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[risolvere]

[Even though she steps through after him, she always leaves the arc first. She’s faster than he is, and in case of a misstep it’s just far more practical, and this time is no exception. Her fingernails dig a little into his palm, but her expression remains pleasant]

A little detour, then?

[ If the fact that she dug her nails in bothers him, his

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[fallforthesky]

[It's been- months. Months since Lenalee has paid much attention to someone in the Dressing Room that she didn't already know quite well. Months since she's bothered to consider talking to others. But... these two...

It isn't the handholding that strikes her, nor the comfortable way they stand just-a-little-too close together (well, that's a lie- they do strike her very much, but that isn't-). It's the word "setback". The context it's used in. They both seem too composed to be using the word so casually, a word which Lenalee is used to hearing over feelings of desperation and no time left.

Her automatic conclusion would be that they've been here before and realize time will wait for them back home, but then there's: "It reminds me of a maze," and that wary look. So, no. No, they haven't.]

That's because it is one.

[beleven]

[ Allen always admired Lenalee's intuition so if anyone were to pick up on something being off about him, he would expect it to be her. He has no reason to hide it, so the almost eerie smile he gives her doesn't hold anything back. He wore the face of Allen Walker, shared his experiences and his name but he hadn't battled the same grief with Nea -- they were one in the same now. As he had already seen a "clone" of himself, he isn't as surprised to see one of her.

It appears to be his turn to be amused. ]

Hello, Lenalee. Is everything all right?

[risolvere]

[It shouldn't surprise her, but it does. To hear her own voice a little ways off, and to... Essentially see herself, and unlike the Allen who had no scar and brown hair, this 'copy' is much more accurate. Her smile tightens around the edges]

Do you have a map? [Screw pleasantries]

[fallforthesky]

[Truth is, she's spent a fair deal of time around a certain Fourteenth- enough to recognize all the wrong ways this one's smile twinges. But spending time around a Fourteenth doesn't mean it stops hurting when she sees others, and doesn't mean it doesn't scar her. She actually feels her breath catch and hold, and she sharply directs her glance at the Lenalee instead-

and oh. The pleasant smile that she'd been trying to offer freezes, tightens up like hers, and then fades. Faintly:] I'm fine. There aren't any maps.

[beleven]

Are you sure? You look like you've seen a ghost.

[ Allen tilts his head a fraction; he doesn't mean to frighten her. She might not be his Lenalee, but she's a Lenalee. Unconsciously, maybe, there will always be underlying feelings there. Just maybe. ]

[risolvere]

Seeing doubles of yourself can't be easy.

[It's odd, like having a living mirror. They way her expression tenses, exactly like her own...She glances at Allen for his reaction, and isn't surprised by his general lack of one. In fact, she seems much more pleasant as a result of it]

How do we find what we're looking for? [Can't you just draw arrows on the wall with KITCHEN DIS WAY, or something?]

[fallforthesky]

[Repeated, still softly:] No, I'm. I'm fine.

[Seeing copies of herself is normal- as normal as anything here is- but seeing a copy of herself so downright... detached... towards the Dressing Room, talking to herself, towards an Allen with a smile like that?... Now that's a bit unsettling. So is being unable to tell if that's how it should be or not. Lenalee can't remember how she acted towards others when she first arrived. Can't remember if this warm and cool behaviour is normal for herself.]

How do you find what you're looking for? I... You look for it. Hallways change, rooms appear or vanish...

[beleven]

If you're certain.

[ He turns that smile on her again before looking away, so he can look around at the general area and attempt to commit certain aspects to memory. ]

So drawing up a map of our own would be useless. It should be easy enough to find a room from here. Is there anything else we should know about this world?