Claire’s question ca without any real ti to answer. She just kept speaking.
"You know she fell apart here without you. She wasn’t great when you left, but especially after the conclave. Coming back here without the two of you was the most unhinged I’ve ever seen her."
She spoke in that emotionless tone she gets instead of the one that was more... her.
"And that is saying sothing. I watched the footage of her maiming everyone involved in your kidnapping, Citra."
It made it hurt worse to hear this way, I think. Without any sense of joking around.
> Probably why she is doing it. <
"What... what did she do?"
I whisper this quickly and quietly - I’m not even sure she heard . But she keeps talking after a few seconds of pause. Keeps being a good friend to her boss. Making things clear to .
"Oh, she was fine enough day one. Got everyone the hell out of there and back to the tower. Gave a nice little speech about not knowing what to expect, but very rallying."
Her knees begin rocking side to side. Forcing to look over at her and the motion instead of staring at my son’s sleep breathing like I could disappear into it.
"Then 2AM of day two, when it was clear the evening temperature was dropping much too sharply... she ordered Lang to do the bone conduction implant. Which sounds fine, right? Other than being against everyone’s wishes. Against the plan of test subjects already lined up."
She didn’t ntion that. Just said she wanted to be the first to test the prototype and that it had been a good opportunity.
"3AM, her hand was on the damn lobby door and she growled for fifteen minutes straight at... nothing. The doctor thought she was having so sort of complication and wanted to get her back on a table to remove it."
Her posture and tone began to loosen and her legs fell to the side between us. Like she didn’t have the energy to tell a story and perform a show.
"But the way she looked at anyone who tried to get close left them with no choice but to ignore her. Or shoot her full of tranquilizers - but every mber of the security force has seen her walk through a damn cloud of the fancy shit that drops others on their faces."
"...What?"
"Yeah. I an, she still drops. But it’s in like a hundred feet. Next record is thirty five - and that asshole sprinted instead of walked. So... yep. They decided there would be casualties if they engaged."
"She wouldn’t... have..."
I look away from the way she tilted back her head and arched an eyebrow. Fine. I can’t finish that sentence. Hadn’t thought she would rip the arm off of one of her pack mbers either.
> Then again, I had never personally seen that happen to anyone, so who just starts thinking that soone would do it?! <
"Our leader spent the next day and a half pacing the lobby in hybrid form instead of managing anything. She scared the hell out of everyone. Pack mbers, city officials, even Luca was walking around like she’d gone feral and he’d have to try and do sothing."
My breathing started coming in a little short. I *had* wanted to know all this. But maybe I didn’t need to know it all at once.
Hadn’t expected that hearing it would feel like claws tearing into my chest. Not little pup points poking while kneading for milk, but giant razor spikes trying to shred everything.
"Claire, can you just wait-"
"No. You listen. She left. Just went without saying a word. Three minutes after snow started pelting the glass. Out into a damned blizzard by herself."
Twisting onto her arms and crawling over to . Her brown eyes t mine directly, since I managed not to look away. Looking quite a bit *black* in the low light.
"Those three days? They were a beginning, not an end. She was barely a person on the other side of the downlink. I tried to keep her inford and talked to. But she was just desperation that barely took breaks. Barely talked back."
"Why are you telling this right now?"
I would have asked in a day or two. Been prepared to hear anything. But now...
"Because I’m too tired to be mad at you. But not tired enough to give it up either. I’m not saying I don’t kind of understand. You were doing your best. Good job."
Throwing those words back at really prickles. Because I’d ant them. And I’m not... entirely sure she does.
"But... you still did that to my friend. And that puts in an awkward position - because she isn’t going to like it if I stop treating you like one because of it. Even if just long enough to put emotions and things in nice labeled boxes and store them away. So, we’re doing this ssy."
Putting one arm over my shoulder, leaning her weight into in so kind of hug - and using her other hand to try and pinch my thigh so hard it would hurt...
> It doesn’t, but she is sure as all nineteen hells trying... <
"For what it’s worth? I’m glad you ca back. I still think you are aweso for her. But just a little bit, I was disappointed, and I’m thinking that she is too aweso for you. So do fucking better, Princess. Or else-"
"Or else what?"
Hearing the voice of the woman we were speaking of, who I left down in the lobby... the heart gripped by all of this negativity just tore right out to fly across the living room. taphorically.
Tossed right over the tablet that the Alpha’s question ca out of so loudly and suddenly.
"Nice of you to listen to every bit of that and only speak just now, boss lady. Where are you even hiding to be able to not say a single word to anyone since I turned the mic on?"
> S-so she basically ’group called’ this conversation?! <
I can feel every thump of my heart as the blood in bumps nervously against the child on my chest. What if I’d said sothing embarrassing while she was listening?
> Wait. *Did* I say anything? <
"Armory. I was debating whether to get the equipnt to break into the roof with. Since you locked down the elevator."
"Good luck. Our heat trap maintenance floor is up and running to spec now - and its a dry sauna you really don’t want to ss with."
I feel like I said nothing at all, just listened and asked simple phrases. But my thoughts were racing so much... no, I don’t think I said anything mortifying!
Though... I might have sounded like I was about to cry when attempting to make her stop talking.
Oh Goddesses, I hope she couldn’t hear *that* tone...
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