Akira ‘Kira’ Casimir Toivo | NB | 21 | B- | Demi-Omni | Ambi | Strategize | M: Garvin, Nico, Briar, River (Dir.)

“No worries, ‘m sure ya won’t fall too much, ‘quila.”

Akira glanced over at Garvin's voice and smirked in response, not letting their worry slip.

"Hm, maybe. Should I be worried 'bout you fallin' though?"

Their tone was light and teasing, like usual, even as their amber eyes watched Garvin's clouded gaze with growing worry.

"Oh, don't worry about that! I won't let any of you get too beat up!" Nico promised, effectively dragging Akira's eyes away from Garvin again. The smaller way practically bouncing in his seat, filled with excited energy. Kira's smile grew more genuine and they raised an eyebrow.

"How ya plan to do that, Niki? No offense, but yer rather small."

Nico huffed. "Hey! I'm strong! Just trust me, will you?!"

Aki's face softened. "Yeah, ya got it. I trust ya."

Nico beamed and Akira started to look back toward Garvin, only to get their attention immediately redirected as Nico's blonde-haired partner came into view, their friend Aki didn't know the name of in tow. They waved casually at Garvin and Akira before turning to Nico.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt. I figured I should let you know that me and Coda are heading out. Do you have your ringer on?"

Nico nodded happily. "Yep! Already triple-checked!"

And the fact that Nico would triple-check was also mildly worrying, but Aki stayed silent as the rest of the interaction played out. As far as they knew, River wasn't the one they had to worry about.

River smiled softly. "Alright, I'll see you later then. Have fun and be safe, okay? Let me know if you need anything."

"I will! Thanks, Riv! Love you!"

"I love you too." They leaned down to steal a quick kiss before turning to leave, Coda still following closely.

Less than a minute later, Briar made their appearance, earning another squeal from Nico (they seemed to somehow be even more excitable than usual this morning), who launched herself at them the second they were close enough.

Briar laughed and caught Nico easily, hugging him back happily. "Morning, Nico. Good to see you too. Mornin' Garvin, mornin' Akira!"

Akira waved lazily in response, snickering as Nico refused to sit again, instead opting to bounce on the balls of her feet like an overly excited child.

"'Sup, Briar?"

They smiled and shrugged. "The usual. You?"

"Same."

"Okay, come on, let's go! Are you guys ready or what? This'll be so fun!"

Akira exchanged an amused glance with Briar and rose slowly. "Right, we're comin'." They extended a hand to Garvin once they were on their feet, smiling easily as Briar and Nico continued to talk.

"So, what exactly is ice skating?"

"It's skating on ice," Nico replied, tilting their head slightly. "Just like it sounds. You put on special shoes and move around on the ice! It's so fun!"

"Had no idea you were so passionate about this." Briar chuckled, brown eyes light with amusement.

"Well, maybe you will be too after this!" Nico replied, flashing a smile that Akira was convinced could sway even the cruelest of people to smile back. "Oh, Vinny! Can I ride on your shoulders? I wanna feel tall again!"

Akira and Briar both laughed as Nico looked at Garvin pleadingly, eyes wide and soft. As if anyone could deny that.

Sol ‘Sunny’ Loyal Clie | Genderfluid | 28 | A- | Demi-Andro | Ambi | Astral Projection | M: Ingall, Simon, Ginny Kano (Dir/Ind.)

“Well, that’s good, being able to clean is always a useful skill to have. Hopefully it’s not too boring for you though, I know some people prefer other sorts of work. Like Kano, apparently.”

Sol nodded eagerly in response, smiling slightly. "I think cleaning is good! Not boring at all! Kano just prefers to be moving constantly, they don't like to stay in one place too long."

Which was understandable, of course, all things considered. Besides, with ghosts constantly hanging around, nothing was ever boring for Sol. Which was sometimes good, other times not so much.

Ginny shifted, watching Simon carefully from her position behind Sol.

'I'll never understand the appeal for cleaning, but at least this Simon person doesn't seem like a threat. Do remember to give Savy some attention later though, won't you? She's getting on mine and Nike's nerves wanting to play all the time. And, of course, Venus doesn't even acknowledge her existence, so that's one play buddy down. You're literally our only hope of getting her to shut up.'

Sol noddeded as sudtly as possible and Ginny waved a hand tirdly.

