" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

vi | relief

yuanfen.
act three, chapter six.
"relief"

_

DR. ZIEGLER LEFT DAHLIA with Winston and the cowboy, though not before promising to speak to her again soon. Dahlia was nervous as they parted ways, for the kind doctor was the one who she knew that she could trust. Being left alone with the ape and the cowboy, although they seemed nice enough, was not something that she was looking forward to. Nonetheless, Dahlia followed Winston into the building as he gestured for her to follow him.

Somehow, the interior of the building seemed almost bigger than the outside. The ceiling of the lobby stretched up several floors, large windows lining the front walls. The flooring was made of marble, and the walls were painted white. The fluorescent light reflecting off the walls was almost blinding, and Dahlia was thankful for the few splashes of color that came with the plants shoved in the corners of the room and the furniture in the seating area.

She was so busy gazing around, eyes wide with curiosity, that she hadn't noticed Winston stop walking in front of her. She nearly ran into his furry body, mumbling a soft apology as he shared an amused look with his companion.

"Dahlia," the ape called her name, causing her to meet his gaze. He gestured towards the cowboy that stood beside him, who tipped his hat in greeting. "This is Jesse McCree. He will help oversee your training with us."

"Training?" Dahlia repeated, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yes," Winston confirmed almost skeptically. "You were once so eager to become a field agent. You do want to train with us, don't you?"

Dahlia didn't respond. She lowered her gaze to the floor, once again feeling frustrated that these people seemed to know more about herself than she did. She shuffled her feet for a moment, then stopped after fearing that she would dirty the pristine marble flooring. The cowboy, McCree, seemed to notice her hesitance. He leaned towards Winston, doing his best to whisper in his ear though failing miserably: "I don't think she remembers, partner."

Winston's eyes widened upon realization, and he shook his head as he mumbled an apology. His gaze lingered on Dahlia for a moment longer than what was necessary, and she couldn't help but wonder what was going through the ape's mind. "We would love to offer you a position among our ranks, if you wish to join."

Dahlia's lips parted to speak, though a sudden jolt of pain shot through her temples before she had the chance to do so. She gasped, reaching up to grasp her head in her hands. Her fingers ran along the scars on her temples, and as she did so the pain only deepened. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to keep her from crying out as she waited for the pain to pass.

Winston seemed to misinterpret her reaction, though as she opened her eyes she didn't miss the look of concern McCree was giving her. "You'll have plenty of time to think about it, Dahlia," the ape assured her.

The pain slowly died down, and Dahlia lowered her hands from her head. She was confused by Winston's friendliness. These agents may have known her when she was younger, though nearly a decade had passed since then, and during that time Dahlia had been killing numerous of their former teammates. She found it odd that they were so willing to accept someone like her into their ranks.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" She found herself asking before she could stop herself.

Winston seemed confused by her response. "Pardon?"

"Does Overwatch really just accept known killers into their ranks? I've killed several of your teammates," Dahlia pointed out flatly. She wasn't meaning to be rude. It was almost as if the words were falling from her mouth against her will.