Authors notes: This is one chapter I was kinda really nervous about writing, because I was scared of that Alexis would come off as either boring or Mary-Sueish, but I'll let the readers decide on that
Chapter 5: A Day in the Life of a Villain
The echoes of sirens and gunfire could be heard from somewhere far away; the smell of gunpowder lingered in her nostrils and she felt a taste of blood in her mouth. A chopper was somewhere in the high air above them, and screaming civilians were on the streets. Her left hand felt very heavy as she held the assault rifle in it, her shoulder hurting and feeling like it was full of lead. It could have been because of the gunshot wound or maybe because of the money bag. She didn't know, nor did she care.
All her attention was directed at what was before her; a mother and child, holding each other in a close embrace while lying in a pool of their own blood. Neither of them were moving, and their backs were riddled with bullet holes.
Holes which had been caused by her own assault rifle.
It had been an accident and she knew it. A flash grenade had gone off and blinded her. She had thought that she had been shooting at the cops, but instead… It was just an accident… All just an accident. And yet, she still couldn't move or look away.
"Александра! Святая! Мне нужна тут твоя помощь! Опомнись!" (Alexandra! Saint! I need your help here! Come to your senses!) A voice called for her, being vaguely familiar.
Then, she felt someone grab and spin her around, but before she could make out the figure's face a shot rang out and his brain and blood mass sprayed her face.
That's when her alarm clock went off signalling the return back to reality.
Letting out a faint exhale, the ocelot sat up in her bed and she rubbed her eyes.
Her father had once said that dreams are made up of memories, memories which define a person and who they are by their deepest fears and desires. At times she was wondering if the old man was just being very pretentious, or simply because he drank too much. She didn't really know, sometimes it must've been both.
Looking at her clock, the ocelot saw that it was roughly six AM. She had at least two hours before her day would start, so that meant plenty of time for her. Getting out of bed, Alexis, aka Sally Babou, opened the blinds and let the warmth of the rising sun enter her bedroom and embrace her body while the alarm clock turned to the local radio station, the DJ's energetic voice coming out of the speakers.
"Goooooooood morning Zootopia! This is DJ Long-Tail bringing you the freshest hits, be they new or be they old! Today we're doing a special call in show where we take your music requests! Our first request today comes from morning-person Rita Washington from Outback Island, who is just dying to hear us play "Bullet in my hand" by Rat-light King. And you know me folks; I never let down a woman in need!"
The ocelot didn't pay much attention to the lyrics as she picked up a hip holster with an old revolver in it. Strapping it on, she then faced the window and slowly licked her lip. As the song began to play the ocelot quickly pulled out the gun as fast as she could. After which she holstered it again, and began repeating the motion at least five more times, making sure to go faster and faster each time. Exhaling, she then removed the holster and hanged it over the chair.
"Слишком медленно…(Too slow…)" She whispered to herself, rubbing her forehead a little bit. "Надо будет чаще тренироваться… (Gonna need to practice more often)"
With the song still blaring, she made her way towards a punching bag that was hanging in the left corner of her bedroom. She wrapped some bandages around her palms and then began punching and kicking the damn thing.
Her uncle always said that fighting wasn't about using fancy moves, but to aim at the weak spots of your opponent and make them suffer for not being quick enough to cover them. Even her old man taught her similar lessons when they sparred after his service. As she kept wailing on the bag, she suddenly stopped as her ears twitched to the sound of something coming from the other side of the wall of her room to the right.
It was the sound of yelling and breaking dishes, which signified that Mr and Mrs Antoine next door was at it again, which didn't surprise Alexis. Every time she passed the male anteater out in the corridor, he always smelled like perfume that was too expensive for his wife to be wearing, not to mention that he on occasion would try and hit on her, which the ocelot just ignored.
Stopping with her punches and removing the bandages, she moved towards some pull ups that was in the other side of her apartment. Grabbing the bar with her paws, she began to train her arms, lifting herself several times. She then finally grabbed the bar with her tail, wrapping it around it in a tight grip before spinning around and doing more pull ups, this time with her tail.
While hanging upside down, the Ocelot thought of the plan which Bellwether had explained to her. If she had been right, both the bunny and fox should have taken the bait by now, meaning she could move on to the next phase of her plan. There were much easier way's of destroying those two, but since this was a custom order, she had to follow the sheep's wishes to the letter. It would be a challenge, but what challenge had she not taken these last few years and not come up on top of in the end?
