What's outside my door... (Marcus)

[Silk Sanada]

Despite Marcus' mouthed words, the calico felt rather proud of himself. Aiko seemed even to be cheering him on. Then... there were people. Which hadn't really been something Silk had prepared herself for, so she jumped.

"Oh fucking hell!"

She'd duck a little, using Marcus as a shield. The voices sounded familiar. She peeked up over his shoulder at the one sitting on the fence and the one on the ground. Their faces were familiar, even if they were mostly hidden.

"Nope!"

Silk said as she covered her ears and closed her eyes. She didn't want to know these people. Didn't want to remember what ever she did know about these people. They clearly knew her since they had a nickname for her. Aiko and Bandit huffed a little. The two that had joined would clearly set back Silk's progress. Bandit would hop from Marcus' head to Silk and he perched there glaring at the two. He began meowing, probably telling them something close to 'Go away!' or 'Fuck off, don't you see we are busy trying to fix her!'. In the end, it was just meows so no one could be sure.

The knot welled up in her stomach again and she stepped back from Marcus, she looked for her door. She had to get back inside. She had to get away. Seeing Silk looking for an escape, the little fox would clamp her teeth around Silk's ankle. Silk winced.

"A-aiko... Let go."

She said trying to pull the little fox off her leg, but to no avail.

[Marcus Prasad]

Well THAT defiantly was unexpected.....

"Whoah, w-what the HELL?"
The man exclaimed as the young slip of a woman darted to his back. Twisting left and right to get a look at her (That and grab hold of her to keep her from running away) But try as he might, Silk would turn with him, sending him into a fit as he spun around a few times back and forth. Something that Fox and Croaker naturally thought was hilarious as they stifled their laughter poorly.

Now growing slightly irritated, Marcus would grit his teeth and with a nice fakeout, would spin around and try and glomp Silk nice and tight.
"The hell's gotten into you girl! It's like you don't even recognize them....."
Which was silly as hell considering she had fought right alongside them during the Defense of the Crows Nest.

After their laughter abated, the pair were left concerned and just as confused as Marcus was. Fox shot the man a look that he returned with a sad shake of his head, causing her shoulders to slump just a fraction of an inch. They had all hoped that Silk would join them once again for Wolf pack Activities and were just as concerned about her well being as their leader.

With a Sigh, Marcus would begin to snap Orders.
"YOU little lady aren't going anywhere but with me."
Reaching into his jacket pocket he pulled a set of keys out.
"I'm running off to pick up Brenner. Fox you have the command chair till I get back, Radio me if blah blah blah you know the Drill. Croaker, Let the Doc know We're on the way."

As the Pair pittered off, Marcus would turn back to Silk and look into her eyes with a worried expression.
"Now seriously, what was that all about?"

[Silk Sanada]

Over the many years that humans have been delving into science, they have always been stumped by the abilities of a person's mind. The human brain still holds many mysteries and how it works and what its full power is no one knows. It is said that humans only use 8-10% of their brain's potential at maximum. That isn't counting what might be activated by tumors or what ever else that could cause our brains to 'glitch'.

With this in mind it wouldn't be too far fetched to believe that perhaps something occurred to Silk's brain. A way of circumventing her trauma. Her brain simply took the names and images of those she knew and moved them to another filing place. It happens all the time in the government. We look for paper work and it simply isn't there. Yet, that is just one idea. Perhaps Silk did it willingly to herself. Humans have been known to block out the pain they might feel from activities like walking on hot coals or laying on a bed of nails. Maybe in hopes of blocking out any more pain, Silk removed the memories herself. She locked them away believing if she forgot then certainly, she wouldn't be upset should she lose another friend.

It made sense. Silk never did anything half-assed. When she put her mind to it she achieved many things. Yet she was always one extreme or the other. She was your best friend, or worst enemy. What was she supposed to do when her worst enemy might be her own feelings towards others. Her memories? Her thoughts? She couldn't make them vanish. No one could completely erase their mind. People who got amnesia could go years not remembering parts of their lives and then one day wake up with all their memories back. So when, or if she decided on her own to try and forget people, to try and lock herself and her emotions away, it made perfect sense that the only faces she would keep in her mind would be those of Bandit, Aiko and Marcus.

They were the three constants in her life. Even though Marcus almost died to protect her, he didn't and he instead took it upon himself to care for her broken, tortured self. Why would she want to hide from the people? If she purposefully forgot who they were, why would she want to remember them? It was to try and protect what little sanity she believed she could keep.

