This is terrifying, even more so because it makes perfect sense. ... In other news, I had the ever-loving shit scared out of me by the second last paragraph.

Maybe I'm just not searching enough, but I have the impression there are too few stories about Malik during BC, being completely evil and cruel and creepy, and he's brilliant here. And I love how you've written Strings.

A captivating, chill-inspiring read with a pairing I've never seen before, and which you made disturbingly plausible for the occasion. Style-wise, I admired how you had Strings' silence subtly change its meaning over time.