It was simple: First, you putrefy trust and let wounds fester, making them feel like every action becomes a personal attack against them. Two, you poison hope; make them believe there's no way out of the situation and fill them with despair and fear. Finally, you snuff out love, making that last flame vanish so that all meaning becomes lost.
When that happens, they'll welcome death like a newborn child welcomes it's mother.
Releasing the bar with her tail, the ocelot dropped down perfectly on her feet, as was the norm of most felines. After cleaning herself up, she opened her closet, which was filled with expensive, tailored suits. The oddest thing about that was how such expensive clothing didn't really fit in the flat in which Alexis resided.
The place was "minimalist" at best, with a medium sized bed and closet and her workout equipment. The living room was composed of a couch, two comfy chairs, a medium-sized TV, a coffee table and a bookcase. Her kitchen was simple-looking and the bathroom adequate.
Nothing about it seemed to speak about her personality or character as opposed to the suits. An visitor would probably have questioned why the she wasn't living in a richer part of Zootopia instead of this small apartment in the most common part of the city. But, for Alexis it meant she wouldn't draw too much attention to herself, and that she could operate a lot easier. Holding her gray suit in front of her, the feline looked at her reflection in nearby mirror. In the mirror she saw a female feline, roughly in her twenties and with a somewhat toned physique. She had a few scars and old bullet-wounds in various locations (which blended pretty well with her natural spots and stripes) and a couple of tattoos; one on her right shoulder of an eight figured star with a feline skull holding a knife between it's teeth. Another one was on her left arm, depicting a female vulpine dressed like a nun and holding a little baby kit who was holding a cross in his paw.
Finally, on the upper right was one final tattoo depicting a wolf's skull wearing a beret on its head, with two AK's crossed under it with a falling parachute in the background. Sometimes the ocelot thought about just removing those old perma-prints, but then again, she had kept the pendant, so what was the point of forgetting her past?
Sighing, she then slipped her clothes on, after which grabbed her inner holster and put it on. Then she grabbed her MP-446 along with two extra clips and a suitcase from underneath her bed.
After making sure she was properly dressed, with the pendant in its place and the tie in order, Alexis stepped out the door. As she was about to lock it, she heard a nervous cough behind her. Looking back, she saw it was one of her neighbors from across the hall, who was holding a basket of laundry under his arm.
The neighbor in question was a male caracal who seemed to be about the same age as her. He was wearing a pair of reading glasses, a simple t-shirt and jeans over a body that wasn't anything special. Alexis recalled that when she first moved in, he had introduced himself as Christopher, though claimed he liked being called "Chris". What confused the ocelot more is that whenever she and the caracal crossed paths, his body language would always change along with his speaking patterns. He'd start to stutter and his tuft-tipped ears would always press against his scalp. Currently, the same was happening once again as he tried to speak to her.
"Umm…H-h-hey… Mm… M-Morning…" He said, giving off a nervous smile.
"Доброе утро… (Good morning)" the ocelot replied, giving him a polite smile.
Before the caracal could say another word, Alexis hurried towards the elevator. She had a schedule to keep, and looking at her watch it was close to eight AM. As she stepped into the elevator doors, he spotted the caracal waving to her, to witch Alexis smiled and waved back. As the doors closed, she exhaled and began to go over her mental schedule. It might sound weird, but the ocelot preferred to have things properly planned out. Well, at least when it came to her "normal" life, not when it came to her job. That's when she'd have to improvise on the spot if it was required.
A soft ding came from the elevator, as Alexis stepped out made her way outside and towards her car. Tossing the briefcase into the trunk, she then drove off to her first destination. Fumbling with the radio, her mind wondered about why she'd create these patterns for herself. Maybe just so that she'd feel like her life wasn't anything special, or just to create this illusion of being like everyone else. Just a simple citizen of a large city that went to work and lived a monotone life… Catching herself on that thought, Alexis then let out a snicker. What a silly thought, yet she couldn't help but to wonder if it was grain of truth in it.
After an hour-long drive, she soon entered Tundra Town. It was kinda strange how this place reminded her so much of homeland. Looking at the snow covered buildings she felt a pang of nostalgia, thinking back to how this had been her home when she had first arrived in Zootopia, all thanks to her "uncle" pulling a few strings.
