New body, same habits (Commission)
Added 2025-10-25 14:53:53 +0000 UTCClara leaned on the wall, her crutches tucked under her arms, the cigarette glowing between her fingers. The city hummed faintly below, cars, dogs, someone arguing on another balcony.
She had the phone pressed to her ear again.
"Yeah, I’m moving around," she said, taking a drag. "Trying to, anyway. These crutches are a pain in the ass. You drop one once, and suddenly you’re stuck standing on one leg like a flamingo while praying you don’t tip over."
A pause. Her friend must’ve said something about smoking again. Clara rolled her eyes.
"Oh, don’t start with that," she muttered. "They told me this happened because of cigarettes, yeah, I know. But quitting now? Please. It’s not like the damn leg’s gonna grow back if I stop."
She exhaled through her nose, watching the smoke drift upward and vanish.
For a second she looked down, her gaze landing on the end of her left leg. The skin had healed smooth. She tilted her head slightly.
"They did a good job with it, though," she said quietly. "Almost looks too clean. I hate that."
Another pause. Then, with a small grimace:
"What I really can’t stand is that ghost crap. The phantom pain thing. It’s like my foot’s still there, screaming. Half the time I wanna yell back at it to shut up."
She huffed, shifting her weight and adjusting her crutches.
"Anyway," she went on, her voice sharpening again, "they said I’ll get the prosthetic soon. Guess that’s when the fun starts."
