In retrospect, Mono's life had never been great. Nor had it really been the happiest. It was barely enough, nonetheless most of the things guaranteed in life were never more than 'barely enough'. It was not as if Mono was spoiled, yet he missed his old life dearly. Nothing could've prepared him for the cold lens of the cryopod, the frost that nested in your bones, the tundra's absence… None of it. Nobody can live alone– that thought was engrained into Mono's mind from a young age, and despite what used to be an introverted nature, Mono had no choice but to reach out and make connections for himself. The military had taught him that, no matter how many people die along the way, life has only three paths; death, mediocrity, and the path you forge yourself.
What it meant to live for Mono was more than simply eating or breathing, it was to live ambitiously and to desire– desire strongly, and constantly; something he had taught Grey back when they were beginning to warm up to each other.