2280/Wolf and Tiger

Wolf and Tiger
Date of Scene:	01 September 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Okhotnik, Wolfsbane, Tendril, Meggan

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Okhotnik has posed:
Best thing to keep a certain cooped-up tigger from going bonkers and running away - especially now that she has been guilted into staying around the Mansion for several more days in spite of herself - is to let her outside. Which is why Diya has managed to get her laundered, barely-surviving army surplus clothes back, and headed outside. She feels the itch between her shoulderblades from all of the ever-present but subtle security systems on the Mansion grounds, but at least she is outside. She is breathing unprocessed, unfiltered air. So the other crawling itch beneath her skin has subsided a bit. Which is why the lanky, well-muscled ashen blonde Russian woman is stalking across the grounds. And then she catches a scent. It is not like Mercy, or Mercy's out of town friends. But like theirs, it is human, and canine. And that draws her onward.

Apparently, though, a human stalking along out here leading with her nose is not nearly as weird as it should be.

Wolfsbane has posed:
There had been some news about a tiger of some kind around the mansion, but Wolfsbane has not had a first-hand sighting yet. In fact, she's been a little difficult to catch for the past week or so. A lot of free time has been spent around Salem Center itself, as if she's been looking for something, or maybe someone.

The lake has also been a place for her to go relax at, but with food on her mind the wolfen mutant is on her way back toward the main building. That, of course, is where the kitchen is.

Tendril has posed:
    Meanwhile...someone else has started off in pursuit, hunting the mighty tigress in the wild. For non-shooting or trophy related reasons.She's not quite as good at tracking as she'd like to be....but Diya has a very memorable scent for her...so she's slowly winding her wake roughly towards the lake, having (correctly) guessed that it might be the sort of place that Hottie will go to relax and get away from the enclosed spaces of the school. Lexi pauses every so often as she sniffs the air, wrinkling her nose as she starts to smell a less familiar but equally memorable wolfie smell. Huh...well..hopefully..that will go well, if those two bump into each other....maaaaaaybe she better hurry along then, she decides, picking up the pace.

Okhotnik has posed:
Freshly laundered, Diya's clothing still keeps a hint of the scent of the metal of a blade and the oil used to maintain it and the heavy handgun she usually carries. But these are only traces, well embedded into the fabric; the weapons were confiscated by Jean when she dragooned the tiger turned woman and drew her into the Mansion for 'evaluation'.

Well familiar with the largess of the kitchens at this point - Diya has an appetite that is just insane and seems never to stop - the ashen blonde could well understand why the wolfen woman she smells would be heading for them. But her target is that curious scent and its source.

Diya looks completely human. There's no hint of her feline persona in her physicality. But her scent ... it screams alpha predator, tigress.

Around a corner from the gardens, Diya finally slows her pell-mell pursuit of that scent as she catches sight, at last of its source. She continues walking forward, led by her nose, but she slows down enough that she is, she hopes, not projecting 'hunter prowling after prey'; that would be rude. And she's not so hungry she wants to eat the wolf.

"Uhm. Hi." Pardon the heavy, sharp Russian accent.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Trying to /eat/ the wolf would likely lead to trouble. In Rahne's case, the wolfen scent is mixed with something leathery, the reason more obvious once one actually lays eyes on her and what she's wearing. Some people around the mansion may still be getting accustomed to it based on her past modesty.

The breeze shifts, switching around to carry Diya's scent toward her, and she pauses to catch it. She heard..something about a visitor, but her focus has been elsewhere. Then, there's a glimpse of the woman in question and Wolfsbane has already turned to face her with a somewhat curious expression. "Hullo. Ye're th' new one around?" Both are likely sizing each other up now.

Okhotnik has posed:
Oh, Diya's posture and movements are definitely 'measuring up' sorts. For herself, Diya is a 'mere' five feet and nine, but her shoulders are broad for her height, and her whole physique is a ripple of visible muscles just barely softened along the edges by modest feminine curves. Of course, this is heightened by the fact that she seems to be a bit underweight, heightening the rangy look; she's probably meant to be about another ten pounds or twelve. But she's been running hot and lean for a good while.

Well laundered and thoroughly scrubbed, Diya is well and truly clean in a way she hasn't been in possibly months. It may even have been a couple of years. But her clothes are - while clean - still those of a homeless veteran, Army surplus. They hang loose enough to demphasize that musculature a little bit. But not a lot.

