Salvation | nier: automata reader insert

.𝐟𝐚𝐝𝐞

In her dreams, she sees the world before its ruin. They're fleeting memories. Distant thoughts that she buried deep within her heart in the waking hours of an everlasting day. She dreams of skyscraping towers and the midnight skies they touch. She dreams of rolling hills of green and the flowers that cover them. She dreams of the sea and of sandy beaches. Most importantly, she dreams of people.

Sometimes it's random people, people she's seen passing by, her nannies, or classmates from a time she can only loosely recall, but most of the time it's her parents. She remembers their faces, their expressions on the day they left her, and of their enduring absence. They speak to her in muffled words and in tones that sound concerned, yet she knows not to delude herself into thinking it were real. If they truly cared for her, she would not be alone.

Alone in a world that was nothing more than a remnant of a time that can no longer be.

She hated the dreams that included them.

Slowly, she opens her eyes and the endless pitch-black greets her. Here, in her lonely little room, there isn't a sound. Only her soft breathing and the crinkle of fabric as she sits up in her bed. Her body dully aches under the strain and it serves as a reminder of the venture she went on the other day. She doesn't even remember falling asleep and she can only assume that 2B and 9S were the ones who dropped her off at the camp, leaving without a goodbye once again.

She glances over towards where she could remember the door being, assured by the halo of light that outlines its shape. Her eyes narrow and the shadow of someone's feet blocks the light beneath her door. Devola and Popola have come to wake her as usual.

There's the sound of gentle knocking before the creak of her door opening. "[name]? It's time to wak- Oh. . . you're already up."

The light switches on and she squints at the sight of Popola standing in her doorway with Devola curiously glancing over her twin's shoulder. She ducks away from the light for a moment, allowing her eyes to adjust before she tiredly nods.

"Mmm, only a few minutes ago. . ." She stretches her arms over her head, hearing a muted pop. "Hear anything from 2B and 9S?"

Popola shook her head as Devola popped out from behind her and picked up what her twin left unsaid. "Nothing much other than to take care of that."

When she points towards her hand, [name] looks down at her own to see a loosely wrapped bandage around it. Red seeped through the cloth and when she slightly flexed her fingers, the back of her palm throbbed in pain.

Her brow furrows as she looks back up towards the twins who were now approaching her with what she recognized as the first aid kit made specifically for her. "I. . . I don't remember it being this bad."

Popola pulls a seat in front of [name]'s bed, gently lifting the chair to not interrupt the pleasant atmosphere with its metallic screech. Devola stands next to her twin, holding the open first aid kit in her grasp as her sister takes [name]'s injured hand into her own.

"When you got here, it was already infected," Devola informs, eyes straying on the unwinding blood-stained bandages. "It looked like you passed out from the fever or something. . ."

There's a shared silence between them as they all stare down at [name]'s injury. The skin around the cut is red, swollen, and glossy from whatever Popola treated her with. The twins hum happily at its state.

"It's looking better than yesterday," Popola grins up at her sister.

"Mm, that plant really did wonders." Devola returns her sister's smile. "Nice find, sis."