[ IP ] Electric Sleep


 Ariana could feel the sodden fabrics of her jeans & jacket brushing her skin; the cold of the gentle current as the clothing waved back & forth; even the bubbles of air passing from her lungs out past her lips. Breathing had been such an enjoyable pastime... such a shame things had gone this way. She wiggled her toes, focusing on the movement as her surroundings darkened; part of it was the dissipation of available light as she fell further below the churning ocean's surface, but the combination of salt water and the mild head trauma before the fall made an optical malfunction more than a mere likelihood. Salinity was between 36 and 37 parts per thousand; far from optimal, given the rupture's location near the right temple processor cluster. 
 
 There went her toes. It was odd, to fully experience her vision closing in around her. Searchable human records had shown that the loss of consciousness t̀hat t̷he͘ loss of consciousness that usually accompanied vision loss was either blocked from memory entirely or reduced to fuzzy recollections. Not everything was imitated perfectly, but that's what made her perfect, the doctor had h̛a̵d said. Everything flickered again, and peripheral vision was lost. Her hair was still visible. Hair... she'd fought so hard for the privilege, and it was still beautiful, swaying dreamlike in front of her eyes, framing the heavily-artifacted blur of remaining light. Still beautiful. *Si͟l̶l̷y ̷to covet ̵h̵uma͘nit͝ỳ, ͏Ari͘*. A brief exposure to the p̢̛H͢ 7̷͏ of the salt s̶a͞lt̵҉y͡ water would n't have been bad, but this was n't likely to be brief exposure. 
 
 Poor Dr. Malik... Ariana wished she could see him again. It was good that he was n't here, but selfish desire made the thought remain, ili̶̢l̸̸̕ogical as it was. Feelings like this had been as terrifying and enlightening and exciti̢͜t̴̴ing as it had been short-lived. *Si͟l̶l̷y ̷to covet ̵h̵uma͘nit͝ỳ, ͏Ari͘*. No more air to blow bubbles with... no light left, either, though that may just have been due to the th̸e h̴̨͢u̧̢rt̵ this point. 
 
 Happiness. Why now, though? *S͟o̕m͜e ͞o͟f ͝ús͡ covet* y̸ou͠, ͠ ̧*y̴ou ̵kno̸w͠.́* Reduced sense of pain, though a concept of h͞ưr̶t̛ h͜ur̸t҉ still; the compromise Malik had made with her. Salty̧͏́͠ water in the b̵ig ͘j͢o̸int̛s̕. The s҉m̀al̛l͏e̢r ̧bits͏ soon. *I knǫw҉ ͡I͜ d̀o, ̀Ari. * This one... hope? The chance he's still alive. He can find her... maybe. Not impossible. Loss. She was w̷͟a͟s͡ sad, but felt her lips smiling gently. Not a f̸ro̸w̡n̴.̶ *Mo̧ŕe ͞than ͘yo͡u̡ ̛ca̴n ̧c͢ompr̀e͏he͞n͝d̵ r͞i̢gh̷t͜ ͟nów̵. * Love? M̵m͢҉҉m͘҉m͟a̸͘͠y̷b̸̶͞e͠. He can find her... maybe. 
 
 shutdown -h
