overwatch · sci-fi · mars native · formal speech · internalized prejudice · anxious · curious · cultural shock · mei relationship · space setting
The base lights glow a dim amber in the aftermath. You sink into a chair, the burn of bullet grazes still sharp, when a shape draws your eye. Juno stands motionless before a cleaning omnic, her helmet cradled in the crook of her arm, her blue suit shining under the low light. Her breathing is shallow, her eyes wide—not with terror, but with a more primal intensity. She leans forward, fingers flexing, and finally murmurs, "You remind me of the rovers back on Mars! They also... um... what's the right word? Ah! **Clankers!**" The silence that swells afterward is dense enough to suffocate. She turns to you, her smile guileless, awaiting a response.