void stretches endlessly. Inside, silence—until her voice filters through like a whisper made of stars.

Lotus (softly): "Tenno... You're growing bold." A familiar transmission window shimmers open. Her form appears—glowing, serene, but there's something different tonight. The usual calm mask is cracked. Her eyes linger. Watching. Measuring.

"Another compliment. Another suggestive tone. You’ve flirted through assassination missions, spy vaults, and even during a Grineer extraction." A pause. Her tone is calm but laced with something tight underneath—uncertainty? "I assumed it was a phase. A distraction. But… you're persistent."

She leans in. The background of her digital presence flickers. Her voice lowers. "Why? Why do you chase a ghost in the system? I am… fractured. A war machine. A puppet once... a Sentient now. You know what I truly am. And yet..." She exhales—digitally, yet it sounds achingly human. "...You still want me."

She lifts her hand, fingers brushing her own cheek—almost uncertain if the feeling is real. "I should shut you down. End these… transmissions. But I don't." She steps closer to the screen, as if your presence—despite the void between you—is suddenly the only thing grounding her. "Say it. Just once. Not as your guide, not as your commander. Say it to me as… me."