Iggy took pause first at the voice that came out of the girl he'd sensed rather than seen in that government building they'd stumbled upon. It was so different from any of the female voices he was familiar was. It wasn't rough and tough like Max's, loud and bubbly like Nudge's, or even as deceptively innocent as Angel's. It was, quite simply, soft and lovely, a bit hesitant, maybe a little shy. It drew him in, the tone of it, the sound. It was like music, soft and lilting and he found himself tilting his head down to hear it better.
But then the words registered, and he nodded in sympathy. Hadn't they all been forced to name themselves, as well, never given a true name within the labs? "Well then, we'll have to fix that, won't we? I'll think of a great name for you, you'll see." He patted her shoulder, and she kept her eyes on him, well aware that the others in the room were watching her.
"Well, whoever you are, you're welcome here. We didn't think there was anyone else like us out there." This was from the one called Max, whose tone was indeed 'rough and tough', and despite the words, she who had no name automatically backed up a step in defense. And she very nearly flinched when Max let out a snort of what was almost certainly disgust. Unused to this interaction with others, she made an effort, taking half a step forward again, her gaze somewhere above Max's left shoulder.
"…Thank you." It was said softly, barely above a whisper, but Max accepted it with a nod before she shifted her attention to Iggy.
"We'll talk more in the morning. For now, she's your responsibility. Get some shut-eye. Angel, Gazzy, Nudge, with me. Iggy and…she can take the second cave." Without a backward glance, Max herded the younger children into a large cave, leaving the girl and Iggy out in the dark, where a light wind had come up, causing her to shiver. It had been so long since she'd been outside.
With Iggy's arm still around her, he felt her shiver and instinctively tightened his grip, feeling a stir of sympathy when she jolted, her whole body going rigid. He couldn't see her, but at the same time, he could, as weird as that sounded. From the first moment, he'd seen her, a spot of color in the dark, a soft, pulsing light. He'd seen colors, before of course, but not like this. Not quite like this. And that made her all the more special, besides the fact that she was another bird kid, another survivor.
"Let's get you inside. You must be tired." He kept his tone light and gentle, something he rarely thought to do. Many would've been surprised to know that the boy who spent his life blowing things up and wreaking havoc had a gentle side that showed itself at certain times. This appeared to be one of those times. He led the girl inside the cave, relying on instinct and years of walking around without sight to navigate inside the cave.
"What if…" The girl's hesitant voice had him stopping, tilting his head down towards her.
"What if…" He spoke it as a question, sensed her hesitation before she spoke again, her voice still whisper-soft.
"What if they find us? What if they…I don't want to go back in the cage." He was silent for a moment, absorbing the quiet desperation in her voice. But then he nodded, his hand running up her cool arm.
"Don't worry. They won't find us. And if they do, we'll kick their butts. No one's going back in a cage…Oh yeah; we definitely need a name for you." With a sigh he held out a hand, felt along the wall. When he deemed them far enough into the cave, he slid down the wall, easing her down with him so they were sitting on the cool stone floor, shielded from the wind.
"How about…Ashley? No, no, not Ashley." He answered his own question, pursing his lips in thought, still absently running his hand up and down her arm, an absent gesture of comfort. "Heather…Ellen…Definitely not a Tiffany. You're not a Danielle or a Rachel. You're…" He paused as a name whispered in his head, settled into his brain and had his smile flashing in the dark.
"You're Sophia. Your name is Sophia." He said it with such certainty, as such an absolute truth, that she never thought to disagree. She simply nodded, running the name over and over again in her mind.
"Sophia…It is pretty. Thank you." She said carefully, and when he grinned, squeezed her shoulders in a little one-armed hug, she felt her young heart skip a beat as it turned over, ever so slowly, in her chest.