<span style="font-weight: bold">"I had a mate... It was rather lovely...But I'm sure you will find a suited male. You don't have to live long enough to have one, but simply enjoy the pleasantry of their company in the time that you do have them."</span><br/><br/>"Zen and the art of Kakasha." Michelle snorted idly, shaking her head a bit before leaning back by the fire and trying to relax, sinking down to let her back rest against the little wooden stump she'd been using as a stool. The ground was cold, but having something at her back was better than hunching over the whole time. The fire and the smell of meat was relaxing enough for her to at least attempt to unwind a bit... and then the others came back.<br/><br/>She was never quite sure what to make of Aiden. Definitely Beta wolf material, she kept things in line, worked with Thomas and generally did her thing...and looked good doing it, she had to admit. Where Michelle was constantly on edge, Aiden and Kakasha and plenty of the others had a sort of bullshit serenity that was at once admirable and infuriating. It must be nice, she thought, not to have to work to be someone you're not so that you can play nice with others.<br/><br/>She waved and offered idle pleasantries as they filed in and told the story of what the hell was going on with the pair of newcomers. An interesting decision, taking in one and all when your enemy's at your door, but it was that sort of devotion to altruism and the warm fuzzies that seemed to be the way of things around here. It was a nice change, if only because she'd still have the moral high ground when it was time to put them down.<br/><br/>...and then the asshole opened his mouth.<br/><br/>She doubted it had been five minutes--five goddamn minutes!--before he mouthed off, and he'd chosen her of all people to do it to? Rationally, of course, she knew she did it to herself; in another life, she'd even done it to herself intentionally. It's so much easier to get away with taking someone's head off when they start the fight, and it's so much easier to start a fight when you look like you have something to say. But she was surprised at herself--as much as she thought she would have, she didn't want to lash across the campfire and see how well he talked with his teeth in the snow. Sure her hands flexed for just a moment, the nails thickening and curling just slightly to points, and yes, for a split second the ripple of muscle and sinew across her hands looked substantially less natural and substantially more dangerous, but it passed and left her with a surprisingly calm feeling.<br/><br/>She chuckled. She actually just let it go and chuckled, forcing her spine to relax and her head to lean back against the wood behind so she could she drop a long, dripping cut of meat into her mouth. Maybe Kakasha was rubbing of on her after all.<br/><br/>"Oh baby," She offered to him with wolfish grin that she couldn't quite keep the condescension from, "I'd keep that smart mouth pointed somewhere else before it goes off in your face."<br/><br/>And then of course he asked about the general malaise of camp, and everyone went quiet and awkward. Thomas was his regular soldier-boy alpha self and stalked off into the woods dramatically, but the rest of them had to deal with that annoying silence that came afterwards. Kakasha opted out of it, and Michelle was surprised to see the other woman's temper flare--that wasn't a good sign. Maybe Michelle was starting to wear off on her, too.<br/><br/>"Another pack decided they could try and fuck with us. Cost us a few good people." She shrugged, keeping an eye on Kakasha as she stalked away. If the tragedy of being back in a warzone didn't fill her with remorse, she did at least feel good about feeling bad that they'd lost some people. It was a nice change, to miss the people that were gone. "They're still around, for now, so everybody's tense. Wouldn't talk about it too much--you'll start getting on nerves, and they're the only thing keeping me from--"<br/><br/>Whatever threat she was going to make--apparently her good mood had left with Kakasha--was stifled as the other newbie popped his head out of a mound of furs like a jack-in-the-box and she couldn't help but laugh. Her voice was a bit deeper than it should have been for her size (the cigarettes probably hadn't help), and it was rare to catch her laughing at something just because it was funny. It was a surprisingly nice sound.<br/><br/>"You missed your chance, kid, that was a perfect moment for an 'Abra-Kadabra'!" She snorted, containing her mirth a bit as she looked over the remaining members of the pack by the fire. Newcomers were hard on Michelle--they brought her out a little bit, and if she wasn't careful they'd bring out the rest of her too.<br/><br/>And nobody needed to see that, here.