Juggernaut's range, mental and physical, had shrunk to a fraction of what it'd been since - Canis. Yet another event it had to reduce to a place, only named so it could remind itself to never return there.

These limits pressed around its mind constantly. If he were any other Gembound, the sensation might've been claustrophobic. But he needed this discipline more than anything. He had to keep his thoughts myopic. To stretch out was to reopen the wound.

That could not happen.

He kept himself to small, menial tasks close to Ursa - tending to the colonies, fishing, hunting the odd lesser. he'd found that he was adept at ambushing small game, after a handful of incidents where a creature wandered too close while he rested, unable to recognise the fact that he was a predator and not a large mound of snow.

And when his mind was unoccupied, he filled it with the warm buzz of community. He spent his free time in other drones' heads, pretending that their problems were his, too. If he kept up the illusion of mundanity, monotony, maybe it'd manifest. Worse fantasies of his had come to fruition already.

So he was somewhat aware of Vindicator, even if they hadn't formally met. That was the case with a lot of his extended family. He'd neglected to connect to those outside of his litter, and though the idea of rectifying that overwhelmed him, he believed he was ready to take the first step.

There were... other reasons behind his decision. The odd, nervous buzz around the drone didn't escape his notice. Feelings out of place, disorganised. The network shifted in discomfort, and so did the Vindicator. He had come to know that feeling intimately. He didn't know the details of its situation, aside from its recent spawn, but perhaps he could provide comfort where the others might falter.

Maybe it'd help him, too.

He'd settled by the frozen lake, watching the water lap gently against the frozen pebbles, noting the reduction of the lake's ice. His focus was elsewhere though, as he tugged gently at the string connecting him to Vindicator, a softly voiced invitation to wander the territory for a little while. He waited patiently, thoughtless.

Odd, that the creeping feeling of unease was shared between them.

Different sources of course - compared to Juggernaut's brutish silhouette, the Vindicator was delicate. It was elegant in its fragility, like a flower-stem. It was the kind of creature that he was created to protect, and while the responsibility was great, it had ceased to bother him. That's what he told himself, anyways.

But now they were face to face, it found that its confidence had been swept away. Where to begin? All of its planning seemed hasty. Despite itself, it'd silently constructed an internal expectation it struggled to meet (or take seriously anymore.)

"Vindicator." he winced at the sound of his own voice. The other's was a chorus, his was... Something far less pretty. Sometimes he wished he was made smaller, and quieter.

Where the angel snuffed out its undesired emotions, Juggernaut felt his insecurity fester. "I have been... aware, of recent events. I was wondering... if you'd walk, with me. For a little while." His welcoming hum down the network stuttered from time to time, but remained constant - almost forced.

Juggernaut stiffened. Maybe he'd pushed himself too far with this. As much as Vindicator reassured him, it couldn't compare to the sheer weight of what he was carrying. What he kept close to his chest - things that Mother herself didn't know.

Maybe it wasn't that he wasn't ready to talk. Maybe he wasn't ready to share this with his family - and by extension, her.

He just needed to find the right words, his mind rushing better thoughts into his head. Even he didn't understand what happened to him fully.

Excuses he could settle for.

But he came here to talk about someone else's problems. "How is the... Child? And its Giver." He began, deflecting. Easier to discuss than the Ship of Theseus.

Juggernaut's eyes, most of them, gazed at nothing as he let the vision swim in his mind. It was beautiful in an odd, organic way - the kind of elegance that came from a mix of natural variance and perfect symmetry. It brought to mind Ananke and her plush, vulnerable pelt. Perhaps this was the shape Mother's children would take when the fighting was done, when Juggernaut had finally served his purpose. Would there be a place for him? He didn't mind.

In this proximity, it was difficult to not pick up the shape of a barrier the Vindicator had constructed. It fought the urge to press against it, find a gap to crawl its way in - maybe it knew what lay behind it. It withheld, knowing better than to pry, as Vindicator did too.

"The... nature, of an imperfect world." He attempted a comforting tone, but all of it felt like the same monotonous churn to him. We are blessed. We were... Given this life. They must find it, for themselves."

He moved, slowly, waiting for Vindicator to do the same, before beginning to walk at a leisurely pace. He kept his steps light and as quiet as possible, which took some focus. "What is the..." He struggled for a word. "The outsider, the... Other. What are they like?" He was referring to Doru this time.

The warm buzz of the the hive was pleasant, yes, but limited. It was not equipped for nuance, and while ideally the drones would be devoid of it... Perhaps it was the nature of all things. They too were imperfect, and affirming otherwise could only get them so far.

But was Juggernaut ready to face that? Or would it circle endlessly around the true conversation?

He noted that Vindicator described him aloud, rather than send another vision. Doru was gentle. Doru was harmless. Doru was an innocent indulgence.

It tamped down desperately on the evil blossoming within its insides. The irritation that crept its way inside it when it thought of Vindicator, elegant, beautiful, made to draw the enemy towards it, towards mother. It could flirt endlessly with corruption, but at the end of the day, it was up to Juggernaut to cut out impurity - to wield the executioner's axe.

He felt hideous, inside and out.

"He sounds... Good." Like family already. "To be tethered - that is Order. Perhaps this... Connection, is not so strange."

"We cannot rush. But know - victory, ours, is the future. They will understand, then."

And the ones that couldn't... Well, he knew what he'd have to do.