harrow. One that would mean a lot to the Operator. One that would end up with the Operator asking the Drifter to perhaps meet him. I think the Drifter would allow it (Reminds them of Roathe tho, I mean... I am not one who would say the Operator would immediately attack him but seeing an Orokin like him could still hit them the wrong way) but the Lyon? Good question.
Anyway... I think if if would happen... I hope you are ready to get hugged Lyon. The guy really deserves even more sunshines in his life (yes, Marie I mean you) and maybe the Operator can also give him some comfort.
Neyma recalls the memories of survival, and a treasured friend she knew long, long ago.
tw; mentioned body horror
Niansha crawled through debris on hand and knee, rooting through the dust of rubble and scattered desks, gathering up food for the children.
The Zariman’s eerie silence had come to be her normal, much more normal than the screams that echoed from halls far away—and less lethal than the things that prowled it.
She’d gathered the last of the rations she could find, filling a small basket hooked on her arm. But as she squeezed between the malfunctioning doors, she heard it.
Tapping.
The rhythmic noise was the first thing that broke through the heavy silence of the ship's halls.
Niansha stopped in her tracks, her shaky hands gripping the basket in her arms tightly as she glanced around, eyes narrow. She'd been through too many close calls to not be paranoid.
Niansha glanced around before taking position against a bulkhead as she scanned the dark and debris-strewn corridor with dull eyes. She was exhausted, and the constant danger of being discovered by the mad adult crew meant sleep never came easily. She turned her head towards the source of the noise.
A moment of silence passed. Then that same rhythmic sound, a little faster. The sound of footsteps. Getting closer.
"...Who's there?" Her voice was quiet but firm, instincts making her brave despite her exhaustion. "I can hear you…step out."
She shifted slightly, one hand drifting toward the makeshift knife at her waist. The noise was familiar—too familiar. Like the tapping she heard when she spoke to that...thing. Before Anrani in their quarters, before...everything.
The sound of those footsteps halted just beyond the corridor. There is a long moment of silence, and then a soft voice, quiet and somewhat familiar, called out from the dark.
"Mmm...Ni—ansha?”
Her shoulders slumped, jaw slacked; she couldn't believe it. She thought he was....
"Rell? I—is that you?
really....you?"
The girl asked hesitantly, the basket in her hands feeling so much lighter as she searched for the direction of the voice.
The sound of footsteps started up again, coming closer. Then a familiar figure slowly emerged from around the bend in the corridor, taking careful footsteps towards her.
Rell emerged looking worse for wear, exhausted and beaten. And for the first time, he smiled weakly, happy to see a familiar face. The state of him nearly brought the young girl to tears as she approached him carefully, steadying the basket under her arm so as to make no extra sound.
"I was looking everywhere for you! You weren't with the other kids so...I assumed you found another way."
Her voice was lowered as not to overwhelm him, but also as to not reveal the depth of her emotions. Rell's fingers twitched at his sides, struggling to process the sheer relief of seeing her—but his face remained soft, a rare calm in the storm of sensation.
"I was with others...they wouldn’t let me stay. But that’s fine. It was too much noise, anyway."
He paused before continuing, voice barely above a whisper. "But I kept...waiting. Like mama said.”
"They wouldn’t?" Niansha's tired features twisted into annoyance, her weak body still drumming up enough energy to fuel her anger.
"Those kids... they are all just bullies anyway, every one of them."
She looked down at the basket, aggravation easing as she lost the strength in her, leaning against the hull. "T-that's why I left, too. I had to look for Anrani.”
Rell nodded softly. His eyes followed her, noticing the way she leaned against the wall, fatigue etched across her being.
He took only a few steps closer, his body still tense from his time alone. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then hesitated. "...Did...you find her?”
Words so simple—yet, they broke the last bit of strength holding her up. Niansha's shoulders slumped and she sniffled lightly. She couldn't speak, but tears threatened to spill at any moment.
The young tenno gave herself a small moment before wiping her face. "I... I don't want to talk about it. Not yet.” She murmured, breathing a forlorn sigh. “There are others I have to be strong for now…the little ones.”
Rell watched as Niansha struggled to hold back her tears, her shoulders shaking as she fought to stand up straight. He wanted to reach out and comfort her, but he only stood back hesitantly—not wanting to distress her.
Instead, he took a step closer, standing directly in front of her now. His expression was tense, conflicted. He clearly wanted to do something to make her feel better, but simply didn't know what.
Niansha glanced up at Rell, tears shining from the gap of the void that peered through the broken hull just above. She eased as she watched the conflict in his furrowed brow...but she appreciated him all the same. He was always very understanding, even through the times she was silent, but he was her only friend through and through.
