There wasn’t much left to say about the outside world. Ryder had everything she needed through her powers, and Xavier’s tour was just an excuse to stretch her legs. With a perpetual chip on her shoulder, she went back inside later that day, and Xavier found her an unused room to sleep in. Ryder wasn’t in a position to pick and choose what she was given- or rather, she didn’t perceive it as such- and so she accepted it. Night after night went by, and she adamantly refused to be subjected to any further medical attention. No bandage changes, no check-ups. Even when Ryder seemed to be doing fine externally, her mind did not wind down on the inside.

Her mind did not have a concept of being wound down, or being calm. [i]Calm[/i] to her was a pattern of navigating through violence and coming out in a collected manner. It was the eye of a storm, surrounded by wrath and fury and removed from it, yet never breaking pace or faltering.

That was peace to Ryder, and for that reason, she didn’t sleep.

Days went by all the same for anyone else, as if Ryder were just a ghost who came and went. And like a ghost, she stalked the school in the dead of night. Every time the sun went down and everyone went indoors, Ryder’s body refused to let her fall asleep. She always stayed awake for days, even weeks at a time, since Umbra regularly dragged her away from her cage at random intervals. It was well past 12am tonight, and Ryder stood on the path in front of the main doors that led out into who-knows-where.

Her eyes felt heavier than usual. Being shot and wounded gravely had taken a toll on her pattern of keeping on guard, leaving her wearier. Ordinarily, she could stay up for a few more days at minimum. She didn’t [i]want[/i] to fall asleep here. She had to avoid that eventuality in the same way a predator had to constantly watch a rival; Not doing so went against everything they knew, and would only get them killed.

So when she heard footsteps coming up behind her, Ryder did as a predator would do. She turned around, and locked eyes with them. 

[color=00ffff]”What?”[/color] She wasn’t in a social mood right now. So the first reaction to being approached was… Unamused, to put it lightly.