'Right then, I'm off. Have fun with your new friend, kill him if he's an asshole, hm?'

Advice that Sol would definitly not be following. They hardly wanted another incident.

Nico ‘Niki’ Cosmos | Agender | 24 | O- | Queer | Ambi | Sound Manipulation | M: Garvin, Akira, Briar (Ind/Dir.)

“No worries, ‘m sure ya won’t fall too much, ‘quila.”

"Hm, maybe. Should I be worried 'bout you fallin' though?"

Nico grinned in amusement at the teasing tones, a little too happy to properly process Garvin's obvious distractedness.

"Oh, don't worry about that! I won't let any of you get too beat up!"

Akira looked over, quircking an eyebrow in disbelief.

"How ya plan to do that, Niki? No offense, but yer rather small."

Nico huffed dramatically, crossing his hands over her chest. "Hey! I'm strong! Just trust me, will you?!"

"Yeah, ya got it. I trust ya."

Akira's face seemed to soften when they spoke and Nico beamed happily, looking over as River came into view, Coda following closely, which was the standard anytime they were given free reign. Coda waved shyly as River smiled and waved a quick greeting to Akira and Garvin.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt. I figured I should let you know that me and Coda are heading out. Do you have your ringer on?"

Nico nodded, hand instinctively reaching for his phone even though they knew for a fact that her ringer was on and turned up. "Yep! Already triple-checked!"

River's smile turned gentle and they nodded. "Alright, I'll see you later then. Have fun and be safe, okay? Let me know if you need anything."

"I will! Thanks, Riv! Love you!"

"I love you too."

Their lips locked for a sweet moment and Nico easily leaned into the touch, the warmth lingering for a moment even after River pulled away.

However, very quickly after River and Coda disappeared, Briar appeared in their place. Nico squealed as soon as she saw them and launched himself at Briar, who, based on the fact they didn't even sway, had very much been expecting the gesture. They hugged Nico tightly for a moment before gently pulling away and smiling.

"Morning, Nico. Good to see you too. Mornin' Garvin, mornin' Akira!"

Akira waved lazily, a smile tugging at the corners of their lips.

"'Sup, Briar?"

A slight shrug. "The usual. You?"

"Same."

Growing bored of the standard catch-up chatter, Nico took the initiative in moving things forward.

"Okay, come on, let's go! Are you guys ready or what? This'll be so fun!"

An amused passed between Briar and Akira, but Akira stood either way, reaching out a hand to Garvin as they got to their feet.

"Right, we're comin'."

"So, what exactly is ice skating?"

Nico tilted their head slightly at the question, mildly confused.

"It's skating on ice. Just like it sounds. You put on special shoes and move around on the ice! It's so fun!"

"Had no idea you were so passionate about this." Briar chuckled.

"Well, maybe you will be too after this!" Nico replied, flashing a smile before a thought stuck her and he turned to Garvin pleadingly. "Oh, Vinny! Can I ride on your shoulders? I wanna feel tall again!"

Briar ‘Bri’ Sallow | NB | 22 | AB+ | Min | Poly | Illusions-Mimic | M: Nico, Garvin, Akira (Dir/Ind.)

As promised, the creature arrived at the rebellion base only a few minutes after sending the last text to Nico. It kept an easy smile on its lips as it moved through the base to the kitchen, nodding to those who acknowledged it and dipping its head to the few it recognized from the gang. Most here this early were higher-ups. Leaders, recruiters, and a few guards and medics. It was relatively rare that a creature like itself would be given as much freedom as it had.

No, not freedom. The creature quickly shoved that thought away. It wasn't given freedom. No creature was. It was simply passed to another group to be given orders. It's task was only simpler than others because those it had been given to were kinder higher-ups than the ones within the gang. These higher-ups had found the creature within the rebellion and adopted it into their smaller group. The creature had only gotten off with this because a higher-up from the gang had witnessed its first interaction with Akira and given it the task of doing whatever Akira and the others of Akira's group wanted it to do.

It was just obeying orders. That's all it could do.

It supposed it just got lucky with those orders. Akira, Nico, and Garvin were kind. They referred to it as they and them, terms that the creature had found ideal before joining the gang. Before learning that it was wrong for feeling that way. Before learning that it was nothing but a creature meant to serve and die.

