Hooray for introspection. >__>
Even though she had matured greatly since the time she ran with the ragtag gang, Vesper still suffered from her pride. She hated the reminder that she was still young in this world, still learning, still mistaken. She hated her regret and hated how stupid she sounded going back on it. Standing in the face of this young woman, the definition of careless, she felt her weaknesses even more. It was a ridiculous emotion, but letting her guard drop around her newfound comrades had opened her up for those.
The other pointed out that shoulds and shouldn’ts didn’t sound like the old Vesper, and she was almost defensive before she realized that she liked it better that way. She mirrored the other’s shrug, but her coldness was deep and icy rather than the indifference Alegria demonstrated. It was challenging, once more, almost wanting the other to take offense—anything but this front she displayed now. Not that she knew why she cared; it wasn’t like she was trying to bring back Ria’s innocence. She’d always been the same, although less mature just as Ves had been those seasons ago.
The unexpected praise, the breathless wonderment, made the scarred coyote frown sharply. Once again she felt patronized, and she knew she didn’t have to suffer it. The other had ignored her question, which left her brooding on her frustrations and coming at last to a decision.
“Alegria.” Her voice was level, the voice of a subleader that she’d learned to adopt when dealing with the clan. “Do you have any reason for being here, other than finding me? I have more important things to do than chat about whether or not I’ve changed.”
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