in the dead of night

[ninazu]

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© lexasperated

I WISH YOU COULD SEE THE WICKED TRUTH
CAUGHT UP IN A RUSH, IT'S KILLING YOU

She blinked, and several of them came to greet her -- well, re-greet her, she supposed. Her claws flexed, as she fought the impulse to correct the jab of "hybernation" or retort against "Ninny." Instead, she simply stared back at them, her deep-seated bronze eyes blank. Azu looked more disheveled than before she disappeared two months ago, with her rumpled bedhead and bloodshot eyes.

"Ninazu." She looked at Quill as she answered him, not surprised people needed a refresher -- or introduction, as she didn't recognize his face. "Thanks," she added, glancing at his prosthetic limbs curiously. A question hung off her tongue, but she'd enough sense not to ask it. Her gaze quickly went to Levi, as she gave the doberman a small nod. The Pitt seemed more like a wild dog pack than she remembered.

Her large ears twitched as she heard Valkyr's voice. She turned to face him -- perhaps too quickly -- but otherwise stared at him as blankly as the rest. His presence in the Pitt surprised her; she anticipated he'd take her absence as an opportunity to get the fuck out. She wondered if she miscalculated his loyalty, his cowardice, or something else entirely. "It's good to see you alright. Has the Pitt treated you well?" she replied, though her voice cracked uncertainly. She almost asked him a question, but her teeth clicked shut -- besides, Benny answered any bullshit question she'd want to ask. She picked up a paw, puzzling whether she ought to step towards him. She felt more comfortable around him than most others.

But that meant almost nothing, didn't it? An apology burned and died in her throat. She remembered what she'd done to him, how she remembered and questioned that decision. She understood why she chose to act. Now, with some solitude to quiet her nerves, her past decisions seemed somehow grislier. Her heart quickened, pupils dilated, and her expression became a hair more distant. Two-thousand-yard stare.

"Good to see you, too... Cosette," she said, struggling to remember the name. Unless she was mistaken, she'd met the other at her joining -- offered water, possibly. There were a lot of dehydrated strangers that week. She addressed Benny next, nodding -- strange, that the jokester flirt seemed the best at sumarizing what happened. "Thanks, Benny. Valkyr, seems you've done well," she stated, blandly. Had her voice always sounded this hollow? She imagined so -- she probably only just noticed now. What with the 'healing of solitude' or hearing other people's voices to compare against her own.

She turned her ram-horned head towards Stryker as the lion appeared, recognizing his characteristic eyes and antlers easily. "Why would anyone want to do work, when your ass is good entertainment?" she retorted, a corner of her mouth twisting up slightly -- the facade of serenity over her mind broken for a second. But it crashed over again, icing the river before its emotional torrents could begin to gain momentum. The ice could crack, but she'd never let it melt.

WRITTEN BY AXIOM

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© LEXASPERATED