Shay watched Marcus as he seemed to be in another place when she spoke to him, bringing his attention back to realty. She turned her head slightly, curious as to what he had been thinking about. Maybe he was stressed about having left his post, fearing Ravenia's reaction as he didn't normally do such a thing. Shay was willing to take all the blame and any punishment that might come from Marcus' actions. Shay was not normally a selfish person, quiet the opposite, but today she felt selfish and yet with cognitive dissonance she felt perfectly fine with it at the same time. She knew everyone else needed to care for the city given their dangerous circumstances, but she silently desired the extra care and attention to help her continue to get through what the infection did and continued to do to her both physically and mentally. Shay didn't realize it at the moment but the physical pain had been subsiding much quicker than she realized. A large percentage of the actual pain she was feeling both in her ankle and rippling throughout her body was a false notion in her head. Amazing how a damaged mind can tell the body what is or isn't real.

Sweet Sun was being as helpful as he could, definitely helping her stay calm though all of this, but Marcus...he brought a different feeling. He made her feel at peace and comforted in a much different way. No one else had the time to give her any extra attention, not that she would normally ask for it, but having Marcus right by her side was exactly what she wanted. 

Shay looked at Marcus' arm as he laid it down. It was quite the structure, a brilliant masterpiece he had crafted close to perfection for his own use. She gave him a smile as he entered her shower, the hot water running once more, steam filling the room. Shay sat down on the bed for a moment and looked at Marcus arm. She didn't know his full story. Most of her time with him up on the wall when she first came were of her venting and sharing her story. Marcus was kind enough to listen and give bits if comforting advice but never once burdened Shay with his own troubles. Shay didn't realize this until now. She glanced to the shower then looked back to his arm. His story deserved to be heard. Perhaps he had his own reasons of trepidation for sharing but she knew from experience that intense past experiences that were held inside were only toxic to both body and mind. She wouldn't ask him since she didn't want to intrude but she would give everything she had to be a safe place for him, showing him she held no judgements or expectations if he ever felt the desire to open up.

Shay ran her finger tenderly along Marcus' metal arm, trailing her soft flesh across the cold metal, feeling all of the small pieces that held the intricate piece together. She desired to know more about him. You can tell a lot about a person by their actions. Marcus didn't need to say very much for her to know the kind of man he inherently was. But she desired to know more about him, his story, his future desires. Even in the land they lived with grim prospects, everyone had a right to a desire, a goal for their future to strive for. What was his?

She got up from the bed and let her towel drop from her dry body. She moved to her dresser and began to slip on some clothes: sports bra, thong, fitted black t-shirt, and dark wash jeans, being careful to disturb her bandaged ankle as little as possible. She slipped on her running socks and light weight black running shoes, laying her leather jacket across the edge of the bed for when they would leave. She bent over and shook her hair with the towel dry as best she could before flipping her back over as she stood upright, letting her dark damp hair air dry. She kept hair bands on her wrist in case she needed them but left her hair down for the time being. 

Marcus finished his shower soon after and emerged. Shay looked to him in his towel for a moment before turning away, waiting for him to dress. After a moment she looked back as he finished pulling on his pants. He still wasn't saying much of anything. And yet he was here with her. It was his own choice and if he would rather be at his post he would have left by now. Shay brushed some of her damp hair off of her face and walked forward to him, standing right in front of him, their faces inches apart. She looked in to his eyes, not caring if her brazen move took him off guard. Their city was in distress, everything was changing, the Dead might return, nothing was certain at this point, most certainly not their lives. She was willing to die for their city, die for Mother, for her friends, and she realized if their current events continued to evolve she might be faced with grim chances for survival. A wave of panic fled through her body as she realized she might not see tomorrow.

Shay moved her hands up along his chest, trailing up along the sides of his neck and resting with her finger slightly entwined in his hair. Her eyes never left his, both of them silent, her intentions very clear. She paused, waiting for him to move away, before she would lean forward and place her lips on to his, holding him tightly against her.