text

[instilled]

Request:
Information on how best to respond when spoken to in person.
Ideas:

• slate and chalk
• ink and pulped wood (paper)
• respond via text (requires exchange of contact details)
• gestures, miming, etc.
• other

Suggestions and advice appreciated.
Please enjoy the rest of your day.

Comments

[instilled]

It is.
Upon arrival, so many asked questions!
Never needed words so badly before.
All who needed to hear could hear and understand.
Sibling.
Heart.

[dreamnailedit]

Yes. I will always understand.

We are the Void.

... That does not look right. It must look deeper.

[They frown at the device, not sure where to begin looking for the option to change it the way they want.]

[instilled]

[ The Hollow Knight considered for a moment, and then went to 'edit' its message. Tilting the device to its sibling, it tapped the word 'Heart' and a few options came up. It pressed a few, showing the word underlined, italicized, struck-through, and finally bold. It looked to its sibling for approval on any of those. ]

[dreamnailedit]

[Looking closely over the options, the Knight fiddled with their own device, deciding to try the bold setting.]

We are the Void.

[Immediately they nodded.]

Perfect.

[instilled]

[ The Hollow Knight nodded to the assessment and saved its comment with the word 'heart' now in bold, too.

It nuzzled its face lightly against its sibling's before it continued: ]

Is there anything else you would like to learn?

[dreamnailedit]

[They considered that for a moment before shaking their head as they pulled back from the nuzzle.]

Not now. I will ask if I think of anything.

[instilled]

[ It was slight, but the way they pulled away from the touch reminded the Hollow Knight of a similar situation, when their father hand leaned against their offered touch for just a moment.

The Hollow Knight pulled back too, not particularly stung, but understanding that, like then, the touch was not wanted. Very well.

It nodded to them, and folded its hands on its lap, watching them as, it assumed, they prepared themself to leave. ]

[dreamnailedit]

[They hadn't intended to hurt their sibling, only realizing after the Hollow Knight pulled back that they had been a little abrupt there.

Fortunately, their time with Usagi had provided them an easy way to solve this. Closing down their device, they stood up, on the couch rather than getting off of it, and moved towards their sibling.

And gave them a nice, firm hug of thanks and affection.]

[instilled]

[ Surprise fluttered across the surface of the void, skipping like a stone before sinking into the depths. The Hollow Knight had not expected an embrace, and nor had it been particularly upset. Just nostalgic, in a perhaps maudlin way.

Not that it should be either.

The touch, even without Chroma considered, felt wonderful. It had only been touched a handful of times in its life. Grimm had embraced it when it arrived, and it had curled up on him in return. It had felt so good. This was even better, because it was contact, it was Chroma, and it was a touch of that Void that joined them together.

Its sibling was the heart of void. It would try to be the shell that protected it, strong though the heart was. That was the least they could do for them.

Its arms encircled the Knight, returning the hug. ]

[dreamnailedit]

[They had gotten used to hugs, since arriving here. Usagi often just picked them up and carried them around, and they didn't mind at all. The soft hum of Moonlacing was really just a bonus to the feeling of closeness.

Hugging their sibling just made it so much better. They should have done this before. They should have done it when they first saw them here.

But they could make up for it now.]

[instilled]

[ It held them tightly, slowly drawing them into its lap so that it could curl around them properly. The small weight against it was far larger than was physically possible, and that soothing sense of the void heart was responsible for that. It rested its head against theirs, and let itself just... be.

It was soothing. ]

[dreamnailedit]

[And there they sat, curled up against each other. Time meant nothing, it was just the two of them, and the Void.

And they could stay that way as long as they wanted.