Green eyes take in the small, leather- and dress-clad figure. "Yus." she replies. "I suppose this is true. I am called 'Diya', if you will. Though I was always Okhotnik, before." It is a Russian word, obviously, meaning Hunter, or near enough in English.

"I beg your pardon." It is a stiff turn of phrase, but Diya means it. "I mean no offense. But ... you are ... canine, and human?" Hmm. Diya's very, very limited experience led her to believe shapeshifters were either human, or animal. Wolfsbane's current form raises an odd question inside her, one for which she has no answer.

Tendril has posed:
    The gun oil helps a little...but very much the two very different scents, as they start to blend along the path, are what Lexi finds herself following along after, jogging a little as the two seems to be blending over each other. Well....she's not hearing anything that sounds like cats and dogs meeting and not getting along. Then again, she realizes this is sort of silly....of course they would't. They're people, not just instincts.

    She rounds the corner and slows, however as she sees Rahne and Diya up ahead, apparently meeting up, hesistating.

Wolfsbane has posed:
A lot can be determined from scent alone, and while Diya's got that clean smell about her, something just feels..different to Wolfsbane. She's shorter by a few inches as well, and smells of having been active at one point earlier, recently more relaxed in comparison. Bare feet can be seen where the legs of the outfit come to an end, suggesting a comfort in lacking footwear.

"I go by Wolfsbane," the Scottish mutant replies, hands settled at her sides. It's always interesting when one doesn't know very much about another, and she nods slowly. "I'm whit they call a shapeshifter, aye. Muh abilities work both ways." She explains further, gesturing with a hand, "I mean, all th' way human, or all th' way wolf, or in between."

Okhotnik has posed:
One of the 'different' aspects might come from Diya's past as a soldier; it is her self-defining trait. Or it could be something else. Her PTSD? Or the fact that her animal nature is perhaps more primal, with more capacity to 'take over'. And yet somehow separate from her as a woman. It could be any of these things.

"Ah." Diya comments in response, with a tone that says she can't see how that is even possible ... but she accepts it is still true, for all she is flummoxed by it. Wolf and human together, blended? It makes her wonder things she should never wonder. And shudder with the thought.

"You must be the one the tracker spoke of. Dani, she said her name was?" Diya comments, and then extends her hand, slowly, towards the smaller woman. "'Pleased to meet you', yes? This is how you say?"

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi watches curiously for a moment as the two meet, hanging back for the moment. She's downwind (an accidental truth that's made her a little smug about accomplishing it nonetheless) so it's unlikely the two will scent her back, at the moment, and she just...feels like she can give them a moment to say hi before she walks up to join them. First meetings and all that. And watching the Diya and Rahne in their natural habitat, sort of.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane remains in place, the two just having met up somewhere in the vicinity of the path to the gardens, the main building not far beyond. She doesn't go straight to trying to make a new friend or anything like that, but there's no open apprehension or distrust either except for the whole sizing up thing.

"I can track if I need tae, aye," she confirms, and after a pause when the hand is offered she meets it with a fuzzy, claw-tipped one of her own. "Aye, tha' works for a greeting." While she might not catch Lexi's scent just yet, a glance around leads to picking her out, part of her attention shifting in that direction.

Okhotnik has posed:
Scent might not pick out Lex, but neither Diya nor Rahne are limited to their noses; their ears and eyes work just fine. Diya caught someone coming, and someone stopping; she can draw her own conclusions, as she cannot imagine anyone else just deciding to stop and watch like that.

Diya doesn't seem to mind the claw tips or the fur on the hand, but she is a bit fascinated by it, letting her fingers rub over the fur just a bit before releasing the hand. "They ... I am tiger, apparently." Diya offers, honestly. She doesn't smell thrilled by this admission. There's even a spike of profound anger and loathing, though it doesn't show much in her very staid, stable features.

"Thank you." Diya offers Wolfsbane, without explaining what she's thanking her for. Perhaps merely for being able to meet someone like her, but unalike her, in a peaceful manner? Or maybe it is something more. "Sorry to have interrupted you, wherever you were headed. A poor guest that makes me."

That said, Diya turns her head to glance over her shoulder at Lex. "You looking for me?" she questions.

