Shady

"I hope not," she whispered earnestly, looking back at him. "I don't want to be. I just -- if I don't try hard enough, then I might. Or maybe I ...

She shrugged, feeling discomfort crawling up her spine like an itch that couldn't be scratched. Her face burned more, too, and she didn't make eye contact as she tried to ...

Well, that was -- he-- but-- "That's different ," she said, unable to find the words to protest in her brain, much less verbalize them. She gestured vaguely. Why couldn't ...

Tomhas loves you . It ripped away the crutch of her anger and left her feeling vulnerable. Exposed. And she didn't know what to do with it. Especially not since ...

11

Ky hesitated, blinking at him. Why hadn't he cut her down to size? Why hadn't he come at her swinging -- physically or verbally? Had they... somehow come to an ...

"Then I guess I'm glad I'm close to being eighteen," she spat, emboldened by his permission. "Maybe then people will finally start taking me seriously. Maybe then I'll be allowed ...

"No what ?" she hissed, anger bubbling up in her again. What the actual fuck was that supposed to mean? No, she wasn't allowed to be angry? No, he didn't ...

She felt his posture relax, and tried to force her own to as well, but couldn't quite seem to manage it. She was angrier than she'd been in a while. ...

Her eyes were on his cane, rather than his face, mind, despite herself, imagining him clubbing her with it. She supposed she'd deserve it if he did. And yet, somehow, ...

She watched him, trying to tamp down the irritation that bubbled up in her. She wasn't the one who had started this conversation. He was the one who brought it ...

She was still upsetting him. She didn't mean to be. She wanted to convince him that he was being helpful. To make him feel valued. To go back to their ...

(poor Gaius xD 'Tomhas is good with Ky, clearly -- oop, nope, not like that, she did *not* like that...') Ky hesitated a beat longer, feeling Gaius's energy change. She'd ...

Ky hesitated, resisting, once again, the urge to tell him how full of shit he was. And forcing herself to remember that he was coming from a good spot. That ...