He doesn't exactly know what to make of her or her transformation. He doesn't know how she feels about it. So he does the only thing he can and rubs small and, hopefully, comforting circles over her back. She doesn't talk much but he doesn't mind. He is perfectly content just feeling the warmth of her body pressed against his own. It is so familiar yet so different. He recalls always being the one to lean against her being as she used to tower over him. It is strange to hold her for a change and he doesn't know if he likes it. He decides that he does, because at least she is here and safe. At least he can go back to the other paladins and bring some good news. For a moment, he forgets and squeezes her tighter. She winces and he sputters an apology. He has to be careful with her, at least until she heals more fully.
"Do you want to join us for dinner?" He offers. "it just started, so there's probably some good stuff still left." He tucks a strand of hair behind her ears, even this is odd to him. Because this time her hair falls forward; once upon a time her ears had been long enough to hold the locks in place. He winces, if simple things like this were bothering him, he could only imagine how she felt. "You could probably use something to eat, right?"
She doesn't answer right away and he is anticipating having to follow her to her room. It was something she had always done when she was upset, something she'd done since they first brought her to Earth with them. But eventually she takes him up on his offer and allows him to lead her to the banquet hall.
As they walk, she looks every which way, as though she is trying to create a mental map of the place. And Keith realizes that this is her first time awake on the Atlas. Haggar had taken her before they'd even left for their mission.
"I'll give you a tour of the Atlas after we eat. Sound good?"
"I guess." She mutters.
She has always been a quiet woman, but this is a new level even for her. Usually she talked more when they were alone. He wonders what Haggar had done to her, all the same he is afraid to hear the answer. He doesn't even know when it would be a good time to inquire. He feels as though it would be rude to pester her after she has just woken. But he poses an offer, "want to talk about it?" He knows what she will say before she does. But it was worth a shot.
She doesn't respond vocally, instead she gives a rather meek head shake.
He knows ultimately that she is terribly upset.
So he tells her what Shiro had once said to him, "you don't have to deal with things alone this time."
Her grip on his hand tightens.
.oOo.
It is comforting to have Keith next to her, she apricates his words more than anything because she is so tired of being on her own. In fact, she doesn't think that she can deal with this one alone but she doesn't have many friends.
For the first time she considers that it might be a good thing, this human form. It will help her fit in. It will make her less intimidating to talk to. She knows that she can really use that. She can't imagine that her personality makes her any less of an outcast. At least now she can walk about without having at least a set or two of eyes on her.
He takes her through the food lines, suggesting some of his favorite meals. She points at something else that looks rather intriguing. It is on the flat side and tan in color, speckled with little colorful dots.
"You want the cookie?" He asks.
"Yes." She replies.
"I'm not a fan of m&m's myself, but Pidge likes them."
"Is it called a cookie or an m&m?"
It is a serious question but Keith laughs at her and she can't keep a slight pout from forming on her lips. He answers, "It's called a cookie, the little dots are the m&m's."
She bites into the treat and wonders how Keith could possibly dislike the little dots. She follows him to a table where the other paladins sit alongside Veronica and her friends. She is unfamiliar with most of them and it puts her on edge.
"She's already awake?" Veronica remarks as Lance asks Keith, "I thought you were having a temper tantrum, what brings you back?"
He answers both questions at once, "I came back because she woke up." He pauses as if trying to decide his next move and he looks to her. Acxa isn't sure what kind of response or affirmation he is looking for so she doesn't give a response at all. Finally he comes to a decision on his own. "Everyone, I have a bit of good news and some, kind of, bad news."
"Oh great, more bad news." Hunk mutters.
"Give us the bad news first." Pidge requests.
"I can't give you all the bad news without giving the good news first."
"Sure you can, just give it a go." Says the dark skinned girl with the glasses. Acxa doesn't know her name, though she thinks that Veronica may have mentioned it once or twice.
Keith rolls his eye and goes with it. "Haggar has been experimenting on Galra too. I don't know why, but she's turning them human. I think that she might be trying to make Galra of humans…" He trails off. Acxa thinks that he didn't know where he was taking that theory.
"How do you know?" Lance questions.
And Keith puts her on the spot. Putting an arm around her he states, "I found Acxa."
