Blindsided

*Knock knock, OSEC,*Piper kidded before she actually got to Wren’s door. *You up for visitors?*

*Definitely not from OSEC.*He joked back.

*Romeo and I’ll be there in a minute. How are you feeling?*

*Will be feeling a lot better when I get my sight back. Priya says it’s hysterical blindness. All in my head.*

*Hysterical? Do you need a good slapping like in the old movies?*

*I’m sure my Alpha would love that. Come, give it a try. Karma’s itching to do something besides pace the room and Neo-sit.*

*You know he wouldn’t be anywhere else,*she reminded him. *No loyalty on anywhere like an Alpha to their Neo.*She knocked softly on the door, having finally arrived at his room, only to have the door yanked open - coming face-to-face with Lima.

“No slapping,” he playfully warned, holding up a finger.

“Wren! You traitor!” Piper laughed.

"Was slapping Wren on the table?" Romeo asked with a arched eyebrow. "I can still run interference …" he joked.

“Try it, Frosty!” Lima quipped back, pretending to gear up for a fight.

“No loyalty like a Neo to their Alpha, either.” Wren reminded Piper, sitting up some.

"Let's see if that holds up with tiramisu on the line." Romeo said with good-natured humor. He was serious about the cake though. Romeo never joked about desserts.

“It’s outside food even.” Piper said in an impressed tone. “Figured it’d bolster your spirits some. Dove been by yet?”

“Twice.” Wren bragged, “but not with tiramisu. Hand it over!” Still looking straight ahead, he held out his hand for the bag, which Lima accepted for him, setting the cake up on the tray over his bed.

*I feel bad for you.*

*Sometimes I feel bad for me too, but Priya thinks I'll be okay. In time.*

*What if you’re not?*

*I’d rather not think about it.*

“You brought one piece?” Lima complained.

“I’ll share.” Wren promised, patting the side of his bed for his alpha.

“No greater loyalty.” Piper replied, looking over to her own Alpha, until the chatter of sadness and Zulu were brought front and center. She knew Wren felt it too, so she quickly changed the subject. “Mostly we just wanted to check in on the dairy farm, see how the milking was going.”

“No one is more impatient than me to get back in the game, except maybe Lima.” Wren replied with a chuckle, nodding towards Karma, perched on the side of his bed. “I know we’re short handed, and now we’re down not one pair but two pairs.”

“I’m used to picking up your slack.” Piper kidded. Wren went to reply but suddenly grabbed at his forehead, knocking into the table on his bed. Piper grit her teeth, tilting her head to the side and curled her hands into tight fists. Images in the room froze, flickering in and out, for a split second Romeo looked broke in half, lagged, until the room came into focus once again.

“The hell was that?” Wren asked.

“Anomaly.” Piper replied, letting out the breath she was holding. “Told her to leave it off, it’s not like there’s anything in here she can connect to.”

“I thought her name was Sy or something like that.” Romeo added in cluelessly. The slum rat often had odd names or handles and really hadn’t care enough to remember the name of the interloper.

“Nothing to connect to -- Except us.” Wren offered, not caring much either way himself what the interloper's name was.

“Son of a bitch!” Piper fumed.

*Remember your human relations!*Wren reminded her ironically.

“Should I record the the blow up? For your viewing pleasure when you can see the chiseled face of your Alpha again?” Romeo teased with a glance to Piper.

Wren enjoyed a forkful of Tiramisu, and shook his head, pointing to his temple as Piper stormed back across the hall, Romeo right in step with her. “I’ll have ringside seats to listen in!”