However, Akira, Nico, and Garvin could refer to it however they wished, and the creature had been taught to give its improper title upon meeting new people to avoid causing trouble for the gang. So, to them, it was Briar, to them, it was they and them, and, to Nico and Garvin, it was many other things too. Many other things, but never creature or monster or thing. It may be wrong, but the creature couldn't help but feel happy about this.

Yes, Nico, Garvin, and Akira were very kind, so the creature would do whatever they wanted without question. No longer just because it had to, but because it liked to. And that was wrong as well, but the creature couldn't help it.

Perhaps that's what made it a monster.

Its thoughts died however, as it approached the table where it had spotted its three higher-ups and, as expected, Nico let out an excited squeal and threw himself at it. The creature had grown custom to the habits of these three over time, and, though it didn't fully understand the playful affection that was so often thrown around, it grew to enjoy, expect, and reciprocate it all. If it was being completely honest, some of the groups tendencies were similar to some of its previous... companions. However, it refused to think on them much, and, therefore, kind of had to relearn how to act in society outside of the gang.

"Morning, Nico. Good to see you too. Mornin' Garvin, mornin' Akira!"

It addressed each of the higher-ups individually, by name, and watched as Akira raised a hand to wave lazily and smiled while Nico continued to grin, if not a little impatiently.

"'Sup, Briar?"

"The usual. You?"

It was careful to give a somewhat vague answer, keeping its tone light and happy, a smile still sitting on its lips. Follow the social expectations.

"Same."

"Okay, come on, let's go! Are you guys ready or what? This'll be so fun!"

"Right, we're comin'."

Nico spoke quickly and the creature exchanged an amused look with Akira, watching as they stood and extended a hand to Garvin. It turned to Nico, careful not to let the other grow too bored.

"So, what exactly is ice skating?"

The question was a genuine one, but Nico tilted her head, eyes lighting with mild confusion as the creature awaited an answer. It knew the group well enough by now to understand that questions like this were acceptable. They treated it like it was one of them.

It wasn't. It was careful to remember that it wasn't, but they seemed to view it that way, so the creature grew to understand that it could act like it did with other creatures (only a little nicer and more civil, of course) rather than treating them as it treated the higher-ups of the gang. Of course, it would still do whatever the three asked of it, but outside of that, it could act human, even though, clearly, it wasn't.

"It's skating on ice. Just like it sounds. You put on special shoes and move around on the ice! It's so fun!"

"Had no idea you were so passionate about this." The creature chuckled, keeping an amused and playful tone while Nico flashed it a smile.

"Well, maybe you will be too after this!" Then, Nico turned to Garvin, eyes growing wide and face turning into a pleading expression that the creature had learned typically got him what they wanted within the little group. Though, admittedly, the creature didn't think that the expression was necessary, Nico could probably get what they wanted just by asking normally. They were deserving of it anyway, as such a kind higher-up, and, even to those on Nico's same level, such as Garvin and Akira, the smaller did seem to be well loved. "Oh, Vinny! Can I ride on your shoulders? I wanna feel tall again!"

Akira ‘Kira’ Casimir Toivo | NB | 21 | B- | Demi-Omni | Ambi | Strategize | M: Garvin, Nico, Briar (Dir.)

“As if ya even ‘ave ta ask, Pavo. ‘Course ya can.”

Akira smiled easily at Garvin's response, not missing the repeated nickname and beat of hesitance before speaking. He seemed a little better now though, slightly less distant than before, so Akira would count it as a win.

Especially with how Nico's eyes sparkled as they shifted to sit more comfortably on Garvin's shoulders, hands immediately beginning to play with his hair.

"Thanks, Vinny! You're the best!" Nico's voice was light with playful excitement and he grinned brightly. "If everyone's ready, let's go! It's pretty much a straight shot from the entrance of the base, but I'll direct when we need to turn!"

Akira nodded slightly. "Sure, 'm ready."

"Same here." Briar offered, smiling and watching with warm eyes.

As the small group started moving, Akira fell into step with them, watching Nico start to talk Garvin's ears off from his shoulders.

"So, how've ya been, B? Ya sure nothin' interestin's happened recently."

Briar chuckled slightly and shook their head. "Nope. Nothing to report, really. Just boring old stuff. The mos' interesting stuff alwa's happens here. With you guys. What about you though?"