She sniffled, seeing what he was trying to do, and while smiling up at him softly, she reached her hands into her basket. Rell tilted his head slightly, eyes flickering with cautious curiosity. The faint hum of the ship's damaged systems echoes in the silence between them—until...
Niansha pulled out a small, wrapped portion of food—one of the precious rations she had gathered for the little ones, and held it out to him.
His breath hitched for just a second before he looked back up at her, unsure. Niansha gestures it closer to him, holding onto the edges with a careful grip as her smile never wavered. "I...gathered more than enough this time. Take it... you look like you haven't eaten in a while."
She was a pure-hearted hypocrite, standing there frail herself, but still always making sure that others ate before her. Rell hesitated, his fingers twitching slightly—before he slowly reached out and took the offered ration from her. His hands shake as he does so, his expression unreadable for a moment.
His voice came out softer than usual, almost fragile in its sincerity. "...Thank you."
A pause. He looked at the food in his hands before glancing back at Niansha—quickly adding:
"Share?”
Niansha felt the tension in her muscles melt as she hummed softly, nodding to him.
"Sure."
She scanned the area, quickly finding some fallen debris and air ducts where they could eat undisturbed. She pointed to them, nodding to the small entrance. "Over there, we can hide out for a while.”
Rell followed close behind, footsteps nearly silent—just the softest rap-tap of his boots against the metal floor. He moved with practiced caution, like someone who had learned to be invisible long ago.
Once they settled into their hiding spot, he unwrapped the ration carefully and split it in half without hesitation—nudging one piece toward her insistently.
"Eat."
His tone made it clear that it wasn’t up for debate. If Niansha wouldn’t eat willingly...he'd make sure she did anyway. She only snickered quietly at his intense insistence, taking the other half gladly as she leaned against the cool metal. In the crevasse of the wrecked corridor, she finally got to rest after the grueling search for food.
She took a bite and chewed slowly—the first bit of food she'd had in a week, and she was grateful that Rell shared happily.
Niansha looked at him; deep in thought before she swallowed and spoke. "How have you been holding up?"
Rell shrugged as he took a bite of his own portion, his shoulders slumping even more than usual. There’s tiredness to his movements, as if he’d been running on fumes. He chewed his words for a moment, before replying with a quiet mumble.
"...Surviving."
He took another bite, and his eyes flickered up to look at her. Even in the dim light, the exhaustion in his expression is clear. He tries to smile, but it looks more like a grimace. Niansha nodded in agreement, taking another small bite as she turned her body towards him and gave a small hum of agreement.
"Same here," She replied, "I’m glad. Survival means you're still here, no matter what.
—And you've been doing a good job, seeing as you're still here.”
Rell pauses, looking at her for a long moment. Her optimism—her ability to find silver linings, even in the darkest of circumstances—it was something he had always admired about her. And in all honesty, it was something he often envied; he had no such ability.
However, right now, he was too tired to even muster up much appreciation for it.
"Just...lucky," he murmured before shoving the rest of his ration into his mouth in one bite.
Niansha nibbled at her portion as she chuckled wryly, shutting her eyes as she enjoyed the small bit of quiet respite. "Luck is a good thing to have out here, you know?" She wouldn’t admit it, but there were several days where she’d wondered how they scraped through. But something carried her and the little ones through it all, and she'd never give up hope that they’d be found.
Rell leaned his head against the wall with a soft thump, closing his eyes. She seemed to be reckless, believing something so...childish. But In a world where so little went their way, luck really was the only thing they still had.
But, of course, fate had its own twisted way of balancing things out.
Just then, a low humming sound reached his sensitive ears. His eyes snapped open and he froze, body tensing. He sat completely still while his ears strained for the source of the sound. It was faint—so faint they could have missed it, but he picked it up clearly. He barely made out the sound of shuffling footsteps...coming closer with every passing second.
Rell turned to look at Niansha, eyes wide. "Hide." he hissed urgently.
Color drained from Niansha as she looked back at him, dropping her half eaten ration back into the basket. Quickly, she dragged herself deeper into the mangled vent, stuffing herself and the basket between a hidden duct and a large piece of debris as she sat, trying not to breathe too loud. She worried about him, but she knew that they'd have a better chance at survival if they hid separately.
Rell scrambled to the opposite side of their hiding spot, pressing himself into a crevice between two fallen beams. His breath was short, panicked bursts—fingers dug into his arms as he fought to stay still.
The humming grew louder—no longer just footsteps, but something more. Something worse.
