Blacktail Deer Plateau stardust

Oh. Perhaps Raid is mistaken in thinking Aditya is an arsehole. Or an unthinking useless male. Because here he is, all nice and warm and kind and understanding; everything that she didn't expect him to be. Words falter on her tongue and lodge in the back of her throat and she falls silent, somewhat stunned. It's not that she's been abused or anything, as far as she knows or remembers, but it's strange - this is strange and Raid doesn't quite understand, drowning in a tidal wave of sudden confusion. 

"Don't apologise, it's not your fault, you didn't know." There's something robotic about the way she says it, like what she's saying isn't really processing in her mind, like she's saying it because she's conditioned to say it. Raid blinks, tongue flickering out to lick at her lips in an act of nervousness as she listens to the rest of his words. She knows that she's part of Morningside now, but she doesn't feel like it. She feels like an outsider and she knows it's partly her fault - she doesn't interact with her packmates a lot and spends more time alone than with them. Living like that in a pack - she is bound to feel like she doesn't belong. And Raid knows that. Knows it's her problem, but she doensn't know what to do to fix it - too lost and wound up in her own problems and thoughts.

But here is an opportunity. Aditya is a guy and that puts him automatically in her 'can't trust them' books, but he seems nice and warm and someone she can talk to and Raid finds that she's willing to try, at least. "Um, no, it's fine, you can stay," she blurts out, "just - sorry about just now, I really didn't mean to - you know, you didn't know and I just - nevermind. Can we start over?"