Akira smirked, noticing for what must have been the hundredth time how Briar never made eye contact, always looking directly ahead and redirecting the attention away from themself and their life outside of the rebellion.

It was rather odd, some of their mannerisms, but Akira never questioned it. After all, they had no room to pry into Briar's life. So, they simply shrugged.

"If ya count challengin' Garvin to an eatin' battle, losin', and then chillin' the rest of the day interestin', then, sure."

That earned then a quiet snort of laughter from Briar. "Honestly, I'd love to see an eating battle between you two. That sounds hella entertaining."

They grinned. "Well, sure that wasn't our las' one. No way I'm givin' him the satisfaction of endin' on a win."

Sol ‘Sunny’ Loyal Clie | Genderfluid | 28 | A- | Demi-Andro | Ambi | Astral Projection | M: Ingall, Simon, Ginny Kano (Dir/Ind.)

“That’s fair, some people just feel better when they can stay in motion. Though, admittedly, I appreciate the routine of being in one place. Of course, switching it up at times is nice, but it isn’t really all that necessary for me. What about you, Sol? It’s fine if you’re unsure, most people don’t tend to ponder on it all too much.”

Sol paused, thinking for a moment about the best response. Ginny, who still leaned on the back of their chair nodded and smiled encouragingly.

She really did like this guy then.

"Yes, Kano doesn't like being stuck in one place too long. They get annoyed and antsy. I think they start to feel trapped or something. I don't like moving around too much though. I prefer a schedule that I can stick by, mostly because my memory isn't great, so schedule helps with that."

They rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and smiled faintly.

"Some change is okay, I just like stability."

Nico ‘Niki’ Cosmos | Agender | 24 | O- | Queer | Ambi | Sound Manipulation | M: Garvin, Akira, Briar (Ind/Dir.)

“As if ya even ‘ave ta ask, Pavo. ‘Course ya can.”

Nico beamed at that, excitedly extending her arms so Garvin could more easily pick him up. They didn't fail to notice the way his hands shook slightly as he did so, but she didn't say anything about it, instead opting to maneuver his way to a more comfortable position and start toying with the ginger hair.

"Thanks, Vinny! You're the best! If everyone's ready, let's go! It's pretty much a straight shot from the entrance of the base, but I'll direct when we need to turn!"

As the approval of being ready was thrown out, Nico smiled brighter and wove one hand more firmly into Garvin's hair (being careful not to pull, of course), and continued to play with the strands with his other hand as they started moving.

"Ooo, I'm so fucking excited! I haven't skated in forever! Or, it feels that way, anyway! Have you ever seen ice skating, Garlee? Honestly, figure skating is one of the best sports to watch, in my opinion! It's so pretty! Oh, I bet I could show you all a few tricks if you wanted! I mean, you don't have to actually do them if you don't want to, a lot of them are pretty hard, but I could show you! Though I haven't actually tried in a while, so I might well fall right on my ass. That's okay though! It's still fun!"

Recognizing she was ranting, they paused for a moment to let his words actually sink in and shifted slightly again to rest his chin on the top of Garvin's head, reaching a hand down to touch his shoulder lightly. Some emotion started to slip into her chest.

"I think my sister would have liked you guys." They sighed, smile softening. "You're all so amazing! Kind and fun, and, like, the best friends I could ever ask for! So thank you for that."

Briar ‘Bri’ Sallow | NB | 22 | AB+ | Min | Poly | Illusions-Mimic | M: Nico, Garvin, Akira (Dir/Ind.)

“As if ya even ‘ave ta ask, Pavo. ‘Course ya can.”

The creature watched as Garvin swung Nico onto his shoulder, keeping a smile on its face as the smaller shifted around and began speaking again.

"Thanks, Vinny! You're the best! If everyone's ready, let's go! It's pretty much a straight shot from the entrance of the base, but I'll direct when we need to turn!"

"Sure, 'm ready."

Quickly, hoping not to hold the group back, the creature raised its voice in agreement. "Same here."

And then the group was moving and Akira was falling into step with it. So, the creature kept its features relaxed and its eyes straight ahead, not wanting to risk accidentally offending one of the only people who at least pretended to like it.

Not that they actually did. No real person possibly could, but the act was kind enough in and of itself.

"So, how've ya been, B? Ya sure nothin' interestin's happened recently."

