The Park; Monday Afternoon.

[ecirpnellehada]

It wasn't unusual for Adah to be ready for what she needed to do before it needed to be done or, in this current situation, before she could do it. Most of her things had been shipped for convenience, so Adah sat at the base of a tree in the park with one simple, small suitcase beside her and a notebook in her lap. She had a bit still until her

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[stupid_toasters]

It wasn't that Lee didn't wanna do this, it was that...he didn't want to do this at all.

But.

He smiled as he wandered over and closer, saying, "If you're trying to hide, up the tree would be better."

[ecirpnellehada]

Adah gave a faint smile back as she glanced up from her current sketch of several squirrels skewered with vegetables like a kabob. "Yeah," she said, even though there were times when she'd done it in Africa, spying whenever she could out of boredom, "because we both know me to be a big tree climber. I'm not trying to hide, anyway, just....kill some time. Funny, isn't it? How something seems like it's coming at you way too fast and then, once you know it's coming, it seems to take forever to finally actually hit?"

[stupid_toasters]

"I never really think about the time," he admitted. "Not like that, at least. And I really don't wanna think about the time today."

[ecirpnellehada]

"One could argue," Adah said, lightly with a faint smile to show that she was mostly joking; mostly, "that you never really think at all." She laid her pencil down on her sketchbook, settling her hands on top of it before nodding toward the patch of grass beside her. "Sit?" she asked. "I've still got some time before I need to be at the causeway."

[stupid_toasters]

He did, lowering himself down next to her quietly before saying, "Thinking never led to anything good anyway."

[ecirpnellehada]

"Not thinking," Adah pointed out, again smiling softly as a way to help avoid the strain that they both knew was there but seemed keenly intent on avoiding, "hasn't exactly been much better for you, either."

Avoiding things never did much good, as well, so she drew in a little bit of a breath and asked, "And you did get everything for taking care of Pride, right? I didn't forget something important that, in a few days, will leave you with nothing but one rabbit irate from deprivation?"

[stupid_toasters]

"He's fine," Lee said, nodding and staring off towards the grass. "Before I left my room, he was eating something food like that I picked up and he was out earlier, hopping around and he's fine. I promise."

[ecirpnellehada]

"And you know," Adah informed him, "if you ever have a sudden craving for hassenpfeffer, I won't be in the least bit put out."

[stupid_toasters]

"I don't know what that word means but from the context, I can say I'm not cooking your rabbit," he said and made a face. "Besides, I like Pride. He's cute."

[ecirpnellehada]

"For the love of Dog," Adah laughed a little, still light, but fueled mostly by the expression on the Eel's face. The fact that it might be a while before she saw a look like that on him was what kept the laugh guarded and quiet, "don't ever tell him that or even let him overhear you mention it. It'll go straight to his big, fluffy head."

[stupid_toasters]

"Would you rather I tell him you miss him every single day?" Lee asked. "And that you're thinking about him?"

[ecirpnellehada]

"He's a smart little bunny rabbit," Adah reminded the Eel. "He wouldn't believe you. Not for a second."

[stupid_toasters]

"Yeah," he said and laughed, "but you'll miss him."

[ecirpnellehada]

"Trust me," Adah said, smiling at the Eel but with a look in her eye that conveyed something much different behind the mirth. "It isn't him I'll miss."

[stupid_toasters]

"Yeah." The smile he tried kind of faltered and he looked back down at his hands. "I know. Your classes will help with that, I hope."

[ecirpnellehada]

"A little," Adah gave a small nod. "All except for the ones where I have to dissect things."