Oh, don't you dare put this on me...!
It's your fault...! If you had just listened to what I said, then this wouldn't have...!
...
...
Hey... look at me...
You know I love you, right...?
Rafe's eyes opened suddenly. A harsh gasp escaped his lips, followed by a series of panting. A throbbing headache overwhelmed him like a shockwave immediately after, and the spiky chills on his flesh felt like a barrage of caressing icicles. After the thrashing sensations subsided, he sat up, realizing he was on a bed. Not only that, he had fresh, clean clothes on; he felt like he'd just taken a bath, too. He scanned his surroundings, looking to his front and right. The room was dimly lit by the lamp to his left, so there wasn't much for him to see. A sharp, lemon-like fragrance blessed his senses, an aroma far superior to the sewers he was accustomed to. He turned to his left, finding Arcila Reid on a cushioned chair right next to his bed.
"Hey, you, you're finally awake," she said to him, after putting her phone down. She stared right into Rafe's eyes, maintaining eye contact with him until he broke it. He looked away, tiredly. Then, he looked back at her, to see if she was still staring, and yes she was. "We had some NEXUS employees wash you up, hope you don't mind, " she pointed out.
She wasn't in her armor anymore. Instead, she wore an outfit of red and whites, with some charcoal blacks here and there. Her red, fingerless gloves were what stood out to Rafe the most from her outfit. She sat on the chair unfazed and continued to stare at him as if she was looking down on him like she would the same to mere toilet paper... that, or perhaps she was just curious. Rafe didn't know what caused her to act as prideful as the way she did, but until he found out, they'd both share a mutual feeling of annoyance towards each other.
Despite that, Rafe recognized that her defining features would be her ruby red eyes and her alluring, long, white hair. It's what a lot of people loved most about her. It brushed the back of her jacket as strands of it danced with the air-conditioning breeze. At first glance, one would think she dyed her hair white. But no, that wasn't the case, for her hair color was a hundred percent natural. It was shinier and softer compared to the other members of the team, you'd assume that she soaked her head into buckets of conditioner. But, it's anyone's guess as to how she got it to look and feel as appealing as it did.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Arcila asked as she was staring at him.
"What? But–"
"Can you tell me your name?" She interrupted, "just checking. I pulled all my punches, trust me, but I have to make sure I didn't hit you too hard."
"...Rafe."
"Rafe what?"
"Just Ra–"
"Yeah, I know, I read your file, I'm just messing with you," she giggled. She grabbed a white paper bag next to the lamp on the nightstand and handed it over to him. "It's a new phone," she informed, "I had to get you a new one after I smashed your old one's screen. It still works, but, you know," a shrug followed after.
Rafe took a peek inside and placed it back on top of the drawer. "Don't get any ideas," Arcila uttered with a stern tone, "we're not friends. I'm only playing nice with you because I have to. But I don't like you one bit, got that?"
"...the feeling's mutual," Rafe agreed. The two exchanged cold gazes at each other.
"Good! Glad we understand each other, then!" Arcila perked up as she got off her chair. "Now, the others are waiting, let's head down," she helped Rafe stand up and they both exited the room. As the door closed shut, Rafe saw a hanging wooden plaque with his name engraved on it.
