Alita finds that she likes the way that Starsin rages like the sea, even though the surface of her remains calm. There is something that hints to turbulence beneath the surface—something she cannot explain or name or even comprehend. It is a depth beyond the cool exterior, a hint of more. But she has no ability to truly decipher it and so she sets it to the side, content to merely pass the time with the grey mare.
“I am not afraid of strangers,” she replies, blunt, her lips pulling apart into a wide smile that showcases the glittering edges of teeth behind. Even at a young age, even with so little experience, she knows that she is not someone to be crossed. She can feel the heat build in the back of her throat, she has felt what it means to pull apart flesh from bone, and she knows that there is little in most places for her to fear.
Still, there is something to the lull of Starsin’s words. Something about the way that her voice drops, softens, the way that she looks into her eyes. All of it is enough to earn the young girl’s trust, and she just tips her chin upward. “It is a good thing,” because it feels like the right thing to say. It feels like the kind of thing that she should confirm—especially when she sees herself reflected in the other’s eyes.
So she does.
She gladly does and just continues to stand quietly, childish wings curled around her barrel. Her head tilts at the question, confused for a moment. “My mom?” She cranes her head back behind her, brow furrowing and lip curving downward in thought. “I have no idea.” Alita rolls her shoulder briefly, shrugging off the momentary concern. “I am sure that she is out there, somewhere.”
She glances back, catching the mare’s eyes.
“But it is not here."
Alita
@[Starsin]