'"Why did you throw yourself in front of your boy?"

I stared up at her black button eyes and attempted to decipher the thoughts behind her piercing gaze. She stood an exact meter from me, the way she had been posed for the last minute. On her arm, the metal wristband continued to tick rhythmically.

"Because I love him," I answered after a long silence. "And I would die for him. And I would've, if you hadn't jumped in my way," I muttered under my breath.

The Threat peered at me. "You are unhappy that I saved you?"

I ignored her, and readjusted the bandage on my shoulder, wincing as a spasm of pain shot down my arm.

She inched forward ever so slightly, her feet barely making a sound against the hay-littered floor. "What is love?"

"Hm?"

"What is... love?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again. "Love is... an emotion. Well, not really— it's a lot more than an emotion sometimes, but it depends on the context: I love to eat ice cream, which is an emotion I feel about a certain situation, but I also love my dog, which is a like constant emotion. Well, not constant— but you get what I mean." I had a feeling she didn't.

I sighed, and shuffled over on the stretcher, patting the space beside me. "I'll try to explain it better. Sit down."

She sat.

"Have you ever felt such a strong affection for something? Like, you like it so much you can't get enough?"

She nodded. "Pie."

"Right, pie." I shook my head. "That's basically what love is— when you really like something. But there are also much deeper emotions that come with loving someone, you know?

"There's that initial... infatuation that you feel. You fall, ever so slightly, in love with his looks or his personality, and he seems like he could give you the world." I shifted my seat.

"Give it a few months, though, and it's a whole completely new feeling. It's like everything that he does builds up into this magnificent play, and you're the only one watching. Suddenly, it's not just about his looks or the way he acts. Sure, these are all important and all, but there's like, an actual connection. And it's a connection that can't be broken by anything."

The Threat was silent. Then she stood. She scrunched up her face as she thought, her black eyes lighting up for just a second.

"A strong connection with pie?"

I stared at her. Her posture was much more relaxed than it had been before, her fists still clenched but by her side rather than out in front of her.

I smiled at the Threat, then remembered what I had been meaning to ask about her armband. "What does that say, by the way?" I gestured at the metal ring. "I can't read your language."

Glancing down at the forearm, her expression darkened. "My name has been etched onto this plate. Dhrt-34." She pronounced it 'dirt,' like the soil you'd find in a park somewhere.

I shook my head as she looked away, "Screw that. I'm gonna call you Alice, alright? Is Alice okay with you?"

Hse smiled, and nodded.

I jumped off the stretcher and gathered my gear. Hoisting my backpack and gun onto my good shoulder, I grinned at her.

"Alright, Alice. You ready? Let's go see what you're made of."'