Cynthia (http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/8836/01rw.jpg) sat alone in her room, staring out the window.  It had been a few days since she came here, which was supposed to mean that it would only be a few more days until she left.  She'd wanted so badly to ask about that, it kept creeping up in her lips, but always it made her so afraid.  If she seemed too desperate to leave, if she was too afraid, that would only make it worse for her, right?  She just had to keep her mouth shut, but she missed her friends so much.<br/><br/>A knock at the door suddenly jarred her from her thoughts, her hair spinning in a wave of motion mixed with a bit of fright.  Why had she been so surprised, she chastised herself.  She had to calm down.  Nothing was wrong, and her nerves were only being childish on her.  "Miss Peregris?" came the voice from the other side, someone she didn't recognize.<br/><br/>"Hello," she responded gently and sweetly, putting on her best smile and reminding herself that everything would be alright.  She took a moment to straighten out her outfit as she went to the door; there really wasn't anything she could do to spruce up, but old habits died hard.<br/><br/>The outside bolt snapped open with a thud of wood against metal, and the various locks snapped open one by one.  Cynthia had tried to convince herself that all the necessary precautions were completely superfluous, that nobody really needed this much protection, but fear just had that insidious way of creeping up on a person.  At least she knew that she would never be that much trouble.<br/><br/>The door opened to reveal a young man in a blue staff outfit, already holding a smile.  His face lacked any warmth at all; the smile was completely plastered on as if simply part of a uniform.  He didn't even try to offer her a hand of friendship.  "Hello, Miss Peregris," he said politely.  "My name is Phillip Regere.  It's nice to meet you."<br/><br/>Cynthia refused to let his lack of enthusiasm or kindness get her down.  She'd dealt with people like him before, and most people had a difficult task or position, especially when they weren't used to everything yet.  "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Regere."  She did her best to give a bit of a curtsy in lieu of a handshake, but the white uniforms they'd been given didn't have much in the way of give or frill.<br/><br/>"Why don't we take a walk for a bit?"  He gestured out towards the hall, away from the room.  "I've been reading over your files and I have a number of questions I'd like to ask you."<br/><br/>He seemed a bit frightened of her.  She couldn't even imagine why that could be.  Maybe he'd dealt with so many violent people that he was just a bit skittish?  She wasn't sure.  She would just have to keep her smile beaming on him and show him that everything would be alright.  "Thank you," she responded, following out into the hallway.  "I'll be happy to."<br/><br/>http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=106121.0 (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=106121.0)<br/><br/>