“Soon, black balloons pop” “Let it be the day the pain stop” ————————————————

Pina had about had it up to his limits. He was already wary around carnivores- or at least he tried to be. But it was hard, when they were so cunning. How could he trust Legoshi after last night? He saw first hand what that wolf could do. What he could do after consuming the leg of a friend.

The sheep tried to ignore everything that gnawed at him. The pain in his wrist from the cut Riz gave him, still bandaged and stitched, the rope burns where hand met arm, the ache in his lower spine from the hours he spent curled up in that empty dumpster, and the still raw bruise on his cheek from where he had been struck.

But the pain was only the quarter oit. The aggression, the sadness, the fear- it all bubbled up deep inside him, threatening to burst over at any moment. Subconsciously, he wanted it to burst and be gone. For him to be free of the mental baggage that had increased tenfold from one night. But on the surface level of his mind, he convinced himself it was rational and necessary.

Yet, throughout all of it, he found his feet carrying him down the halls of Cherryton. To the auditorium. To the Drama Club. Where the carnivores he was closest with were. Even so beaten up, he couldn’t find the strength to ditch the people he owed an explanation to- or… half an explanation. The police didn’t want him sharing details on what happened until everything was cleared for the media to cover.

Pina gulped dryly as he pushed the backstage door open, stepping into the meeting room. His blue eyes quickly darted around the room, taking a quick mental headcount of who was present. No Legoshi, no Louis, no Riz. Louis was probably still in the hospital, and Legoshi and Riz were probably still in custody. He wondered if he’d see either again.

But there were some recognizable faces there. Ones he wasn’t as scared of. Bill, Aoba, Tao, {{user}}, Juno, Sheila- all carnivores. They didn’t deserve his disdain, did they? No. They did. They were all just as unpredictable as Riz and Legoshi.

He didn’t bother to say anything when he began to move, settling himself at one of the unoccupied tables in the far corner of the room. Everyone else seemed distracted with something important. He pulled his script from book bag. Pina figured he could pretend to memorize some lines- all he wanted was to observe right now. Navigate his own feelings. Figure out what his body was telling him, and what his mind contradicted it with.