Stopping the car, Alexis then stepped out as she approached a medium sized church. The place looked like it has seen better days, but it was clear that someone was still trying to keep it alive and well. Approaching the large wooden doors, she carefully pushed them open and stepped inside.
The warm light of the candles within the church made her sigh peacefully, while she made her way towards the front where both a large cross stood along with several icons. Stopping before them, the ocelot sat on the nearest bench, placed the briefcase on her side and closed her eyes, relaxing her body.
"Хех, ты опять вовремя как всегда (Heh, you're on time as always)." A voice speaking the same kind of russian as her behind her said, making the ocelot open her eyes.
Behind her stood a fairly old-looking goat, wearing a priest's robe, a crucifix around his neck and holding a censer in his left hand. Giving the ocelot a kind smile, he walked around the bench and sat beside her.
"Я вижу тебя каждый день, но ты всегда приходишь до начала службы, дочь моя. Почему это? (I see you everyday, but you always come before the service, my child. Why's that?)." He asked, his old and tired eyes scanning the female gently, as he spotted the pendant.
"Мне просто больше нравиться когда никого нету, батюшка (I just prefer when there's nobody here, father)" Alexis replied, looking at the old goat and saw concern in his eyes. Then, she saw how his gaze was aimed at her pendant "Хех, недумайте ничего плохого батюшка, это из прошлой жизни (Heh, don't think anything bad father, this is from my past life)".
"Тогда почему ты его носишь, дочь моя? (Then why are you wearing it, my child?)." The priest asked, as Alexis closed her eyes for a second time.
She recalled the gunfire in the distance, the sirens and her screaming for help, how she was running so desperately to get any place else… The image of the dead mother and her child still vivid in her mind.
Letting out a sigh, she then opened her eyes and stood up.
"Прoсто так, для памяти батюшка что-бы я незабывала свои грехи (Just fort the memories, father, so that I won't forget my sins.)" She said and started to make her way towards the door.
"Дочь моя, я вижу глубокую боль в твоих глазах. Знай, Бог и я всегда готовы выслушить тебя. (My child, I can see deep pain in your eyes. Know, God and I will always be ready to hear you out.)" The old goat said, giving her a smile. "Никто из нас небывает потеряным (Nobody of us is lost)"
"Хех, я уже слышала эти слова, батюшка.(Heh, I already heard those words before, father)" The ocelot responded, as she placed a thick roll of money on the charity platter. "Но, даже тогда они мне не помогли (But, even then they didn't help me)". She then went out without looking back.
Looking at her watch, the ocelot exhaled a little as she made her way towards her car. Getting inside, she then drove off to her next destination. During her drive she pondered about the priest's words. When she was little, she had been taught to respect priests. But, she also didn't like the idea of someone looking into her private life too much. It made her nervous just thinking about that.
After this job, she may have to move and change her identity again. She had plenty too choose from. Or, she could just take off to Shanghai and do some jobs there, considering that she had plenty of old friends there. It wasn't like she had many friends or someone close to care about here in Zootopia anyway.
After a short drive, she just outside her next location, which was a district where a lot of animals that happened to be Asian immigrants lived. Parking her car, she got out and approached a large gate which lead into the place called Bamboo Town.
Opening it, the ocelot was assaulted with a barrage of sounds and smells. Bamboo Town was booming with life as always, showcasing various shops that offered trinkets, clothes, movies, games, toys and so on. The food sellers offered fried fish, chicken, vegetables and all manners of cooked bugs.
Traveling trough the crowds, Alexis made her way towards a large restaurant with a golden neon dragon wrapped around it, the name of the restaurant visible in the dragon's open mouth with blinking letters that read "Mr Ping's".
Inside, the place looked like your simple Chinese restaurant with the waiters busy tending to the costumers. As she walked in, Alexis was stopped by an arctic fox wearing a Chinese dress.
"Excuse me ma'am, do you have a reservation?" She asked politely.
"I'm here to see химика… (the chemist)" The ocelot replied. The vixen looked around, and then carefully leaned closer.
"Through the kitchen and down to the basement, third door to the left." She whispered.
Following the directions, it wasn't long before the ocelot entered what looked like a meth, weed and opium-den in one package. The massive room was covered in tons of various expensive looking rugs and pillows, on which various animals rested and looked as high as some kites.