The creature tried not to tense, tried to brush off the mild surge of panic that came with the questions about its life away from the rebellion. Tried to be nonchalant and act like there was simply nothing big to discuss.

Which there wasn't. There couldn't be.

"Nope. Nothing to report, really. Just boring old stuff. The mos' interesting stuff alwa's happens here. With you guys. What about you though?"

It counted the seconds before Akira's response, having to repress a sigh of relief when the reply came quickly and without further questioning.

"If ya count challengin' Garvin to an eatin' battle, losin', and then chillin' the rest of the day interestin', then, sure."

The creature chuckled at that, offering up the response that seemed the most appropriate considering who it was talking to.

Light, playful, with a touch of amusement.

"Honestly, I'd love to see an eating battle between you two. That sounds hella entertaining."

Akira grinned. Correct response then. Good.

"Well, sure that wasn't our las' one. No way I'm givin' him the satisfaction of endin' on a win."

Sol ‘Sunny’ Loyal Clie | Genderfluid | 28 | A- | Demi-Andro | Ambi | Astral Projection | M: Ingall, Simon, Ginny, Kano (Dir/Ind.)

“I can understand that. Stability is always nice to have, and in times where it isn’t as available as it should be, having some sort of consistency can certainly offer some comfort. Small things like the rebellion having mealtimes are quite helpful in creating a schedule for you, I’d assume?”

Sol smiled a little and nodded. "Yes, it helps my keep my head on a little better, we have a copy of the schedule in our room. And Kano will help me when I'm still struggling, so it's good."

They thought for a moment, tilting his head before smiling again. "Rosemary helps me too! You should come meet her, I need to get her from my room anyway!" Sol glanced over at the other and nodded toward him as well. "You can come too if you want! ... Ingall, right? You and Simon know each other, right? You're friends? I like friends!"

Ingall looked up and nodded slightly. "Sure, um, I guess I can come..."

Sol grinned and stood up, shooting an apology to Ginny under his breath after nearly hitting her with their chair. "Okay, let's go, if you're ready! I need to get her or Kano would be mad at me, and I'll forget if I don't do it soon. I don't like making Kano mad, so we should go now!"

Nico ‘Niki’ Cosmos | Agender | 24 | O- | Queer | Ambi | Sound Manipulation | M: Garvin, Akira, Briar (Ind/Dir.)

“Well, ‘course we’re the best, but ya ain’t gotta thank us for that. ‘M sure she woulda been cool ta meet though, ‘specially if she was anywhere close ta yer level, Lyra.”

Nico smiled softly. "Well, I want to thank you for it, you all are incredible! I think you deserve to know that I see it." They paused briefly, trying to collect their thoughts and avoid tearing up. "In that case, I'm sure you would've loved her. Rora was better than me in, like, every aspect. Best sister I could've asked for, probably better than I deserved."

He smiled again and shook her head slightly. No need to bother Garvin with any of this, he was already pretty obviously struggling, and they definitely didn't want to add more onto his plate.

"But, anyway, skating! I bet you'll be great at it! I bet you all will! And I really do hope you like it, it's one of my favorite pastimes!"

Sol ‘Sunny’ Loyal Clie | Genderfluid | 28 | A- | Demi-Andro | Ambi | Astral Projection | M: Ingall, Simon, Ginny, Kano (Dir/Ind.)

“Well, we certainly don’t want to cause any problems. You can lead the way whenever, Sol.”

Sol beamed at the agreeance and, without wasting any more time, they started back toward the room he shared with Kano and Rosemary, having to pause and pull out a key to open the door. Their room especially was reinforced with a series of locks, two of which required passwords and the other a key. There were multiple reasons for this, and they were all centered around Sol.

On a bad day, his paranoia would get out of control, resulting in panic over someone (or something) worming its way into their safe haven. Luckily, Kano was understanding and quick to reinforce the room, no questions asked.

Though, perhaps that was more for the second reason.

Sol had a tendency to become manic, and, though he hadn't hurt anyone badly since the incident, Kano decided locks to keep them in probably weren't a bad idea either.

Whatever the case though, Sol punched in the passwords and twisted the key with ease (thanking the musical tune of the buttons for sticking for the thousandth time... Music always stuck better than words or numbers).