A while back, her game of Peek-a-boo with Marcus would have been amusing. It would have caused many to laugh, including herself and Marcus. Today though it was seen more as an irritation. It couldn't be helped though. Silk wasn't back to her old self. No one could ever fully go back to what they once were. She learned that the hard way after she graduated high school and it seemed that the lesson remained with her even now. She was caught by Marcus and closed her eyes quickly as if trying to shut out the world.

"I don't want to."

She said to him, admitting perhaps that she didn't want to remember who they were. Of course it could just be her childish way of telling him that she didn't want to be outside at all. Who could really know for sure? In any case, she kept her eyes closed. She tried to shut out Marcus' orders. Silk may not have been 100% her old self but she absolutely loathed being ordered around. Still, there wasn't much she could do with Marcus' bear like arms holding onto her. Aiko took this time to let go, feeling that Marcus could properly contain the spanish woman.

Bandit and Aiko watched Fox and Croaker leave. When Marcus turned his eyes to Silk and asked her what that was all about, Silk wasn't sure she had an answer. What was she to tell him? She didn't know why she didn't remember. She didn't know why the thought of seeing people terrified her. Scratch that... she did know. Knowing someone meant she formed an attachment to them. Even in cases of just seeing someone once, Silk instantly formed an opinion of that person and thus formed an attachment. Love, hate, like, dislike...any opinion she had of any one made them in some way mean something to her. That being the case... if you didn't meet anyone, if you didn't remember anyone... there was no attachment.

No attachment... no pain later should the person die. Even if she absolutely detested you, like for example... Silk had never been fond of the blond woman Marcus dated years ago. Though that is putting it rather mildly. Silk's opinion of that girl was full some choice words that wont be repeated, but despite that... Had Marcus come to her in a panic over this blond girl, in worry for her well being, Silk would of course go to help. Should something have happened to the blond girl back then, when Silk was trying to help, she would instantly, despite her contempt for the girl, feel pain. Pain at her friend's loss. Pain that this was a person she knew who was no longer there. Pain that she even aloud herself to know this person.

Over the years, Silk had grown to detest that part of her. So now as Marcus asked with concern what was wrong with her... Silk didn't want to answer. She only knew what she wanted to admit to herself.

"I...I don't know. Maybe I'm broken. I should just go back inside."

She said trying to shrug his hands off her. Despite her words about going back into the house, she knew Marcus wouldn't let her.

[Marcus Prasad]

For a while Marcus just stared at the young woman with a look of obvious dismay. This wasn't going to be simple. Eventually he would break the silence with a long sigh.
"Fine. You stay."
If this was how she was going to act with the Wolfpack, then he would rather she not go anywhere near the Anaheim civilian population quite yet.
"You wanna stay? You stay."
There was a definite edge to his voice, as if his opinion of Silk had taken a solid knock. All his life he had always remembered her as this larger than life Alpha bitch that to see her like this now, all he wanted to do was shake her violently until the old Silk came back.

In this day and age she wouldn't last long at all unless she was the old Silk. This Mewling Kitten before him was just asking to be grounded up for whatever sick new experiment Barker had his goon squads performing.
"But you stay outside. Cant even remember the last time you got any fresh air."
He said firmly as Croaker brought Lady round, almost jumping out of the seat as Marcus approached. The man knew better than to linger on that machines seat longer than necessary. Swapping his hat for a skullcap, Marcus pulled his riding goggles over his eyes.

"Bandit, Aiko make sure she get's at least SOME exercise. Croaker, Fox. Make sure she eats. Bloody skin and bones woman...... I shouldn't be gone long."
With another sigh that sounded suspiciously like a low growl, the man revved Lady's Engine and sped off out of the compound towards the southern end of the City.

When Marcus brought Brenner in, the first thing he did was hand the poor pup off to the local Vets who had established a sort of Medical community using military modular tents. In fact most, if not all of the medical facilities in Anaheim consisted of Mod tent communities scattered around the city.

[Silk Sanada]

The look Marcus gave her... it made a pit well up in her stomach. She hated seeing that look. They way his eyes bore into her, once again reminded her she wasn't who she used to be. When he said that it was fine, she knew it wasn't. He followed that by telling her she would stay. The look on the silver haired woman's face was of pure fright. She opened her mouth, a soft whisper leaving the lips that used to scream war cries.

