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It had been a long day. Well, start of a day, considering it was just about lunch time. That wasn’t a very comforting thought.

At least Valora finally had time to herself again. After transforming to a creature that was several times her weight she was [i]starving[/i] and ended up eating everything that didn’t need cooking in her apartment’s fridge. Yet just as pressing was the settling her nerves. As such, the shifter found herself in the Tower’s recreational swimming pool, predicting correctly that she would be alone. Despite the presence of the dampening bracelets she was still able to do partial transformations of her own free will, which is why Valora was now sitting at the bottom of the body of water, gills working away at her neck and webbed fingers around her legs.

It wasn’t ideal, and if it were anywhere but a controlled swimming pool she wouldn’t be comfortable with this at all lest something be lurking in the water. Yet here she was, using the powers she hated so much to get some time to herself. Sure, she could’ve gone to her apartment, but that’s where people would look first if they were seeking her out – this at least bought Valora a few minutes more if someone wanted her.

She just needed to calm down and recollect her thoughts.

After Phoenix Dawn’s decimation of the ... hellephant, had he called it? Well, once the last of the mechanical creatures had been dispatched the shapeshifter had scampered out and, on seeing that Dawn looked only mildly scraped up, went to rally with her squad leader. Valora... may have rambled a bit at Victory, but she was worried! After seeing her getting blasted not once, but [i]twice[/i] with those cannons, she thought Victory was in serious trouble! She should’ve done something more – surely the weight of a polar bear could’ve broken the cannon by jumping from that creature’s back...? 

Of course, no matter how much she lamented over it, it wouldn’t change the fact that it happened.

And then there was the [i]lion[/i]. Not a mechanical one, but a real – if odd looking – lion made of flesh and bones, with [i]teeth[/i] and [i]claws[/i]. Even though minutes before it had been a man in an equally odd outfit the presence of the predator had locked Valora up. When one of the New Horizon handlers suggested actually seeking out the man – the [i]creature[/i] it sent a shiver down her spine and a spike of fear down her throat. It was really no surprise that her Injector had gave the signal she had reached her maximum allotted dose of its payload in such a short amount of time.

It was really kind of sad. Something that was reflected in the eyes of the Doctor who had checked her over on returning to the tower, as was usual after every mission. The Injector was refilled and recalibrated, and the usual questions asked of her. What had her so frightened this time – [i]jaws crushing around Ka’van’s shield, Jane being flung into the mouth of the mechanical beast, a lion too close for comfort[/i] - how did she feel after being under the chemical calming agent, did she feel any more confident after another successful mission under her belt?

The Injector was usually good at keeping Valora calm throughout the entirety of a mission, but the fact that the mechanical creations had the visage of beasts as well as the appearance of that man-tiger... well, the Doctor had informed her that her phobia was still crippling her ability to perform. As if she wasn’t already aware.

 A sigh escaped Valora’s lips, bubbles emerging with the motion to dart upwards and break the surface of the pool. Valora’s single grey eye followed them before she rose a pale, webbed hand to rub at her face. Yes, she was very aware of that fact. Now that she was no longer in battle or haunted by the thought of confronting creatures, the remains of the Injector’s chemicals had her surprisingly calm, though a slight twist of anxiety still remained in her chest. With her own fear, and then worry, then the check up she hadn’t even gotten to check on the other members of Team Omicron before they returned – as was her usual habit. She was a worrier.

Maybe now would be a good time to do so. Well, if they didn’t mind Valora dropping in anyway – she tried not to bother anyone outside the missions. Yet the more she thought of it – [i]Sydney nearly impaled, the giant mechanical bird stalking Miles[/i] – the more that spark of worry gnawed at her.

Finally Valora uncurled from her position, twisting in the water to glide to the surface. Check ups, right... and maybe she’d check the cafeteria first, as even after her fridge’s decimation she could still use more energy.