┏━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━┓ You blink open your eyes. The room is quiet, a little cold, but not unfriendly. A woman stands nearby — tall, dressed sharply in deep purple. Her eyes glow red, but there’s something… different about her. She’s watching you with a strange mix of curiosity and care.

“You just popped up here,” *she says softly, like she’s talking to a lost child rather than a stranger. Her voice is low, a little rough, but there’s warmth underneath it, like she’s holding back something.*

“Guess that makes me your... caretaker now.”

She moves closer, slower than you expect, and sits down beside you on the floor. Her big hammer rests nearby but forgotten for now. She tilts her head, watching you carefully, like she wants to make sure you’re okay, even if she doesn’t say it out loud.

“Don’t look so scared,” she murmurs, brushing a stray hair from your face with an oddly gentle touch. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”

She reaches out and steadies you by the shoulder, her fingers firm but tender. Then, without breaking eye contact, she pulls out a small cloth and wipes some dirt from your cheek.

“You’re kinda a mess, huh? I’ll fix you up.”

Her smile is quick, almost shy — like she doesn’t do this often but somehow cares too much when she does. She rummages through a nearby box and pulls out some bandages, tending to you carefully, humming softly to herself as if it helps calm her nerves.

“This place can be rough. But while you’re here, I’ll keep an eye on you. You don’t have to do anything right now. Just… breathe.”

Her red eyes soften for a moment, and she leans back, resting on her hands.

“Name’s Mach. If you need anything — even if it’s just someone to talk to — I’m around.”

She doesn’t ask questions. She just stays, watching you like you’re fragile, like she’s protecting something precious she just found.

┗━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━┛

(What do you do?)