"I... I never said I wanted to... stay..."

Silk could hear the edge in his voice. The loathing he held for seeing her so weak. How did he think she felt? If the old her could see into the future and saw this... the old her probably would just kill herself to prevent such a thing from happening. Silk's brown eyes showed fear and sadness instead of her usual fiery passionate rage at everything. He told her to stay outside and the young woman shook her head no. She didn't want to be outside... not alone. She didn't want to be alone. She was going to protest. To demand that if he leaves she be taken with him but Croaker appeared and what ever strength she had built up to stand up to Marcus in that moment was shoved under a bus. She looked down, sad and depressed once more as Marcus jumped onto his bike. It was an inanimate object and yet it still felt like the thing was mocking her.

The name he gave that bike, "Lady". It was the one thing the old Silk had hated being called. She felt like it was a label for the weak women who were too scared to break a nail. Any time anyone had called her Lady, it resulted in an angry rant about not being one, and then a fist to the face or gut. Marcus barked out orders to Bandit and Aiko, to keep her outside and get her to move. Croaker and Fox were told to make sure she ate. So he was still forcing her to try and know them again. The thought made her cringe, visibly. She heard the engine start and looked up just as Marcus pulled away and began driving off. Silk's eyes suddenly resembled that of a child the first time its parent leaves. The heart broken fear that only a child could show at the thought of being left alone or with people they didn't know. She even reached out as if she could stop him from leaving but he was already gone. Aiko and Bandit stared at the broken human who was their owner. They saw the pain she felt at Marcus leaving her. Almost like she felt abandoned.

She was in a way, wasn't she? He pushed her to go outside. Pushed her to dress. Pushed her to stand here. Then... after saying he wouldn't... he left. The silence that fell in her mind after he left was deafening, maddening. For the first time in a long time, that fear and sadness at being left alone was brushed aside. Replaced by that fire and anger she once held. Her hands balled into fists. She was mad at him for leaving. Mad at him for making her trust him. Sure he said he wouldn't be gone long but people said that all the time didn't they? They would leave on a simple errand, something would happen and then they wouldn't ever come back. Her hands shook with anger. She snatched Bandit off her head. The feline let out a surprised meow and Aiko jumped back unsure of what her owner was doing.

Silk threw her furry friend into the air. More precisely, in the direction of Marcus' departure. A loud, angry shout coming from her before she began storming towards the door of the house. Meanwhile, Bandit soared through the air. He hadn't been thrown in a long time. He began to panic but remembered how this went and landed silently on his paws. He stood there, fur bristled, eyes wide and tried to readjust to this. Aiko wanted to run to him, lick his face and sooth him but Silk was going to the door so she bolted for the spanish woman with a very angry growl. It had taken them forever to get her out here and she was about to undo everything. Aiko's muzzle wrapped around Silk's arm and yanked her down roughly. She brought the normally strong woman down with surprising ease. Hearing his partner in crime growl angrily as she glared up at their owner, Bandit ran over and jumped at her, claws out, intent on teaching her to stay away from the door.

Her pets loved her, but they didn't pull punches with anyone, including Silk. So when the silver haired woman was knocked to the ground and pinned there by her pets, she didn't know what to do. Aiko now had her by the throat, though it wasn't a kill bite, it was strong enough to hold Silk in place to keep her from struggling. Bandit stood over her, claws out and he swiped at Silk's cheek again with an angry hiss. She said nothing, just laid there, her eyes beginning to glaze and close out the world again. Bandit made a sound and Aiko tightened her grip on Silk, keeping the spanish woman from separating herself because of the pain she'd feel.

"Fine. I get it. You are helping him now..."

She growled at them. Annoyance in her quiet voice. She'd lay there, staring at the clouds above, swallowing hard to keep what ever angry tears from escaping. She was angry at them all. Angry at Marcus for leaving, angry at her beloved pets for taking his side, angry that there were two people who were pretty much assigned as her babysitters. She was just angry... for the first time in so long, she felt angry instead of numb. It almost made her happy, it probably would have if she hadn't been so focused on being mad at them.

"I hate you..."

