I actually read Kokanshu's responding fic first, so switching over to this gave me a wonderful bit of style shock. (Tangent: someday, I really want the two of you to write independent versions of one story with the intention of lacing the different sections together to form ... uh, one story. It would be like having the upper and lower teeth of a monster close thoughtfully down on my face. U-unf.)

You're doing that thing again, the one where you bring everyone up close but still manage to throw them all out of focus. I love that thing. It makes the endless desert all the more threatening here; the thing is always /creeping/ but there are no solid markers to help catch the motion.

i don't even know what to say to this, it is so absolutely amazing. i really loved the first part and the way you made the city alive. the end was quite different from what i expected, but the repetition about the hearts was great. beautiful in a twisted way.

And once more, I am amazed.