Toby's got the right idea of why this is so difficult a concept for the demon to grasp. Nike sits and listens patiently but with an emptiness that belies her distance from the problem they're discussing. Emotions are a complex and often distasteful subject for her to delve into and it's obvious she doesn't quite have them as pervasively as humans do. She's far from free of them (no matter what she says) but they don't plague her nearly as pervasively as they do humanity.
"So a perception of isolation becomes a self fulfilling prophecy, or other community members shun or remove individuals from their collective group. For a species that depends on social communes to thrive, that must be an exceptional punishment." Worth lying to try and avoid. Worth extra effort to prove an individual cares about the import of social interaction. Tiresome, to Nike. But logical in a fashion.
"I could not be alone if I tried among them. I'm contracted to one of their protectors in such a manner that even when I am physically left behind I can be summoned with a simple incantation." Which is. Well. It's better than it was. Nike is not often left alone to wander the Nexus by herself these days.
no subject
"So a perception of isolation becomes a self fulfilling prophecy, or other community members shun or remove individuals from their collective group. For a species that depends on social communes to thrive, that must be an exceptional punishment." Worth lying to try and avoid. Worth extra effort to prove an individual cares about the import of social interaction. Tiresome, to Nike. But logical in a fashion.
"I could not be alone if I tried among them. I'm contracted to one of their protectors in such a manner that even when I am physically left behind I can be summoned with a simple incantation." Which is. Well. It's better than it was. Nike is not often left alone to wander the Nexus by herself these days.