locked to childofhumanity.

[humanparagon]

Comments

[childofhumanity]

If she considers things in the measurement of time, she'd realize that it's been a long time since she's come across the hotel - or, more accurately, since the hotel has found her. The rainforest she walks into reminds her of one not unlike the forests she prefers to project, surrounding herself with lush green life before she has to wake to harsh metals and cold machines. It's warmer here, though, than she might prefer, but she's not uncomfortable even in the jacket covering her shoulders, and rather than immediately turn around to look for the door she knows has disappeared, Six presses forward, listening to the sounds of dead leaves crunching beneath her boots, the noises of different animals calling out to one another in the distance

[humanparagon]

It's a little bit of a steep climb, and though Shepard isn't exactly winded, she's breathing a little more deeply than she might otherwise. She'd half been expecting to find someone else up here, but all the same the actual moment of the encounter startles her slightly. Or maybe it's who she encounters that startles her; the other woman is tall, taller than Shepard herself, and gorgeous in every sense of that word. Shepard isn't immune to beauty, and she has to stop herself from staring, giving herself a little mental shake. She has more discipline than that, even here.

Instead, she focuses on the other woman's words, moving closer until she's within a more comfortable range for conversation. "Yeah," she agrees. Doesn't quite smile, but there's the suggestion of it in her tone. "I was just thinking it reminded me of somewhere I've been before."

[childofhumanity]

It's a woman's voice that answers, and Six almost breathes relief. She hasn't predicted who the newcomer will be, but there's something about a woman that she senses sooner, that similar essence shared. There's also a sense of familiarity, for some strange reason (all of this has happened before), as she glances back over one shoulder, a hint of a smile gracing her mouth.

"So did I," she admits, finding no reason not to be honest here, especially not in front of such a beautiful view. "And I was just about to consider going for a swim now. This water looks like it was made for it."

[humanparagon]

The more Shepard listens to her talk, the more she has to wonder why her voice is so familiar. Eventually it hits her that it's a voice she usually hears from the computer terminals on the Normandy, though this one has more emotion behind it than EDI's ever did. The realization might be obvious on her face for a few seconds before she shakes it off - just one of those strange coincidences again

[childofhumanity]

It's been a long time since she's seen anything this beautiful - not since the Colonies, in fact, or the projections she uses to calm her mind in times of stress. The hotel serves a similar purpose, she's discovered, even if the moments she's here are shorter in comparison to the times when she isn't. Once it's received what it ultimately demands, once she finds a way to be with another, it doesn't have much more use for her until the next time it chooses to draw her here.

It seems only right for her to wait this time, wait until the moment is right between her and whoever this other being turns out to be. She hasn't yet reached the point of desperation, her body infused with so many chemicals that she's hungry for the physical contact, but the longer she waits, the more she realizes it will inevitably become her reality.

"You should consider it." Her eyes hold the smile instead of her mouth. "You look flushed."