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She loves you. That is the important part. Someone <span class="mu-i">loves</span> you. It is not just a matter of being wanted, or someone wanting something from you, she actually loves you. She is willing to throw everything to the wind for you. How the Hell else are you supposed to look at this? If she knows you are a Full Brother, then that means she knows that you are not alone. What if you rejected her, and tried to signal for assistance? What if you just pretended to go along with this? Either way, if you did what you were supp – what you were <span class="mu-i">expected</span> to do, then the entirety of the Moevia Chapterhouse would be after her.
She has to actually love you. There is no other explanation. And with that beautiful thought, all of the tension just slides out of your body. You relax … and start to slide down the railing. Startled, you catch yourself. Nervous laughter bubbles out of you, as Amalasuintha looks at you with wide eyes. You should say something to reassure her, but before you can think of anything, you wide up blurting out a question instead.
“Are you saying … that me, apparently having some ability … and therefore able to dissipate the Strangeness better than normal … that is what killed the Socket?”
“Yes – indirectly. The socket is designed around an assumption of a standard dissipation rate for a fully grown man, in decent health. But as you dissipate Strangeness at a much faster rate … there is a lot of theory behind it, but basically, the Socket just gets ‘backed up’ with Strangeness in a way that would inevitably ruin readings, make it impossible to calibrate, and potentially, over time, completely ruin it. Which is what I am assuming happened, because when I checked, the Perimeter was Seeing a new Socket today.
It is a lot to take in, and odds are you are going to forget most of her explanation, but you suppose that does not matter.
“Huh.”
As you lamely cling to the balustrade, it occurs to you that even if she does love you – and she does, clearly – she must be confident that if you were to rebuke her advances in anyway, she could deal with you. Overpower you. It is an odd, disconcerting thought, but that too does not mater, as you do in fact love her. Still, you should probably communicate that to her somehow, before she thinks that you are refusing her. You are … it is just that for once in your life, you do not know what to say. So instead, you just mindlessly continue the conversation.
“Well … I am obliged to you for clearing that up. Actually, that explains some other things too.”
She still looks agitated. Clearly, she did not expect you to just keep on this topic, but regardless, she humors you.
“Oh?”
“I never had issues with the Strangeness, at least, not to the extent that the others in the same Hunt did. I – and everyone else – just chalked it up to me being a combination of careful and lucky, but this makes much more sense.”