She doesn't like being eyed so heavily. She knows that she should perhaps add something, but she doesn't really have anything of substance to say; she has been found and she is human and that was that. She sees Veronica's expression warm, "Acxa, is that really you?"
"It is." She replies.
Veronica gets up and comes to stand behind Acxa, wrapping her arms around her middle. Acxa doesn't understand what it was with Earth people and squeezing things that they like but she lets Veronica continue because it makes the woman happy. Veronica props her chin atop Acxa's head. "I was worried about you, you know?"
"Sorry?"
With one last squeeze, Veronica takes her seat once more. Acxa tries not to flinch because she doesn't want Veronica to feel guilty for her affections.
"So, what are you going to do now that you're not Galra?" Veronica's blonde friend asks.
Her cheeks grow hot because she hasn't put any consideration into that yet and she doesn't really want to. She thinks that she will just do the same things that she always does, if she can. So she replies, "I was going to find my gun and practice at the shooting range."
"Or maybe you should take it easy for a little while." Shiro suggests.
She doesn't like this idea very much. "The Galra don't take breaks, we fight through things."
"But you're not Galra anymore." The fair-haired girl points out, unhelpfully. She has earned herself a thump from the dark-skinned girl, who hisses, "Ina, it's true but you shouldn't say it."
"All I meant is that humans are kinda fragile." Ina shrugs.
Whether she meant well or not, the damage has been done, an uneasy feeling works its way back into Acxa's belly. She isn't even half done with her meal, but her appetite is gone. Deep down, she worries that the girl might be right—she doesn't recall ever having bruised so much. And usually the pain would have subsided by now. She finds herself growing incrementally more anxious.
"I'm sure that we can find a way to turn you back." Says one of the boys. Acxa remembers Keith mentioning that they had been rivals. The name James comes to mind.
"She destroyed her research notes with the laboratory." Acxa points out, leaving no room for false hope she continues, "and all of the necessary equipment." As dismal as the prospect is, there is a sense of relief in knowing that she'd never see the UV room again.
"I'll give Allura an update." Shiro declares. "And we'll decided how to approach things for there." He looks to Acxa. "Let her get some rest and we can get more details later."
She may not have any Galra blood left in her veins, but her Galra mindset yearns for her to share what she knows right away. The problem is, she doesn't remember much it. It is also blurry and the images she can recall vividly are distorted, jumbled, and confusing. She is almost certain that Haggar had kept her drugged.
She does her best to work her appetite back up and finish her meal, higher powers knew that she could use it, Haggar couldn't be bothered to feed her beyond what was needed to keep her alive.
.oOo.
Laying in bed he has a chance to study her more clearly. She looks very much like herself, the structure and shape of her face is exactly the same. She still has a very sharp chin and a very sharp nose. Small lips and eyes that fall just slightly on the narrower side. But her pupils are no longer an alien white. They are black, like his own. The soft blue of her irises are the same but they are set against white. He finds it odd how she can look so like the Acxa he is used to, yet so strikingly different.
He gently strokes her cheeks. She is still being very quiet. Once upon a time, he could stroke her horns instead, that always seemed to soothe her. But they are no longer there and this makes him surprisingly sad, he always had liked her sleek, little horns.
She shifts from laying on her back staring at the ceiling to laying on her side, facing him. He wishes she wouldn't. His hands slip down her waist feeling various bumps and knots, "doesn't it hurt to lay like that."
"It shouldn't…" She trails off. "It wouldn't if I…"
He takes her hand in his again and rubs the back of it. "If it hurts, then you should lay on your stomach or on your back again."
She is stubborn. He knows this, so he isn't surprised when she folds her arms over her chest and refuses. She doesn't like showing weakness, frankly he is surprised that she had admitted that it hurt at all.
He touches his thumb to her lips. She gives him a soft smile, and he is thankful because he has just uncovered another little thing that made her happy. A very small, simple, physical gesture, but it makes her smile.
He can't possibly fathom why so many people and aliens alike had written her off and outcasted her. He watches her curl herself up and wiggle closer to him. He slips his arm under hers. "I'm going to fix things, I promise." She doesn't hear him, she is already asleep.