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this was bad.
well, that part was definitely obvious, given the clearing beneath him being nearly blanketed in a coagulated red-black sludge.
the scent was both familiar and unfamiliar, which worried him even more.
the perfectly pitched hum of his wings slowed to a stop as he swerved down to the ground, landing with a muted squelch. he winced and cautiously raised a foot, sucking in a breath at the barely recognizable corpse of a worker drone that lay disfigured at his feet. tassles of dead-grey organic matter were wrapped painfully tight around the drone's crooked neck and scattered in irregular strips across the inky snow, trailing off behind some splintered trees in the distance.
he took one last piteous glance at the carnage that had been wrought before blazing back into the sky to follow the trail some more. she had to be nearby -- the oil was still fresh, after all.
---
he quickly reached his destination with a dive and thud, and sure enough, the teammate proximity ping buzzed away in the corner of his visor.
the black-red entrails continued to stain the snow, growing more and more organic and fresh as he progressed -- eventually finding himself at the entrance of a small cave.
unlike the frustratingly appetizing scent of oil, he found himself cringing at and actively avoiding stepping in the crimson liquid that stained the snow as he entered the cave's frost-licked maw.
friend? there?
two chirps, cautious, clear, and as gentle as he could muster. after gorging on so many drones, she had to be nearing shutdown and he needed to confirm she was awake so he wouldn't startle her.
after several moments of painful, painful silence, dozens of frantic pings filled the cold air, echoing rather harshly against the dimly lit walls of the cave.
here, here. me, here. you, there? friend, there? here, me, friend friend friend.
his taut joints loosened with a deep exhale from his vents as he trudged deeper into the cave, much more relieved than before but still cautious not to move too fast. the light of copper-9's moons shining in from outside soon grew distant and was replaced by the vibrant violet glow of his friend's visor and newfound appendages. she scrabbled about on the ground, still pinging out a garbled and incoherent stream of words, most sounding like "friend." one of her wings dragged across the ground at a painful angle, and he instinctively winced.
"uzi?"
she paused, seemed to compose herself, and cleared her throat. the shadows around her seemed to warp as she slowly attempted to stand on two, and he silently thanked his programmers for blessing him with the ability to see in the dark.
"here, here... i- i'm here, N."
her voice trembled with heat-damage and he couldnt help but feel sympathy for the pain she was in as she choked out the words. the bright light coming from her visor dimmed as she glanced away and curled her one free wing around herself, seemingly for comfort.
"i'm here too."
he confirmed gently, his wings clicking back into his frame as he approached her with caution.
she seemed to be hurt by his vigilance, as she only shied away further in response.
"is your wing hurt?"
she ceased her scuttling at that, and admitted defeat after a couple moments, physically deflating with a whimper.
"...yeah. i la- landed on it weird and... it won't heal- for... for some reason."
she stretched out the appendage and promptly hissed, earning a wince from N who was at her side in an instant. he wasn't good with words, but this was something he actually could help with.
"it, uh... did heal, heh... and that's your problem! here. can i..." he shot her an unsure look in the darkness, and sighed with relief as she nodded in response. "sometimes, if you break it and it just stays like that... it can regenerate in the wrong way. it probably works in the same way with biological stuff? so, to fix it..." he explained, reaching forward and wrapping his digits around the oddly twisted parts of her wings. "this might hurt, buddy." he snapped his right hand forward, dislodging the twist with careful precision. she let out a sharp, painful whine that made his core ache, but she stayed relatively silent as she began to flex and move the painfully broken wing. the hollow squelching that accompanied healing internal injuries slowly faded into silence as the wing healed properly.
"feel any better?" he tried, digits hovering in the air placidly as she flexed her wing one last time.
"yeah... thanks," she answered simply, refusing to look him in the eye, "we should get back. V's probably set the place on fire by now." he snickered at her attempt at humor, tail flickering lightly in amusement as he started out the cave entrance, uzi following slowly behind.
---
"you know... you really, really shouldn't do that again, uzi." N broke the peaceful silence of their stroll through the woods. they were taking a different path, as uzi seemed wildly (and understandably) uncomfortable with walking through the same path she had dragged herself across mere hours before. "you know what happened when i tried to stop... and my frame is the one manufactured to withstand overheating."
"yeah, it was pretty stupid." she muttered, clearly a little angry at the fact that he was bringing it up.
"it's pretty stupid when you do it too." he replied, tone level despite the dangerous lashing of his tail as he walked ahead of her.
uzi couldn't help but stare at him in surprise. in any other situation, she'd be cheering in pride at his confidence in speaking out, but now she just felt... frankly, very bitter.
"i can take care of myself." she hissed, picking up the pace to walk at his side. damn her short frame, and damn him for having such stupidly long legs.
"i'm- i'm not saying you can't!" N seemed appalled by the idea that she thought he didn't trust her capability, and crossed his hands frantically in the air for emphasis, "i'm just... uzi, you said it yourself. you're done dealing with things alone, and- and i am too."
uzi gritted her teeth. double damn him for listening so well, and double damn him for using her own logic against her. his determination was admittedly inspiring, and she was touched that it seemed to stem from what she had said.
"urgh, alright! fine. i know it's dumb, and stupid, and-! ...you're right," uzi raised her hands in defeat, kicking up a cloud of snow for good measure, "hey, i gotta work on my communication skills. years of repression doesn't just come undone like-" she snapped her fingers at him, "-that. i'm a work in progress!"
he was glad her spunk was coming back, if little by little. enough to be playful, maybe, "i think i'm doing a pretty good job, though. can't hide behind your emo exterior forever!" he skipped ahead, listening as she picked her pace up as well with a smug little grin on his face.
"oh, now i'm going to be even more edgy just to spite you." she bit out, unable to hide her own smile as a bead of sweat appeared on his hollow-eyed visor. he slowed down to trot beside her, digits twitching anxiously behind his back.
"um... you're not really going to do that, are you?" the genuine concern in his voice made her feel a little guilty, and her smirk shifted into something more sincere.
"hm..." uzi tapped her chin and slowed her pace just a bit to appear as if she were deep in thought, then shrugged nonchalantly, "no, i'll refrain for now. just for you." uzi added the last part quietly, and in a tone that was laced with both potent sarcasm and sincerity.
N physically relaxed at the words, though, "whew, okay! that's good enough." the silliness of the mood softened into peaceful silence as they continued their trek back to the looming spire in the distance.