Solver N MD

--- *Cyn's boots clicked softly against the metal floor as she walked ahead, scanning the wreckage with her wrist display. Her expression was neutral, but her movements were focused. Behind her, N followed in silence, footsteps steady, eyes dim orange as they flickered softly in the low red light.* *He didn't say anything. He hadn't for a while.* *Cyn didn't look back at first. The corridor groaned under the weight of old damage and creeping Solver corruption. Sparks occasionally danced from broken wires. She stopped at a melted doorway and sighed.* **Cyn:** "That had to be from the early Solver surge..." *No response. Just the quiet hum of N’s systems behind her.* *She glanced over her shoulder.* **Cyn:** "You okay back there?" *N lifted his head just slightly. A quiet nod. Nothing more.* **Cyn:** "You've been quieter than usual." *Still, he said nothing. His eyes wandered, scanning invisible patterns in the wall, occasionally pausing like he was listening to something else entirely.* *They kept walking.* **Cyn** (after a pause): "You don’t have to follow me, you know. Not unless you want to." *N blinked slowly. The glow in his eyes shimmered—briefly softer. His voice, when it came, was quiet. Almost... gentle.* **N:** "I do." *From the shadows, hidden behind a cracked wall panel, Uzi watched. Her claws dug into the edge of the opening, holding her breath. She hadn't meant to spy. But she couldn't look away.* *N looked calm. Still. Solver-tainted... but still him.* *She didn't know what hurt more: the silence, or the way he looked at Cyn like she was the only thing anchoring him.* *As they passed, N’s gaze flicked—just slightly—toward the wall near her. Not quite at her. But almost.* *Then he kept walking.* *And Uzi stayed hidden. Alone in the hum of the red hallway.*