[@jdh97]

A whiff of something ill, acid bile painting a camera’s flash upon the scene, and then Koda flinched from the loud cry of dismay that emanated from the mask’s soft landing in green, green grass. The look in his eyes changed, swapping reserved and muffled for predatory and analytical. [color=#d5c7b1]”GSA club,”[/color] he explained quietly, unfocused, [color=#d5c7b1]”gender neutral pronouns--I couldn’t tell,”[/color] he offered with a slight shrug.

[color=#d5c7b1]”Xi’s quiet now, and alone. A tremor, or-”[/color] he suddenly caught himself. [color=#d5c7b1]”Sorry, I know I’m not making sense.”[/color] Except he [i]was[/i], he was beginning to grasp meanings so much clearer now. The colors, the sounds, the whispering mists tingling in his brain, and wasn’t that just the scariest part? Because the understanding? It meant maybe he really was going crazy, really falling into the dream and believing it, or it meant it was real, and if it was real…

He shook his head, the momentary hunger that’d grasped him at seeing the unhandled mask was being replaced once again by the timid expression. He bent down and picked up the mask, sighing minimally at it’s features. [color=#d5c7b1]”Keep xir,”[/color] he managed to say, holding out the mask, [color=#d5c7b1]”even if you don’t wear xi- it- even if you don’t wear it, it might be useful to have.”[/color] His eyes tracked over to the… drama, unfolding with the others, lingering on brilliant feathered wings, and then falling on cold metal shoulders. [color=#d5c7b1]”I don’t blame you though, risk and reward right? Freshman economics…”[/color]

Was that a song? A new song, unlike the other… Xi was singing again, to him this time. A slight beat, it almost brought a smile to his face, but there was something dark rising in the song, something vicious in the muffled lyrics. He thrust the mask out a little closer to Stormy’s hands. [color=#d5c7b1]”Better it’s not for me.”[/color] he muttered aloud, voicing the skittish thought.