Going past them, Alexis tried her best to not inhale any of the sweet smoke as she soon reached the end of the room where she saw a wolverine, looking like he was somewhere in his 70's and smoking a long thin pipe, a pair of black shades covering his eyes while an old military jacket was slumped over his shoulders. On each side of him stood a pair of snow leopards wearing black suits and earpieces.
Alexis had been told many stories about the wolverine when she first arrived in Zootopia. The Chemist, as he was called, had apparently served in several wars, which already got the ocelot to respect him. The reason for his nickname was because he had been blinded by a gas grenade and then been discharged, after which he had opened a small business in Zootopia's underground that had just grown over the years. If you had the right amount of money, he would supply you with both information and needed things. As she got closer, the guards stopped forward to block her path. The Chemist waved a hand, which the guards noticed and stepped aside, letting the ocelot move past them and approach the elderly wolverine.
"Heh, well if it isn't my fave ocelot, back in town and everything." The old wolverine said. "Want some soup on the house? It's delicious…"
"No thank you. I came for something else entirely." The wolverine took another puff from the pipe.
"Arrived to ask the old man for another favor, have you?"
"I came to collect a special пакет (package). The job was done and the money is here" She said, calmly pushing the suitcase and then opened it for the smoking animal. "You can count it, if you want."
Letting out a wheezing laughter, the wolverine then snapped his fingers and one of the guards produced a small box. He opened it and presenting it's contents to ocelot.
Inside the box was a dart-pistol modeled just like the ones used by the ZPD, along with several darts, a very thick file containing numerous documents and a small vile marked with harmful-symbol and containing a yellow liquid.
"Thank you, this is just what I've been looking for." Alexis said, as she closed the box and stood up to leave.
"Though, why do you need such equipment? Not to mention requesting such a specific mixture of chemicals." The chemist murmured, with his guards tensing up. "I know it's none of my business, but I'm just curious."
Looking back, Alexis smirked then turned around and made her way towards the door.
"Curiosity killed the cat, sir. So, I suggest you keep yours at bay, or this cat might end up killing the curious instead~" The ocelot replied, as the wolverine gave of a loud laughter, which soon turned into a barrage of loud, wheezing coughs.
Getting inside her car, she checked her watch and saw that all this driving around had brought her around 5PM. Which meant it was time for her to go to one final place before she could call it a day.
Said place was a nightclub located in the tropical zone called The Six-Pack Club. It was one of those nightly hangouts that played loud, obnoxious music of which the ocelot wasn't a big fan of.
Approaching the bar counter with the box hidden inside her suit, she took a look at her watch again and looked around, as if trying to spot someone important.
Then her phone began to vibrate. She raised her eyebrow and pulled out the phone. She saw a simple word on the dial: "Овечка (sheep)".
Sighing, she then answered the call and sat down at the counter.
"Speaking…." She said, her gaze going through over the bar's interior.
"Hey, the fucking hells are you playing at you stupid pred?!" A blunt, male voice yelled on the other end. "The boss gave you specific instructions! And you go and murder gang-bangers?!"
Alexis wasn't really paying attention to the ranting of her rude "partner in crime", as her eyes was now aiming at four figures sitting around a table. It was clear they were fairly drunk, and they were composed of a grizzly bear, a zebra, a lynx and a wild boar.
At the moment, the four drunks were leering over a female mink, who seemed very out of place for this kind of establishment.
"Hold that thought…." She suddenly said to the caller, placing the phone on the counter. "Please, a bloody marry with hot sauce and pepper."
The horse bartender looked a bit surprised by this request, but nodded as he began to quickly mix the drink. Once it was done, she took it and made her way towards the drunks, who had now pulled the girl to the table with them. She looked at them with great reluctance, clearly not wanting to be there, but was unable to get away, as she was held down by tight grips on her shoulders.
As the drunks were busy joking, they suddenly saw the Alexis, standing closely by their table with a drink in her paw.
"Heeeeeeey pussycat… Eheheheh… You wanna join us for a drink?" The grizzly bear asked, being the closest one. "Don't be shy, there's plenty of room in my lap~"
"I think you already have someone." Alexis replied looking at the mink. "Though, it doesn't seem like she enjoys the company of some drunken мудаков (idiots)"
The drunks looked at each other and then laughed, as the ocelot studied them carefully. The zebra had a problem with his left foot, as he wasn't putting much pressure on it; the boar clearly had a weight-problem and had to take deep gulps of air whenever he breathed. Giving a mental sigh, Alexis then looked at the drunks again as the zebra piped in.
