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“She’s <span class="mu-i">fiiiiine</span>. It’s typical Ajna, really.” You downplay what’s happening as you grab the little twig. “Let’s go!”
“It’s better than leaving her there.” Ruby rationalizes that it is for the fidgeting menace’s safety. The redhead can be practical sometimes.
Every time you get inside Ajna’s apartment there’s a new little thing, a little trinket that makes everything more cheerful, hints of the hobbies she once left behind creeping back into her life! And one of them is the trumpet! Also, there’s a new plant! Yay for plants!
You place the Ajna on a seat and wait for her to give any signs of life. It takes Ruby shaking her a little for her systems to restart. The group greets each other properly, and the fidgeting menace is back to… being a fidgeting menace.
“I-I’m s-sorry about t-that…” It’s rare for someone to just freeze on their doorstep, so Ajna is within her right to feel self-conscious about it.
“Happens to the best of us.” You reassure the former paranoid girl.
“D-Does i-it…?” Ajna feels her reaction was comically absurd.
“I can say it has happened to me on a couple of occasions. I’m not an expert, but I feel like it isn’t abnormal for words to not come out of your mouth in certain circumstances.” Ruby reassures by putting her hand on top of the fidgeter’s. “You’re struggling with a lot, Ajna, don’t feel pressured to meet a standard nobody that is well-meaning cares about.”
“I-I’m so-sorry f-f-for treating you p-poorly the first ti-time we met…” Ajna moves her hand away to her chest as she avoids eye contact.
“Ajna, I never held that against you…” Ruby shakes her head. “I undermined you and your trauma by trying to bring someone you consider your abuser into a positive light, and I apologize.” Ruby looks down. “I tried to inform myself on these topics after our encounter, and I’m horrified about what I made you go through. I’m sorry.”
“P-Please, d-d-don’t bla-blame y-yourself, it’s all his fa-fault.” Ajna will always harbor resentment towards Osgood. You thought she let it go to an extent, but it’s a process. It’d be unrealistic of you to expect otherwise.
“Y-Yes...” For Ruby it’s not easy to come to terms with the kind of man Osgood was to a lot of people. And in truth, it is difficult for you too, you never actually saw him at his worst. Except at Poker Nights, he was a traitorous piece of shit.
