She'd read a book about snowflakes, once. It was Redana's book, one of her school things left carelessly out when she'd decided she was done with studying and couldn't be bothered to think about who would have to clean up after her decisions later. It wasn't even a textbook as she'd come to know them, more a collection of poetry that claimed to be from the ancient world and talked about the wonders that had long since vanished from the galaxy.

She'd been behind on her chores that night. But the way the light hit that paper, she hadn't been able to help herself.

A tiny thing, a fleeting thing. A cold, precious, beautiful thing that lands on your outstretched palm and glitters in the light before your passion turns it into... she can't remember how it goes. And this scale is hardly cold like the words said it should be. It wasn't melting or vanishing in her hand. It wasn't fleeting at all, this smooth and brilliant thing. But even still it calls this word to mind, from out of the depths of her memory. For the first time, she has a picture to go with the idea. And even though she'll never see one, with this she's sure she never needs to.

...What a day for treasures.

Bella's eyes narrow as she folds her palm closed over the scale. She pulls her hand away from the strange computer creature, to a neon flash of protest. Her spine straightens, her shoulders lift, her neck stretches. In contrast to Beljani, she looks directly forward; focused and intense in a way that either means she is deeply touched or deeply offended with no space for feelings in between. Her expression is stony and severe: lips only barely pursed and parted with her jaw set firm. Her eyes gleam in murderous red and gold.

She lifts her hand, still closed around the scale, up to shoulder height. She squeezes the little treasure tight, and it grows warm inside her tightly curled palm. It is warm and smooth, and the light it gives off is just strong enough to give off a faint glow that just barely breaks through her skin. And it does not disappear. She turns suddenly, and spits.

"I", she says with the graveled voice of a huntress, "Am going to find Mynx."

Her hand lowers. She lets it drop limp down to her hips, though she keeps that fist clenched tight. Her tail flicks behind her as she walks, and her sandaled feet make soft tak-tak-tak noises with every step. Tak-tak-tak, the foot meeting the cold metal floor. Pressing down, springing off, the sandal following foot a split second after. Tak-tak-tak. She sways her hips. She tenses her legs into things of steel. Power, purpose, drive. The invincible assassin with no time or patience for feelings. Tak-tak-tak. She approaches. Her will is iron. Her gaze is distant.

"I am going to [i]save[/i] Mynx," her voice has gone so quiet now that it's as if she's speaking on the [i]Anemoi[/i], I don't give a single worthless fuck what it costs me."

She is close now. Close enough to smell the person under the pheremone and discern the sting of nervousness smothering her. The slight twitch her arm trying to reach forward for her "sister" only to think better of it. But too late, and too far back. Beljani's entire body is draining of heat as quickly and surely as though she'd been cut in half on the spot. Bella snorts.

"And you." she says. Her voice trembles worse than her fingers around the scale.

It is the speed of an attack that cannot be guarded against. No amount of training, self discovery, or improvement could prepare her for the strike of a Diodekoi in the full might of her element. Bella's arms are vices around Beljani, and they squeeze tight enough to trap her in place forever. All she's got left is the use of her forearms. Just enough, if she tries, to return the hug.

"And I want you to help me. Sister."

Bella's voice gives way to tears. Warm, wet relief stains her face. A hundred nights or more spent worrying, spent wondering, spent hating herself for hoping. For feeling the connection and never knowing how to hold onto it. And even now, she knows she doesn't deserve it. The rooftop on Salib was the best that she was capable of, and all it had resulted in was a not quite lethal mauling. Crushing one sister to try and save another. The last left broken and forgotten, and in the end she'd collapsed anyway and delivered them all into the hands of the Master. 

Self loathing didn't begin to cover it. Of course that was the real shape of the leash, you idiot. But here you, but here you, but here you..! 

Bella shakes, and holds onto her temple sister firm enough to keep her here even if she melted into mist and tried to float away on the air. Family. Family. The only ones who understood what it meant to be herself. They walked a path just one step to the side of hers, and that's why she can't push these feelings away. If she deserves it or not, it's beyond her power to turn it away.

It's fine to be selfish, isn't it? It's fine to take, and take, and take until she can't even stand. It's fine to hope. To hope for at least one more impossible thing, and not deserve it. It must be. It has to be. Or the snowflake would have melted in her hand. Right?