Shadow in my Memory.

Chapter seven

Night Stalk crosses the living room of her house, bag in one hand and keys in the other. She had grabbed the mail and gripped the letter in her teeth while she sets her stuff down, smoothing the loose hairs that got free from her pony tail and sighing. She had only been doing this for about a week, but she had to admit that a normal life didn't seem suited for her. She secretly practiced daily in her basement, transformed into a training room at her demand.

Her job was working at a curiosity shop, not filled with odd trinkets of myth and lore, but a cute and old smelling shop filled with aged books, ancient decorations and crafting tools. She pretty much just dusted in the hard to reach areas and sold the ocasional item.

With nimble fingers she rips open the letter, spam from a car company, and tosses it away. Her phone rings and she darts to answer it, a message from the G.I. Joes.

"Hello?" She asks.

"Storm Shadow has informed us that he will be meeting you soon." Lady Jaye states over the phone.

"Okay." Night Stalk replies, hanging up. She blows a hair that falls on her face, looking at the paper on her fridge door. One of her coworkers told her about a party that was going to happen tonight at a bar, and invited her. If she was going to sink into this life, she would need to make friends.

But she didn't want to make anymore friends.

But she decides to go anyways.

Night Stalk rises and takes her bag again, taking out her pony tail and walking out the door. The place wasn't far, and she passes it frequently to get to work. It didn't seem very busy, but the time was correct and she parks the car, stepping out and into the bar. Music was heard, not terribly upbeat and loud, and as soon as she walks in she notices what this party was about.

Most of the people here were older, fourties and fifties. They were watching TV and drinking with few younger people here and there, either working or there on their own accord. Night Stalk sighs and sits down at the bar, making eye contact with her coworker and nodding. This culture was easy to follow after you knew the correct gestures.

The bartender walks over, cleaning a glass.

"What can I get you?" He asks. Night Stalk skims over his inventory, mind blank.

"Do you have sake?" She asks.

"As a matter of fact, I do." He replies with a wink, turning around to prepare her drink. He hands it to her and she stares at him while he watches her. After a few minutes he moves on and she takes a sip, the burning sensation coating her throat with a feeling she wasn't sure she liked. She clears her throat a bit and sets the drink down, placing money on the table.

"This must be new to you." Storm Shadow says behind her. She doesn't even react when she hears him aproach, only waiting as her mixed up feelings try to resurface and muddle her thoughs with their battle.

"It's what happens when you are locked up for ten years." She replies, coughing once.

"Time for my convincing." He comments, taking the seat next to her, their arms touching. Her body warms where their skin made contact and she retracts, confused at her body's reaction to him.

"Yes, when you try to get me to join Cobra." She confirms and passes him her drink. He picks it up and examines it, drinking it down.

"Another man waits outside, just to be sure we were talking. Make it seem like you finally recognize me." He orders. Night Stalk straightens her back, peering into his face a bit, then leaning back with wide eyes.

"And then I pretend that you bring up the people who held me captive." She states in monotone.

"And you react with disgust, because you still dislike them." He says and Night Stalk gets a twisted face, leaning farther away and her face in a state of shock and betrayal.

"Then I pretend to try and convince you that they are bad, and you are stupid." She narrates, using her hands to show she was upset.

"And I stay calm and reasuring, starting to lower the trap and give you false statements." Storm Shadow mumbles, keeping his expression simple.

"I take them in with disbelief, but contemplete them more." Night Stalk comments, lowering her eyes to her hands, fidgiting.

"I get the last word in, a way to speak to me later, and leave you hanging in mystery." Storm Shadow finishes, standing up and walking away. Night Stalk watches him with an expression of slight confusion, grabbing a napkin and scribbiling nonsense on it, pocketing the napkin afterwards. She sees a man follow Storm Shadow away from the bar, and her face returns to a blank state, grabbing her bag and leaving when their car drives away. Her coworker tries to catch her attention as she heaves her bag up and struts from the building, barely even there for ten minutes. Without another spoken word, she gets into her car and drives away again, sitting in silence when she turns off the car and waits to get out.

How can people live these lives?

She shakes her head and steps out of the car, placing her key into the lock and opening the door. She sighs and blows a hair out of her face, stopping at her fridge and staring at the word magnets stuck there. She replaces them to form the sentence 'too much can hurt you so much' and opens the fridge, pulling out an orange and walking to her bedroom as the smell of citrus fills the air.

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