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"Ah well," Nita said. Amaya had ended up playing well, so apparently she showed Thom what she could do. As for Antony hitting him... That wasn't any of Nita's business.

She sat quietly for a moment, finishing her pasta and staring off into space. Finally a bit of a real smile crossed her lips. "Oh yes. It's funny, I don't see her as much as I'd like. I mean, you'd think we'd be together a lot, considering how small this place is, but I guess it's a good thing. We're going to be here for-" Nita paused, still not quite will to say 'forever.' "A long time," she concluded.

"Hmm," Nita murmured. She drank the last of her soda and flicked the can absently with one of her darkened fingernails.

In general, the red panda girl tried not to think about her future too much; it was too mind-boggling and just a bit depressing. Not the changing so much, since the transformations themselves didn't bother, but knowing that she was well and truly trapped. Knowing that she was under constant surveillance, and would be for the rest of her life. For her, that was the most awful part, never really being in control of her situation.

She sighed, looking across the table at Rex. For some reason, Nita felt she could trust him, even though she had only known him for a couple of months, and she wasn't one to discuss private matters with anyone. "Did you know I'm clinically depressed?" she asked him hesitantly, furrowing her brows.

Nita bit her lip and continued staring at her empty soda can. "Yeah. I guess a lot of people never really knew, but I am. I ended up in the hospital for a while my senior year of high school." Her voice was soft but clear enough for Rex to hear without straining too much. Absently, sub-consciously, Nita rubbed a thumb over the pale skin of her forearms.

"I've taken anti-depressants since then. I'm mostly okay when I take them, but one time... One time I was dumb and didn't refill the prescription. I ran out of pills and so I didn't take them for a couple of weeks. It was awful," she said simply. "I couldn't function, I couldn't think, I didn't care about anything." A sort of twisted smile quirked her lips. "That's what this feels like. Withdrawal."

It's such a simple word, and so often only associated with hard drugs. As in, people need to go through it, to get the drugs out of their system. And after that everything would be better. In Nita's case, it would only get worse.

Nita clutched at his hand, hardly aware of it. "I don't know..." she whispered. I was only supposed to be here for two months, so that's what I brought with me. I'd just run out when I went to see that Dr. Frost lady. She gave me some pills and said it was something the labs had developed for me, to work better with my changes or something." A tear rolled down Nita's cheek and she brushed it away with her free hand. She was cold and could feel the blood pounding in her skull.

"But why wouldn't they test it before giving it to me?" Nita wailed quietly. Then she almost laughed. "Oh, I guess I am the test..." She sniffed and took a few deep breaths. She had to calm down or her headache would get even worse, and if she cried more she'd hyperventilate, which was never fun. "I should call them, I know I should, but I hate having to go to them for help, you know? I didn't ask for anything new, I just want my Zoloft!"

"You're right, you're right," Nita repeated, shaking her head and fiddling with the end of a braid. "I hate being like this. It scares me," she said in a small voice, suddenly looking far younger than her twenty-one years.

Nita clasped her hands together, forcing herself to stop her fiddling. It was almost harder not to cry with Rex being so nice to her. "Would you walk me back to my duplex? I don't want to fall over on the way there." There was a hint of laughter in her tone, although it was actually quite a valid concern.

Nita stood up, a little wobbly, and watched Rex clear away the dishes. It was the first time she'd eaten in the cafeteria and not put away her own dishes. That felt weird, although at least they weren't just leaving them behind.

She reached for Rex' hand, leaning against him slightly. "No, I'm not really sure," Nita said quietly. "But I'm hoping, because I can't stand it getting much worse."

Nita nodded gratefully, attempting a smile again. "Thank you, Rex. Maybe it doesn't seem like a lot, but this really does help." On a whim, she gave the lion-man a brief hug.

Pulling away, Nita managed a more sincere smile. "I'm gonna lie down for a bit, and then I'll give them a call." She jerked her head towards the intercom, as if it weren't painfully obvious who "they" were.