I know I have a heart

NATE

Who could ask to be unbroken
or be brave again?

Or honey hope even on this side
of the grave again?

The shrine in the woodlands was not necessarily the most accessible one, but it was the one Nate liked best, so making the trip didn’t feel like such a hassle. It felt private, almost intimate, and spiritual enough to scratch the weird part of him that insisted he take all of this seriously.

Nate set out his offering, a scalpel used until it was dull, though the metal still shone in the dull light the shrine gave off. He thought the Voice might appreciate a tool used to limits of his usefulness, for the meaning behind it if nothing else. ”Mother.” He calls into the night, kneeling and facing the tree. ”I’m sorry to bother you, but I would like to ask a question. And feed.” Now that he knew the difference between blood and the fluid the Voice offered, he knew which was more satisfying.

And who could ask it to be sound
or to feel saved again?

But stick around until you hear
that music play again

The offering upon the shrine is moved ever so slightly, as if a draft or a blip of electricity has moved it. But the Voice doesn’t come to answer questions – perhaps because the shrine isn’t done in Halo, perhaps because she’s too busy. Who knows? Hint, probably the first one. But he is one of her bright ones, and a calm soothing static covers him replenishing the fluid loss before everything falls to silence again and the static disperses.

NATE

Who could ask to be unbroken
or be brave again?

Or honey hope even on this side
of the grave again?

Well, no answers, but at least he was sated. Nate supposes it’s for the best anyway. Better to save his questions for when he’s not so annoyed about the subject. So he could at least appreciate the answer, and not get mad if it wasn’t what he wanted. He wasn’t done in the woods, but he was done at the shrine, kissing his fingers and pressing them to a crack of smooth obsidian.

~Done~

And who could ask it to be sound
or to feel saved again?

But stick around until you hear
that music play again