#virusrot

　　' 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐌𝐘 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐌 if you don't see what i see. '

⊹     . . .     𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄     ／    @virusrot

𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐘  𝐎𝐅  𝐀  𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐑  𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐋  𝐓𝐎  𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐍𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐃,  the  distinctive  smell  of  takeout  burgers  and  fries  claimed  Claire’s  attention  like  a  siren’s  call     —     warm,  greasy,  and  oddly  comforting.  Her  eyes  tore  away  from  the  near-hypnotic  trance  of  her  laptop  screen  as  her  head  turned  toward  the  mouth-watering  source  of  her  distraction.  

Tucked  into  a  plastic  bag  and  wrapped  in  foil,  the  nutritionally  questionable  meal  coaxed  her  closer  still;  lapis  eyes  fixed  on  the  makeshift  packaging  that  served  to  keep  its  content  warm,  not  presentable.  

❝   Can’t  say  no  to  that.   ❞   Least  of  all  now  that  her  stomach’s  quiet  growl  betrayed  her  blatant  neglect  of  her  physical  needs,  all  in  favor  of  another  bottomless  pit  of  conspiracies  to  dive  into. 

❝      it     would     have     been     better     if     we     had     done     a     deal     with     them.     ❞     wariness     shined     emerald     sight     ,     shifting     posture     upright     ;     leaning     against     back     post     of     bar     seat.     crinkle     of     nose     ;     unwanted     sneer     covering     nostrils     temporarily     from     lingering     puff     of     smoke     from     cigars.     idle     chatters     of     occupants     within     bar     scenery     ,     index     finger     idly     traced     rim     of     wine     glass;     shifting     sight     towards     her     companion.     ❝      but     you've     been     in     this     far     longer     than     I     have.     so     I     trust     your     instincts.     ❞     for     now.

She grits her teeth as he says that, only to sprint at him and leap up onto his shoulders, throwing her legs around his neck, then throwing all her weight backwards to drop him to the floor.

She's red in the face despite the very forward annoyance, trying to speak but sputtering- Seems he got to the heart of the matter with that.

the safehouse was temporary. like everything else tied to this life.

rose lingered near the window, arms loosely folded as she watched the muted street below. civilian life in the city carried on like none of it existed—no B.O.W.s, no containment zones, no threat level assessments behind reinforced doors. just people. normal people. an existence she'd never been a part of.

the sound of the door creaking open pulled her attention back.

her blue eyes landed on the man stepping inside—sharp posture, jacket worn just a little too casually to be entirely by-the-book. she recognized him immediately. hard not to, when your entire life had been shaped by the war on bioterrorism.

there was a faint shift in her posture—a release in the shoulders. not quite relaxed, but no longer braced for immediate conflict. still, she didn’t step aside. not yet.

"so… what?" she began, crossing her arms loosely, a protective gesture, the motion casual in a way that didn’t quite hide the tension beneath it. "they send leon s. kennedy to do a wellness check now?"

there was no bite in rose's tone—just a razor thin layer of dry humor stretched over a more cautious assessment. her gaze lingered on him, searching, measuring. slightly distrustful of unfamiliar authority, edged with something more defensive.

"or am i officially a problem?"

the question hung there, heavier than she intended.

"i already have the BSAA breathing down my neck," she went on, her voice losing some of its bite. for a moment, the mask slipped—just slightly. the scared teenager was still hidden beneath the annoyed bravado, more like a snarling puppy than the wolf cub she was reared to become.

"if you’re here to decide whether i’m a threat," rosemary said, stepping back just enough to leave the door half-open—an invitation, but not trust—"you might as well come in and say it to my face."

her eyes met his again, steady but tired in a way that didn’t match her age, as she scuffed the rubber heel of her converse against the carpet floor. "…i'd rather hear it from you than from another stupid report."