and the stars in their orbits shone pale through the lightof the brighter, colder moon

Barely two weeks had passed since Nadya's first encounter within the ring. Needless to say it hadn't gone well. Her own internal battle with the animal within her hadn't faired well against Tobi tricking her into the fight. It was still a bit of a blur on what had happened exactly, like an out of body experience, there had been a moment where she had receded completely within the mind of the beast. When she had come back to...there had been so much blood, the taste of it in her mouth, splattered on her coat, and a man crying at her feet with blood coming from his nose. All eyes had been on her but it had only been the appearance of her brother that mattered in that moment. She had spent those last few days becoming more reserved and reclusive to the Ark, resigning herself to this life which she previously would have vehemently fought against.

So, for the first time in days, Nadya managed to shift from her panther form to her human and leave her room during Ark business hours. The scene that had unfolded in the ring had created a sense of hesitation from the customers towards her which she hardly cared. It was good for them to fear her in her opinion since it kept them from opening their trap about her own life. Jackal had been surprised to see Nadya not just out of her room but in human form dressed in a black leather top that crisscrossed around her neck, faded jeans, and heeled boots. "Eh, senorita, what can I do for you?" He questioned her when she lingered by the perimeter of one of the rings. "Looking for...something." Her dark gaze dragged away from the ring which had the previous fighters slumping out in defeat or strutting out in victory. Jackal glanced to the fighters exiting then back to Nadya in confusion and curiosity, attempting to tread carefully on the matter. "I need help getting the new bets. You can do that, yeah?" It was a simple offer of a task for her to keep busy. Nadya seemed to consider it for a moment before nodding and taking the ledger from Jackal.

Although Nadya collecting the bet pledges was new, the ringside gamblers knew to follow whoever had the ledger so it was relatively easy for her to weave through the crowd jotting down names and amounts. It was menial work but it was enough, the feline within her rumbling in hypervigilance as it was with the chaos going on around. That same hyper-awareness was what made her skin prickle with a sensation of being watched in a much different way than for taking bets. No, this was stalking, something she knew about very well being a predator. Nadya made her way back to Jackal and handed him back the ledger without a word before wandering off down the nearest hallway. She was not afraid of being harmed; she had no qualms against a fight should her stalker wish to attack her. Leading her stalker down the hall was simply a way to see exactly what they chose to do.

What Nadya hadn't expected was for her stalker to speak a certain name. Frost. The subsequent run-in with Frost after her fight ring treachery had only caused greater turmoil and fracturing within the young woman. Nadya turned about to face the strange woman, her gaze raking up and down her form to gauge if the stranger was going to attack. "Frost, doesn't love...anything. Maybe, his hair." She stretched her fingers of her hands at her sides as she felt her joints already straining wanting the change. "Who are you?" Nadya raised a brow and remained where she was rooted to her spot despite her demanding nature.