Queens
CONTINUED FROM HERE.
nakiawardog:
Nakia was resting on her bed, her eyes on a fixed point in the blank ceiling. She was trying to stop herself from looking at the clock by her bedside table, which she had already done three times in the past five minutes. Sheād been awake for the better part of an hour, but it was still too early to get up without people asking questions. As a way to keep herself in check, she forbid herself from getting out of bed before 5:30. It kept Shuri from scolding her (the irony of a teenager scolding her didnāt escape Nakia) and every once in a while she managed to get some sleep.
Today was a bad day, so with a grunt she gave up at 5:27 and threw the flimsy blanket away from her body. Her morning routine was methodical and efficient, which included but was not limited to avoiding meeting her own eyes in the mirror. She could pretend her cheeks werenāt sunken in, or that the bags under her eyes didnāt exist. She did, however, finger the vibranium band that hung from her neck once, taking a deep breath to get ready to face the day, before getting out of her tiny ensuite and heading for the day.
The sun hadnāt even come out yet, so Nakia still had a some time to go to the mesh hall and grab a coffee before heading to the greenhouse and watching the sunrise from there. She should probably grab a bite to eat too, or so the doctors told her when she was cleared, but her stomach couldnāt take it. It had gotten used to the meal a day they had to establish back when they were in Oakland, and it refused to budge.
She was sitting in her designated sunrise-watching spot, her legs tucked underneath her and her warm coffee cup in between her hands when she felt someone behind her. āSneaking up on people isnāt a great idea this days, you knowā she spoke softly, without bothering to look back.
Laura had told Ororo that Nakia was a frequent visitor to the greenhouse. Ā She could understand why, with them able to control the climate inside in order to grow things that thrived in warmer climes than New York State, there was something of the jungle to it. Ā She climbed the stairs; in some ways, it reminded her of her own glasshouse, back at the X-Mansion, her many beautiful and rare plants thriving under her care.
She caught sight of the younger woman, and hesitated. Ā Fences had been in the process of mending when the world had ended. Ā Ororo had been allowed to attend the wedding; which she did as quietly as possible. Ā She was recognised by some, of course, and she was glad to see a small but thriving mutant population in the country. Ā She had wanted to ask what was in place to train them in their powers, but she had bitten her tongue in the end.
Nakia spoke up then, and Ororo felt a slight sting of embarrassment. Ā <āI did not mean to sneak, Your Majesty.ā> Ā She said, in Xhosa, deciding that formality was best until she could truly be sure of where she stood.
@nakiawardog