Tendril has posed:
    Well, okay, maybe not her best stealthy moment...not that she was hiding, particularly. Lexi shifts as Rahne, then Diya both look her way, before sauntering over. "Well, kinda..." she admits, smiling at the two. "I mean, it's nothin' super serious, just....stuff. That I wanted ta ask. But it can wait!" she adds quickly. "Nice ta see ya again Rahne, how ya been?" she says to the other girl with a smile. "Haven't caught ya in a class or anythin' so far." Then again, she missed most of the first week, being in the infirmary for it.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane glances down at the 'inspection' of her hand by the apparently curious Russian woman, her head tilting at the choice of words. "Whit do ye mean, apparently? An' why does it make ye feel so cross?" The question is left there as Lexi draws closer, resulting in the wolfen shifter splitting more of her attention between the pair.

"I was just on muh way in for a meal, but I can stay a few minutes. Hullo, Lexi. I've been..fine." Just a brief pause in there.

Okhotnik has posed:
Diya frowns a bit, instinctively, in response to Rahne's questions. But she answers them honestly enough, rather than hiding from them. "My change ... is not controlled. And I do not remember the tiger, and it does not remember me. Not yet." Mercy says that will change; indeed, the coyote mechanic says it must change. But Diya deals with what is, not what might be. "And it makes me cross because ... because I hate it. I hate the monster I've become, especially because it reminds me of the monster that destroyed my life and should have killed me." There. All the angst Rahne surely didn't really want to know, laid out in perfectly stoic Russian fashion.

Life sucks. More vodka!

"Do not delay your meal for us." Diya murmurs to Wolfsbane with a nod. "I appreciate the welcome. Your Jean has been most generous." Too generous by far, but Diya is still grateful.

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi gets a disapproving expression as Diya promptly starts referring to what she's started mentally referring to as 'her tigger' as a monster. And she says as much, almost immediately. "Th' Tiger, an' -you-, are not a monster.' Maybe if she says it enough Diya will believe her someday. "Yer not th' guy who attacked you. I keep tellin' you that!" she says, a bit plaintively, then mmphs. "Rahne, I don't wanna hold ya up either...but maybe you could talk with her sometime? Cuz she won't believe me, an' you know the most of anyone I know here about bein' able ta change or havin' another part of ya that's...well...different." She looks at Diya. "Tigger won't believe me, so maybe she needs ta hear it from a third party..." She and the others are on the path leading back towards the main house at the moment.

Meggan has posed:
The door from the house opens! It disgorges Meggan, who is walking purposefully forwards. She is in a T-shirt and athletic shorts, and is taking no real direct notice of others. Once she's gotten her feet firmly on a patch of grass she lets herself quietly, gracefully, and with purpose -- pitch over face first onto the aforementioned grass.

This is not a regular occurence.

At least she's on the way in?

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane's stomach picks this moment to growl and rumble, and she looks down before placing a hand over that area as if to show it's not a /real/ growl. After all, she didn't just turn aggressive and feral or anything like that.

When she replies it's to admit, "I'm..no' sure I have th' right experience tae handle a thing like tha'. I've always just been /me/ nae matter th' form I take, but there are some things I feel when th' wolf is, uh, there. A' one point I was afraid o' whit I am, but I learned tae embrace it. Maybe tha' could be part o' th' problem? If I can help in any way, I'll try tae."

Beginning to separate herself from the two as she gestures toward the building, she adds, "I do need tae eat, though. Sorry I canna stay longer. I.." This is about the time she catches sight of Meggan going down to the grass the way she does, leaving her to look to Lexi and Diya very questioningly.

Okhotnik has posed:
"Go, Wolfsbane. Enjoy your meal. Apparently, I will be here at least a few more days. We will find another opportunity to talk." Diya offers, working hard to get her English right and soften her sharp Russian accent so it comes out a bit less like verbal razor blades.

"We will discuss this -- again -- at another time, Lex." Diya affirms, quelling the mauve mutant girl with a look. Then she turns and walks towards the woman who just purposefully face-planted herself into the grass.

"Begging your pardon, Miss? Are you alright? Do you need help?" Diya questions. Pardon the viciousness of that accent. She can't help it, much.

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi wrinkles her nose at Diya, a slightly stubborn look crossing her face, before the girl wanders out and...passes...out? Huh. Party day at the cafeteria, maybe? She huffs, then smiles at Rahne. "Ya sound like me before breakfast. Go on, get somethin' ta eat. See ya around!" She waves cheerfully at her, then walks after Diya, heading over to where the blonde has faceplanted into the ground. "Um...is she...okay?" she says, the mauve girl crouching down next to Meggan's fallen body.

