"It's neat that you read faster then." He replied, nodding with interest.

Erika smiled. 'It really helped when I was in university, let me tell you. I needed all the time I could get to work.'

"I tended to work a lot too. I think that's when my common all-nighters started. Mimi never had to work, but she chose to work with me to keep me company. That's what I think the reason was anyway. She kept saying 'but it's fun to work with you, Joey!'... Still don't get that but eh, what can you do? And I did thrive on the company."

Erika nodded. 'My brother worked with me, as well. We'd pool our money at the end of it to get what we needed.'

"I think that's a show of a good family relationship right there," Joseph replied with a grin. "I liked working with her, even if sometimes she started talking about things that confused me. She grew up much more privileged then I did, but she always helped me through the confusion anyway. She's a good sister. And it sounds like you and your brother are a good pair of siblings too."

Erika smiled. 'We are. He'd like to meet you, too.'

"Well I know I'd be happy to meet him as well," Joseph replied with a simple smile of a response. "He sounds like he'd be easy to get along with."

'He is,' Erika confirmed, nodding. 'He's fairly out-going.'

"I wasn't thinking about it in such terms but... That does help I suppose." He grinned a bit, nodding back to her.

Erika giggled. 'We'll figure out a good day for all of us to meet, then.'

"If you want I'll ask my sister next time she's in the area," Joseph added, chuckling a bit. "Somehow that may end up with mostly a question and answer session all day, but... She means well, even if she mostly just asks so many questions people get confused as to what she's actually looking to learn."

Erika smiled at Joseph. 'I've met people like that before,' she said, as she came up to the cashier. She began putting things down on the counter.

Joseph carefully helped put the things down to be scanned for purchase, smiling simply to her. "True. But it doesn't mean I shouldn't warn you 'bout that."

Erika chuckled as she paid for everything. She took the bag in one hand and turned to leave the line. 'She sounds friendly, though.'

"Oh, I can't argue that. She's definitely friendly. Most people are rather surprised by that due to how she was raised..But some things don't change after adoption and the like, y'know?"

'Depends on the age at adoption,' Erika said. 'Younger kids tend to be more affected by it than older kids.'

"True. Which I always found pretty interesting." He chuckled a bit, thinking about it to himself. The day Miyu had found out she was adopted was much more difficult then when he found out he was adopted by the owner of the orphanage they grew up in- though maybe that also played a part of that?

Erika smiled. 'So do I,' she said. 'Kids are fascinating.'

"And I bet you were a fascinating kid," Joseph mused with a smile. "They always are fascinating, whether you are one or not. I always enjoyed being around them."

Erika nodded. 'It's amazing to see how their minds work.'

He smiled slightly, nodding as well. "To be honest... I almost didn't end up becoming an archaeologist just for that reason. When the father died...I was thinking of taking over the orphanage. Archaeology just drew me in too much."

'Who's running it now?' Erika asked.

"To be honest I'm not fully sure... But I'm sure it's a good person. Mimi tells me that sometimes 'cause she likes to visit it a lot."

Erika smiled. 'Well, that's good of her.' She rubbed her stomach lightly. 'Do you mind if I get some ice cream?'

He chuckled a bit in response, nodding. "Not a problem. I might join you for that, if it's alright. It sounds rather nice right 'bout now."