<span style="color: #FF8000">Nii was just sucking and occasionally biting down on her thumb. She turned her head to look at Arella when her arms started seemingly flailing then looked back at the table. She lifted her gaze and waved her four fingers at the man but she did not remove her thumb from her mouth. She looked to the arms around her shoulders. Tilting her head to the side as she was clearly studying this. Looking to Arella then back to studying the arms. Slowly her free arm moved and wrapped around Arellaâ€™s side. Hugging onto her like the girl was to her. She looked from her arm to Arellaâ€™s arms. Trying to make sure she was doing it right. Eventually she was satisfied she was and she hugged the other girl. Not saying a word as she was nervous around the man. She liked Arella though. She was really nice.<br/><br/>She moved her arm that was around Arella and started trying to connect meaning to the finger holding up event. So she copied it. Slowly connecting it with meaning. That each finger meant something that Arella was listing. She lowered her arm and wrapped it around Arella again. She liked the hugging thing. She was smiling even though her thumb never let her mouth. She looked at Arella then to Millicent. Glancing to the man then back to Arella. She let out protestant whines like a two year old when Arella started pulling on her wrist trying to take from her mouth. Her eyes tearing up as this action was her source of comfort.<br/><br/>She only took it from her mouth when the fruit arrived but her eyes stayed rimmed with tears. Sniffling a bit as she heard her tummy growl louder at the sight of food. She watched Arella and saw her pick up the red fruit with seedy things on it. She picked up one too. Studying it and then looked to Arella to see what she would do with it next. She smiled but first wiped her tears away with her arm. An action more commonly seen amongst one to three year olds. She then stuck the strawberry in deeply like she had seen Arella do. Pulling it out and looked at Arella. â€œLike dis?â€ She asked softly. Looking at Arella with hopeful eagerness. She stuck it in her mouth and copied Arella. She then smiled as she too had fingers covered in white gooey creamy yumminess.<br/><br/>She looked at her fingers curiously then licked one. â€œyuuuuuuuuuuuuum.â€ She said and then took another strawberry and repeated the action. Pulling it out and looked to Arella to make sure she still did it right. A small smile on her face.</span><br/><br/><br/>Rico looked at the kids as they interacted. Smiling as Arella was rather cute helping Nii like she was. Though his sensitive hearing picked up on the protestant whining right as it began not when it was echoing. His elven ears twitched a bit. Watching curiously as the girl continued to whine and get teary eyed like a two year old. Curious. How curious. He watched for a moment more before looking back to Millicent as she began speaking. â€œRed stuff...sleeping.â€ He thought it over and sighed. â€œHer mother will not be coming for her.â€ He said in a soft whisper. â€œRed stuf...is blood. Sleeping...is her passing away. To any child who sees something like death it looks like the person has fallen asleep and just wonâ€™t wake up. That is the amazing thing about children...things like death donâ€™t scare them.â€ He shook his head. â€œSo...Iâ€™m guessing...she just thinks her mother is sleeping. Poor kid doesnâ€™t realize that mommy wonâ€™t be waking up ever again. That is not a conversation I would ever want to have with a child.â€<br/><br/>He sighed a bit. â€œNo report? See if there is a way to locate the father. No call? Same thing. Both those come up empty...â€ He sighed a bit. â€œ...they will probably send her into an orphanage. Or put her into foster homes. That is what humans do anyways. My race would take her in as one of our own. Humans...seem to put them in houses with other children. That isnâ€™t something I see as positive for any child. For...where is the love in a place like that? The caring? The warmth?â€ He shook his head. â€œYet...that is an option the law has to do. If no one has filed a missing persons report it is their call to decide what happens to the child. She becomes a ward of the state.â€<br/><br/>He looked at Nii. â€œI am a wandering stone. I have not yet found a place I call home.â€ he said simply. Looking at her and then to Nii. Then back to her. â€œI believe she has the mentality of a two year old. When Arella was pulling on her wrist and trying to pull her thumb from her mouth she started whining and getting teary eyed like a child between the ages of one and three.â€ He looked thoughtful. â€œThere are different development disabilities which cause different affects to different children.â€ He looked at her. â€œShe is showing signs of some level of...I hate this term...mental retardation.â€ He sighed. â€œTerms like that...Ã³ti den Ã©prepe na efevÌ±retheÃ­ . EÃ­nai polÃ½ ypotimiÌ±tikÃ³ .â€ (they should not have been invented. They are very derogatory.) He slipped into Greek for a second.<br/><br/>â€œIâ€™m sorry. I wish that terms like that had not been invented. When I was in the small town miles from here...I was studying under a local doctor the different types of developmental disabilities. Ones of the mind. Ones of the body.â€ He looked to Nii. â€œI could be wrong but...there are signs that point to that. She is not my kid and as such the human laws would not allow me to get her tested. Still...she seems happy...even if she is behind for her age. She appears about four or five. Give or take.â€<br/><br/>He looked at her with a smile. He used enough cream and sugar in his coffee it was almost less coffee more cream and sugar. He sipped at it. â€œIndeed. It is generic yet...it is a great conversation starter.â€ He said with a warm smile. â€œFor if you express too much information at once then it leaves little to be questioned about. However, if you give a general statement it leaves room for the imagination, curiousity, and pondering to grow.â€ He chuckled a bit. â€œI have noted in most cases if you say something generic...people tend to ask questions to learn more information. Plant a seed in someones mind and they will ask questions until they can sate that seeds curiousity. Tickles the tastebuds so to speak.â€ He sipped the coffee. â€œMmm ... afÌ±tÃ³ eÃ­nai kalÃ³ . Oi perissÃ³teroi ypÃ©rocho kafÃ© .â€ (Mmm...this is good. Most delicious coffee.) He shook his head. â€œAh...bad habit of mine. Slipping into one of my two native tongues when I really like something or it really worries me or even the rare occasion of angers me.â€ He chuckled in amusement.