Have a Little Fun

Something in his response must have hit a nerve, because just before he turned, Maverick saw Venom tense as if she'd just been struck. That cocky, dominant grin on her face faltered, and then she was just left staring away from him, expression stony and impassive. She said nothing in response to his cold retort, showed no reaction whatsoever. Just like that, Venom was back to that same detached, mechanical being she had been when he'd first laid eyes on her, all traces of humanity gone and life drained from her sunset eyes. Mav just gave a sigh and shook his head, lapping away a few fresh rivulets of blood from his paw before trudging his way back into the thicket of the forest. He didn't understand the stuck-up alphess, but he didn't really care to try and figure out why a veritable stranger was acting like such a cold bitch.

However, the dire brute didn't get far before the soft sound of sobbing caught his ears, white and navy auds turning backwards to catch the sound. He froze, paw held aloft mid-stride, and glanced back over his shoulder. Through the branches of the trees, he saw Venom's form quivering and trembling where she sat in time with the crying he heard. The alpha was crying. Something inside him twisted, and dark turquoise eyes softened as he looked back at her. He hadn't said anything that hurtful, he didn't think. Guilt wasn't something Maverick was overly familiar with, but he did know the awful, gut-wrenching emotion when he felt it. Pursing his lips and swallowing hard, he turned back and took a couple steps in the direction of Venom—only to pause just on the edge of the trees. Still obscured by branches and shadow, he watched the sobbing wolf for a few beats. Part of him wanted to go see if she was all right, to ensure he wasn't guilty of doing something awful to her. But then he glanced down at his bleeding paw. If she'd done that to him when he'd been having a bit of fun, what was she likely to do to him if she was actually hurt or upset?

In the end, Maverick just sighed again and turned away from Venom. They were still just strangers passing by like ships in the night, after all. He'd likely never see her again and he'd become little more than a ghost of a memory to her. Perhaps it was better this way. They were so starkly different and it were just as likely to hurt the other. The dire brute padded nearly silently away through the underbrush, casting one last parting glance to the sobbing Empress before he vanished into the woods. Mav actually felt sorry for Venom. Life had clearly not been very kind to her.

- exit Maverick -

"Maverick"