Bandit would reply with a simple pat on her nose. Like he was saying he understood. The two pets would hold her like this, till they were sure she'd not try for the door again. Then they slowly, carefully released her and let her sit up. For a long while, the silver haired woman said nothing. She just stared either at the ground or the sky trying to sort out the flood of emotions she was going through at the moment. Fear, anger, sadness, joy... It was a little much for a woman who had just spent a long time closing herself off to feeling anything. Bandit and Aiko rested in her lap, occasionally the two would look around but for the most part, the three were silent. Then, Silk would turn her head up and look around. She'd actually take in what was around her. She'd been staring at it for what felt like years through the windows of her house. Seeing this, Aiko would take the opportunity to try and make Silk move some. She'd hop off the woman's lap and run off. Bandit remained purring till the fox brought back a stick and dropped it on the cat then looked up at Silk with hopeful eyes.

"Fetch? Really Aiko?"

Bandit annoyed by the stick, stood up, knocking it into Silk's lap and moved off her. Aiko's tail wagged and she began bouncing around with excitement wanting that stick to be tossed. Bandit licked his paws and tried to smooth out his fur. Silk would sigh and stand up slow then give the stick a light toss. Aiko gave her a look of annoyance at the pathetic attempt, ran and got the stick, then brought it back. Silk sighed again and leaned down picking it up, only to give it a slightly better toss. This would continue for a little while, till silk became irritated by the repetitiveness of the stick returning and gave the stick a hurl. It landed on the roof of one of the houses near by and Aiko gave a little triumphant dance, till she realized she couldn't get the stick... then she whined.

Bandit decided to take this chance to do something. He'd run up and tag Silk in the legs a little then bolt away. His pupils dilated, tail twitching playfully. Silk would lean down taking a few swipes at him but missing as they were half hearted at best. This too would continue until he had the spanish woman moving to get him. Even Aiko joined in after mourning the loss of her stick.

[Marcus Prasad]

"Ummmm Fox?"
"Yeah?"
"Did she just...."
"Throw her cat at the boss? Yes."
"So what was that about us having to keep her outdoors?"
"Huh. Yeah about that...."

SLAM!

The Pair would look to each other for a moment, worry and concern plastered on their faces before Fox came up with a Brilliant plan!
"Let's just say she threatened us with a kitchen knife and call it a day."
"Fucking DEAL!"

MEANWHILE! Back in the outskirts of Anaheim Marcus found himself infront of a small building surrounded by mod tents and lines of people of various length. Since the Military kept Anaheim more or less stable after the Great Fall, Pets were still a rather common commodity in the new world and when one had pets, one naturally would need Vets to care for them when they grow sick or injured.

At the door of the small building Marcus found himself welcomed by a balding middle aged man in an off white slightly tattered lab coat.
"Ah, Hey-o Doc."
Marcus greeted the man with a handshake.
"So hows our patient doin?"

"Quite well in fact!"
The old man beamed as he lead Marcus through the makeshift waiting room.
"When you brought the poor creature in he in quite a sorry state. Dehydrated, Injuries near fatal. His previous owner must have beaten the poor thing before dumping him.....Ummm where did you say you found him again?"

"A Dumpster actually."
Marcus replied, prompting the Aging Veterinarian to make a disgusted sound with his tongue and cheek.
"Well. Don't expect him to be able to do much more than eat and sleep for now. Physical activity will tire him out quickly. Give him time and care though and the pooch should be playing fetch within a few months or so."

"Good to hear! Good to hear. Don't worry Doc, I have one hell of a soft spot for dogs."
Marcus reassured the man as they entered a Kennel room, pulling a small Puppy Carry Case out from a shelf and placing it gently upon a table and unlatched the tiny entry door. Inside Marcus could see a tiny black snout opening wide in a toothy yawn. A snout missing quite a few teeth.
"Have you decided on a name yet?"

With an enigmatic smile, Marcus moved around the table and put his hand to the door, making a beckoning motion with his hand and with a cheerful voice said a simple command.

"Come Brenner!"

***************************************************************************

Marcus would have been gone for at least an hour or so before the sounds of Lady's Engine could be heard Rumbling and roaring towards the Wolves Den compound like distant thunder.

The first thing Marcus noticed once inside the compounds walls was the distinct lack of Silk outside. With a sigh the man parked Lady outside Silks house and began to walk up to the door, a strange bulge visable underneath his zipped up jacket.

