[ it feels like hours, even though she knows it doesn't take nearly as long. she is able to push out of her panicked stance, grabbing her pistol, her immediately necessary things. her grip is too tight around the grip of her gun, and she forces herself to relax. to breathe. she hears bumps, voices, people moving, and her body tenses at each of them. roy? or whoever struxta is using to enforce their rules?
at some point, she positions herself right to the side of the door - her pistol ready. she continues to hear movement, but there is a moment where it sounds too much like, jade, like ruby, and riza has to close her eyes and remind herself to breathe. to set herself. to calm down.
the three knocks set her on edge, her entire body pulled tight like a wire. then there is roy's voice, and riza moves - still tight, still tense - to stand behind the door, pushing air out and in, out and in.
when the door cracks open, it's just for a moment - riza's eyes going from roy to behind him - before she steps back and lets it slide the rest of the way open to let him in. he'll recognize the tight way she's wound, the gun in her right hand, held down at her side. ]
( action )
at some point, she positions herself right to the side of the door - her pistol ready. she continues to hear movement, but there is a moment where it sounds too much like, jade, like ruby, and riza has to close her eyes and remind herself to breathe. to set herself. to calm down.
the three knocks set her on edge, her entire body pulled tight like a wire. then there is roy's voice, and riza moves - still tight, still tense - to stand behind the door, pushing air out and in, out and in.
when the door cracks open, it's just for a moment - riza's eyes going from roy to behind him - before she steps back and lets it slide the rest of the way open to let him in. he'll recognize the tight way she's wound, the gun in her right hand, held down at her side. ]
Is anything happening out there?