I thought it'd be different

You sit with the sun against your back, acknowledging silently the way your circuits protest against the light. But, as with any intrusive thought, you inwardly nod in recognition before refocusing. Your back is straight, palms resting comfortably on your knees. You can feel the wood of the docks beneath you, and though the vibrations of the water as it sloshes against the posts invites your mind to become distracted, this too you acknowledge before letting go. Internal scans reveal that your body is having to work quite hard to keep your core temperature at an appropriate level, but you do not panic. Instead, you let your coding get on with its adjustments as you sink deeper into the vast nothingness of your mind.

RONIN

THE DARK STAR

Ronin has stopped by King's End out of curiosity more than anything else, and it doesn't disappoint. Torchline may no longer be a slave to the Eirachi's cold, but no one seems to have spared a thought for this area. Despite the season and the bright sunlight, there's a bitter chill to the air and snow on the ground in places. Who knows when another blizzard might blow through?

"Excuse me," he calls out, seeing the figure on the Boondocks. A few strides takes him in speaking distance with them, the Huntsman raking a hand back through his dark hair. "Sorry to interrupt, but have you visited this place before? Do you know if there has been a new shrine set up anywhere here?"

now don’t you lose hope

I swear I never dream that we’re alone

I swear I still believe but I don’t know

You don't open your eyes, there's no need. Nothing about this interaction seems to necessitate the use of your optical sensors. "I have." You confirm, though had your lips not moved there wouldn't have been any other indicators that you were aware of this man's presence at all. "Shrines come in all shapes and forms. I myself am a shrine, just as a dropped bit of jelly is a shrine to the ants who move between the grasses."

RONIN

THE DARK STAR

They reply, though Ronin has to do a double take to make sure the words are actually coming from the person. Blinking and tilting his head as if the response has momentarily glitched him out (it has), eventually the Huntsman clears his throat and nods to the stranger. "Right, of course," he says, glancing back into the rolling, snowcapped hills and feeling already as though this interaction is going nowhere.

"Well, I am looking for a specific shrine, one that might have caused all this cold. And I don't think that's you..." Though with the way things are, gods, it really could be. "Anyway, sorry for bothering you." Unless otherwise engaged, the Huntsman will step back along the Boondocks and take his search elsewhere. Hopefully to places less weird.

~FIN

now don’t you lose hope

I swear I never dream that we’re alone

I swear I still believe but I don’t know