A moment later, it lurched past them; A twisted figure limping through the hallway beyond. Its body was slumped and mangled, its flesh warped by Void exposure—metal dragged and jutted from flayed flesh as its head swiveled unnaturally.
Rell went completely rigid, and time seemed to slow down as the creature's gaze fixed on their previous hiding spot. It rooted around the rubble, and its dead hollow eyes flickered with a cold, calculating intelligence—one that should not exist within something so…twisted. It took another step forward, warped muscles twitching with each movement.
Rell forced himself to stay completely still, barely even daring to breathe. It was only a few feet away now. If it turned just a little more—it would see him.
The creature leaned in closer, its twisted features illuminated by the dim light spilling in through the bulkhead above. Its head cocked to the side with an audible crack, like a doll with a broken neck. It continued its slow, methodical approach...stopping mere inches away from the beam Rell was hiding behind.
It paused for what felt like an eternity. Then, without warning, it reached out... Its fingers twitching as they crept toward the hiding space....
Rell's heart beat so loudly in his chest he was certain that the creature would hear. His whole body trembled, but he didn't dare move a muscle. He was paralyzed. Caught like a mouse inches from its clutches.
The warped fingers crept ever closer, almost stopping just short of his trembling shoulder.
Niansha, hiding a few feet away, held her breath as she watched in horror. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest, every fiber of her being screaming at her to run. But she knows that would be a death sentence—for both of them. She looked over at Rell, his face a mask of pure dread, and she balled her fists tightly.
She had to act.
Niansha gathered up her courage and crawled out from her hiding spot, and just as quickly, she leaped at the creature, arm raised as she gritted her teeth. From her hand shot a powerful beam of void—searing the creature alive and blowing it back from Rell's hiding spot.
The creature lurched back, crying out in agony before it snapped back up, arm hanging by its torn socket. It shambled closer to her, void metal scraping across the ground as it zeroed in on her and swung. With the last bit of strength in her, she side stepped the jagged swing and fired one last concentrated beam towards it, killing it once and for all.
Rell’s eyes widened as he watched the creature collapse, choking and gargling ichor from gnashed teeth as its form dissolved into nothingness.
For a moment, there was only silence—heavy and thick with the aftermath of their close call.
He exhaled sharply, the air leaving his lungs as he slumped forward, barely catching himself on his hands. His chest heaved as he struggled to process everything—the shock of almost being discovered, of Niansha stepping in risking herself.
His voice is barely above a whisper when it finally comes.
“...Why?”
Niansha’s head snapped to Rell. Her hands fell to her side as she trodded slowly back to him before dropping to her knees.
"It...it was almost..."
Her mouth was dry, her eyes bleary, she couldn't even get the words out as she stared at him. The answer tasted bitter—
It was going to kill him.
Pure adrenaline was coursing through her veins now, and it gave her the renewed strength she needed so badly as she picked herself up. Rell only stared at her, still filled with shock. His breathing came in short gasps—his entire body still rigid from the aftermath of pure terror.
Niansha set the basket aside as she freed up her hands, a weak smile forming as she slowly brushed her hands down her front, then circled them outwards softly. “I’m here.”
But he sees the way Niansha is barely keeping herself upright.
The slight tremble in her limbs, the strain of the void as the silver curled from the scar in her palm—she had finally burned through what little energy she had left.
His fingers twitch as if to reach out before stopping himself again. Instead, he slowly pushes himself back onto his feet and shuffles closer to her.
“Mmm…you need to rest,” he murmurs softly. “Before more comes.”
Niansha only nodded. He had a point; the adults traveled in packs, like hunting parties. And where there was one—a dozen more would come. And if that creature’s form was anything to go off, they’d all be equally as ruthless.
She nearly tripped, bringing herself to her feet quickly so as not to waste any time. With the basket clutched tight under her arm, she looked around the debris before she spotted a severed wire; once crackling with electricity, but now inert.
She made her way to it and quickly took it up into her hands, wrapping one end around her wrist and hand before handing the other end to Rell. "Here...so we won't get separated.”
Rell hesitated for only a second before taking the wire, wrapping it carefully around his own wrist. He gave it an experimental tug—just enough to feel the tension, but not enough to pull her off-balance.
He whispered, “Stay close,” before stepping forward, gently guiding her towards a narrow maintenance tunnels entrance further down the corridor.
It was time to get out of the open.
___________________________________
This was something lore related from last year that I decided to clean up! I was nervous to post but with the new lore now here in TOP, I figured I'd post it for the peeps that want to know a bit more about Neyma!! (And if you're reading this, I hope you enjoyed :D)
#project hail mary
#cats on tumblr
#f1
#lana del rey
