Hail dawn, hail dawn, Solaris returns!

Rising to her feet again, she carefully brushed any dirt from her kimono before regarding her again. “Relax, child. I’m not here to hurt you.” She glanced over her shoulder. Only now did she see the thugs in question, making her eyes narrow. For the moment, they were caught in the crowd. Given the timing, it wasn’t difficult to piece two and two together. “…come with me, quickly. I won’t let them find you.”

Once they lost their pursuers, Nacre slowed to a halt and wrapped his arms around himself, trembling like a leaf in the wind. "They're not following us, are they? I honestly can't tell."

"Is this something you do on a normal basis," he asked as he followed behind. "You know, just dragging complete strangers along by the wrist? For one, I don’t even know who you are, let alone your name, or—or anything about you, actually. At least, other than the fact that you drag strangers along to get food of yourself. There’s that, at least.”

He released the man's wrist and threw his hands into the air, looking ready to tear Wheatley a new one. "Who would do this on a regular basis? And my name is Nacre. I hope remembering it isn't beyond you." Never missing a beat, he continued to be rather rude towards the stranger, unable to recognize that poor ol' Wheatley was trying his gosh darn hardest.

"That is no way for a lady to traverse the streets, you realize." She knelt and offered a hand. "You’ll only dirty your kimono faster that way."

"Try it. You’ll live to regret it."

"Wh-what...? Who are you?"

It wasn’t far from a year, was it? He couldn’t say he missed anything in particular from back there thought. It wasn’t quite correct word for it. 

"That's... that's horrible..." he murmured, wondering if his fear had seeped into his pitiful words. "We're supposed to simply accept our fate?"

"…so it’s not your own voice up there, but you have no idea where it comes from?" Whether to spill the beans or not, that is the question. "That’s…quite the puzzle, no doubt."

"It's frightening! Am I going crazy?"

"Hm. You’re right. It’s the kind of thing you should ignore if it decides to come back."

"It always comes back. Even if I ignore it. It's not like I can drown the noise out-- it's in my thoughts.

"…I see. Don’t suppose it has anything interesting to say, does it?"

"Well, it likes to say things like 'you're nothing but a fake' or 'why don't you simply disappear?' which isn't all that interesting if you ask me." Yet his voice cracked.

“‘He’? Who are you talking about, kid.”

"... I don't know. Sometimes I hear a voice in my head. It might be a reoccuring dream."

"…hm?" Pucci shot a questioning look at the other. He had somehow expected him to be a male, had he mistaken? 

Whether or not his interest in Pucci was feigned, he made to take a seat and stick around for a while. A little more information about this city's inhabitants could only help him be more prepared. At the very least, he'd learn who to avoid and who to kiss up to.

"I mean, what part of human-ish” He put extra emphasis on the ish that time— ”do you not understand? Let me put it this way: I don’t actually eat. A-at least I’m almost certain that, being a robot of sorts, I physically cannot eat. Or I’ll die. I think.” He scratched his head with his one free hand. “Come to think of it, never had a mouth to test it out with before, but I’m sure the results can not be good.”

"Oh, whatever. You're coming with me while I get something to eat." Because unlike blue-eyed robo-boy, Nacre was feeling hungry; he simply wanted to make an excuse, one that Wheatley had ruined in one fell swoop. In response, he became extra bratty.

While not always the most verbose person, Kratos had a penchant for monologuing when his thoughts wandered. Hopefully, this habit had not lost the boy.

"That sounds stressful. They might think you're a deserter," he quipped, his attitude resurfacing with little to no effort. "And that sounds like something you'd read from a children's tale. Do you actually feel hopeful in a place like this?" In spite of his stinging question, he was intrigued by the way the older man interpreted things. If it was a matter of perspective, the situation could honestly be worse. It wasn't like they were under constant duress, having to fight for their lives.

While Kratos was willing to accept some of the boy’s accusations, he nevertheless hoped that the stranger would acknowledge his own mistakes. After all, aside from being rude and overly defensive, the boy’s attitude could land him in trouble. Neither complaining nor insulting one’s fellow citizens could lead to anything good in this city.

After a moment or two of deliberation, he met the stranger's gaze again and chimed, "If you don't want me to complain, you should help me. There must be something escaping my notice that redeems this-- this creepy city. Otherwise there wouldn't be so many people here." He wasn't trying hard enough, but he was trying. Swallowing his pride was not an easy feat.

"Do you prescribe to Christianity? Or are you here by curiosity?" Pucci inquired, "either way, no, it’s not a crime but cheeky comments are not required."

"I wouldn't say that I'm a Christian, no... but I'm familiar with it." The term was not foreign nor new to him in the way things like 'android' or 'robot' may have been, and Nacre found some comfort in speaking the same language as this priest. "I'm a curious girl," he insisted.