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Nimona's body ached. She wasn't sure what form she was in, but it felt like whichever it was, wasn't designed for how much pressure she was experiencing. Any more and her body felt like it would implode on itself.
She didn't necessarily feel like she needed to shift — not because of the itch, anyways. But she did need to get into a more appropriate form.
Or she could just... not. The thought of shifting felt even more strenuous than what she was currently experiencing. Maybe she could learn to get used to it. Maybe she could find comfort in the pressure.
A small shuffle — not in one of the usual senses she was used to experiencing, but an older one she used to use — caught her attention again. That was right, that was why she had woken up in the first place! Something was near her, causing a ruckus. It didn't feel particularly unsafe, but she was still curious about it. It had been so long since she had used this sense that she honestly wasn't sure how exactly to translate it to reality, and plus, with just the one, there was only so much information she could draw from it.
Her body yearned as she gathered the energy to shift. She could get used to the pressure, if she wanted to. Maybe she could come back to this form whenever she was done investigating. Whichever it was. She could go back to sleep. But whatever was happening around her was more interesting, for now.
Now, what form to use? She needed something smaller, to work with the pressure she was feeling. She thought back to forms she had recently used. The phoenix, her second human form, the... whatever that was, her first human form, the wolf... she trailed back through recent events. Was she back in the hideout? She had never experienced it using this sense, so she couldn't tell. Still, it would make sense if she was. Perhaps something like a rat, then, so she could quickly scuttle under some cover and assess what was happening.
Forcing herself to shift felt like she had just rolled over in bed to turn off her alarm. It was difficult to get it going, but after she started the motion, it became only natural to continue. The pressure lifted pretty quickly, and she realized as it left that it would be difficult to get back. Oh well.
Her regular senses came to on a couch, and Nimona very quickly realized is was the couch from the hideout. She sniffed around. Ballister's scent was fresh, though mostly covered up by another scent Nimona vaguely remembered being left on him when she had first met him. Nonetheless, he was there.
She quickly jumped off the couch and scuttled under it, then scanned the room. There was some movement across the room — human shoes, clearly being worn by someone. That must've been Ballister.
Her immediate reaction was to call out his name; she was glad to see him here, rather than anyone else. But before she could say anything, she got a better idea.
She scuttled out silently from the couch, towards the entrance to the hideout. She had done this before to him, maybe he'd see it coming. She didn't really care, though. It would be fun for her, and she thought she deserved a good prank after everything that had happened. She didn't know how long it had been, but given that Ballister was still here, it couldn't be too long.