<div style="text-align: left;">Bastiaan Pranger ~ Wondering what's next...<br/><div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/a/ad/Bastiaan05.jpg)</div></div><br/>He stood there for a long moment, a cold detachment to the whole proceedings, a familiar voice breaking into his thoughts.  The owner of the voice was that raven haired girl that Bastiaan had met a few days hence.  “No, Ms. Rivers...All I know is waking up to smoke and leaving...I'm glad you're alright.” His voice was devoid of inflection, a droning monotone sound, his eyes caught sight of Aline in the distance as he saw her becoming the center of a growing group of others.  “Perhaps we should follow along with the others, Ms. Rivers?  Did you manage to bring any of your belongings with you?”<br/><br/>He adjusted the buttons on his shirt, having dressed in a rush and not buttoning the shirt in the first place, he felt a bit odd not wearing a full suit.  “Well, do you feel like a coffee, Ms. Rivers?” he inclined his head towards the heading of the group to the Waffle House.  “My treat...” he softly chuckled as he started heading with the rest.<br/><br/>Part of him wanted to go and be with Aline, to comfort her as he knew she had to be in shock or in pain, or both.  But he knew he should wait, speak with her in private,<em>Best not to have such a discussion in front of others...I should check my savings...</em>he thought absently as it began to dawn, fully, upon him that he would have to find a place to stay.<br/><br/>Later, when everything had calmed down, he sat at a table and listened to everyone.  Most importantly he listened to Aline and her giving the rest an opening to abandon her.  Bastiaan scowled at the thought, he'd promised her father that he'd watch over her if anything had happened to her parents and he was a man of his word.  He was pleased to hear the voices rising in chorus to let her know they weren't going to do just that.  “Aline,” he spoke finally when there was a break enough for him to do so, “I've nowhere else I'd rather be, I promised you two years of service before retiring and I don't plan on leaving because of some damned fire.”