((Sorry, Kilia. *replies*))

Isabella smiled as Arix approached and wrapped her in a hug. He had such an excellent personality. He was so friendly. It was one of the many things she loved about him. And there he was picking up everything she dropped! He was definitely a better person than she was. With a laugh, Isa felt a towel land on her head. "Thanks, Ari."

As she began to rub her hair dry, Isa's blue eyes filled with laughter. "At least let me turn off the sign, then. If we're going to close this place together, it shouldn't mean you're doing all the work." The Hatter set her towel aside and headed over to flip the sign off and lock up the front door. "I'll change when we're done." Isa said nothing about how she felt whenever Arix did this. He always put such care into keeping her comfortable. He even had clothes in the back for her....

"Do I smell that bad?" she grinned, laughing as her friend shooed her away. "Alright, Ari. I'll get cleaned up. And that tea smells so good, I could drink an entire pot of it."

Isa stepped into the back room as Arix started inspecting the items. She changed as quickly as being damp would afford, enjoying the loose-fitting pants and shirt immensely. The fabric was soft and flowing, just as she liked it. Arix knew her well. Almost too well, really. Isa returned to the counter where her fellow Hatter was toying with the new items with a mug of tea and a plate of food. It was her favorite kind of sandwich - turkey and cheese.

"I thought the clock would fetch a pretty penny because of the woodwork on the sides," she said through a mouth full of lunch. Isabella smiled a bit, then fed a piece of turkey to the cat who managed to work its way up to her while she leaned against the counter.
-

You wouldn't want to know what kind of information I seek. Cain might not have answered Odessa's question verbally, but mentally he made note of it. As his hand lingered against the glowing panel of the library, Cain's pale blue eyes stayed locked on a distant point. His gaze flickered as though he were reading, or looking through a file.

"You can help by staying silent." Cain's gaze slowly moved back to the woman, and he searched her face. His stare was analytical, slow, and logged every detail of her. If there was something about her in the system, he would find it. There had to be something.

As the rain continued to fall, it didn't seem to bother the male. Neither did the fact that this obviously sketchy act of pulling information from the library's archives was not authorized by the government. Cain finally drew his hand back, looking as passive as ever. He stepped past Odessa's crate, ignoring her as he moved out of the alley. He actually waited for her to catch up, the neutral expression on his face slowly forming into a curious one.

When she caught up to him, the tall male looked at her closely. "Why aren't you in the system, Odessa?" His gaze was searching, and nearly intrusive as he looked her up and down. With a quiet sound of irritation, Cain turned his gaze elsewhere. "Come with me." Again, he moved on. This time, he seemed determined to reach his own home. It was a small place, and he never stayed in one place for long, but this one was fitting. Quiet. Out of the way. Unnoticed.

Cain, as usual, didn't bother to see if Odessa had followed him. He counted on her curiosity to prompt her onward. If she didn't follow, he knew where to find her.

The door to his current residency was that of an upstairs apartment. It had an old fashioned lock that didn't require a retina scan or any kind of identification test. Instead, the door opened after Cain inserted a key and gave it a twist. Stepping into the dimly lit living area, his cold eyes scanned everything. Nothing had changed. There were a few pieces of furniture, and a lamp in the far corner. Two chairs, a small table, a stand for the lamp.... nothing else. In the room there was a bed - though it didn't take a trained eye to realize it hadn't been used in months.

Cain slowly breathed in the scent of slight musk. It reminded him of old books. It wasn't his smell, but that was certainly what this place smelled like. His analytical mind wondered what Odessa could pick up on. What scent did she smell? Cain blinked the thought away and focused on her once again. His gaze was unblinking, and it gained intensity the moment the door closed behind her.

"No one knows your face, Odessa. Why is that?"

He stepped toward her deliberately, wondering if she'd back away.
-

"Singing and modeling?" Sarah's brows raised, and she smiled a bit. "Well, then I should have brought something to take a picture." Granted, some avatars merely had to tell their own eyes to record what they saw so they could review it later.....

Sarah would have fidgeted uncomfortably if not for Adin's question. "Perhaps. Why would a strange girl come to a strange city?" Leaning forward, she rested her chin on the heels of her hands. Looking up at Adin, the girl realized that she missed talking. She missed having conversations with people, and the friendships that came so easily to her. All of that was gone now. This ... this was something she no longer had.

"Is there a convention, dear idol? Is it adventure, or knowledge?" Sarah began to smile again, wondering if Adin would play along. Would he start fantasizing with her? She'd done this sort of thing with her friends when they were children all the time. "Maybe this girl is in a strange city because she wanted to meet someone famous, or see her family?"

((What if Adin and Sarah knew one another as kids? >___>))

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