Luke
Was it a bit late to be wandering the city alone? Probably. Not that that stopped Morgan. She'd felt the need to get out and walk around away from the campus for a while, so she'd stopped drawing, thrown on actual clothes instead of pajamas, and then set out for the city. Shortly afterwards, she'd felt the need for caffeine. Recently acquired coffee in hand, she meandered along the streets, not really going anywhere in particular.

Her phone buzzed, and she checked it. It was a text from one of her friends back home. She smiled faintly and started typing out a reply, not really looking where she was going.
Richard
On the side of the road, leaning against a building, is Taffy. Their hair has been separated into two braids, and they're wearing a light blue sun dress. In his hand is a cup of boba. It seems to be about two thirds full.

Taffy's frightfully frail body is prominently shown. At this point, she seems to be almost skin and bone. However, aer eyebags have been covered up with concealer, and ae seems almost tranquil in this state.

After a moment, he decides to move onwards along the street. His sneakers make hardly any noticeable sound on the busy pavement. She pulls out her phone as she's walking, preparing to send some messages into the NC group chat, when suddenly...

***Smack***
Luke
"Ow!" Morgan stumbles back a step as she walks directly into someone she didn't see coming, smacking her lowered head against them. She manages to keep her phone in hand, but isn't as lucky with her coffee. It's knocked to the side, and out of her hand, landing in the street and splashing over the pavement. 

She stares disappointedly at her lost beverage, touching her forehead where it smacked into the other person. She looks back at whoever she just ran into. "Shit. Sorry, my bad. You okay?" She's relieved to find she's alright herself. Not the worst bump she's had by far. Then again, she hadn't been going very fast, this time.
Richard
Taffy looks almost stunned as they look at Morgan. He stands there for a moment, half-spilt boba in hand, before smiling softly.

"It's no problem. Are you alright?" She asks, tilting her head slightly to the side as she adjusts her glasses back into place. His voice is kind and soft. "I should have been watching where I was going. Sorry."
Luke
"Hah. Yeah, me too. Look down for two seconds and manage to run into someone." She rubbed the spot on her head again. The stinging was already fading. "I'm okay, just a bit startled." She looked Taffy up and down. They looked... Somewhat familiar. No one she'd ever spoken to, but someone she'd probably seen before in passing. "You go to Newton's Cradle, right?" She held out her now free hand. "I'm Morgan. Nice to run into you."
Richard
Despite seeming slightly taken aback by the question, Taffy nods and shakes the hand being held out to him.

"Taffy. Taffy Weaver. Can't say I'm too surprised that you've seen me about. People tend to complain about me a decent amount, I suppose."
Luke
Morgan laughed. "No, no! It's just, you also have blue hair." She tapped her own, shorter, slightly lighter hair, not that she needed to draw attention to the fact that it was indeed, also blue. "It's not the most common thing in the world, so it's pretty identifying, even if I haven't gotten to talk to you before. So, what're you up to? Getting some late caffeine like me?"
Richard
"Boba, actually," He says, chuckling lightly. "Also, blue hair is awesome. More people should have it."

They bring their boba up and take a sip, before smiling at Morgan again. They seem exhausted, but don't seem bothered by it in the slightest. Xyr dress seems like it's been bought recently, and xyr sneakers are slightly muddied.
Luke
"Ah," Morgan inclined her head respectfully. "Good choice." She smiled. "Yeah, it's pretty sweet. My brother dyes his hair blue too cause he insists it makes him look cool. Whereas with me, it actually looks cool." She pokes herself in the chest with her thumb to emphasize the point. She glances again forlornly at her lost coffee. "I kinda wanna go get a replacement for my drink now. Wanna come with?"
Richard
An excited glint in aer eye, Taffy smiles, nodding slightly.

"I would love that. You seem cool enough to hang out with for a bit," She says. "I could do with a distraction, anyhow."
Luke
"Sweet!" Morgan started walking towards the nearest café she knew of. Hopefully it would still be open. Unable to restrain her curiosity, she asked, "Distraction from what, if you don't mind me asking? Are you working on a project or something? Or has it just been a long day?"
Richard
Taffy begins walking with Morgan, sipping their boba every new and then.

Upon hearing the question, she sighs, looking down at the phone sticking out from her pocket. It seems as if whatever's bothering him is related to it in some way.

"Just... Not too trusted around Newton's, I suppose. Acted out about a week ago and nobody wants to listen to me now. It's kind of a bummer, but you know, I'm trying to earning their trust back."
Luke
"Acted out? What'd you do, start a fire in the cafeteria?" She was joking around to try and lighten Taffy's mood. She didn't want to push into what seemed to be a sore subject, not unless they wanted to. Still, she could offer her own experience at least. "Aside from that there's not much you can do that you can't recover from eventually. I mean, I slept through half of my classes my second month here, and I'm still alright. Most of the staff don't care about us I think, 'specially Oliver. Mr. Rask, whatever. He's an asshole." 

After a moment's thought, she said, "Graham Cantor is okay though. I get the vibe that he actually gives a shit how we're all doing. He was polite enough not to give me hell just cause I was having trouble sleeping. Made an effort to actually help, so he's got my vote of confidence at least." Morgan shrugged. "The kids are all cool, the one's I know at least. Give it time, you'll find a place eventually. If not, you can always just leave."
Richard
*You can always just leave.*

Almost as if stunned, Taffy stops in his tracks. His grip on his boba loosens slightly, before the drink drops from his hands onto the pavement.

"Leave..." Ze says, as if in a daze. "Leave..."
Luke
It takes a second for Morgan to realize Taffy has stopped, only turning back when she hears the cup hit the floor. "Hey what're you... Umm... You good? Taffy?" Morgan goes up to them hesitantly, concerned about the weird behavior her new companion was displaying. "Hey, I was just joking around, I didn't mean to upset you. Sorry."
Richard
Seemingly panicked, Taffy reaches out and puts their hand onto Morgan's shoulder. They seem frightened, as if they've realised something dreadful.

"Why the fuck am I out here?" He asks, directly his eyes to meet Morgan's. "You're exactly right, Morgan. I need to leave. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck."

It grabs its hair in frustration. For a moment, it just stands there, before hurriedly pulling the bands from its braids.

"I'm not meant to be here. I've been-"

Their voice cuts off.
Luke
"Woah there, slow down." She grabs at one of Taffy's wrists. "Just, calm down a second. You don't have to go anywhere, relax." She holds Taffy's eye contact as best she can. "Breathe with me, alright?" She slows her own breathing down, exaggerating the rise and fall of her chest slightly. Her own heart was still racing. She'd only dealt with this kind of thing once or twice before. She still wasn't certain how to handle it, but this had worked for her brother, so she'd start with this.
Richard
Taffy looks Morgan dead in the eyes, fear clearly showing on hir face. Ze grabs Morgan's hand, squeezing it slightly.

"Please tell me you're not going to be like those assholes," They say, a hint of anger leaking through. "They called me crazy and stupid the last time this happened. I can't have that happen again."

A small tear appears in the corner of her eye. Frightened. Lost.
Luke
Morgan let out a nervous sort of laugh. "You're making me worried man. Um, no, why would I call you... Nevermind. Not important. Don't worry, I only bully people I don't like. And my friends, but I don't mean it with them." She squeezes Taffy's hand back. "I'm kidding, I'm not gonna call you anything. 'Cept maybe a nerd, I call lots of people nerds. Myself included." She's just sort of rambling nervously at this point, more for her own sake than Taffy's.