"Wohohoho… What's with the funny words?" He asked, with the boar joining in.
"And what's with the suit? You a lawyer or something? I thought you all wore tiny miniskirts!" The boar said, making the four laugh again.
"That was your first mistake…." Alexis said, glaring at them.
"Oh quit being such a sourpuss!" The bear said, reaching out a big paw and grabbing her tail. The bear laughed and playfully yanked at it. "Why don't you sit down an gobble up that drink of yours, and loosen up a little bit?"
The ocelot's grip tightened around the glass she held, almost cracking it, which brings the authors of this story to a most useful advice for how to behave in a bar: You never-ever make a grab at a girl's tail without her expressed permission!
"…That was your second…" The hissed, and then she splashed the mixture into the bear's face.
Yelling, the grizzly grabbed at his eyes. Alexis tail wrapped around his wrist like a snake, and she moved and pulled him forward so that his head went straight into the table, making his jaw bang against it with considerable force.
The boar quickly jumped up to take a swing at the ocelot, but she ducked and delivered a blow in the boar's throat with her knuckles. He coughed and wheezed, struggling for air like he was having an asthma-attack. She then smashed the bottom of her glass between his eyes, and followed it up with an elbow-punch in his stomach, making him go down with a pained moan.
The zebra was the next to jump up as Alexis kicked the table forward, making it slam into his leg which resulted in dry cracking noise. The zebra dropped on the couch, holding his broken leg and screaming in pain.
The only one left was the lynx, who whipped out a butterfly knife. Giving off a somewhat frustrated sigh, Alexis removed her tie as the lynx tried to slash her with it. Then when when he lunged forward, the ocelot wrapped her tie around his wrist, sidestepped and ended up behind him, twisting his arm and forcing him to drop the knife. Then, making him turn, she delivered a kick to his leg and released her grip as the lynx did a backflip and smashed against the floor.
Exhaling, Alexis then began putting her tie back on, picked up the knife and turned to see the girl mink's shocked expression. Approaching her, she offered her a kind smile and extended her open paw.
"Your ID пожалуйста (please)." She said softly, as the girl quickly fumbled with her purse and then produced said ID.
Alexis grabbed it and looked at it for a few seconds. It read "Megan Furlong" and was overall a decent forgery, but as someone who had made plenty of fake ID's during her life, Alexis could tell it was a fake just by looking. She smirked and tossed the ID back to the girl.
"Well, Megan Furlong, next time you use a fake ID, make sure it's a nice place beforehand." She said, as the mink meeped. Taking a look at the knife, the ocelot skillfully folded it with one paw and handed it to the girl. "Either that or you learn to use this. Now, I suggest you quickly leave."
Accepting the knife with an odd look, the girl then scampered away. Alexis looked down at the beaten up drunks who were all moaning in pain. Adjusting her tie until it sat properly, she sighed and turned around.
"Пьяные долбаёбы…(Drunken fucknuts…)" She muttered, heading back to the bar counter and picking up her phone, not noticing how the zebra had pulled a phone own and furiously writing a message a few friends. "I apologize. I had to take care of something."
"Tch… Whatever, listen here you ruskie, the boss gave you specific instructions! We expect you to follow them!"
"She gave me the instructions on how she wants it done, how I follow them is up to me. Now, please be patient and everything will be fine." Alexis responded, then spotted a figure entering the bar. "Just keep it up at your end, and we'll reach the next phase shortly. Now, I need to go."
Before the sheep could say another word, the ocelot hanged up and made her way towards the figure who was sitting alone and looking kind of nervous. He was a raccoon, roughly in his 50's, quite overweight looking and wearing a coat, a fedora hat and old looking suit under it, like he was a character straight out of an old noir-novel. Seeing Alexis, he approached and sat down next to her. Swallowing heavily, he then reached into his coat and produced a flask from which he took a deep gulp.
"You're late." Alexis muttered, as she crossed her palms together. "I prefer things to be according to schedule…"
"Shut up…" He replied with a raspy voice. "I had to make an excuse to get out of the house. Did you bring it?!"
