Day 48: Sun Room [Second Shift]

[perfectrecord]

Hmph. While this Rude was the proverbial "man of few words," von Karma found more potential use from him than a number of the other patients he had met put together. He would still ask Franziska about the man... as well as the other people he had learned that she had been spending time around. Many of them were utter fools, especially that

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[jouer_sans_voir]

There had been no sign of that same kitten so far, though Nunnally could see that there were several wandering around and pestering other patients in the room. Between their antics and the fascinating variety of people around her, she was quite distracted up until the point a small piece of plastic came skittering across the floor and landed directly between her feet. She blinked down at it, then up at the kitten, then up even more at the stranger who'd arrived to come fetch it.

"It's all right," she replied, offering a politely friendly smile to the man before carefully leaning over with hand outstretched to the kitten. She couldn't quite reach the floor, though, not without disturbing her balance, and it didn't seem to be paying attention to her at the moment. "Cats tend to do whatever they want, with whatever they want, without worrying about who it belongs to, after all."

It suddenly occurred to her to wonder just what Arthur had stolen from her brother that day that seemed ages ago. She never had found out, even after all the fuss it had caused. Would he tell her, if he asked? Or maybe Suzaku would. That might be...simpler.

[whichwayagain]

Glad that the young lady didn't take offense to his intrusion on her personal space, Mihai placed the cap firmly back on the pen, ensuring it wouldn't get away from him a second time. Securing the item in question, however, quickly lost importance as Mihai noticed the girl's aborted attempt to lean forward. The crutches so close at hand provided an easy answer, and without a moment's thought, Mihai leaned down again, this time to pick up the kitten that had brought him over in the first place.

"That sounds like more than a few people I know." Mihai laughed quietly as he thought of the assorted 'cats' he'd met over the years, that leaped and pounced without a single thought. Many had learned that such a jump could lead to a nasty landing, through firsthand experience. And others needed more persuasion; Mihai's mind again went to Badou, but only briefly. The kitten mewling in his hands made an easy distraction.

"Even the young should know how to play nice sometimes." Mihai met the cat's eyes as he said this, though the feline didn't seem entirely interested in his opinion. Regardless, he offered the animal to the girl, who probably was much more charming than any old man--and so much more helpless as well. Just what was a girl in such a state doing here, of all places? "My name's Mihai Mihaerofff. It's nice to meet you, Miss...?"

[jouer_sans_voir]

The man did have a point -- if she were to stretch that comment to fit people as well, Nunnally could easily come up with several who might qualify. Even her brother. Even herself, in a way, if she...no, that wasn't something she needed to be thinking about right now. She gave herself a mental shake and dismissed that train of thought, outwardly only smiling a little as he tried to offer a lecture on manners to a kitten.

The smile widened when he held the fluffy creature out toward her, and she gladly reached to gently take the kitten and relocate it into her lap. "My name is Nunnally," she replied, glancing back up at him again as she continued to absently stroke the kitten's soft fur. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Mihaeroff. Have you been here for very long?"

Though she'd already been told about the dangers of this place by several people, perhaps there was more information to be obtained than simply dire warnings. Perhaps she could find something that would be of help to her brother's efforts -- to anyone's efforts to find a way back home again. It was not only that, though, that prompted her curiosity; he had to be one of the oldest people she'd run into here so far. Most everyone seemed to average around young adulthood, with only a few particularly young or old examples.

[whichwayagain]

"Same, Miss Nunnally." And pleased all the more when he saw her smile in innocent delight upon taking the kitten. Something like that couldn't exactly be common, especially among the veterans of this place. Given how many people seemed to know on sight that he was new, Nunnally's question all but confirmed her inexperience to Mihai. Poor thing. Though she seemed calm, how much longer could that last, with all the rumored horrors that surrounded them?

"Only a day." Mihai offered a smile of his own, though one that wasn't so honest as hers. He moved to the open space beside Nunnally on the couch, putting enough distance between them to be appropriate as he sat. That way, she wouldn't have to look so far up to speak to him. "But I've heard the basics about this place. I hope you have too." And that she had adequate protection, given her apparent condition. But Mihai thought she might withdraw if he brought that up too soon, which wouldn't do him any good at all. A less direct approach, then. "Given how dangerous things are supposed to be."

[jouer_sans_voir]

It wasn't the same kitten as the day before (she hadn't seen any sign of that one, so it was likely napping somewhere out of sight) but that was probably a good thing, to be honest. The grey kitten yesterday had been active and rather demanding of attention, but this kitten was quite content to curl up on Nunnally's lap, its paws idly kneading against her thigh as it was petted. She smiled down at the little creature, listening to its squeaky purr and wishing that everything could be as peaceful as this one moment.

Unfortunately such a thing seemed impossible in this place, for no matter how calm the day might be there was always an awareness of what was about to come. Not that she had seen exactly what happened at night, of course, but so many people had mentioned it that she almost felt that she wouldn't need to. She glanced up at the man and nodded slightly, with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I've been told. By several people, in fact. Don't worry, I didn't have any plans to go wander out into the hallways by myself at night." Even if she had anywhere to go, even if there weren't supposed to be monsters in the hallways, she moved slowly enough that it would be difficult, to say the least.

[whichwayagain]

Mihai had been more reassured by Nunnally's words than her smile, but either way, he did relax a bit. She seemed like a such a sweet girl, one who didn't deserve to be in a place like this in any sense. Of course, Mihai knew that there was often more to people than what appearances showed, particularly when it came to the young. Most people his own age had decided putting on a show was just too much of a pain. Deception took a great deal of effort that was better spent elsewhere. Doing muscle videos, for instance.

"I'm glad to hear that." Mihai nodded his approval, then looked down at the kitten who contented himself so easily. Ignorance and bliss, partners in action. "An old man like me can't spend all of his time chasing down stubborn cats. You'll have to forgive me for being forward, Miss Nunnally, since we just met. But I don't think anyone would want to see you hurt."

[jouer_sans_voir]

"I don't want to see myself hurt, either," Nunnally returned, with a gentle smile and soft laugh to say that she was teasing, even if the sentiment behind it was true. She couldn't be injured here, not with so many people who would be unnecessarily burdened with worry for her. There was enough to worry about here, enough to be working on, that she didn't want to distract anyone from work they needed to be doing. Even a stranger such as Mihai had paused to be concerned for her simply because she couldn't walk unaided -- if she took to the hallways at night and was truly injured, it would only be worse.

She idly rubbed behind the kitten's ears with one fingertip, looking momentarily thoughtful. "Might I ask where you're from, Mr. Mihaeroff? I've been told that there are people here from many different worlds, and...it seems strange to me. But I haven't met anyone except those from my home who are familiar with Britannia as I know it."