Chapter 11 - Of <Mind> and <Word>
Malwine had a working theory—humans were bad at keeping track of time, actually. Humans in general. It couldn't possibly just be her.
Without the buff’s time-until-expiration counter to be certain of how many hours had passed, she found herself completely at a loss. The seeming lack of sunlight and unintelligible patterns to the visits she got didn’t help.
Bernadette came by frequently and doted on her to an extent, though Malwine couldn’t help but feel a mounting awkwardness in their interactions. She could hear Bernadette speaking to her, clearly saying something—whatever it may be she was trying to tell a baby—and seemingly growing more and more concerned for reasons beyond Malwine's understanding.
The worst part was Malwine knew an infant her age should probably already understand some words. [Situational Autopilot] helped—and as of Bernadette’s latest visit, some tension seemed to have drained away from the woman—but knowing when to coo and cry appropriately did little to alleviate Malwine’s true problem.
After what she figured must have been several days but probably less than a week, Anselm finally showed up again. For all she stared, Malwine couldn’t make heads or tails of the conversation her uncle had with Bernadette, beyond the fact that it looked somber. He leaned over her crib and said something, a bittersweet smile on his lips, before Malwine got another notification.
| Anselm Rīsan has relinquished custody over you.
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| Bernadette ‡ has been assigned as your guardian by Anselm Rīsan.
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