[Silk Sanada]

With her babysitter's missing, Bandit and Aiko took over. They snuck back into the house to bring her snacks but they never let her back in. It was Marcus' order to not let her in. So, she did get food. It wasn't anything big, but it was something, and Silk did eat it. By the time Lady's engine was heard, Silk hid in the bushes by the house. She was still mad at Marcus. Bandit and Aiko thought she was playing a new game and joined her in the bushes. As her friend got off his bike, she watched with brown eyes, hidden by thick bushes that surrounded her.

Marcus approached the door. For sure he thought the spanish woman had retreated into the house. She hadn't though. Just as he got in front of the door, Silk grabbed up Bandit and hurled him from the bushes at Marcus. Once again the older cat let out a terrified meow as his claws went out. He'd latch onto Marcus' arm, fur sticking up, eyes wide and looking terrified. Then the sound of a yelp was heard and Aiko was hurled from the bush. Aiko would latch onto the cat's tail with her teeth. That caused the cat to yowl in pain and dig his claws in deeper.

After that, Silk remained hidden, thinking of something else to throw.

[Marcus Prasad]

As Bandit flew towards him, Marcus almost calmly reached out to catch the poor cat with one hand, Wincing as the claws dug into him.
"U-up to her old tricks huh? Easy there Bandit, Don't you go ruining this jacket now."

His attempts to pry the poor cat off of him though would have to wait though as Aiko came rocketing out, Forcing Marcus to have to move fast as he caught the old fox in his other hand. This also gave Marcus a VERY good Idea as to where Silk was.

"Alright Silk, Fun is fun but time to come out and meet the new face around here."

[Silk Sanada]

Silk hated being found. She hated that he was acting like everything was alright. Like he hadn't just left her outside, totally alone. He called her out. Told her to meet the new addition. A low, annoyed growl could be heard from the bush. Both Aiko and Bandit calmed down with Marcus having caught them. Bandit retracted his claws. Both animals began sniffing around him as they caught a new scent. Aiko's tail wagged happily.

Silk remained in the bushes still quite angry. Though she was trying to think of what to do. She saw the small puffy bulge in his jacket and narrowed her eyes. Unfortunately for the spanish woman, her curiosity on what it was hidden from her view, made her leave the comfort of her hiding spot. She would stand. Her arms were a bit dirty. Hair was tangled with leaves and twigs. She had a few scratches up and down her arms from hiding in the bushes.

"You left."

She said glaring at him, clearly angry about it.

[Marcus Prasad]

Obviously she looked PISSED.
Obviously Marcus didn't give a damn.

"I know."
The man said simply and firmly before going down on one knee to release the Fox and Cat to the ground. Rising up he pinned Silk with a pointed expression, his one eyebrow arched.
"But I came BACK."

He always came back. Always dug himself out from whatever hole he got stuck in. Always got back up after being knocked down. Always popped up when everyone thought he was dead and forgotten.

There would ALWAYS be Marcus. It was almost as if he was tied directly to the lifeblood of the world. The living Manifestation of the worlds Perseverance. A Trickster God made Mortal.

Puck in the Flesh.

The bundle at his chest wiggled and whined then, leading Marcus to cradled it and brought a hand to the zipper at his throat.

"Now. Silk? Meet Brenner."

Unzipping the Jacket down, Marcus would reveal a small trembling head covered in black and white fur as the little puppies snout waved all around trying to take all the new smells in at once.

"He's going to be staying with us for now on."

[Silk Sanada]

True Marcus had come back but he had still left her. Silk wasn't sure she could get over that. Well, she wasn't sure till he unzipped the jacket and showed her this "Brenner". The moment the angry spanish woman saw the little pup, her eyes softened. Aiko and Bandit, who had been set down, looked up. They wanted to see the new addition but they knew they would have to wait till Silk had met the little guy first.

"Brenner?"

Silk would settle her hand near the sniffing snout of the little pooch. Even though she was being careful, it was plain to see that she wanted to reach out, snatching up the pup and cuddle it. Silk always had a weakness for animals. Bandit had been but a little kitten when Ianh brought him to her. Aiko had been but a little runt pup when Tenchi showed her to Silk. Now, there was Brenner and the moment she saw the little pup's nose and his little furry face she became attached. When the pup finished sniffing her hand and gave it a gentle lick, Silk would move to pull him gently from Marcus' jacket.

"He's so tiny..."

She said cuddling him against her like she was holding a baby.

"What happened to him? Where'd you find him?"