Meggan has posed:
"Uh?" says Meggan from the grass.

She rolls onto her side and looks up, focusing with difficulty. She says to Diya with apologetics, "I'm sorry, I don't quite - Oh! Lexi! Hello! I'm sorry I'm not waving but I think I've gone numb. How are you then? I hope I didn't interrupt you."

"I'll be fine in a minute," she adds.

Okhotnik has posed:
Diya takes a knee beside the other woman, watching her curiously. "Gone numb?" she questions, looking between Meggan and Lex, wondering why it is the woman cannot speak with her, and what is causing her condition. "Is there anything we can do to help you?" she queries, self-consciously.

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi crouches up on her toes with an effortless grace, titling her head as her golden eyes watch the other girl. "Hi Megs....um, why are ya goin' numb? Ya sure I shouldn't get th' nurse or somethin'?" she says, a little worriedly, as she glances over at Diya. She seems to at least be familiar with the girl...or at least not too suprised she knows Lexi's name. She kind of stands out in a crowd, after all.

Meggan has posed:
"I could absolutely murder a curry," Meggan says.

"I was helping Jean with an operation," she explains, "and I experienced the most profound pain concievable for reasons that are very complicated. So I sort of went numb, like, a physical kind of thing, not like a gothic thing. Nothing wrong with that obviously, I'm just trying to be clear."

"No I'm not hurt," she tells Lexi. "It's almost nice. It's like that old song, isn't it? I'm not squashing my hand, am I?" (she isn't)

Okhotnik has posed:
"Old song?" Diya queries, still eyeing Meggan. "The trick with pain is not minding it. Embrace it, and let it pass through you." Sure, it sounds very Zen, but one can be quite sure Diya the soldier didn't get it from a guy in a robe. No, she learned it in the military.

"So long as you are not hurt." Diya offers, and she stands up smoothly, easily, stepping away from the woman in the grass so as to be sure not to step on anything. Her gaze sweeps the area carefully by force of ingrained habit, and her nose picks out various scents, her ears cataloging all sorts of sounds. Hypervigilence paired with supersenses; ain't life grand in the land of PTSD?

Tendril has posed:
    Evident confusion is on Lexi's face. "...uh..profound pain? I could...go get some aspirin or somethin'..." she says, sounding a bit unsure what precisely she needs to do there. She looks up as Diya stands, then peers down at Meggan. "..so you'll be fine if ya just lie there for a bit, yer sayin'?" She hmms, then raises her hands as a pair of long, purplish tendrils sprout from her forearms to help roll Meggan on her back, where she can see said hands, gently wrapping around her wrists to guide them so she's got them comfortably resting on her stomach, before the tendrils retract again. "There..not lyin' on anytin' now."

Meggan has posed:
"I just need some rest, maybe a curry," Meggan says with some hope. She doesn't resist being flopped over. "Feeeewwhhh."

To Diya she says with a tilt of her head, "Well this wasn't my pain, I was receiving it from a titanic starfish in space. It's a long story. So I mean, I tried, but it was awful. It was like I was getting a needle stabbed into every inch of me. I would have weed myself if I hadn't gone before we left."

This is a little over-sharey for Meggan even if her tone is normal by Lexi's understand me. "So who's your friend?" she asks. To Diya she says, "Are you visiting the campus to - blahh - my tongue's getting all twisted up - are you visiting, or?"

Okhotnik has posed:
Diya answers Meggan, rather than waiting for Lex to do so. She looks down at the odd young woman and offers, "I am ... staying here, a bit. Jean rather dragooned me inside, and Lex has asked me to stay for a bit." she informs Meggan. "So I suppose that would mostly be a 'yes'. I am 'visiting'." Trying to look at it that way may give Diya a bit more inner feeling of freedom, make her feel less trapped, better able to put up with it all.

"I am called Diya to most, here. I was called Okhotnik. It is Russian. The closest translation is 'hunter'." she offers, naming herself for Meggan's benefit. "I beg your pardon. But what is this about ... a space starfish?"

Tendril has posed:
    "Or Hottie!" Lexi says cheerfully as Diya introduces herself. "She's a friend." she adds, smiling up at the standing woman, then looks back to Meggan, distracted from her thoughts. "...wait, what starfish?" she also asks. Being that she's, well..not on the in with the whole X-Men thing. She's just a student. A nosy, nosy student.

