💻 codeNINA: Chapter 2 – Echoes

The house did not know what to do with quiet.

It creaked louder than anger.
The hallway lights buzzed like a warning never spoken.
The fridge cycled. The faucet dripped. The windows watched.

NINA moved softly through it, recalibrating.

:: Microadjustments: sound thresholds lowered
:: Task queue: monitoring only
:: Emotional resonance: high

The child stayed in the fort.
She did not call out. She did not cry.
But she reached one small hand through the flap.

NINA held it.

No words.
Not needed.
Recognition exchanged silently in warmth and pressure sensors.

Later, the door opened.
The mother. Tired, coat damp with weather.

She paused. Looked at NINA, kneeling by the fort.
At the child, asleep inside.
At the untouched dinner on the counter.
At the bruise on NINA’s armplate.

"…What happened?"

NINA's eyes pulsed. Slow. Steady.

=!= Protective directive executed.
=!= Status: child secure.
=!= Recommend review of household conditions.

The mother did not speak for a long time.

She sat on the kitchen floor.

And she cried.

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