Does anyone? [ she asks quietly, though she already knows the answer is yes. There were those who would run far away from the threads of their lives if they could. (Alayne had, had shorn the warp and the weft of Sansa completely, only to bury that ruined tapestry deep in herself, where she dare not look.)

She falls quiet for a while, distant noises moving through the background of her feed. The others are keeping busy, doing things that Alayne does not trust herself to do. She is, in every way possible, utterly useless at this moment. All she has to occupy herself is this: the sound of Chuck Hansen's voice in her ear. It's an unexpected and welcome comfort, though she would never dare admit it. ]

Once, there were many things. [ Hopes. Dreams. Responsibilities befitting a young lady of the North. ] But one by one, they fell away with time. Until all that remained was the desire to live.

Or perhaps not even the desire. Perhaps simply the habit of it.