Meggan has posed:
"Which d'you prefer?" Meggan says to Diya with a smile. "Oh, it was out past Jupiter. We took care of it. It was a team-up. I was going to try and share our feelings with it, as a people? I'm an empath by the way, I hope that isn't weird."

To Lexi she says, "Senior class stuff. Jean says it's going to count for college if I go. Did I interrupt you two? Oh gosh. I didn't mean to, I just had to just get out here and lay in the sun for a bit."

Okhotnik has posed:
"Don't call me that!" Diya growls out at Lex fiercely. She doesn't actually punch or elbow the girl, but the intent is there; she hates that nickname. A lot.

"You did not interrupt anything." Diya confirms for Meggan. "Interesting." Diya is clearly considering the question of the space starfish. But she doesn't say anything else. What is there to say, after all?

"I prefer Okhotnik. But most are not comfortable with it. English tongues find 'Diya' easier, and that is fine. It used to be my name, after all."

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi grins mischieviously at Diya in a way that suggets she's well aware her chosen nickname annoys her a bit. "Whatever ya say, Tigger." she says cheerfully, moving right on to the next. She hmms, then sits crosslegged, going from a graceful crouch to the ground in a smooth motion. "A...starfish...past Jupiter." she repeats, , blinking a bit. "Okay...space starfish are a thing, then? And yer an empath?' She frowns, slightly unsure what to think about that. Someone knowing what she's feeling is better than knowing what she's thinking, then again. She tilts her head, a certain amount of trepedation in her thoughts briefly as she glances at Diya. "Nah, not interruptin'. I just needed ta ask Diya somethin', but it's a nice day for walkin' outside anyhow."

Meggan has posed:
"Yes," Meggan answers Lexi with a slightly more wan smile.

"Oh, it's not so bad. Okhotnik. Okhotnik," Meggan says, nailing it on the second try, somehow. "Speaking as an English tongue I don't think it's that hard."

"Well I won't trouble you more but if one of you could give me a bit of a hand up, I would appreciate it very much."

Okhotnik has posed:
"Of course." Diya offers, reaching down to grasp Meggan's hands, lifting her easily to her feet. Indeed, she does so with truly contemptuous ease, as if Meggan weighs nothing at all. As for being an empath, well, Meggan would catch a rather bubbling brew of emotions from the Russian woman. Most palpable, though, is her hypervigilence; PTSD is not just a set of initials for this woman.

"Don't call me that, Lex. The tiger is not a pet, and not a joke." Diya growls out. She glances at Meggan to make sure the other woman is stable on her feet and well, and then stalks away from Lex out into the gardens, clearly deciding to put some distance between them lest her irritation become something more.

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi mmphs. "I know that, but...hey!" she says, as the woman begins striding away, taking a moment to dust off Meggan's back. "Maybe go sit down, get somethin' ta eat an' drink? Alway shelps with me!" she says, smiling at her briefly, then starts pursuing Diya, jogging a bit. "Wait! I still gotta ask you somethin'!" the younger girl insists. "Aw, come on, it's not a pet name or somethin'!" Well, yes, it is, but not like she's a 'pet', more she just likes the name when thinking of her.

    Either way, the mauve-skinned girl waves cheerfully to Meggan before hurrying to catch up. "Okay, okay! Geeze! I won't use that one!"

Meggan has posed:
Meggan is hoist upwards with a "whee!" and lands on her bare feet. She smiles at Diya then.

It's actually very intense as a smile. "Thank you," she tells her, but more quietly after that, "I'm sorry." She dithers then, on the edge of a spontaneous hug. "That's a good plan actually," she asks Lexi. "Well - Oh - Good luck with everything. Don't press the bit about the tiger!" Meggan says, moving towards the house.

Her closing words are a called out, "That's what they call tabby cats in Japan, you know! I saw it on Twitter!"

Okhotnik has posed:
Quite capable of outpacing Lex and leaving her far behind if she really wanted to, Diya doesn't go quite that fast. But she makes a good point of her feelings about all of this, before settling down on one of the few benches hidden somewhere within the gardens. She sits and listens to sounds of Lex moving around through the gardens, and the rest of the open space and nature. Soon enough, she'll have to deal with the teen; but for the moment, she gets some peace and quiet, and can work herself down from the edge of her irrational irritation.

