Over exerted

Cynthia entered Lydia's room, now having calmed herself. Without taking much notice of John, she hurried to Lydia's side once she realized her sister was awake. "Are you feeling okay? What happened? Did you over exert yourself?" Her questions came fast, almost too fast for Lydia's liking.

"Yes, I'm okay. And yes, I over exerted myself. Finlay was trapped in a different body - he's a shape shifter. EAST had a telepath in their custody... he was strapped to a wheel chair. They made him force Finlay into my appearance to prove that he was a mutant. And then he couldn't get out of that form. It cost him too much energy and I wasn't confident he was going to make it the whole way to the house - so, when he fell asleep, I forced him back into his own original form." Lydia responded between somewhat shaky breaths as she worked through a migraine.

"Lydia.... I'm proud of you for always going the extra mile for people in need. But please be more careful. You're all I have left." Cynthia said whilst wrapping her sister in a hug.

"Whether I over exerted myself or not, you have to admit that it's pretty cool that I figured out how to force a shapeshifter into a different shape. That's going to prove useful if EAST tries to bust in on our society." The two sisters laughed together, their laughter eerily similar.

In the background, John pressed his lips together.
You're all I have left
He grimaced as those words pierced his heart. Despite building an entire unground society and harboring fugitive mutants, at the risk of his own life, he still wasn't considered something special to Cynthia. Since the moment they'd met, he had been fond of her, and he'd thought she felt the same way but was held back by her soft spot for their society... her society. But it was becoming clear that she had a habit of leading him on... and leaving him behind. He silently exited the room, holding in a mixture of emotions and suppressing it as much as he could. John had decided to go check on Finlay and Khunara to try and distract his mind.