Why don't you stay a while?

Avantika was lazily meandering around the territory, unsure of herself. She didn't know what to do or where to go. She was in a worse rut than any time before. Blisters were growing on her body now, and they were getting worryingly large. The ooze dripped from her mouth if she opened it even slightly and built up in her mouth if she pressed her lips shut. She wiped her face constantly, it seemed, trying to get the ooze away from her eyes, nose, and ears. She hadn't tried to take the crystals off for a while. It was no use. Nothing would help.

She lay down on the ground, rolling onto her back and staring up at the sky. The auroras that lit the sunless sky had a bittersweet beauty. She sighed, and rubbed her face again. She seemed unable to think about anything important, or really anything at all. She rolled back onto her side and curled up for a nap. Almost as she began to doze off, an impossibly familiar call destroyed reality. Avantika sprung up, and stared around mindlessly for a moment simply because she didn't know anything else to do. That couldn't be Resin. And yet, it was.

She raced in the direction of the call as fast as her condition allowed. She'd be tired later, but it didn't matter now. Her mom was back from the dead, and even if it was only an illusion, she couldn't force herself even to try to ignore it. When she arrived, she couldn't see anything but Resin. She hung back for a moment, staring at her, before charging forward and hugging her fiercely. She was never going to let her go again. But something wasn't right: Resin was less solid than a normal body. It didn't matter. Avantika loved her mother, and that love was too strong not to make her believe in miracles. "Mom... Mom." She was choking up already. She'd never once called Resin "mom" while she was alive. She'd been too wrapped up in her own feelings of not belonging and shyness, but she'd always regretted it. Now she could make that personal tragedy of Resin's death right.

Eventually, she'd pull away. But not for a few more moments.

"Speech"