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi quickly loses track of Diya in the garden...the scent of all the flowering shrubs and bushes and flower beds doesn't help her still poorly developed abilities to track as she looks around, starting to wander. She doesn't call out for diya...perhaps because she's uncertain if it'll just make Diya retreat further. But it's not hard for other woman's keen senses to tell wehre she is as she pads around in her search.

Okhotnik has posed:
Diya doesn't move. As such, that gives Lex plenty of time to explore, and eventually find Diya, sitting there quietly on the bench. Thankfully, the Russsian does not decide to tease her about 'finally' or anything like that.

"Alright, then, Lex. Sit. You said you wanted to talk to me about something. Better done, I imagine, when you are not yelling it about." That's Diya; straight to the point.

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi mmphs, looking a little bit grumpy that it took so long to actually find you....but more at herself than you, from the way it clears almost immediately, as she pads over, then seats herself next to you, leaning on her hands. For a bit, she just sits with you, quietly, companionably, as she orders her thoughts, before she speaks again, slowly, uncertainly.

    "...I don't use names like that ta belittle ya or...stuff like that. I just like playin' with ya..." she says quietly. "But if it really bothers ya, I'll stop? I don't...I don't want to make you feel like I'm...tryin' ta hurt you..."

    Those golden eyes flick up to your face. "...that's all."

Tendril has posed:
    The girl squirms. "Well, not -all-, I still got somethin' ta ask you, but...."

Okhotnik has posed:
If Diya were more like her tiger self, she might pull the girl into her arms and embrace her. But she's not. "I ... I am sorry if I upset you, Lex." Diya shrugs. "Your friend, Tabitha, is very sensitive. You calling me 'Hottie' fuels her insecurities. I don't want that." Diya has enough problems with her seesawing emotions and tensions without adding to them unnecessarily.

"And the cute, pet names for the tiger ... I cannot help it. They bother me. The tiger is something I worry about. A lot. I don't want you thinking of it as some pretty pet, and forgetting how lethally dangerous it can be." Diya has to at least make her point, here. "I know you trust the tiger. And frankly, you remember it, and it remembers you. I don't. But I cannot help how I feel about it. And that's not going to change quickly, if ever at all."

Given her druthers, a part of Diya would rather suicide if she could figure out how to be sure the damned tiger wouldn't bring her back in spite of herself. "But if you need to ask me something, then ask."

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi hesistates, then says slowly. "You're upset because TAbby is...but she never said anythin' to me!" she says, sounding a little frustrated. "I've told her it's just for fun. It's no like I'd tried ta do anythin' with ya even! It's just....gah!"

    She huffs, then mmps, kicking her legs a little. "...she's not a pet to me." she admits quietly, after a moment. "It's...it's like...it's..." She struggles with trying to define her feelings, how much she's come to care for the tigress as more than just a beautiful and affectionate animal...but Lexi's greatest enemy, aside from being ineffective in combat, is awkwardness. And she doesn't know how to say any of that to Diya, without embarrassing or maybe even upsetting the older woman....and she doesn't want to upset her friend or make things...strange.

    So she flushes. "...n-never mind." she says finally, then sighs. "..Um, so...I...um..." She frowns, then says. "...Diya, can ya train me to be more like you?"

Okhotnik has posed:
One thing about Diya: she can be very patient. She doesn't interrupt. She doesn't say a word. She lets poor lex ramble on and twist herself into knots all over the place, and she just sits there impassively, taking it all in. But at least she doesn't try to prod the girl. She gives her all the time she needs to get around to saying what she needs to say.

And asking that.

"You want me to train you, to be more lik me?" Diya inquires, curiously, in a calm, cool voice, the edge back in her Russian accent as she isn't trying to soften it now. "Meaning what? You want me to train you how to function homeless? You want me to train you how to survive as a schitzoeffective werecreature? What are you asking, Lex?" Yes, yes. Diya knows Lex is asking her to train the girl how to be a warrior. But if Lex can't actually say it, she sure as Hell can't do it.

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi frowns more at that, looking over at you....and for a moment, it almost looks like she's just going to get up at that and walk away, her hands sliding up to tighten at the edge of the bench, reading to help pull her back to her feet.

    But she stays, her fingers relaxing again. "...to fight like you." she says, looking away. "If ya want to. So ya don't worrya bout me so much. So I'm not so useless...."

Okhotnik has posed:
"You are not useless." Diya speaks up. It is, honestly, the first time she has interrupted Lex. She is gentle, but firm. Unrelenting. This is a statement of reality, and shall not be challenged.

