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【 reseda, 2017 】
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━━ Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
The sound of dripping had been a sound that has lingered in the back of her head for as long as she could remember.
The sound of a leaky bathtub in days of childhood. Sea salt dripping onto logs warmed by small bonfires among family friends.
For a short while, it had been tears. Those had been beaten out of her pretty quickly, however.
It had most often been blood.
Her nose gushed the liquid when it had been broken. Her teeth were regularly stained red after fights. Her body bled often from gunshots and stab wounds she sustained on missions.
Her knuckles were the biggest source of bleeding. She had spent the past decade, carefully curating a reputation with her fists. She had been a perfect generational reflection of the Academy. Her fingertips were forever marked red.
Though she would admit, it had been a long time since Stevie sustained this level of damage to her fists. She had left her blood on the metal post she had been beating relentlessly, and as she went to return to her apartment, she had frozen at Johnny's request.
"I want you to join Cobra Kai."
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
The sound of her blood pooling on the concrete beside her was almost hypnotic. She didn't grace him with anything more than silently walking away, leaving a sanguine trail in her wake. In the morning, it would be a vibrant stain that caused questions. For tonight, it was just another suspicious substance on Los Angeles streets.
Stevie had been so lost in her own thoughts, she hadn't realized she was already at the apartment complex, digging her less injured hand into her bag to get the keys. Some of her blood got on the brass as she unlocked the door, and red was smeared on the edge as she opened it.
She moved like she was a robot, going through the routine she was far too familiar with.
