In Need of Assistance? (TF2)

Sixty: They Say You Catch More Bees with Honey

[Neuro portrait made by the one and only @/neuro_nuclear on Instagram! Give them a follow!}

Neuro doesn't ask questions. That's the scary part. You'd think she'd ask questions about everything. But nope. None. Not a single peep out of her since we left Brazil.

It might be because she's asleep.

Salvador and Adonebi sit in the other row across from us to my left. I bump Neuro's arm with mine as we sit on the city bus, desolate and slowly brightening up to a murky grey at seven in the morning. There are a few things I should warn him about before we get to my neighborhood. She stirs and picks up her head from the window, yawning silently and looking over at me with sleepy eyes. I collect my thoughts before talking. "Uh, Sandra. we're going to stop by my house first to drop off our things, and then we're going to go to a few places just to... Just to, uh, just to get reassimilated."

"Okay," she complies, tugging one of the long ends of her scarf. "I know you said not to ask questions, but I can at least know what I'm needed for?"

"I needed support."

"Can I ask for what, or will I just have to wait and see?"

"No comment."

"If you don't want to say, that's fine, Mona."

Doctor-patient confidentiality shines through to live another day. "You'll probably figure it out yourself anyway while you're here, maybe."

"Maybe?" she hums, gaining a perplexed look.

"Also, while we're here- if anyone talks directly to you and I didn't introduce them- don't acknowledge them," I tell. "People tend to leave you alone if you act like you don't exist." She gives me a glance as if she knows this is going to be a hard time. My eyes shift over her shoulder to out the window. "The stop is coming up, get your things," I advise with an albatross trying to fit itself into my skull with my brain.

It picks at it, irritating me and making me get fidgety with my hands. It wouldn't be this mad if Neuro wasn't here. I've been hoping this would be coming soon, but I just didn't count on it being me. I stand up and pick up my backpack, putting it on and taking my suitcase out from under my seat. Neuro gets her suitcase and a large duffle bag from the seats in front of us as Salvador and Adonebi get up, too, and we make our way to the front of the bus as the driver pulls into a stop. I dig through my pocket and pull out five dollars to pay for the four of us with slight change to spare. My gaze catches a patch on the driver's front shirt pocket. A BLU scout.

I get off without the drama of commenting or exchanging the 'I know who are' energy, and Neuro taps me on the shoulder as we stand on the sidewalk. "If your transportation workers are BLU, that means..."

"It's not my issue anymore, I'm here for something else," I sigh, pulling my luggage along behind me on the wet avenue. The snowfall is still minimal and most of it is melting on the ground as it comes down. It might rain here instead which is never fun. Cold and rain aren't a favorite of mine, and snow days in Georgia always had a different flavor than they did in North Carolina when we visited my aunt.

Adonebi and I decided against renting a car. I'd never rent a car when I get home normally, so I'm sure as hell not going to start now. Our entire plan is to make it seem like everything is normal. Neuro being here is not normal, so everything else we do has to be pristine. Salvador keeps up with me at my side, hypervigilant as he always is with his head on his swivel and his hearing aid in his ear without me having to put it in for him.