"I can teach you to fight, if you want that." Diya offers, after a bit. "But I worry about doing that." She will try to be honest, here,e ven if it's inconvenient. "The only way I know how to teach fighting is to teach the way I was taught." Diya makes a face. "I don't want to do that to you. I don't want you to change the ways that my training would change you." Which doesn't mean she won't do it. But she's at least allowed to say why she isn't so sure about this idea, right?

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi slides her hands up as she rests them in her lap, kicking her feet slightly. "...I don't know anythin' about that. I know it was hard an' ya don't seem happy bein' th' person ya are because of it."

Okhotnik has posed:
"I'm not thrilled with it, no." Diya admits. But she reaches out, gently tugging Lex around to face her. "But I need you to understand that my problems with who I am don't come from my training. I wanted to be a soldier, and I am. I am proud of that. I don't want you to have to become hard and dangerous, I am. But my unhappiness comes mostly from the fact that I was never meant to be alone. I was part of a unit. A team. I served my people. I had a purpose. Now, I am alone. Outcast. I have no people. No team. No country. And all of that is before we worry about the fact I've a monster living inside me."

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi lets herself be pulled around, sliding her legs up to sit crosslegged, then gives you that 'look'. The look that usually comes with a teen eyeroll. Which it does in this case. "For fuck's sake, Diya. You're not alone." she says, bluntly. "Do ya really still think Yana an' I wouldn't fight for ya, or help ya? Yer part of our...our family now."

    She shakes her head sharply, her voice voice angry now...but not at the woman next to her. "FUCK those guys who turned on ya. I'd sooner die than turn ya over to someone if they came for ya. So would Yana. Hell, th' people HERE would fight just because they don't think it's right, an' they don't even know ya that well!" She reaches over to poke Diya firmly with an index finger in her chest, as she gets more impassioned. "Yer NOT alone. An' if you're an outcast, well...so am I. I don't got any blood family I know about. No one gave a fuck about me."

    She lowers the hand. "...the truth is, I'm just a fuckin' trash baby. My parents hated me so much they tossed me in a garbage can to die. If th' Morlocks hadn't found me...no one woulda cared." She trails off, swallowing, seeming to run out of steam. "Yer so much more than ya think. An' I know...I know you're pissed and angry and upset, and hurt...anyone would be..."

    She blinks rapidly as she starts to rub at her face, her eyes quickly starting to over flow. "But stop that. Fuck, yer like this, Tabby's like this....neither of ya think yer worth anythin', and yer so much better than that. So much more WORTH it than that..." Despite her attempts, the tears still escape, running down her cheeks as she angrily rubs at them, her chin pushing out a little pugnaciously as she tries to deny it's happening, looking away from the woman next to her.

Okhotnik has posed:
If Diya were a more emotive person, she'd probably embrace Lex in the face of all of this. Clearly, the girl needs a hug. The tiger would know better. But Diya at least reaches out and lays a hand on the mauve girl's shoulder, squeezing. "Just you remember, Lex, that you are worth so much more, too. You are not a trash baby." As bad as it is, Diya was never cast out as a helpless babe and left in a trash heap to die. So she has it better than this poor girl, at least.

"You are right. I am no longer alone. But my team, those I went into battle with, are gone. They abandoned me, because they followed orders." And as Yana once said, they did what they were trained to do when they did so. And she probably would have done the same had it been someone else in the unit. Or at least, the argument could be made.

"I don't want you to become hard and violent like me. That seems like a shame." Diya admits. "But if you want me to teach you, I will. You have the right to make that call for yourself, and to expect your friends to own up to backing your call."

Tendril has posed:
    The girl just breathes in and out slowly, if a little shakily, sniffling quietly. "Y-Yana thinks I need ta be better." she says finally, then suddenly stands up, pulling away from you. "I just..." And she can't say it. Can't say that she's scared of being like her friend. She can see how broken she is...not just from being a tiger. But what her training turned her in her. And something in her shies away from it, some cowardly, over empathic side of her that shrinks from doing that kind of violence herself.

    But she can't tell Diya that. She quails at the idea...and that only makes her feel more cowardly. She lets out another soft gasping breath, her eyes blinking, another sniffle escaping her, before she says in a shaky voice. "It's okay....I can't...I shouldn't have asked..."

    And then she bolts, away from the situation. Her first reaction to find someplace to hide and try to pull herself together. Then begin berating herself again for being so...weak.