As soon as the door was open, Sol casually waved Ingall and Simon inside, oblivious both to the mess and to the fact that Ingall hung back, fiddling with his necklace nervously. Instead, his attention was drawn to a quiet mew and the jingle of a bell as Rosemary trotted over, weaving in between Sol's legs in an affectionate greeting.

They chuckled, reaching down to pull the calico ragdoll into his arms, smile softening as she shifted to drape herself over their shoulders comfortably, purring.

"Simon, Ingall, meet Rosemary! She's the best! You can pet her if you want! She likes friends too!"

As if in confirmation, the cat meowed again, extending her neck toward Simon and swishing her tail happily, earning a quick chuckle as it brushed across Sol's cheek.

Ingall ‘Angel’ Dara Featherlight | Male | 22 | B- | Demi-Pan | Ambi | Enticing Voice | M: Sol, Simon (Dir.)

“Well, we certainly don’t want to cause any problems. You can lead the way whenever, Sol.”

Ingall barely had time to process what he'd actually just agreed to when Sol, evidently very excited, bolted away from him and Simon, leaving him practically scrambling to get up only to pause and look at his plate anxiously, the instinctive need to clean everything up threatening to take over. However, after glancing up at Simon, he sighed quietly and pushed himself in toward Sol's brown curls, resolving not to leave his roommate, and, possibly his only friend, to go off with someone unknown alone.

Not that Simon couldn't handle himself, Ingall was more than certain that he was far more capable than Ingall in anything and everything social, but he had already agreed to go, and, if he was being honest, he didn't really want to be left alone at the moment either. For some reason, his mind was hard-set on convincing him that something bad was going to happen today.

Thanks anxiety!

So, he followed behind Sol and Simon, only letting himself get closer when they came to a stop in front of a door. One that was, for some reason, way more high-security than any other door Gall had seen around here. Great. That was a good sign.

Sol punched in some numbers, humming in tune with buttons as they did so, and the door swung open. Ingall took a step forward when Sol gestured him and Simon in, only to come to a full stop upon seeing the inside of the room.

One-half of the room was decently tidy, mostly bare with only a bed (which was only partially made), a dresser that had a few items on it, and a full laundry basket. The other side of the room, however, was a complete train wreck. Clothes were strewn over the whole floor, accompanied by random scraps of paper, a couple of books, and some other random trinkets that Ingall didn't bother to stop and identify. The bed was a mess with the blankets only barely hanging onto the mattress by one corner, a few more clothes, a journal, and several more books. Most of the dresser drawers were open and the top of it was covered with a vast variety of things. Plus, the whole place reeked of cat litter, courtesy of the ragdoll that was now draped around Sol's shoulders.

At least she was cute.

"Simon, Ingall, meet Rosemary! She's the best! You can pet her if you want! She likes friends too!"

Rosemary meowed and swished her hail happily, purring as she reached out her neck toward Simon.

Ingall managed a faint smile as he wrapped his fingers around his necklace, squeezing slightly and trying to ignore the complete, chaotic mess surrounding him. It was severely uncomfortable here.

Nico ‘Niki’ Cosmos | Agender | 24 | O- | Queer | Ambi | Sound Manipulation | M: Garvin, Akira, Briar (Ind/Dir.)

“‘Course I’ll be great at it, Coco. I wouldn’t really be the best if I weren’t, now would I? As fo’ likin’ it? Tweets, yer the one that picked it, ‘m sure it’ll be fine.”

Nico laughed at that, smiling warmly. "Of course you'd still be the best, silly! Just not the best at ice skating." He snickered. "That's my title anyway, I'm not letting you take it, at least not so soon!"

Her eyes flickered up and they pointed. "Okay, turn right up here, it's just around the corner!" Grinning brightly, Nico had to physically resist the urge to start swinging his feet excitedly. Garvin probably wouldn't like being kicked repeatedly after all.

Sol ‘Sunny’ Loyal Clie | Genderfluid | 28 | A- | Demi-Andro | Ambi | Astral Projection | M: Ingall, Simon, Ginny, Kano, Savannah (Dir/Ind.)

“She is adorable, Sol, and I am certainly glad I didn’t miss out on getting to meet her. Though, I’m sure she would love to get out of the room, cats are incredibly exploratory creatures. Does she know not to roam too far from you?”

Sol nodded happily, smiling slightly as Simon brushed his hand over Rosemary's fur. "Yes! She doesn't ever go where she can't see me, she's very good. And she does love exploring, and meeting new people! She's very social! Right, Rosemary?"

