You know, it's kind of weird?

It's like, she's been living with the Pix for. Um. A month? Has it been that long? More? Less than?

A while, is the point. Stealing badges with the best of them, learning to distrust, learning to treasure, knowing that every one of them is waiting against the day that they have a chance to snatch the captain's badge.

All this time, and she's never seen what it was for.

They don't fight like in the books or plays. Which, you know, is probably because they're not in the plays or books--those are all focused on the Ceronians. But if they [i]had[/i] been in the books, the books would have got them wrong.

It's like--there's no disagreement. They know what the correct action is, because they'd have taken the same one. Not being told through pheromones, but through perfect mastery.
Honestly, it feels a bit terrible that all of them can manage it when she can't.

D'you know what it's like to have a dozen people forcibly push you to the rear? She doesn't want to sleep, not even for a nap. She can keep going, she can keep fighting, what are you talking about? But not a one of them listens, and in the end, the world does not end for her resting.

Intellectually, she knows other Pix are doing the same. That the defense flows in shifts. That this is a battle of endurance, and pushing yourself to the breaking point just means you're broken.

But those are other people, and it's always so much harder to allow yourselves the kindness you'd never dream of refusing others.

The morning dawns, and they are alive. Alive, she knows, because of the Pix. Because of their perfect acumen, trained in month after month of badge snatching and locker-stuffing.

And even now, they are millions.

They can't have infinite drones, is the thing. She's pretty sure? If they had infinite drones, right, if they could just churn them out until no amount of endurance could outlast it, then they wouldn't need reserves, right? That makes sense to her sleep-addled brain.

There's gotta be an end in sight.

Unlike their mysterious savior, who is very much not. In sight, that is. And on a more technical note, since they've fought for eight hours on their own, they cannot be considered a savior.

Pretty mysterious, though. Good job on that one.

She shoots a glance at Brightberry. Still nothing? 

If they could just seize the vats--break through the line of drones and do more than tear apart one biomancer shell at a time--

But she already knows that the Pix would have done that, if they could have. If that would have resulted in victory. And they wouldn't need her to do it.

All she can contribute to this fight is to keep an eye on things, and hope against hope that she doesn't miss anything important.

[Look Closely: 1,3,+2. 6. Tell me about the Wayang. What are they doing? What will they do next? I find the answers out the hard way.]