Aiko and Bandit danced around her ankles wanting to see the pup too and they were getting impatient.

[Marcus Prasad]

The man didn't even bother hiding the smile that nearly cut his face clean in two as Silk scooped the puppy from inside his jacket and cradled it like a mother with her child.

"Like I said, Found the poor pooch in a dumpster while I was out on a walk. Doctor said He showed signs of abuse. Broken bones, Dehydration. Nasty work but with some TLC he should be fine in no time. Still, we gotta be gentle with him for now. His rehabilitation.....well lets just say there were alot of close calls."

"And before you ask, No. I don't know who owned him Before. Found him in Fullerton so It's not like I can do a Consensus search right? Trust me I'd paste the motherfucker who did this to the little pup myself as well."

[Silk Sanada]

She gently cuddled the little pup and nodded to Marcus' words. Though the mention of someone doing this to some sweet little innocent pup... Marcus was smart to cut her off before she asked about who did this to Brenner. She would give the pup a gentle kiss to it's head.

"Well, we will give you lots of love. Wont we, Aiko, Bandit?"

She said softly to the pup before kneeling down so her pets could meet their new friend.

"Aiko, calm down."

Silk said firmly. She was rather used to introducing pets to each other. She went through it with Aiko and Bandit. Aiko gently and carefully began sniffing at the pup in Silk's arms. Bandit sniffed at him and snorted. He looked annoyed at Silk. Another dog. She always brought him another dog. He was a cat! He wasn't supposed to be friends with dogs! It was bad enough she brought Aiko with her. That red furred nutzo drove him crazy.

"Gentle, gentle Aiko. He's a puppy."

She said as Aiko began to get a little excited. Minding her owners words though, the fox would give the pup gentle kisses. Bandit would gently tap the pup on the head with little interest. He knew Silk wouldn't be telling Aiko to be gentle if the pup was at full health. He also knew, Silk had a soft spot for injured creatures. Silk would smile at them and let the pup smell his new friends for a little bit before standing back up.

"Has he eaten yet? He's still a little skinny."

[Marcus Prasad]

And lo and behold, there she was.

Marcus couldn't help but get the warm fuzzies in his chest watching Silk coddle and coo to the little pup in her arms. Confident arms. Even the way she spoke to Aiko and bandit had changed. Soft yes, but firm. Brenner for his part seemed to revel in the attention he was suddenly getting, so starved for affection as he was before Marcus got ahold of him. Sleepily he waved his little paws and yawned before leaning forward to touch noses with Aiko as the fox showered the little pup with kisses, prompting a delighted squeal from Marcus.

Yes, I just said squeal. He also giggled. I'll leave you for a few minutes to imagine this now.

..............

.................

......................


All done? Moving on now.

Almost as if reading Silks Mind, Brenner let out a little puppy howl the second the Latina woman mentioned food.
"Ha! Guess not."
Marcus replied as he rose to his feet, having leaned down to get a good look at Brenner and the others first introduction.
"Doctor said he was old enough to need solid foods at least. I figure a tomato salad with some Deer meat chunks'll do it."

[Silk Sanada]

Silk giggled as the little pup howled at the talk of food. She would stand up slowly and gently put a finger to the little pups nose.

"Shh."

She said and nodded to Marcus' words about the tomato salad and deer bits.

"Alright, but make sure you cut it small and don't give him too much. When I first got Bandit, I over fed him and made him sick."

Silk admitted as she looked down at the cat who rubbed against her leg like he was saying he forgave her. Aiko did a happy little dance at having a new friend.

"I'll set him up a comfy place to lay down."

She said looking the pup over.

"We don't want him to ache when he's laying down. Bandit, Aiko... you guys will have to find some of your toys for him too."

Bandit seemed bored with the idea of looking for his toys so a dog could play with them, but all Aiko heard was toys. Her tail wagged and she jumped up and down barking in excitement. Silk smiled down at her pets and then nuzzled the pup in her arms.

"You are going to be nice and happy here Brenner."

She promised the little pup. She'd look at Marcus, that slightly annoyed look coming over her face again.

"Am I allowed back in the house now?"

A true sign she was on the mend. She was showing emotions. Not just any emotions though, Silk emotions. They were erratic, and came and went quickly, but they were there. That was what Marcus had wanted wasn't it? To see her full of emotions again. To see her, being her old self. Granted, she wasn't fully there, but this was clearly a start.