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" oh, god. orange. " danielle's lifts the magic marker and frowns into his tattoo, yellow hue bleeding distinctly outside the lines, into the bordering red stripe. a child's activity it may be — taking the man's arm and asking whether she might color in the black and white that stretches tantalizingly over expanses of skin — but is there a simpler way of forgetting? here, now, danielle is untangling a snarl of emotions never meant to be prolonged. caged. she moves to killian's other side, abandoning the orange monstrosity and turning her focus on a fresh canvas. " what's this one? " she inquires, canting her head as she presses a finger to one tattoo in particular.

he and his chaperone, the only witness to a blunder with less-than-sharp chisel, have co-existed in this hospital hallway for over an hour. hand wrapped in the cursory gauze given at the door, rick experimentally extends his fingers and winces, fingers retreating into a loose fist. all the while, his head remains tucked, gaze refusing to hover higher than the footfall just over his knees. " even in an apocalypse, the american healthcare system is a joke, " he says, heel falling into an anxious circadian rhythm against the linoleum floor. " i could've stitched my own damn hand up by now. "

it had rained. it's still raining. and as the rainstorm steadily lured away his patrons with promises of warm bellies in warm beds, so rick had waved off his small crew. this left him behind the bar, not unprepared but plainly uninterested in the performative act of small talk. it tenses his shoulders, drawing his face into a rather unpleasant slant. still, to one who lingers, he mumbles, " celebrating something? " watches his own hand, steady but unpracticed, tilting liquid into the tall, opaque plastic cup that the cafeteria decided it could do without.

it eats voraciously. she gives an exhale of a laugh, stroking its coarse fur from nape to tail. how precious this small, half-feral life had become to her. and when she finally hears the crunch of boots on gravel — " i was wondering where you'd gone off to, " danielle lifts her chin toward him, followed by her gaze finally drawn from the docile beast. her smile softens, enthusiasm tempered by the nervous comfort that so often accompanies his appearance. " it's not like him to wander this way without you. mm? " the cat has settled, the egg half devoured, purrs replaced by the gnashing of canines on muscle. danielle cautiously withdraws her hand and folds both arms over her chest, skin prickling in the evening chill. now, observing him properly, her brows knit slightly. " was it a ... difficult day? "