𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕗 ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕧𝕠𝕚𝕔𝕖𝕤....? (𝚁𝙴𝚆𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙴)

˙✧˖°ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 11 | 𝔊𝔢𝔱𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔬 𝔎𝔫𝔬𝔴 𝔈𝔞𝔠𝔥 𝔒𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 ༘ ⋆｡˚

When Insight gently reminded Claire to express her gratitude to the woman who had saved her just in time, she hesitated, still a bit shaken by the recent close call.

Insight (Calm Voice): "Claire, it would be good to thank her. She just saved your life, after all."

Claire took a steadying breath, nodding to herself just slightly—enough to acknowledge Insight without drawing attention—and sat up straighter. "Thank you... for, um, for helping me back there, Miss..."

The woman looked down at Claire, her gaze softening as a kind smile spread across her face.

"Xister. You can call me Xister," she replied, extending a hand to help Claire to her feet.

"Are you alright, dear?"

As Claire reached for her hand, the low growl from Fen in the background kept her heart racing, and her voices kicked in, each of them practically clamoring over one another in her head.

Serene (Comforting Voice): "Good girl, Claire. Kindness deserves kindness."

Rush (Panicked\Excited Voice): "Okay, okay, gratitude shown! Now let's get out of here!"

Woe (Crying Voice): "Just make sure she doesn't change her mind about keeping that creature away..."

Fury (Angry Voice): "Are we seriously ignoring the fact that the monster is still there? You guys gotta be kidding me!"

Insight (Calm Voice): "Fury, calm down."

With her voices swirling in her head, Claire managed to keep herself composed. As Claire accepted Xister's hand and stood up, she felt a mix of both gratitude and a lingering sense of unease. She couldn't help but feeling both a strange comfort from the woman's calm presence and the familiar reassurance of her voices—even if each one had a wildly different opinion on what to do next.

Her five voices also added their own words to the situation because both Claire and the voices are painfully aware of Fen's presence still here while all, except for two voices, are having doubts with that Xister woman too.

Fury (Angry Voice): "Watch out! She still looks dangerous. Be careful around her- and her pet, for that matter."

Rush (Panicked\Excited Voice): "Just let her accept the help!"

Serene (Calm Voice): "Calm down. She seems nice enough, doesn't she?"

Xister remained patient, as she observed Claire's hesitant expression.

"I hope my... friend didn't scare you too much," she said with a soft smile. Then, in a hushed but firm tone, Xister added, "Fen, no eating the pretty girl."

Fen grumbled, clearly frustrated by the restriction, her expression a mixture of annoyance and discontent. Xister chuckled softly, as if long accustomed to Fen's temperament.

"Ignore her," she said, shaking her head. "She's always a bit grumpy when she's hungry. It's not personal, I promise."

Fen rolled her eyes, but her intense gaze stayed fixed on Claire, as if evaluating her worth—or her taste.

Meanwhile, Claire, still processing the interaction, heard Rush's immediate reaction spark up in her mind.

Rush (Panicked\Excited Voice): "See?  Its's isn't so bad—"