Chapter Text
The mere thought of Subspace’s looming death made Deactiv want to distance herself before she could grow any more attached. An innate need for miraculous escape that had led her here, to the scarcely survived path to Thieves Den. Covered in snow, tainted with lives long lost. A heavy bag slung across her shoulder. Her mind plagued with questions of morality.
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Was it right? To leave Subspace at his most vulnerable just because he couldn’t handle the weight of losing him? Deactiv knew he was a morally dubious person, but how low had he truly sunk? Had this corruption progressed beyond dubious?
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Deactiv absentmindedly wrapped the end of its scarf around its hand. Felt the scratchy wool chafe against the metallic grooves that laced its palms. It decidedly shook its head and hiked up the scarf so it sat more comfortably around its head.
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Distancing themself was right because it meant they wouldn’t rot alongside Subspace. It meant they’d stop being so weak.
Isn’t that what they wanted?
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They blamed their shuddering on the freezing climate. Despite the copious amounts of fabric that Deactiv had wrapped around herself, the cold still managed to bite. Infiltrated every minuscule gap it could find.
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Her arms “felt” cold, and pain in general, differently than the rest of her body. Detected it and sent warnings throughout her system that were far less uncomfortable and provoked far less involuntary responses than her actual nerves did. Only downside was that they were better at being annoyingly persistent. Refused to stop warning until Deactiv treated the injuries or disabled the sensors entirely. They also sent warnings straight to her right optic and blocked up its vision when the damage was major. Deactiv made a mental note to minimise that issue when she had time.
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Right as Deactiv had grown sick of the artificial freeze, as it turned to manually disable the pain sensors, it felt a pricking in its arm. Barely noticeable. But strange enough for it to turn around.
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And be nearly knocked off their feet from a hurtling hunk of steel. Laced with unmistakable orange.