The cat meowed softly in response to her name and Sol giggled, reaching up to scratch her behind the ear quickly before nodding toward the door. "Maybe we can explore more today since we're with you guys? Me and Rosemary typically just stick to the same path because I get lost easily." They flashed a sheepish smile. "But since you and Ingall are here now, I don't have to worry about it, so we can go wherever!"

With that, Sol started toward the door, an excited bounce in his step. As they did so a flash of golden hair flickered in the corner of their vision before Savannah stepped into view.

'Sol! Are you going outside today? Can I come? I want to see the flowers!'

Blinking, Sol had to pause a second to process before spinning back toward Simon and Ingall, oblivious to Ingall's flinching at the sudden movement. "Oh, can we maybe go outside? Not far or anything, just, like," He waved a hand in the air. "Around? Kano doesn't like me to go outside without them much, but you're here, so it should be okay! I just want to see some flowers, you know? Sa- Rosemary likes flowers!"

They caught himself before letting Savannah's name slip, quickly replacing it with Rosemary's as their scrambled brain put together the fact that telling new friends that he could see dead people probably wasn't a great way to keep them around. People tended to freak out when he first told them after all, death was funny like that. Even people who claimed they weren't scared of it, claimed they wanted it, acted all weird when they met someone who actually understood and interacted with it.

Human minds really were odd.

Ingall ‘Angel’ Dara Featherlight | Male | 22 | B- | Demi-Pan | Ambi | Enticing Voice | M: Sol, Simon (Dir.)

“She is adorable, Sol, and I am certainly glad I didn’t miss out on getting to meet her. Though, I’m sure she would love to get out of the room, cats are incredibly exploratory creatures. Does she know not to roam too far from you?”

Ingall shifted nervously, averting his eyes from the bedroom and staring stubbornly down the hall. He did notice, rather gratefully, how Simon carefully crafted his words to sway Sol toward leaving without being direct. He was a genius with stuff like that, so much better in any given social situation than Gall could ever possibly dream of being.

"Yes! She doesn't ever go where she can't see me, she's very good. And she does love exploring, and meeting new people! She's very social! Right, Rosemary? Maybe we can explore more today since we're with you guys? Me and Rosemary typically just stick to the same path because I get lost easily. But since you and Ingall are here now, I don't have to worry about it, so we can go wherever!"

And finally, after far too long (in Ingall's humble opinion), they were out the door and moving again. Gall started to follow, letting out a relieved breath, when Sol suddenly stopped in their tracks and swung around.

Ingall flinched back and barely repressed a yelp, allowing himself to creep slightly behind Simon so he wouldn't have to respond to whatever Sol decided to say next.

"Oh, can we maybe go outside? Not far or anything, just, like, around? Kano doesn't like me to go outside without them much, but you're here, so it should be okay! I just want to see some flowers, you know? Sa- Rosemary likes flowers!"

Ingall's jaw clenched at that. Outside was not ideal. Outside was unsheltered and unprotected, it was vulnerable. Ingall didn't like vulnerable.

Then again, outside was also nature, and he did love nature, so, maybe, if they stayed very close to the base and if he stayed close to Simon, it would be okay.

Maybe.

Or maybe not. It could also easily go south.

Still, the decision wasn't really his to make, and, if things got too bad, he could always retreat back inside, so it was probably best to just let Simon take the lead here. He'd make his own decisions later.

Nico ‘Niki’ Cosmos | Agender | 24 | O- | Queer | Ambi | Sound Manipulation | M: Garvin, Akira, Briar (Ind/Dir.)

“Well, ‘course I won’t take it jus’ yet. I hafta let ya have somethin’ an’ ya seem ta really love this whole ice skatin’ thing.”

Nico snickered and lightly tapped Garvin's skull playfully. "I really do, and I'm quite good at it too, which means if you want the title ever you'll have to work for it." As he spoke, the familiar building came into view. It was relatively large and circular, topped with a glass dome to allow natural lighting. Just the same and just as perfect as the last time Nico had gone, which was shortly after she got with Adiar and River. "There! That's it!" They practically squealed as he pointed at it, unintentionally kicking as she did so (luckily not too forcefully), only to immediately flinch apologetically. "Oh, sorry, Vinny! I didn't mean to kick you, I just got excited."