Amara glanced at Elara, surprised by the raw honesty in her voice. For a moment, Elara didn't seem like the untouchable heroine of this twisted story. She seemed... real. Vulnerable, even. What am I supposed to do with that? Comforting people wasn't exactly Amara's strong suit. Her whole life had been built around cold strategy, not touchy-feely emotional stuff.
"Well, uh..." Amara fumbled, trying to find words that didn't sound like they'd been ripped from a Hallmark movie. "At least… you're not dead yet?"
Elara blinked, her expression frozen in a mix of confusion and disbelief.
Great. Real smooth, Amara. You've got the emotional range of a brick.
[Congratulations. You've officially failed at being a human.]
Amara ignored the system's snide comment, though internally, she couldn't argue. Yeah, that was pretty bad.