[ ｗａｋｅ ｕｐ． ]

[ her systems jumpstart, and elster finds herself in a flat, deserted expanse. that, itself, strikes some vague, familiar note that feels beyond her reach. diagnostics are all nominal, for the moment, so... one thing at a time, she supposes. elster's traction on this terrain isn't... ideal, though, she quickly realizes. the small, tapered ends of her legs sink awkwardly into the sand on each step, slowing her down further as the vultures circle overhead. she's not sure what they are, but they can't be anything good.

the worst of the glare is stopped by the broad, black hat she's wearing, and the poncho is doing wonders to keep her core chassis cool, at least. still, she looks at her own gloved hands, seeing the black leather flex, examining the ornate stitching... and then, in the corner of her visual range, she spots another wanderer. with a grunt, she changes directions slightly to attempt to intercept the other person. the surreality of walking through a frozen moment is beginning to pass, she thinks. ]

Excuse me? [ the words are half-musical, tinged with a german accent. ] Do you know where we are?

[ eventually, she's made her way to town, and the decaying buildings call to mind a destroyed landscape are far from welcoming, though the few better-maintained places across the sand the crumbling glass and steel enveloped by irradiated seas are more promising in terms of finding other people.

it might be that day. it might be a day or two after her arrival. it might be in the cactus pad over a drink, or in casual conversation over breakfast at the staywell, but elster is suddenly distant.

maybe the world is fading into blackened, enclosed corridors, a home made into a tomb. maybe she's alone, with nothing but fear and loss and an undefinable thought that makes her head pound, oxidant spilling from her nose, and the knowledge she's going to die in this place but first there's something she needs to do; maybe there's a weight she's carried around her neck for so long, she has a promise to keep to ariane and she can do it if she can just ＷＡＫＥ ＵＰ—

maybe she's on a dying ocean world as nuclear fire spreads across the horizon, and a woman who once meant the world to her, someone else, is dying in her arms, her eye is gone, she and alina can get out of this and keep their promise, she's sure of it even as the explosions edge closer but she won't wake up wake up ＷＡＫＥ ＵＰ—

either way, in reality her eyes widen in terror and the electronic light in them goes dark, servos whirring uncomfortably, drives stalling and fragmenting as her body folds on itself in panic. ]