[That's when, for the first time, the presence of a different voice registers in her reality. Ray's voice she'd recognized almost instantly, but for some reason, everything else had taken longer. Yet when it does, it's unmistakable.
Spike.
She can move her head just enough to allow her gaze to shift, just in time to catch that (indeed rare) unguarded expression, the first real thing her eyes manage to focus on. It's been so long that she can barely remember the last time she saw it (or what it even looked like, really); walls, defenses had been so thorough and complete. But in that moment, that one brief moment as she takes it in, she almost smiles.
... Almost. The impulse is short-lived; it alone takes away almost any energy she might have managed to have, long before an action is even possible. Her gaze falters, her head gently settles back onto the pillow.]
no subject
Spike.
She can move her head just enough to allow her gaze to shift, just in time to catch that (indeed rare) unguarded expression, the first real thing her eyes manage to focus on. It's been so long that she can barely remember the last time she saw it (or what it even looked like, really); walls, defenses had been so thorough and complete. But in that moment, that one brief moment as she takes it in, she almost smiles.
... Almost. The impulse is short-lived; it alone takes away almost any energy she might have managed to have, long before an action is even possible. Her gaze falters, her head gently settles back onto the pillow.]
What happened?