Blink and You'll Miss It

guess i'll die doing what i love

 Sanha almost slammed the door, almost turned tail and ran for it, almost lashed out. Apparently she needed to get her fight or flight instinct fixed, because she didn't do anything except stare.

He'd noticed that the door was open, but all he'd done was turn away from her, shoulders shaking. Questions swirled through her head, but the only one that seemed applicable was "What the fuck?" and she accidentally said it in English. Apparently he understood, because his broken breathing changed to apologies.

This was so above her pay grade.

How long she stood there, she had no idea; she wasn't timing it. She didn't know what to do. Should she close the door and go on with her mission? She didn't. She'd probably regret it, but she crouched down, finding a spot next to him and taking a page out of her mother's book, rubbing circles on his back with her hand. It'd always calmed her down.

BamBam uncurled after what felt like longer than it probably was, swiping a sleeve across his face. He almost seemed scared to look at her. She wasn't sure if now was when the conversation started. She almost felt like that Star Wars guy, "So who talks first, you talk first? I talk first?"

He pulled in a shaky breath, and her scrambling brain pulled back. "Why?"

"That's not very specific." The words dropped from her lips almost without her knowledge. Apparently it was instinct to treat everyone like Jackson, when she got nervous, and add a little teasing.

"Why are you helping me?" He turned slightly, still not quite facing her.

She didn't know the answer herself. "Empathy?" The opal ring they'd picked up the hour before enhanced that. Maybe that was her issue. And now she'd die because of it. Sanha, you idiot. She didn't know what to say. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now." She got to her feet and offered him a hand up. With the startled look he gave her, you'd think she was handing him the keys to her house. After a second of hesitation, he took it.

"Okay, but now you have to give me a five minute head start before you kill me," she joked, fully expecting to not see the sunrise.

To her surprise, BamBam sighed and stared at the floor again. "That's the other guy's job."

He'd hit her weakness. Her interest was piqued. She was already dead at this point; she might as well go out doing what she loved. "Other guy?"

"You wouldn't believe it."

"Maybe not, but I've got a powerpoint presentation all about why you should tell me anyway. Title is You Never Know Until You Try." He snorted.

"Okay fine." He still didn't look at her. "There's another spirit, I guess that the girl summoned to help her. He stole my body with me still in it and he's been using it." He finally met her eyes. "I'm sorry about your friend, by the way."

She surveyed him, a couple quick once-overs, and nodded. "I believe you."

That obviously shocked him. "You're not messing with me, are you?"

"Nope." There'd been a change of plans. Forget the initial mission, she had the sneaking suspicion it wouldn't make sense to continue with it anymore. She shook her head. "We need to leave." Ignoring the confused look on his face, she moved to the door.

If Sanha had thought the other three were bad at moving their bodies, BamBam was worse. It was no fault of his own, of course. He hadn't even had the limited freedom the other kids had as semi-free roaming spirits. He probably hadn't moved on his own in fifty years. That didn't change the fact that he was walking like a baby giraffe, but it was cute.