𝙵𝙻𝙴𝚂𝙷 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙱𝙾𝙽𝙴 | 𝚃. 𝙾𝚃𝚃𝙾 𐂃

- Cristine & Troy -

Cristine walked through the door and slipped past the quizzically startled Troy. After getting an earful of Jake more so than his father he left the Big House pissed. What was done was done and he paid Madison's debt, rescued her daughter, and patrols were tightened for the Nation's attack. This was the second place he checked given his last conversation with Cristine, but the flash of those glowering eyes, sclera's streaked with a faint red and slightly disheveled appearance made him wonder what happened. Troy carefully watched Cristine move through the cabin to lit one of the lamps and the small light source seemed to be swallowed whole in the darkness. "The mission was successful, we saved Alicia." Troy propped his body against the wall and let everything sink in tonight, his eyes focused on Cristine. After she lit the lamp, she leaned against the edge of her medium sized table in the middle of the cabin, apparently listening to him. It was difficult to make out her face because of the small light, but Troy was so immersed in his debrief he didn't notice the mood of the room worsen with every passing minute. "We're back at square one, but at least it's on our terms again. Bodies dropped, but I'd say we're even again given that they were in the lead with that."

"..."

Tilting his head to the side and put off by Cristine's lack of response Troy finally pushed himself from the wall and walked closer. Her blurred face by the dark cleared up and with narrowed eyes his own face twisted into one of mock skepticism. "Thought you'd be happier to hear your friend is safe and sound."

"I got in an argument with Jake, a drunk Dolores, and my dad." Cristine her voice was hoarse, like she over-exerted her throat. Before Troy could ask, Cristine recited the events very briefly. "Jake's been angry ever since we began this war and for some reason thought I'd care more about keeping the peace. Dolores is paranoid about everything including my dad, cleaned up after her worthless ass and let her sleep her ruse off in the infirmary." While listening to the monotonous story, Troy had come closer and noted that Cristine's expression was remote. The second thing being that something was wrong, and his pupils stretched against the clear blue of his eyes; incandescent with ire the moment he saw it. And Troy saw it on her face as clear as day, blossoming as a purple black flower that stood out near at the edges of her right eye, imprint on her cheek and a uneven bump at the corner of her mouth. Troy his lips thinned and eyes turned beady, listening intently to the inscrutable woman retell the events. "To end this hectic night, I found out that my dad lied to me," Cristine's voice was a whisper and her mouth slackened. Bringing herself to say the truth aggravated her, apprehension at an all time high. She tried to stop her lip from quivering, voice steady in spite of the apprehension weighing down on her body. "The conversation didn't end well and after piecing it together, I confronted him. I needed to hear it from his mouth and I did." Cristine finally peered at Troy through unblinking eyes and said, "he told me what he did for you after you killed Mike and his family."

A stuttering beat of silence ensued and the awry expression on Troy's face gradually dropped and it dawned to him that the stone-cold look was aimed at him. That same guardedness from when Cristine arrived on the Ranch as the unwanted pariah. The stranger Troy and his men captured in the wasteland. It felt as if they were in opposite camps again, blind to each other as individuals and building barricades instead of bridges. Her gaze that tipped towards apathy startled Troy. He didn't recognize the Cristine standing across of him. No. Troy thought with a miniscule shake of his head, jaw slack until the bones underneath shifted from grinding his teeth silently together. How could this happen? That was not the look Troy wanted from Cristine. Not the reaction he needed from now that they declared war on the Nation. Not after all the progress they made. All the conversations they had. The plans they schemed. Sacrifices they made to maintain order and an example of how it all should be. The trust and vows of loyalty. The concern and care that didn't always make sense, but Troy never truly questioned them. They bonded and what happened in the cave- he took precautions before the mission so he could unearth that moment with Cristine again. Experience them again so that he could explore them.