Keith pulled the hood from his head and ruffled his hair a bit, suddenly feeling way too underdressed with the ancient hoodie that he'd stolen from Takashi years ago and his ripped jeans that were less a product of fashion and more him not caring enough to buy new ones. This place looked more like a high-class resort inside. With cages and crying animals, workers giving you the stinkeye and demanding a donation to even look at the animals. Keith had always figured a shelter would look more like.well, an animal shelter.

The hybrids themselves all looked happy and well cared for, playing games or watching TV. The decor was light and cheery, with hybrids and families openly meeting in a floor to ceiling windowed playroom. Once inside, he paused to take in the atmosphere with a bit of surprise. He squared his shoulders and willed his feet to move, wanting to get the inevitable over with. He knew when he managed to grow enough balls to walk inside he'd meet with the face he'd pictured a million times the past couple years - Eyes bright was anger and hurt, hissing at him like an angry kitten. She had once held the title of Keith's best friend (rather loosely, he'd never said it but he'd never stopped her when she claimed it) and more than likely had felt betrayed when Keith just took off without a word. Katie Holt was a spitfire on a good day and terrifying on the bad ones. That alone makes him nervous enough, but he knew what was causing his feet to act like they were glued to the pavement was the particular person he had to interact with. It had been a long time since he'd left his apartment for the sole reason of interacting with other people. It was nearly closing time when Keith finally stood outside of the hybrid shelter, fidgeting with his hood so it covered as much of his face as possible.

Lost in the echo