Sour Mood

Priscilla sat there with her head lowered and a fork in her hand which she used to constantly poke at the food in her plate. She was silent. Deep in thought.

Donald was right opposite her. She would occasionally glance at him when she was sure he wasn't paying attention. He was pissed, she could tell.

It wasn't unknown to her that he had never approved of her association with K9 and that he worried for her yet she couldn't believe that he could start a fight with her for that reason. He of all people knew the exact reason why she had to do what she did.

Another poke of the fork and she glanced up again, in time to catch Donald standing up subtly from the table. He carried his plates to the kitchen.

She sat there staring blankly at the opposite wall till Donald emerged again fully dressed for the day's work. He threw her a look and quietly—with his head lowered—left the house.

Priscilla sat there for a little while longer before she put the food aside and also got ready for work. She packed a lunchbox and took a cab to Dwayne's Medical Centre.

The hospital was lively as usual and the smell of disinfectant—which she had gotten used to—welcomed her. On her way up, she noticed a few people whom she hadn't seen before at the hospital.

She shrugged. "Newbies."

The moment she retracted her gaze from the people she assumed to be medical staff, she came face to face with the matron who gave her an intrigued look. She peered closely into Priscilla's face as if she was looking for something.

"Hey…" Priscilla said. She wasn't in the mood for small talk right now.

The matron smiled brightly and said, "You didn't sleep last night?"

Priscilla glanced at the closing elevator that just made a 'ding' sound.

The matron added tactically, "Donald came in earlier and his mood was sour."

With a nod, Priscilla moved past her. The matron, who had been rudely walked out on, was able to confirm her suspicions. She shook her head. "Temper tantrums. I wonder what he did to her this time."

….

Priscilla took the elevator and went up to her office. The place had been kept for her even though she no longer worked there. She sat down for a while and massaged her temple. It was really tiring.

After sitting for a while, she got coffee and went to check on the patient with the cerebral atrophy. She had recommended a few treatments and she was aware that it had begun the previous day so she wanted to see her progress.

She had suggested that her brain atrophy be tackled first. It was a rather unique case and she was intrigued. She checked on the patient and after making sure that nothing out of the ordinary had happened, she left the hospital.

It wasn't noon yet but she found that the atmosphere there was suffocating so she headed straight for the military HQ. She had an appointment with the new team she had been assigned to so she decided to go there and watch them practice while waiting for her medical routine checks.

It didn't take too long to arrive at the HQ. She went to the fifth training centre where she was sure Richard would be training with the others. She passed by a few soldiers and they nodded at her with a smile, she returned the gesture feeling slightly less burdened.

She arrived at the training centre. She could see Richard lifting weights. His breathing was irregular and his body slightly moist with sweat. She found a good seat and rested her back as she watched them practice.

Her eyes travelled from one team member to the next. Pauline was sparring with another guy and she was thrown down multiple times without being able to touch her opponent.

Her eyes then moved to Richard who had now picked a partner—two actually. He flexed his muscles and with one fluid move kicked one in the midsection while spinning on his heels to catch the other one on the jaws.

The soldiers seemed to have anticipated this move as the first one grabbed his leg but as much as he anticipated that, it seemed that Richard was two steps ahead. He used his grip as a pivot to balance his swing kick which connected to the second opponent.

With the momentum, he landed and did a back roll. This move threw the man, who was gripping his leg tightly, out of balance and he toppled like a top. Richard turned swiftly and gripped his neck, squeezing it tight. The soldier surrendered.

"Work harder." He said and extended a hand to him.

That was when he noticed Priscilla sitting silently with her phone in hand. He walked over with a towel hung over his neck.

"You came early," he said with a smirk, "we haven't finished training."

Priscilla glanced up at him with a smile. She said, "Your left hand isn't really coordinating well. Are you okay?"

She noticed that during the training, his left hand had made a few clumsy moves.

Richard sat down with a sigh. "I'm drained. I haven't had breakfast yet."

"In other words, your nanny denied you food." She said matter of fact.

Richard shook his head in amusement. He sat beside her. This action was simple yet after he sat down he seemed to come to a realisation and shifted a bit uneasily. He wiped his face and said, "It's complicated."

"I packed lunch this morning but I wasn't sure I'd need it," she put her phone away and continued with a warm smile, "You should eat with me then."

To answer this, Richard's stomach made sounds that embarrassed him. He closed his eyes subtly before accepting her offer. He was hungry anyway.

Richard informed the team to continue without him for a while. He followed Priscilla out to the cafeteria. He could've eaten at the practice area but he considered it impolite to be eating while his team members were training. It would be a distraction.