At some point through the nightmares, Soph seemed to become less restless. The nightmares hadn't necessarily gone, but it was just talking in her mind, words, conversations of doctors and suits. If she remembered them when she woke, she wouldn't even know if they were memories or just her mind imagining things. Probably none of it would matter anyway.

When her eyes finally fluttered open, she yawned and stretched. Her body was well rested, but her mind wasn't. The warm golden specks had returned to her eyes and there wasn't even a shade of darkness around her face. She moved off of the bed and padded over to a dresser-like table with a mirror on top of it. Ehuugg...

Sophie brushed her golden hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. She didn't really have a style for her bangs, but today she tried to brush them over to the side to hide the spot on her head that had been most recently shaved. It wasn't a large spot, and the hair had started to grow back, but it reminded Sophie of things she didn't want to dwell on. Plus, she was a female after all, and her hair had been done a terrible disservice.

When she was done, she shook her head at herself in the mirror. She looked almost like her old normal self, yet, she was different. Perhaps a little thinner, her mind somewhat changed, distorted, more negative. She frowned. No. She wouldn't let them do that to her. No one had that right or the power to take away who Sophie was; a carefree and joyful spirit. She gave herself a stern nod. It was settled then.

Meanwhile, Ayashe had finished off the food in the basket, sans the really healthy fruits. She wasn't big on fruits, or healthy. Really, she preferred meat, raw meat. But she liked Sophie's junk foods, too. As the stranger woke, Ayashe shook the Cheetos bag from her nose and stepped closer, into Ryan's personal space, lowering her head enough to be eye to eye with the other. Her eyes were blue, vibrant like the planet but mysterious and deep like an ocean, or a night sky. They were also brighter than the night, a lighter, icier color. They were strange.

She didn't mean him any harm, at least not at the moment. Mostly she was just curious. She and Sophie made good pals over their similarities in curiosity. Ayashe sniffed at him. He smelled different now that he was awake. His wounds smelled different. He was less injured. And it was possible that she was picking up on hints of fear. That excited the giant feline, and as Ryan stood, Ayashe became much more alert, her eyes focusing in on every movement, and her ears on every sound. She was going into stalking mode.

If Ryan tried to move in any direction, Ayashe would jump, a pounce more like, to block his path. She hunkered down now, though she was still beastly, ready to pounce. Her tail whipped from side to side, and she was still as stone, waiting for the stranger to make a move, wanting him to make a move. Her muscles were tense with anticipation. A single ear twitched, as she heard someone else moving down the stairs. She knew instantly who it was, but her strange vibrant eyes never left the stranger.

As Sophie descended the stairs and into the large living area, her warm eyes fell first on Ryan and then on Ayashe. If Ryan even took his eyes off of the feline for a single moment, Ayashe would pounce, and Sophie had already assessed the situation. She knew her furry friend would, and she could see it in her muscles the moment Ryan shifted. "Ayashe don't!" she shouted. She already knew the large cat was just playing, it was in her nature. Ryan's scent was in this place, and on Sophie. Ayashe picked up on that, she knew Ryan was a guest here.

But, Sophie could see the knife in Ryan's hand. And she knew he wouldn't hesitate to defend himself from the attack he wouldn't know to be fun. It wouldn't do much harm to Ayashe's body, unless it hit her throat, or an eye. Sophie didn't want either of them hurt. Well, Ryan was a little bit less of a concern, but still.

Immediately, the large cat relaxed and seemingly huffed. She turned as she stood erect once again and clodded over to Sophie. They met in a hug, Sophie wrapping her arms around Ayashe's massive head while the other pressed her face into Sophie's chest. "Good girl," Sophie said, petting Ayashe's head. "Oh, I missed you so much," she whispered. Finally she looked up at Ryan and moved around Ayashe. The cat turned to face Ryan, too. Sophie kept one hand on the thick white fur, rubbing and patting her friend. "Ayashe," she said, gesturing to the stranger. "This is the white haired wonder. He saved me when I was in trouble," she explained.

"He sort of put me in trouble in the first place, but who's dwelling on that right?" she mumbled to Ayashe, almost inaudibly. "He's a good guy," she reassured Ayashe. "Half the time," she added, causing the cat to blink between them both. It wouldn't be clear yet to Ryan if Ayashe even understood what Sophie was saying, but it was obvious that the girl treated the feline like a person. She returned her attention to Ryan. "This is Ayashe," she said with a big smile, clearly happy to be standing there in the company of the cat. "My best friend," she explained.