"Depends, are you gonna do what I'll require?" She asked, flashing a sly smile to the nervous raccoon. "Unless… You want for your co-workers and wife to know of your sins…?"
"N-No! I…I'll d-do it…J-Just please n-nobody must see this…" He hissed, as Alexis smiled and pulled up the box, putting it on the table and pushing it toward the raccoon.
"I'll send you a message with the instructions, it's a pleasure working with you~" The ocelot said. She then stood up and left the nightclub.
As she approached her car, she suddenly heard someone call her out. Looking back, she saw roughly five zebras approaching, all looking like your typical high school jocks, two of them armed with baseball bats.
"Твою мать… (Goddammit…) " Alexis muttered under her breath, then sighed as she turned around "Can I help you, children?"
"Yeah, you had the nerve to injure a member of our sorority you fucking bitch!" The leader yelled out, cracking his knuckles as he approached her. "He's was our team's kicker, and now he's never gonna recover in time for the finals. And for that, I'm gonna pull 300$ out of your ass, you spotty fuckin' whore."
"Tch… He's the one who asked for it. Can we not do this? It's late and I'm tired, and I could really use a shower." Alexis muttered to no avail, as the zebra went for a quick punch.
Parrying it, she then punched him in the solar plexus and managed to knock some air out of him. The zebra went down on his knees, clutching his chest. Alexis quickly kneed him in the nose, and if her hearing was correct, it was the sound of his nose bone that she could hear breaking.
"My nose! The fucking bitch broke my nose!" He yelled, clenching his bleeding snout. "Get this fucking whore! Fucking wreck her!"
The other four rushed at the ocelot who mentally cursed again. Dodging the first swing of the baseball bat, she quickly kicked the batter in the knee and followed that up with an uppercut.
As he fell back, Alexis gasped as something powerful struck her in the back of her head. It had come from a bat, luckily enough, it had not been a clean hit. She cringed her teeth, then wrapped her tail around the second batter's ankle and pulled him closer, making him loose his balance. She then struck him with several swift punches in his ribs and face, followed by a well-directed kick in his stomach that sent him flying on top of the zebra with the broken nose.
Another burst of pain came, as she was hoofed by one of the zebras in her right side. As he attempted to kick her again, Alexis grabbed his foot as she punched him several times in the balls. One time had been enough, but she was angry now, and the zebra yelled and dropped, clenching his aching valuables.
The fallen batter had at this point gotten up, and swung the bat in a flurry of swings as Alexis dodged each and every one of them, making the guy instead accidentally smash the hood of her car. Cursing at him in russian, she punched him in the kidney and began to slam his head against the hood of her car, until his black and white head half-way painted red and he passed out. Exhaling, she then turned around to look at the remaining fifth zebra, who looked like he was about to piss himself.
"Well?" She asked, looking at him "Are you gonna do anything?"
The zebra didn't respond and instead took off running, as Alexis sighed and rolling her eyes. She then climbed into her car and drove off, leaving the sorority-boys lying in the parking lot.
Her body was hurting from all this fighting and beating she got into, but the fact that she had managed to come out on top told her that it hadn't been a complete loss. Though… Now she had to take care of her bruises… Which was one her least favorite things to do.
Finally arriving back to her apartment, the ocelot was about to enter when she saw the caracal stepping out from his apartment, this time holding a plastic bag with what she assumed was trash. His eyes widened when he saw her.
"Ummm… H-Hey… Mm… Are you okay?" He asked, spotting her holding her side.
"Yes… Just… Rough day at the office." She said, flashing him a calm smile and then opened the door.
"Did someone injure you?" The caracal asked, his voice concerned and unusually devoid of stutters all of a sudden. "The back of your head is… Bleeding. D-Did someone attack you or something?"
"Mmm… It's nothing, I'm fine." Alexis said and placed a paw on the back of her head, then cursed again, knowing she would need to take care of that wound.
Stepping inside and closing the door behind her, the ocelot sighed as she rubbed her eyes a little bit. After undressing herself and stepping into the shower, she later took care of her wounds with her first-aid kit. The back of her head was tricky, but she finally managed to seal the cut and bandaged it. She would have to wear a cap for the next few days, at least till the swelling went down. She then busied herself for the rest of the night with one thing, hoping it would help her get tired and maybe get some better dreams: Working on her weapons.